Long River

Marketplaces

Aska ran down the stairs. He saw his wife in the kitchen cooking. "Where's the world, Leka?"

"In an ordinary place" he replied without looking.

Aska immediately confirmed. He was relieved, Runi was drinking his bottle of milk on the sofa chair. The little girl who was lying down was surprised to see the appearance of Aska as she was engrossed in drinking her milk alone. His face stiffened again.

"Alhamdulillah." It caresses the chest.

Aska's back in the kitchen. "What are you cooking?"

"Definitely have not prayed at dawn yet?" Leka still hasn't looked. He was busy with his cooking.

"Eh, yes. I-I-I'll pray now." Aska ran up the stairs and climbed it.

Half an hour later, Aska came down in her office clothes. At the table is available Indonesian-style food, peanut anchovies and balado eggs. "Mmh .. looks good." He glanced at Leka who brought him a drink hoping that his wife's heart would begin to melt.

"I want to go shopping."

"Yes, I'll drop you off tonight."

"I want to go shopping now, to the market."

"Oh," Aska who was already sitting on the chair glanced at his wife. "Why not tonight, I'll make it home soon."

"I'd rather shop by myself near here. The market is close by, right?"

"But you're carrying it heavy. If it's me, I can help."

"If anyone forgets to buy how? Waiting for you to come home from work?"

Aska doesn't seem willing. He was silent for a moment.

"Why can't I go out on my own? I'm also tired of staying home."

"Where are you going?"

"If it's noon or afternoon, I want to take Runi for a walk out."

"Or don't go all the way?" Aska took out her wallet and gave 2 pieces of red money. "The taxi driver across from the apartment knows where the market is so he can go with them."

But Leka still thrust her hand.

"What?"

"Card to get in her apartment bang."

"Oh yeah."

Meanwhile at Arya's house, the man just came out of his room when he heard his house bell ringing.

Sri, her housemaid ran to the main door. He's opening. "Oh Ras, where's your boss?" Ask.

Aras, a tall, straight man was standing at the door. He is Kenzo's bodyguard. The man was carrying a pile of parcels in his hand.

Yes, Kenzo has bought a house across from his father's Aryan house in order to live independently. Usually every morning he comes for breakfast with his family to greet them, but today is different, he does not come and is represented by his bodyguard.

"Walking. It's a gift from Milan, to his family." Aras handed over the inn to Sri.

Arya opened the door of her house wide. "Where to go?"

"Don't know sir," Aras scratched his head.

Arya is very worried about Kenzo, she doesn't want anything to happen with him. "But escort as usual right?"

"Yes sir. 2 bodyguards, as usual."

"Good!" Arya folded her hands.

But where did Kenzo go? The man was in his car parked across the market. He was waiting for someone to come.

A dark brown sedan came and stopped right in front of the market. A young woman in an orange headscarf came down with a child. After the car left, the woman entered the market. That's the woman Kenzo was waiting for. The man came down after him.

Turns out my estimate was correct, he went to the market early in the morning. Kenzo followed the woman from behind and met her. "Hello!"

"Eh, Brother Kenzo." Leka was shocked as Kenzo stood before her. "Why is my brother here? Brother not working?"

"I don't have a company here. Mmh, I just saw you from the car, so I'm coming in."

"Company? You mean not work?" Leka sounds innocent.

Kenzo laughs. "My job is just to call."

"Oh." Although he did not understand, Leka agreed.

"You want to go shopping?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"I'm with ya?"

"But the dirty market Sis."

"It's okay to bring the groceries."

Leka looked down. "Sister also wears shoes. His shoes are dirty!"

"Why worry about shoes, not me?" Kenzo laughs.

"Nothing is there." The smile expands.

Well, only this time I was given a smile by a woman, so happy. It was not in vain that I came here to follow him. He turned to Runi who was inside the Leka sling, looking astonished at him. "Hello pretty."

The little girl hid her face from her mother.

Kenzo laughed a little. "It's so funny this kid from yesterday."

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry."

"Oh yeah, come on!"

Leka began to explore the market and began shopping for kitchen spices until the raw materials were Kenzo piled his groceries on hand. Occasionally he tidied the buni sling that slightly pulled his clothes. When they finished they came out.

"You wanna sit around for a second?" Ask Kenzo.

"No, I want to go back."

"Then get in my car."

"Oh, so troublesome."

"No, come on."

They then boarded Kenzo's car, which drove Leka to her apartment. "Wouldn't you stop by?"

"Oh, glad to be invited anyway ...." Kenzo glanced back at Leka.

"Oh yes, I can. Come on in, brother."

"It's you, face the card." Kenzo takes over the cards from Leka's hand. He flips the card and shifts it on the tool. Door opens.

"Oh."

"Remember it like this." Kenzo.

