Not the Substitute Husband

B, S, P 23

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An hour passed and Salwa locked herself in her room. He left Luke alone on the side porch after saying he was not Salma's brother.

Nah! Luke's voice struck a white ball with a golf stick in his hand. The ball was soaring high disappearing from view. Faintly a memory came back out of Luke's head. He saw two men standing in the middle of a golf course. Men who have a younger face try to float a golf club on a man who looks three years older. The golf stick that floated almost hitting the head was stopped in the air by the sound of the child calling one of them papa. A few seconds later, a female voice called from behind.

"Lord!" Calling out a voice made Lukas open his eyes and look back. "What are you doing there?" Ask the voice that came from David.

"Main golf reward." Luke swinging a golf club so cleverly made David frown. Luhan who lived decades with him was not at all interested in golf. He was seen on a golf course with a stick in hand just to please a business partner who happened to invite him to play. Luhan prefers to be in front of the piano.

"When did you learn golf?" Ask David who is now standing next to Lukas nyang just hit the ball until it came in.

"I never learned." Answer Luke who felt every time he floated a stick was always successful in delivering the ball in the hole. "Why try?" Bargain Luke to David who greeted him with enthusiasm.

Nah! The first shot of the ball is thrown far past the hole.

Yep! Next hit the ball rolling in the other direction. Luke encouraged David to do it again.

Heck! Last blow.

Plung! The sound of the ball falling into the hole made David scream even the man did the celebration.

"You see that?" The question rose from the grass to see Luke. "The father managed to put it in." Hugging Luke while laughing let Luke again see a memory similar to what is happening now. But in the memory it appears that the man who was previously about to get a stick hit knelt with a boy. The two performed the celebration and then continued by hugging each other while laughing loosely.

"Lord!" Call Rosa who has been quietly watching Luke. "Why you, baby?" Rosa asked to see Lukas cupping his head in pain as the memories tried to come out to show her.

"Just a regular headache." Luke pulled himself out of his arms. "I'm staying in Mah's room, Pah!" Pamit Luke turned his body leaving both.

"Dear." Call Rose to David.

"Yes." Yeah."

"Lately he's been looking very different pah." Rose Say. "Since coming home from the honeymoon he's not like Luhan who's been living with us all this time." Reciprocity.

"Mama's right." David Sahut.

"Papa also felt the same that Luhan was sep-"

"-That's a natural thing Mah." Cut David while hitting the ball back. "He was a child once while he was now a husband to a daughter from another family." It clearly made Rose go silent for a moment.

I also hope this change is just a factor because he has been married for nothing else. The inner Rose of Luke who now settles down beside Salwa who backs him.

What the hell is it?Why the more here comes the more memories of this house pop into my head. Moreover, Kardinata's residence seems to attract the memory embedded in this head to come out. Luke tilted his body toward Salwa.

"Are you ashamed of me for the status of the little man?" Luke asked him who made Salwa turn around. He found Luke staring at him. "Why are you crying about it?" Tears on Salwa's cheek. "You and I are not much different." Reciprocity.

"Are you also from an orphanage?" Ask Salwa.

"Well, you're a lot classier than me." Luke pulled his hand from Salwa's face.

"really?" Ask Salwa.

"Yes." Yeah." Luke's Sahut. "You even have a family who raised and sent you to be an intel." Folding both hands back staring at the ceiling of the room.

"Did the old man who adopted you not do the same?"

"I'm not an orphanage kid who one day gets a chance to have a parent by his side." Answer Luke.

"Then what really happened?" Ask Salwa to rise up on her stomach in bed and draw near to Luke.

"I don't know." Answer Luke.

"When I opened my eyes, I found myself on a boat surrounded by tattooed men." Tilting his body towards Salwa with one hand supporting his head. "I don't remember anything." Saw Salwa who was very serious listening to her story. "For safety's sake I tried to deceive them by familiarizing myself." Further. "It was unexpected that the leader of the group liked me and invited me to join those who turned out to be Gangsters."

"Well! That's cool." Praise Salwa.

"Cool what?" Lukas Protest. "I lived as an illegal drug dealer from that day on." Reciprocity.

"Ah, So that's your background of being a bo--"

--Tok tok tok! The sound of knocking on the door cut Salwa's words.

"Someone is coming." Salwa continued while looking at Luke. "You didn't do anything weird that made people suspicious?" Ask Salwa.

"I was just playing golf and then David Kardinata joined me."

"What?!!" Salwa asked with wide eyes. "You're playing golf!" Get out of bed. "Ouch!" Holding his forehead while walking back and forth. "It's bad Luke."

"Why?"

"Lord doesn't know how to play golf." Salwa answered, stopping to stare at Luke.

"David's message asked me when I learned to play." Luke relaxed while Salwa panicked.

"What did you answer then?"

"I never learned." His reply was relaxed and a few seconds later he turned to Salwa until their eyes met each other.

"Campus!" The sound of both is compact together with the sound of knocking of the door that stops.

While behind the door Madam Vero turned around to meet David and Rose who were sitting in the middle room. Both of them opened a big album that was on the lap.

"How's Madam?" David asked Madam who was coming towards them.

"Master and Miss are still resting in the room, Master." Answer Madam Vero. "I can't ask Miss to come out." Reciprocity.

"Then please tell me the chronology of why Salma got dragged out of the house by the guards." Rose said as she closed the photo album on her lap and continued to listen to information from Madam Vero that told the whole thing that happened to Salma.

"Initially I was confused to see Non Salwa asking the guard to stand behind the terrace." Continue Madam.

"Look at your son-in-law!" Rose protests against David agreeing to Luhan's request to marry Salwa. "Mama told you from the beginning that Salma did not want to. We can find the daughter of another papah partner. If we need to ask papa to find a woman in Paris for our son." Rose grumbled the album in her hand onto the table.

"Well, don't say it out loud when the kids hear how?"

"Mom don't care about reward!" Rose answered, stopping Salwa from hearing Rose's words.

"We should stay in the room." Luke grabbed Salwa's hand and went to bring her back to the room.

Brakk!

"Since the beginning of Aunt Rose----"

"--Shhh!" Luke's hiss cuts off Salwa's speech. "You don't have to tell me what you think is embarrassing and painful to share." Pinta Luke.

"I'm just--"

"- During this time you have to take responsibility for me!" Cut Luke. "I don't want to see you leave me like before." Keep Lukas. "I don't care about your background." Firm Lukas.

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