My husband is not the CEO

Fifty Six

Jakarta, August 2008

One by one the students came out of the parking lot of Pelita Nusa shortly after the bell came home from school ringing. Their motors moved slowly out the gate in an orderly manner. Some students also sit in front of the school waiting for an angkot or invitation.

Unlike the other students, Rafka did not move still sitting on his stool even though the classroom was empty. Occasionally he rubbed his palms with a tie due to cold sweat. He didn't know if waiting for someone made him tense like this. His heart spurred twice as fast as it was about to jump from civilization.

"Lu'm sure he'll come?" Danu patted Rafka on the shoulder from behind, leaving her aghast.

"You surprised me." Rafka said without turning his head, he thought this class was completely empty but apparently there was still one loyal person waiting for him, who else if not Danu.

"Can the girl just think you're weird, don't know suddenly send that letter."

"Not now it's commonplace if exchanging messages, you are too, every time you always push the phone until the letters on the keypad fade."

"Not to sneak your nose hulk." Danu ruffled her waist upset by Rafka's words.

"I'll go first." Rafka drapes her school bag and leaves Danu.

Rafka deliberately invited to meet with Caramel at the school park because it was close to the music studio that is not used today. Rafka will show that the origami can light up in the dark.

Rafka's mobile phone vibrated long from inside her uniform pocket as she descended the stairs towards the ground floor. Rafka reached into his pocket, saying Febi's name on his phone screen.

"Why?" Rafka begins, he suspects there is something urgent because Febi never calls him unless something really matters.

"Bag the hunt home." Febi's voice rang out in panic making Rafka's steps stop at the last staircase. He looked towards the school gate just in case Caramel came but his concentration was divided by the phone from Febi.

"What's wrong?" Rafka closed his eyes slightly to keep the phone away from his ears because instead of the Febi answer he heard but the sound of a broken object and the cry of a man. "Febi you calm down." He said that Febi was not afraid even though he could guess what had happened at home.

Lately the situation of Rafka's house is heating up and there is a dispute between papa and his mother. Rafka who usually likes to stay at home is now more often out because they can not stand their quarrels. At the age of 18 years he began to understand that domestic life is not always smooth like a highway, sometimes there are many holes that make it damaged and can make people hurt.

"Bang, Papa fought Mama!" Febi's voice trembled with fear.

"Now who's home?" Rafka sat on one of the garden chairs taking a deep breath and exhaling her slowly. He heard the voices of people other than his father and mother from across the street.

Rafka moved when she saw Caramel coming, her heart racing so fast that her hand holding the phone was wet with sweat. Caramel didn't look at Rafka because she didn't know the guy who sent her the letter. Caramel's gaze swept through the entire garden, he looked puzzled as there were quite a few disciples there.

"Papa take home the Bang chick."

Rafka's eyes round at Febi's reply, his mouth open to call Caramel that he was here.

"The girl said she was pregnant with Papa's child."

Rafka's body went limp as soon as she found out about it from Febi. He didn't think that far that his father would cheat on him until he impregnated another woman. Rafka swallowed his saliva with great difficulty, he severed the connection and passed from there.

Rafka half ran past Caramel who was walking from the opposite direction. He did not have time to say hello to Caramel let alone tell that he was the one who sent the letter. The chance to meet it may come at any time because their school is crossing over. Unlike the precarious situation at his home, Rafka could not postpone it, he had to go home right now. Rafka can't leave Febi at home and watch their parents fight. Febi was too small to experience all this.

Meanwhile Caramel dingsukan looking for the possibility of who sent him a letter. Caramel guessed the guy was handsome and rich looking from his neat handwriting with an expensive ballpoint pen.

"How dare I nyamperin a guy?" Caramel held a smile imagining her meeting with the sweet prince who wrote letters in this modern age.

Caramel turned to look at the guy she had just met, "cock missing?" Ask on air—no one else is here, he can only ask the mute air. Caramel frowned because the guy just now was out of sight, like having super strength running fast.

"Hi!"

Caramel was surprised when she turned around and saw a man standing right in front of her. It was fortunate that he could control his mouth which was usually like an empty Kong Guan can—noisy.

"The caramel?" The guy smiled broadly at the name tag on the Caramel uniform, a unique name.

Caramel's eyebrows shot up, his eyes immediately fixed on the man's name tag. Rama? so R is Rama! The view of Caramel down to the hands of the male student named Rama, he brought a cassette of horror films that Caramel also watched a few days ago.

"You saw that movie too?" Asked Caramel enthusiastically, he finally found a guy who also likes horror films like him.

"Hm?" Rama followed Caramel's line of sight, "have you seen?" Ask curiously.

"Udah." Caramel mangosteen.

"No call?" Rama was as enthusiastic as Caramel. When two people who have the same hobby are met then their chatter will be endless.

"Totally so."

"Do you like watching horror movies?"

"Like to use very, wow the film is very exciting anyway, ending—"

"Stop." Rama silenced Caramel's mouth with his hand.

