Neighbor Husband

Episode 41 - A Heart Wounded

"Home home, son? How's the test today?" ask mother.

"Alhamdulillah smoothly, ma'am. The results are getting better" Luke replied while saluting his mother.

"Then why is your face still so tangled?" mom's face looks worried.

"Luke accidentally hit a patient in a wheelchair. And if I don't see it wrong, it's Shilla. But why is the condition so sad, huh?" Luke's story.

"Sheila? The ibl*s woman who made you suffer like this? He's also the one who debated the bad rumors in Senior High School?" ask Luke's sister to be upset.

"Your brother, Luke, said. Look atyou. You are just about to pursue a career, have been hit by trials again. The trauma you have experienced as a result of them is also getting worse. This is not the time for you to worry about other people" she added.

Luke's down. His little heart did feel pain due to the bully of his friends first. But Shilla's condition was really bad. He looks decades older than his age. His body was thin, his skin was dry and dull. Her hair was no less damaged because it was not taken care of. Why did one of the most popular girls in school become like that?

Since graduating from High School, Luke has separated himself from the alumni of his school. He did not participate in the school reunion, did not enter the alumni group, he also unfollowed social media school friends. He really started a new life in college.

High School colleagues he still contact only a few people, namely Flora, his best friend since SD. Sri Rahayu, her boyfriend in second and third grade High School. And Bang Hari, his seniors who both attended the Olympics.

His meeting with Dede, Teguh and Tyo a few months ago, was his first meeting with his other school friends. He even just found out, if Teguh married Lily.

"Sir, why stay silent. Big brother wasn't thinking of finding out the state of that big brother's friend, was he? Look at the mother's situation. If you do not care about yourself, try to pay more attention to your mother. Lately, I've been getting a lot of sleep just because I think about my only daughter" Luke's sister said.

Luke's eyeballs turned, from the window towards his mother. The 51-year-old woman was very frail. I don't know since when Luke's mother's body became that thin. His eyes were soft and looked very tired. His shoulder bone protruded under the brown layer of skin increasingly looks wrinkled. The skin between his eyebrows was very wrinkled, showing how often he was heavy-minded.

Luke's heart is sliced. He should have made his mother happy. But there, he even made his mother always worried and sad. That's right what his only brother said. Luke has to think more about his mother than anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I promise to make Mom happy" said Luke.

The mother did not reply. But the tears streaming down her cheeks was a very clear answer.

Drrtt... Luke's phone is ringing.

"You didn't forget it again, did you? Today's class starts at 12:50" wrote Hendra Yohanes, the driver who is now his friend.

"Oh, that's right."

After his leave, Luke does not return to the city and teaches as he always does. He chose to teach non-regular students, with a system of teaching and learning classes remotely through online.

This makes it easier for him to work while restoring his condition.

*****

"Lukman, you know where and how Luke is right now, right?" urged Dede when meeting Lukman in contract.

"Sorry, my answer is still the same as yesterday, Bro."

"Cowok si! You who look after and care for his contract while he is gone, it is impossible not to know anything" angry Dede.

"Who do you call si*l guy? Look at yourself. How many people have you hurt since you were a teenager?" reply Lukman.

"Before you go home, Luke just left the keys to my house. And order to clean it once a week. Every month he sends money to grandma, and grandma gives me a few hundred thousand as wages. That's all I can tell you" Lukman explained.

"Have you said everything?" search Dede.

"What else can I hide? You've known Luke a lot longer. You also go to school with him. You should have understood it more. And you can just ask directly with the people of his hometown, right? But why are you even 'wearing' at me every day?" pissed Lukman.

Dede fell silent. It's not that he never tried to find traces of Luke's whereabouts in his hometown. But from reliable information, they say that Luke was never seen there. Luke's mother's house was always closed like it was uninhabited. Where did the red-haired girl go?

The tling! Dede's phone rang.

"Hey, what did you say to papa? He almost killed me this morning" Ina wrote.

"Well, what a pity. Why didn't he just kill you this morning" Dede replied.

(Connected)

Thank you for reading. See you around.