Les Laches

50.

Tian paced back and forth in front of the large glass in his walk-in closet. Already more than five clothes tried that afternoon until finally the choice fell on a dress with a khaki all over print design. The earthy dress is one of her favorite dresses. Although the length is slightly above the knee, the piece of the dress is felt to be able to cover the curves of his body without giving an excessive baggy effect.

It was not without reason that Tian dressed all out like that. Today, the day before Meda's departure for France, is the day Tian sets his heart on meeting the young man. In fact, Tian had planned everything he needed to prepare before meeting Meda last night; the parcel he had not given to Meda several times, the clothes he would wear that day; until what sentences he will say when he meets the young man later. 

However, all the things he had prepared in such a way as if it became wrong in the morning. The parcel he prepared looked too simple so Tian had to unpack the gift he had wrapped all night and try to come up with new ideas to make it a little more special. Then the clothes he had hung near his walk-in closet door did not make his appearance look attractive at all. Finally, all the words he wanted to say to Meda when he met later evaporated from his head.

Tian thought that all of that was due to his nervousness due to the approaching meeting time. However, for some reason the more he tried to ignore those feelings, his premonition worsened. The highlight was when he accidentally nudged a used glass of Lydia's milk as he tidied the dishes at the dinner table. That was when Tian felt that there was more than just a nervous feeling that made his heart unsettled. Hence, he tried to always be close to his phone, the only thing that could make him reach the fastest source of information.

Tian was not just silent as anxiety haunted him. He tried to do many things to drive the bottomless effervescence out of his mind. He tried to tidy up and rearrange the order of the books in his library, an effort that he immediately stopped because he realized it would take longer than the time left until Meda's return from his office. He then washed all his clothes and the school uniforms of his sisters that were piled in the basket of dirty clothes each, then dried them in the backyard of the house. Lastly, when he could find no other job to occupy his mind, Tian took a walk in the spacious front yard of his house.

“Sore, Mr. Diro,” greeted Tian when he saw one of his father's employees was standing in one corner of the yard, just below an avocado mango tree planted in the yard of the Adler family home.

“Wih, so cute! Where are you going, Ms Tian?” A voice emanating from the top of the tree preceded Diro's ready-to-answer intentions. Tian himself almost jumped from where he was standing because he had not previously looked towards the horde of tree leaves that hid Eko's figure well from sight.

“Panen yes, Sir?” tian asked back, deliberately diverting the attention of the two middle-aged men from the plan that made him have to be ready with a perfect appearance when he was usually still fun to relax and chat with his sisters.

“Not yet, Mbak. This is still packing the fruit so that it is not attacked by codots,” explained Diro.

“Trusted to eat your own garden, Ma'am?” seductive Eko as he went from one branch to another in search of another fruit that has not been wrapped.

Tian slightly blushed hearing the question. To be honest, he did not think too often about when the tree would bear fruit. However, every time he realized the existence of the tree he planted himself in the yard of his father's house, he could not help but hope that his prank activities would soon show results.

“Just if it bears fruit, surely Ma'am Tian I tell you first,” said Diro calming.

Tian smiled sweetly as a sign of his gratitude.

“Where are you going to this Tian Mbak?” Eko who finally came down from the top of the tree again expressed his curiosity.

“Wes anyway, Ko! Kok you kepo continue to be the same business Mbak Tian,” reprimanded Diro who began to itch with the carelessness of his partner.

“Yes we are his duty to ngawasin Mbak Tian and his sisters Mbak Tian anyway, Ro?” reply Eko not received.

“Njagain yes njagain, not interrogate. Disrupt the privacy of your people. Habit!” diro's lips.

However, Tian did not have time to answer, the phone in his grasp rang loudly. Tian glanced at his cell phone screen, his mother's mobile number appeared there. The girl answered the phone immediately.

“Halo. Assalamu’alaikum, Ma.” Tian gave his regards with a sumringah face. His heart that had been a little troubled calmed down when he guessed the reason his mother called. Usually, the mother will only call on her business trip for two reasons. One, because his mother and father managed to sign a contract with a client or if the mother planned to buy him a by-— which signifies that both parents will soon return home.

However, the sound of a buzzing sound heard on the other end of the phone shattered all positive expectations and made Tian recall the bad premonition that had haunted him since this morning.

“Ma. What's the problem?” tanya Tian slowly.

Diro and Eko, who were watching Tian's slowly paled face change, soon realized there was bad news that his master's daughter had received from other parts of the world. Both of them were immediately on standby and mentally prepared to hear the news, especially when Tian ended his phone call.

With tears sliding slowly from the corner of her teary eyes, the girl looked at Diro and said, “Pak, please take me to the airport now, huh?”

***

Meda looked at the large blue-background monitor that showed a row of numbers and letters on it with a blank look. A bellowing traveler almost made her fall into a limp as she smashed into her body standing amidst the human crowd that was supposed to be moving after finishing her affairs at that point. However, even though it had made him receive a disturbed gaze from other prospective passengers, in fact Meda was still reluctant to move even from where he stood.

His reason? Because that point will be first addressed by someone who will likely consider today as the last day to meet him before his departure to France. Yes, Meda is waiting for Tian to arrive there. 

In the final seconds leading up to his departure, he was eager to meet Tian and asked him to mend their troubled relationship. However, there was not much he could do because the time of his departure was getting closer. He tried to call Tian's cell phone only to hear the operator give notice that his phone number was busy. 

This made Meda's heart haunted by the suspicion that the girl was being preoccupied by Afgar. Meda brushed aside her pettyness several times with all her might and tried to think of the possibility that Tian might also change his mind in the final seconds of his departure and be on his way to meet him. Therefore, Meda stood firmly in her place while holding on to her last hopes and prayers that the girl would soon arrive.

Reality betrayed him. Until her flight gate opened and Meda became the last person to board the plane, the girl never showed up. Tears of disappointment slid without being prevented when finally the plane he was boarding took off.

Author's Note:

Wes toh \= Never mind

Kowe wae sing sentiment \= You are the sentiment