Les Laches

41.

After Tian's death, Afgar rubbed his wet face and walked casually out of the front yard of the Tian house.

Before actually leaving, he still took the time to greet Diro and Eko, two men whom Adler hired to look after his home and family. The two middle-aged men also had time to question the reason Meda and Tian rushed away without waiting for Afgar. Of course, the two of them might have guessed that the pair were having a fight looking at the way Meda and Tian left, only that they did not know the cause of their quarrel.

“That little bit earlier. His name is courtship, sir. There must be a lot of fighting. Going through a period of exploration.” Afgar tried to explain.

“That's him. Why not the same old wes just know his date? Yes, Mas Afgar?” sahut Eko with his thick Japanese accent, while playing his eyebrows towards Afgar.

“Hush! Kowe, Ko. Both already have a joint with all.” Diro patted Eko's arm while shaming shyly towards Afgar as if he was the one who sparked the idea.

Afgar shook his head while putting on a sad face before replying to Diro's words.

“I'm on my own now, Mr. Diro.”

“Lho!” Diro and Eko exclaimed almost simultaneously.

“Sama Mbak Safira is already engaged? How can I break up, yo?” Eko looked at Diro asking for approval, but instead got a sneer from his colleague.

“The betrothed is different from the marriage, Ko. So, it can still break up too.” Diro shook his head at the innocent question of the man who was actually four years older than him, before gazing at Afgar again. “What problems does Mas Afgar have with Mbak Firanya? Mbak Tian already knows?”

Afgar smiled faintly before explaining, “Tian is certainly the first to know about any news about me. I'm the same Safira, well—we piled up too many small problems, so that when there was a big friction, that small problem became a bomb that exploded and destroyed everything.”

“Mbak Tian not involved ‘kan, Mas Afgar?” 

Diro's question on target made Afgar hold his breath. 

That one man had indeed known himself and Tian since childhood. He even knew Afgar long before Tian came to Adler's house because Afgar's father was Adler's best friend. It made Afgar feel that sometimes the man could read himself very well.

“Involved piye anyway, Ro?” eko saved Afgar from having to answer.

“Ya, get involved .. such a third person. Uh, what do you call it. It's disturbing the relationship, Ko. Ah, you are this! Don't know,” Diro's nag.

“Weleh, guendeng you iki, Ro. Mosok you nyamain Mbak Tian kayak pelakor that,” chirp Eko did not accept his beloved employer was demonized.

Diro himself only shook his head many times while rubbing his chest and saying Istighfar. Not out of admitting his mistake, but out of frustration with the way Eko draws conclusions from his questions.

Afgar himself took the opportunity to say goodbye amid the commotion between the two men.

As his foot had already far stepped away from the Tian house building, he took out a cell phone from his pants pocket and sent a message to Tian.

*I'll go home first. I'm sorry if my arrival today has you and Meda fighting again.

Excuse me. Maybe it's a sign that we should stay away, Ti. This might be the last time I see you. But, again, you can still call me if you need to. Although maybe during these few weeks, I will not be at home and help you directly.

I want to calm down first. 

See you, maybe, Tian*.

Afgar pressed the send button after several times reading the contents of his own message and made sure that the message could launch its goal to break Tian's attention so as not to focus solely on Meda. Yes, by hinting that he wanted to be alone after breaking up with Safira, Tian must be increasingly unable to obey Meda's will to stay away from him.

Afgar did not care even though he himself considered the way quite lowly. Seeing the way Meda arranged Tian's life and forced her opinion on the girl−even to the point of dictating with anyone Tian could befriend—Afgar was increasingly convinced that the man was not the best for Tian. It was not impossible that the man would monopolize Tian even further when Tian had already been completely conquered.

Tian stumbled as he entered his yard. He did not really listen to the words of Eko who was sitting at the guard post with Diro when he returned the call with a wave of his left hand. His other hand was pinching heels that he accidentally released because it made his sprained ankle more pain.

The quiet atmosphere of the house because his father, mother, and youngest sister were in Sweden, further made Tian feel empty. Luckily, there were still Lydia and Joan accompanying him at home. Both remain in Indonesia because they have to go to school.

Joan was seen as being engrossed in poisoning Lydia with a row of information about the K-Pop world she judged, when Tian joined in the living room. Lydia herself looked very serious about absorbing the new raw data crammed into her brain, though she did not forget to answer the greeting spoken by Tian.

Tian checks his phone and reads a message from Afgar. If he did not remember that there were two younger siblings nearby, he would have cried lamenting the whole incident he went through today. First the wrath of Meda, then Afgar who seemed depressed because of his problem with Sapphira.

He could not choose between the two. Obviously speaking of love, only the name Meda was in Tian's heart. However, his affection for Afgar who took care of him since childhood is certainly not easy to ignore. Especially when Afgar's situation is falling like this.

Unable to stand all the pressure that stifled his mind, Tian finally turned his attention to his two younger siblings who were still busy talking.

“You've learned?” ask Tian.

Lydia nodded quickly, while Joan looked indifferent as she replied, “No PR.”

Tian could only bite his tongue so as not to shout out the advice that studying and doing PR was different class; that learning should be done every day, not waiting if there is a task. Because, he himself remembered that he was the same age as Joan did not like to hold a textbook while at home. 

However, even though he did not like to learn, Tian knew his ideals. Well, even though those ideals eventually changed as his reasoning and experience grew.

“You want to so what with all that knowledge?” Tian decides to ask Joan when Lydia asks for a break to get some drinking water.

“So artist,” replied Joan energetically.

“Korean Artist?” tian asked in a slightly seductive tone making Joan glance at him sharply.

“Artists go international. Can concert in Indonesia, Korea, Japan, China, Hollywod.” Although upset, apparently Joan still looks enthusiastic to convey his future plans.

“Hollywood is for actress who plays movies, Jo. Said you wanted it to be a BoA kayak who can sing the same dance.” Lydia who had just returned from the kitchen corrected her explanation.

“Oke, concert in America.” Joan is upset because she doesn't like to be caught wrong. 

“But at home no one knows music,” he added while folding his hands in front of the chest.

“Yes, if Kak Meda goes home, you can talk to Kak Meda. Kak Meda would have told me that she had a band at her school,” suggested plain Lydia.

And the two got back into a good conversation. This time about how his eldest brother's lover was besides talented in the field of voice attraction also has a face similar to the K-Pop idols they saw in Joan's MV collection. Ignoring Tian who was once again drowning in turmoil over the memory of his quarrel with the young man.

Author's Note:

Wes \= is already

Kowe \= you

Piye toh \= what the hell

Guendeng you iki \= (bull)/crazy

Mosok \= cook