Les Laches

Finding Alvin

Hera threw her phone into the corner of the living room couch before grabbing the television remote and replacing a television program that was being watched by Marita, her sister who was only one year younger than Hera. Kontan only his actions made Marita nag long short before complaining to Leksi, his eldest brother. The age of the lectionaries is double the age of Hera. The distance between them was because for more than ten years Hera's mother busied herself pursuing her career as one of the national formula racer athletes who were uphill.

Tina Ossian is the maiden name of Hera's mother who she used during her active time on the circuit. He married young at the age of seventeen because of the coercion of his parents. On the other hand, Freddy Cho, Hera's father, was so in love with Tina despite being married through an arranged marriage and his wife refused to stay home after giving birth to their first daughter. It was that love that kept the man faithfully waiting for Tina to be willing to return home for over a decade. Though not a few women who approached him saw the unclear status of his marriage.

Tina was only willing to take Leksi home with her husband after he quit the circuit. However, the relationship between the two did not improve. It took Tina more than three years to learn to love her husband. Actually it is not difficult to love a figure like Freddy who is handsome and dashing, it's just that Tina's self-esteem, a hardline feminist, forces her to refuse to submit to the snare of marriage, which is generally very thick with patriarchal culture. 

Freddy understood the heart of the woman who had become his wife because he always observed in silence. Not without reason his business in the world of resorts and hospitality is growing rapidly. He can easily “read” someone. The reason he did not succeed in seizing his wife's heart was not even one of the proofs of his incompetence. Tina herself set the distance even though she actually admitted that her husband was the best man she had ever met. 

As long as the two are in a marriage relationship, not once does Freddy force or ask Tina to do something. Even if he wanted to, he could have complained Tina's rebellion to his parents. Because, no matter how wild Tina is, the woman is very respectful and loves her parents. That's one of the reasons Freddy fell in love with him and refused to give up.

Freddy's struggles over the years finally did come to fruition, though ironically all of that was thanks to his first fight with Tina.

At that time, Leksi who had just sat in the tenth grade was caught smoking by his mother. The lection that strongly upheld conservative compliance norms was furious and almost beat up her eldest daughter because Leksi was defiant when warned. That's when Freddy intervened. A great quarrel exploded between the two.

Tina almost left home due to the quarrel. However, Freddy restrains himself by asking a question that breaks Tina's heart.

“If the one who is angry with Leksi is me, you will certainly defend him, ‘kan?”

Tina who did not understand the meaning of her husband's question was silent. Seeing all that, Freddy continued in an equally gentle voice.

“All parents are like that. Despite knowing that his son is guilty, they have the instinct to protect him. I defended Leksi not because I supported his actions. I just don't want you to be sorry for the dark eyes. She's your daughter, our flesh and blood. His mistake was our fault too. Therefore, our job is to guide him back in the right direction. You understand, ‘kan?”

Hearing that, not only was Leksi sobbing, Tina also shed her first tears before her husband. Yes, from that moment on, the woman recognized Freddy as her husband. All his doubts about Freddy collapsed instantly. To him, such a gentle man was not a figure that he needed to care for. A loving heart like that of a man is impossible to think of hurting any woman's feelings as her deepest fears.

Hera was born exactly two years after the incident and Marita followed in the following year.

“Udah dong, Ta, Ra. No need to fight over TV macem difficult people. Can watch in your room each.” So was Leksi's response when Marita settled her complaint.

“The problem is that this Hera is intentionally like this, Kak.” Marita still doesn't take it. “She's fighting the same Alvin so look for each other.”

“Attem?” Eyebrow Lection linked. “Cock tumben?”

“Tuh, ‘kan. Deliberately look for attention to ask.” Marita replied as Hera was about to answer, making a pillow land successfully on her face.

The two almost claw each other if Leksi does not threaten to hit the two if until the commotion they make wakes Norma, her baby daughter who sleeps in a room near the family room.

“Practice match, Stupid!” chirps Marita.

“Can I punch him in the face once, Brother?” hera's permission to Lection.

Leksi decided to turn Hera's attention back to focusing on her story. “Why is he suddenly like that?”

“If I had known, Brother. Alvin never told me anything. Afgar, who he said lately, Alvin hanging out, also said he could not catch a story from his mouth. And just now.he snapped at me. It was the first time since we dated two years ago.” 

Hera's eyes began to glaze over. Marita hurriedly threw a box of tissue from the table into her brother's lap. As soon as he regretted to Hera, he could not bear to see her brother crying.

“There are problems in his family, maybe?” Marita decided to join.

“When the hell, Alvin family has no problem?” Hera asked back.

“Yes, you can't say that, dong. Do not because you think the family problem is too ordinary to be understood, you continue to underestimate all that,” said Marita at length.

Leksi nodded in agreement. Sometimes he forgets who among Hera and Marita is actually the youngest child.

“Terus I have to what if Alvin himself does not want to answer when asked.” Hera again whined.

“Ya replace your dong who follows him everywhere. Pepet kept going until he told me. Don't want to be chased.” Marita eventually replaces Leksi for advice.

“He's on the phone just getting angry. How can I ask for a position?”

“Sometimes I'm confused you're just males thinking or emang bego acute,” chirps Marita who almost thrown tissue box if not rush to hide behind the body Leksi.

“Phone Afgar dong, Ra.” Lection back intervening pull “gun” it from Hera's hand.

“I really should follow him?” asked Hera soon after hearing Alvin's usual location for gaming from Afgar.

“Do you want to improve what changes girlfriend again like already?” Lexi asked back. Marita nodded with support.