Mentari in the Night Sky

The Past: A Promise

"Ken didn't tell you his test results at all?"

I shook my head with hands that were still busy drying my hair. Arthur took the hair dryer out of my hand and turned my body against the window, allowing me to see the sky still faithfully lowering the raindrops.

Slowly Arthur's hand tidied up my irregular hair and began to dry it. There hasn't been a minute since she started seriously drying my hair, now she's turning off the hair dryer and putting a towel over my head. Then he sat down beside me watching the rain. He kept patting me gently on the back, as if telling me that everything was going to be fine.

I know the polygraph test I did didn't give me the results I wanted. I've known since the moment Ken asked me for a chance, I know what feelings he had for me and of course I also know he wouldn't want our matchmaking void. My desire to do a polygraph test was like a way for him to be able to maintain our matchmaking and stupidly I just realized now.

"You don't want to go down?"

"What will I get? I know for sure this match will continue."

"Aren't you curious about the answer Ken gave you?"

"Would hearing her answer make me fall in love with her, sister? If so, I'll go down now."

"I met him because of an accident arranged by our parents. I hurt her feelings on purpose because of a mistake she didn't even make. And I don't want to part with him because of a coincidence that I can avoid."

"..."

"She said that to mom and mom immediately hugged her. She regained her mother's trust with just those 3 sentences."

"Zeta is hungry, Zeta is down now" I said as I placed a small towel over my head onto the bed.

Arthur followed me as soon as my feet touched the floor until now when we both arrived at the dining room. The dining room that was previously crowded now only contained two waiters who were cleaning dishes used for food. Arthur walked towards the dispenser and picked up a drink, as if he did not want to make the two ministries awkward so hurriedly cleaned the dining table. I followed Arthur to get a glass of water and walked out of the dining room.

"Take this," said Arthur, giving me his glass and speeding away from me. Inevitably, I had to speed up my footsteps because I did not want to suddenly get lost in my own home. Not getting lost in terms of places but getting lost in terms of awkward atmosphere if I meet the servants.

The sound started to sound as soon as I entered the garden area. Mom and Ken's laughter rang out, their laughter showing the world how happy they were. I flicked my footsteps because I wasn't sure I could get into their conversation. Just as I was about to step back to look for Arthur, I hit a back that immediately made my nose hurt.

Buk up!

"Aww," I groaned as a hand shut me up.

How can I follow Arthur and then suddenly now William is in front of me?

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he pushed my body against the wall, as if William didn't want Mom or Ken to know where we were.

"Ah, I followed Brother Arthur," I replied with fear.

"I don't see him around here."

William pushed my body back against the wall as soon as he saw Mom and Ken walking towards us, more precisely towards the wide chair that was right in front of us.

"Why does Auntie love to walk under the snow and rain?" ken asked me and William to focus our attention on their conversation. Now William's leaning against the wall, just like me.

"Because the possessive sky finally allows rain or snow to meet the ground" she replied with a smile, a smile that hinted at sadness.

"Hmm, is the sky Uncle Allison, the snow is Zeta, and the land is Ken?"

Ken's question suddenly made William clench his hands and intend to walk to their place, before I finally held his large body with the energy I had. I gave the head bobble as soon as William looked at me, asking me not to hold him back. The current situation is already quite strange and I don't want to make it any stranger with our sudden presence.

"The aunt thinks it all depends on how we interpret it," the mother replied, making William finally back leaning his body against the wall. Looking at her current attitude, I think the center of her life that I had originally turned into a mother.

"Then how does Aunt interpret it?"

Silent.

Just by mother's words, William already knows what you know about you. With just the sentence that my mother had just uttered, William already felt his world crumble. With just a smile that mom gave me, William started hating me. And, with just my silence, William felt how useless he was.

"Tante knows you've met the woman. Even though Zeta didn't tell her, Auntie knew about your meeting. It's just that Auntie doesn't know what kind of conversation you're having."

"I'm sorry Ken."

"Since we're already on this topic, can Auntie say something?"

"certain."

"When you get bored with Zeta, feel you can't love her anymore, and feel that your world is no longer filled by her, then return her to Auntie or to her brother and never play behind him. Aunty would rather she feel the pain of losing your sincere love than she should continue to feel the love full of lies from you. Enough Aunts who feel this pain, enough Aunts who bear all the karma that uncle has done, enough Aunty. Auntie doesn't want Zeta to feel it and therefore Auntie takes all this pain so Zeta doesn't need to feel it in the future."

"Tante, Ken will always..."

"Tante didn't ask you to promise to love him for the rest of your life because your feelings are yours. But Auntie wants to ask you to promise not to cheat on her because it is your duty as a husband in the future. Can Ken do that?" cut Mother.

"Ken promised."

"Let's go inside, the rain's getting heavier."

Silent.

Only the breath of mine and William was heard. None of us wanted to start a conversation, not because we didn't know how to open a conversation after hearing all this but because we didn't want to hurt each other. I will accept freely if William is angry with me because it's all my fault I didn't tell him.

Silent. For more than 5 minutes we were just staring at the rain in front of us.

"When do you know all this?" the tanyanya surprised me.

"When you play the piano in the morning."

"Come in, the air's getting colder."

"Sister.”

"Please?" she asked with a sad look, the most heartfelt look she had ever shown me.

"Mom doesn't know about the second child. I only know about Alvin."

"Do you know what I want to do right now, Zeta?"

I'm shaking.

"I want to turn back the clock when my mom cries alone. I want to accompany my mother and her pain. I knew I would never be able to treat her heart but at least I wanted to accompany her. I'll never even be able to do that, Zeta. Until whenever I could never accompany and cry together with mother because if I did then my last defense would be destroyed. I hate myself so much, Zeta. Hate very much.”

"..."

"Please go inside."

"Sister, please don't hurt yourself Brother."

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