Not a Choice
40
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...Every human being has made a mistake. Fortunately, humans are still given the opportunity to realize the mistake. Now it's time for us to fix everything....
...~Yulina Ambarwati~...
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The warm air typical of the city of Surabaya accompanies the solitude of a middle-aged woman who sits on the porch next to a green house. Highlight his sissy eyes could not lie to the longing he had for seven years. No matter how great a child's fault, it will always be forgiven in the heart of the woman who gave birth to it. That is the soft heart of a mother. Lina realized that the incident was not entirely Runa's fault. But he also took part in it. Her neglect as a mother has been the toughest torture so far. Plus Lukman's expulsion of his daughter made him even more depressed.
In every third of the night, Lina always begs for forgiveness and asks for protection for her daughter. He never stopped asking God to always take care of his eldest daughter when she was no longer at his side. Lina prayed that her daughter would not commit even greater sins.
It seems God granted his prayers. Hearing his grandson currently in good health, made himself breathe a sigh of relief. It turned out that Runa did nothing stupid after that incident.
Tonight, the stars decorate the sky of Surabaya. It had been two hours Lina sat in that chair while looking up at the sky. Sometimes he smiled remembering the memories of a few years ago when Runa was still in their midst.
Without Lina noticing, her husband had been standing at the door and watching the woman. In Lukman's mind, he had been sad to see Lina for the past few years. The woman's smile was not as bright as it used to be. He regretted why it used to be so easy to throw his daughter away. He should have protected the girl. But in fact, at that time anger had blinded the eyes of his heart. Seeing the woman who is almost a quarter of a century accompanying the journey of his life, Lukman's selfishness slowly melts away. He also confirmed the words of Runi some time ago.
“Ma, it's night. Comein! Later sick.” Slowly Lukman touched the shoulder of the wife who was still enjoying the beautiful sky.
“A minute, Yah.” The woman turned her head and smiled when she saw that her husband was already by her side. Lukman noticed the smile of compulsion that Lina presented every time they were together.
Lukman sits by the side of his beloved wife. The man enjoyed the beautiful night. “It doesn't feel kids are big huh, Ma. Maybe soon Runi will also leave us.” There was a heavy sigh coming from the mouth of the man who was no longer young. “If Runa was here, this house must be crowded. Toys mess everywhere, and we'll be tired of making it.” Lukman smiled as he imagined Khan running around inside their house.
“Yah.” Lina squinted at the expression on her husband's face. His hand reached for the husband's hand. He tried to strengthen his men, like the days they had gone through together.
“Let's pick up Runa and our grandkids!” Lukman returned the hand of his wife. The woman who became the queen in her life was full of love.
“Again serious?” lirih Lina asked for certainty. “Daddy has forgiven Runa?”
“Ma, have you been the worst dad in the world?” Lukman's regret-laden question made Lina's tears slowly flow from her estuary. The woman shook her head while tightly grasping Lukman's hand.
“No, Dad. Dad was the greatest man. Every human being has made a mistake. We are lucky humans who are still given the opportunity to realize that mistake. Now it's time for us to fix everything together.”
“We prepare everything to pick up Runa, Ma. Later after Runi comes home, dad will tell him.”
“Thank you, Yah.” Lina could not help but feel haru. Her tears flowed more and more in her husband's arms. For seven years it was like storing a time bomb that could explode at any moment. Tonight, that time bomb stopped ticking. Relief emanates from both pairs of eyes in the twilight age, when forgiveness has overcome anger.
***
While elsewhere, flickering lights accompanied by frenzied DJ music playing loudly. In the corner of a bar, Alea sat alone. The woman had asked the bartender many times to open the bottle. I don't know how long Alea's been sitting there. The bustling atmosphere around the woman did not bother him at all. Slowly Alea enjoyed every gulp from the small glass available at the table. Sometimes the woman smiled, but she often cried.
“You fool, Ata. You've dumped me. What, the hell, my lack? Even I can give more than Runa gave.” Alea started to fumble indistinctly.
Without Alea noticing, from the corner of the room there was a pair of eyes watching him from earlier. The mysterious man admired Alea's way of drinking. When he saw Alea beginning to lose consciousness, the man approached and sat down beside him.
“One more bottle for him!” exclaim that person to the bartender serving Alea.
“Good, Mr.”
“Neasy drinking alone. Here I treat you. Let's have a drink together!” said the man to Alea.
Alea turned his head and smiled at the man, “Thank you.”
“You alone?” lure the man while enjoying a drink that is already in his hands.
“Iya,” Alea replied accompanied by a cynical laugh, the article suddenly Ata's shadow flashed in the woman's mind. “You alone too?”
Alea laughed loudly at the question of the person. “Fear? All I fear is one, which is when my fiancee marries another woman.” Alea gulped back down her drink.
“Oh, so your fiance is having an affair,” guess the man.
“No! My fiancee is not having an affair,” Alea replied loudly as she raised her index finger in front of the man's face.
“Lantas?” The man who was interested in Alea's beauty began to fish deeper.
“You're like a detective,” Alea replied after making the man smile.
Realizing that the woman was still conscious, he asked for the most expensive drink in the bar for Alea. “It's special for you. Specialized woman tonight.” The man thrust a drink in front of Alea.
The night was getting late, Alea was increasingly unaware of his position so that he could not control himself.
“You know, all the men in this world are jerks. My fiance is willing to break up our relationship in order to return to the woman***** that. Though I was also able to give him satisfaction, even more than that woman gave.” Alea had started to fumble.
The man only smiled obliquely in response to Alea's rapport. He immediately took his phone.
“Message me a room at a nearby hotel! I'll be there soon,” he said to someone. Not long after, his phone shook. The man smiled seeing what he wanted slowly he held.
After leaving the tips money on the table, the man let Alea leave the place. They walked towards the mysterious man's car in the parking lot. Although it was already night, but the atmosphere around the place was still bustling. David, who was in the car in the same parking lot, saw Alea heavily drunk in the arms of an unknown man. Without thinking, David got out of his car and approached the two of them.
“Alea!”
David's screams made the two men turn their heads. Alea smiled and waved her hand towards David. “Hai, Vid! What are you doing here?”
“I should ask, why are you here, Al? Who's she?” point David towards the man with the look in his eyes.
“You forgot, Vid. He's Ata, Byakta Kalingga. You're funny, deh. Cook with your own friends you forgot.” Alea laughed out loud answering David's question.
“Aware, Al!” David pulled Alea's hand out of the man's embrace.
“Hei! It's none of your business. Get out of my sight!” The man restrained Alea's waist to stay in his arms.
“He's cousin. This should be my business. Release him or I must use force!” david said with his sharp eyes.
“No matter she's your cousin or your wife. The important thing is that I paid him dearly to accompany me tonight.” The man opened the car door to let Alea in. Suddenly a rough pull from the direction of the belakan made the man let go of Alea until the woman fell.
“Bangsatt, you!” David threw a punch in the man's face until there was a fight.
Alea whose consciousness had not fully recovered, grimaced at the pain in her head as a result of hitting the floor. Seeing the two people fighting, Alea slowly moved away.
“Go, you! Don't let us meet again!” david shouted at the man who ran with a battered face.
“Al!” David was stunned to see Alea unconscious near his car. He ran towards the girl. “Al, relax!” David patted Alea's cheek violently. There was a sense of worry seeing Alea's condition.
“All this is because Ata,” said David full of anger.
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...To be continued...
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