"Oh, yes Brother. Sorry villagers."

"There are no villagers with the townspeople. The machine only follows what it says, only then do you learn what the machine knows." Kenzo returned the card to Leka. "Let's open the door to your own apartment."

Leka shifted the card on the door and pressed the number button she remembered. Door try to open and open .... "Please brother," said the woman happily. "Good to go with Brother, otherwise ...."

"There's a security guard downstairs, you can ask."

"Is that so?" Leka took them in. Only Kenzo's bodyguards are coming back down.

"What do you want to drink? Coffee or tea?"

"Tea can." Kenzo sits on the living room couch.

Leka took down Runi who started walking around her mother. Leka made a drink while Runi ran from the kitchen to the living room just to peek at Kenzo.

"Eh, let's get here chibi(the little one)." Kenzo called.

The little girl approached slowly but only to the table in front of Kenzo. He leaned back while putting his head on the table staring at Kenzo. For some reason, Runi was interested in seeing the man.

"Chibi, would you like to sit next to Om?" Kenzo patted the sofa stand.

The little girl flinched.

"You want to sing like yesterday?"

Runi immediately straightened her head. He walked around the table at the farthest distance because he was still ashamed of Kenzo, until he reached the sofa next to the man, but he did not immediately sit there but just leaned back and put his head there while looking at Kenzo.

"What song do you want to sing?"

Runi just looked at the man confusedly.

"Twinkle-twinkle little star (the flickering little star) like yesterday or is there another song?"

Runi just stared at the man without a sound.

"Let's hold Om's hand, if you want to sing." Kenzo held out his hand.

Runi's tiny hand immediately clasped Kenzo's fingers, he smiled.

Kenzo returns to sing the Twinkle-twinkle little star song he sang last night for Runi and the little girl is again gobsmacked. Not only Runi, Leka also likes the melodious voice of Kenzo. Leka brought her tea and placed it on the table in front of Kenzo.

Runi like a drugged. He listened to Kenzo's voice with his mouth open. At first Kenzo just moved Runi's hand, but then he carried the little girl into his lap. The little girl seemed unconscious to have been on the man's lap because she only saw Kenzo's face while singing. The moment the song stopped, he was surprised to have been in Kenzo's lap. Runi hurriedly descended from the man's lap and moved to the leg of Leka who was sitting on another sofa. Kenzo and Leka laughed.

"Your voice is so sweet, you can be a singer like her."

"But Dad won't let me be an artist."

"Your father?"

"Yesterday you met him, Arya Wiraguna."

"Oh, is he your father? Your faces don't look alike, do they?"

"He's my stepdad and Mariko my stepmother but Tama's my brother."

"Mmh?"

"Mariko's other wife's deceased father."

"Oh ...." Leka looked at Kenzo. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"So you don't have any more parents?"

"But thank God, they were very kind to me."

"I'm also like you Kenzo, no longer have parents, but I'm not as lucky as you. I was alone and had to raise Runi alone."

"Oh, sorry I don't know, I ...."

Leka shakes. "It's okay."

"Yes, right? We should not be disappointed with what God has destined for us because maybe, there are people who suffer more than us but the spirit is never extinguished ... Like you're Leka." Kenzo looked at Leka gently.

Leka's face flushed. "I'm not a great person" he said bowed in shame.

"All Moms must be great. I've seen Mama's struggle with me. He accepted me even though I wasn't his real son, let alone your son Runi. Aren't you?"

Leka looked at Runi who was leaning on her lap.

Kenzo took his cup of tea and took a sip. "I have a lot of musical instruments in my house. If you want to hear me sing while playing a musical instrument, play my house another day."

"What musical instruments?"

"Guitar and piano, I have." Kenzo glanced at Runi. "Yes Runi, huh? Want to see Om sing again?"

Runi jumped up and down with a bit of embarrassment beside her mother's feet. Like he likes Kenzo to sing. Leka smiled as she rubbed her son's head.

"I'm going home first, right? Fear of interrupting your work." Kenzo standing.

"Thank you, brother, for accompanying me shopping."

"Either. Assalamualaikum."

"Waalaikum salam."

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The door is knocked. Kenzo's head came up from behind the door. "Dad, you busy?"

Arya looked at the door. "Why?"

Unasked Kenzo came in and sat in the chair in front of Arya. Face whining. "Dad I want a confession, Dad." He was very close to his father. Even his attitude still looks like a child when dealing with Arya even though he is 27 years old.

"Are you a Christian?"

"I lied to you, I don't want to get married."

"What?"

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Hi reader, this time Author wants to introduce a new novel from fellow Author, Author Zafa with his novel titled Me and the Past. The past can be dark but not the future. That's the message you want to get out of this novel. Happy Reading's. Greetings, Ingflora 💋