Learning to Be a Mother

9. That's not the Way.

I don't know how many times messages with the same intent have popped up on my phone screen, as if waving or asking for help to be read and answered as soon as possible. Maybe the sender was typing while I was busy in the kitchen.

I glanced at the wall clock, my Wednesday was almost up because of all day taking care of homework. It's three o'clock in the afternoon and Kalista still hasn't come home, while from now on her sister's piled up a lot of unrequited messages on her chat room with me.

From Fathan

Ma, Kalista has not come home yet?

If not, then Fathan Cariin.

But Kalista had not come home since this morning, as if she had run away to find a safer place than her mother. I'm stupid, very stupid.

So I replied to my son's message, asking him to look for Kalista and take her straight to the nearest diner. I can't stop thinking considering my son's last condition when we argued, did he really run away from home with that appearance?

It could be that the neighbors saw and commented on how bad I was to educate two children, who knows they so gossip and understand my miscarriage yesterday. Again mother, again I am always appointed as the center of the problem.

Not to shirk reality, but during what I have received and lived up to now, is there sympathy or empathy seen from someone as a form of concern for me?

They just want to know and leave with new news.

Half an hour later, I got my firstborn home with a facial expression that was difficult to understand. Fathan looked gloomy, agitated at the result that seemed to not match my expectations as well.

"Where is Kalista?"

While breathing heavily, his head shook as a hint of my question. "Fathan doesn't know, Ma. Fathan's been looking everywhere but hasn't met Kalista."

"How are you, anyway? Confidence of trust for nyariin his sister even did not meet, embarrassed dong so older brother can not keep his sister," nyinyir I look at him still in a sense of fatigue that has not been exhausted. "Liat the child next door, even though he was a year or two different from his sister aja get along. You guys were born with a lot of fights."

I saw Fathan puffing out his anger, he chose not to answer my words earlier and replaced the object as his current concern. My son chose his cell phone, he searched the name of the intended contact and called the person as an add-on to the information.

"Mom don't want to know, find Kalista until we meet."

Yeah, look at this like a bunch of thugs who lost their prey, anyway. The proof is that I crossed my arms while walking here and there, waiting for the latest news from children information, it turns out waiting is also tiring, yes.

I waited for her in front of the porch, creating a triangular shape on the waist that looked like mothers who were ready to nag their children. Within a few minutes, it was true that there was someone coming into my neighborhood. Uh, not one but two.

Judging longer, I saw a good interaction from both sides. The person I questioned was with a man I didn't know, but they were certainly the same age. Judging from his uniform, they were one school.

"Calistas, come in."

"Mom, uh. Don't be rude!" take my son when I pull his sleeve.

"You took my son away, huh?"

"Biyan is not wrong, I met Biyan first on the road. Mama don't misunderstand me!" cut Kalista looks at me. "I'm at Biyan's house today, she takes care of me."

"Get in."

"No way."

"ENTRY!"

"Who are you?"

"Biyan, Auntie," he answered with conviction. "Biyan Nugroho, classmate Kalista."

"How come Kalista met you first and you kept him at home?" I clarified my question, intending to make her answer more.

"Yes, Tan. This morning Kalista met me on the street, she asked me for help, so I brought her home."

Hearing him, I was mangosteen as a form of answer. Then, I embrace it exactly a mother who will entrust her child to a good man. This man named Biyan was also carried away, until I pulled his back in with a proper pronunciation in front of the ears.

"Don't macem with my son if you don't want to run out in this place."

Then his head then nodded, saying what I said earlier and shaking hands as a form of final separation.

"Ready, Aunt. Then I say yes."

"Biyan, I hope you know the limits, yes."

Again, the man confirmed my words. His back bowed as a form of respect for our first meeting and farewell, then left this place with a non-excessive attitude.

After pulling the fence in, I went back inside the house, making sure my son was okay after a long day outside the house. This time I have to talk to him even though Kalista might still not want to chat with me.

"Calistas."

"Don't bother me, Ma."

"You don't think Mama's worried?" I looked at him in wonder. "Especially fitting know you all day at the house of the same guy who even Mama does not know who he is."

"We don't do anything."

"Oh, huh?"

I went straight to Kalista who was sitting next to Fathan, pulled his injured arm and made my son stand up with a ringing in pain.

Fathan stood up. "Mama, don't be rude."

"So far Mama has let you do what you like, not polite, you are not polite with Mama. Mama is sick to know!"

"I'm also heartbroken, Ma," Kalista replied to me no less fiercely. "I also want to be like other children who are always shunned equally appreciated. Why am I being sued for having to overdo Brother?"

Here I can't reply, I don't want what we are debating to be more elongated and ended up being heard Cahyo. So I took off Kalista's hand, let her speak again until I was fed up with what she said later.

However, the woman turned around, she went into the room as if to give her sister a chance to talk to me. I didn't stop him because I also wanted to hear what my eldest son said.

"Ma, this morning should not slap Kalista," he said still with his head down. "He was still sleeping, constantly forced to get up and instantly slapped. It must hurt, Ma. He was shocked, he was scared. It's natural that Mama's angry about her behavior, but that's not the way."

"You want to teach Mama?"

"Ma!" In one call, I was surprised when Fathan raised his voice. "I don't know who Mama is now, I'm disappointed."