Caramel glared, surprised that Rama suddenly shut his mouth, ah that's right they just met but it's like an old friend.

Caramel laughed crisply, he thought Rama was disturbed by his talkative and pretentious self when they had just met for the first time. But Caramel did not expect before that the man who sent him the letter turned out to have the same hobby as himself. Caramel had imagined how their excitement in the next meeting.

"I happen to have two tickets to see Death Bell, you want to come?"

"Huh?" Caramel's mouth was a little gaping, what a coincidence he said? basic mode. Didn't they make plans to meet? surely Rama deliberately prepared the ticket.

"You haven't seen this, have you? it's the first day of release."

"Not yet."

"So you want to watch me?"

"May I but I'm allowed to be with my mom." Caramel reached into his pocket to retrieve the phone by calling his mother's number.

While Caramel called her mother, Rama went to the parking lot to get her motorcycle ready to go to the cinema. At first Rama makes an appointment with one of his classmates but suddenly he cancels it. But Rama was lucky to meet the neighboring school student named Caramel. Rama is like being shrouded in a fog of luck because he can invite the beautiful girl to watch with him.

******

Brak!!

Rafka knocked down his bike just as he got to the yard. His breathing was puffing because he had to pedal his bike faster than usual. He saw a foreign car parked in front of the house with his father's car.

How surprised Rafka to find a house that is usually neat and clean today is full of stuff scattered. Even a fairly large flower vase near the stairs rolled far enough away but did not break.

Rafka snorted to see the man she had been calling papa slapping his mama to make the middle-aged woman fall down. Rafka ran up to them and pushed her papa with all her might.

"How dare you!" Rafka raised a fist on his papa's face to make the man take a few steps back. Rafka saw a woman standing not far behind her papa with a surprised look on her face.

"Rafka!" Mama Rafka pulled her son away from attacking her papa. Although now the corner of his lips bleed but he still has to protect his two children. "False mom, you don't hit Papa." Say it with a painful feeling. Compared to the wound on the corner of the lip, her heart was much more painful to see her husband bring home a woman who was pregnant. If it wasn't for Rafka and Febi he'd have given up—away from this earth. But he still has to fight for the happiness of Rafka and Febi.

A hard blow on her cheek she got for yelling at her husband's mistress as jal*ng. He let out his emotions with that scream.

"If you dare touch my Mama again, you will deal with me!" Rafka shouted with a reddened face in anger. The man who once managed to comfort and protect her is now a stranger to Rafka.

"Rafka, you don't know anything, don't interfere!" Papa Rafka's firm.

Rafka smiled obliquely, "how could you possibly make me like a stranger?"

"Rafka, Papa doesn't mean that." Papa Rafka was about to grab his son's hand but was quickly pushed aside by Rafka.

"Don't call yourself Papa!" Shouted Rafka again.

"Take care of your attitude Rafka!" Reply papa Rafka.

Rafka was grieving, how could a person who had betrayed talk about attitude.

"Pa, now you choose me and the children or the woman." Mama Rafka said in despair, she no longer knew how, as hard as she could to maintain this marriage but with pain or let the figure of the family leader go with other women.

"I have to take responsibility for the child she contains." Papa Rafka lowered his head, he could not let the women he had impregnated take care of their own children. He had already fallen into the hole and did not want to get out of it.

Mama Rafka hides her surprise by pulling Rafka into her arms trying to stay strong when she loses a man who used to say she loved her so much but turned out to have an affair with another woman.

"If you leave here and never appear before me." Rafka said coldly, if the tone of speech can be measured with a thermometer then this room must have been frozen by the sound.

Febi ran over to her mom and brother after about 30 minutes hiding behind the wall of her room closest to the living room. He dared to come out after papa and his mistress left the house.

They hugged each other with tears, strengthening each other. Life on the next day might feel heavier without a father. But Rafka is determined to be a substitute figure for his father and success in the future in order to keep a smile on the face of the mother. Rafka believes they will still be able to laugh freely even without papa.

******

"Eh since when is the girl you incer now actually familiar with the same IPA children?" Danu nudged Rafka who was reading a book beside her. He pointed with his chin towards Caramel and Rama in front of the school gate.

Rafka raised her face slightly lowering her book to look at Caramel. He also did not know since when Caramel knew Rama to look very familiar as it is now.

It's been a week since Rafka sent Caramel a letter. Rafka's belief about his next meeting with Caramel is a big mistake, he no longer has the opportunity to do that. There is no next day, once it fails then Rafka can not reach it again.

Maybe that day if her parents don't fight then Rafka can meet Caramel and get to know him more closely now. But all that has happened, when his family was destroyed at the same time his dream meeting with Caramel was extinct.

Who should Rafka be angry at? there's no. He could only bear and embrace all his pain alone. Seeing Caramel laugh was enough to make Rafka's heart feel a little warm, even though the reason for the laughter was not her.

.

Please don't tell Rafka Lebay anymore because she forbade Caramel to deal with her stepmother. Hope you guys understand Rafka's feelings 🥺