One Night's Mistakes (Love's Wrong)

Accepting the Past

Randy put his smartphone on the table. He had just finished talking to Jeany who reminded him to take medicine. The man smiled at Jeany who had not changed in the slightest. Jeany knows how important it is for people with HIV like her to take medication on time, so that the deadly virus does not form immunity to the drug.

He took antiretroviral drugs that have been his life connector for seven years. Without these drugs, the virus will quickly turn into a deadly disease, AIDS. Randy is grateful that his body did not show a negative reaction to the drug. Unlike Monica, the wife who had experienced hives when she first underwent treatment therapy.

Out of the room, he found his best friend sitting on the sofa watching Netflix channels on a glass screen. His friend watched him walk closer.

"Gue thought you were sleeping" Johan told him.

"New cooking comes straight to sleep? Ntar lo kapok my nebengin here."

"What do you do at this new clock? Plane landing afternoon, right?"

"Please off the same kangen ex-bini same dululah," seloroh Randy while taking the skin nuts available on the table, Johan favorite snack when watching his favorite movie.

Johan looked at his best friend with sympathy. "Lo really love her? How do you feel she's gonna be Kevin's wife?"

"Gue is happy for her."

"Huff I don't understand the relationship between the three of you" Johan said, shaking his head. "By the way your son must have been big, huh?"

"Udah in SD."

"Lo has a picture of him, right? I wonder if I see his face." Johan almost laughed at the thought that Randy's son's face would look like his father's.

Randy gave a meaningful smile before opening the photo gallery on his phone and showing it to Johan. Long enough his best friend was observing the various photos he just took earlier when traveling with Jeany and Kenny.

"Brand ...." Johan rattled in wonder. "Your child's face looks a lot like Kevin's? Don't-don't print, Jeany's imagining Kevin's face is not your face."

Randy glanced at the stupor. "Any girl if it's ama I can't imagine another guy," he said.

"Well, that's a kid you can play with Kevin." Again Johan looked at Kenny's photo from various angles. "Don't ...." Johan did not continue his sentence. He looked at Randy with a look of disbelief.

"Yes that are made to print is not my tool," replied Randy calmly.

"Gile! Really-gener's gile!" Johan shook his head nonstop. He increasingly did not understand the way his friend's mind. "When do you know he's not your son? Pantesan y'all cere. You must be disappointed, right?"

Randy felt a sympathy pat from Johan on his shoulders. He immediately shook his best friend's hand. "Gue already knew her times, so marry her."

"What?! Ckckgile .... How do you want to?!"

"Yes because I love him."

"Trus you can love that kid?"

"Misache. I saw when he first appeared in the world, I was carrying until he could sleep, I gave him milk in the middle of the mallem if Jeany was already pat, I love him, I also changed his diaper when he was pup."

Randy's eyes glazed over remembering those tiring but beautiful moments as well. Kenny's presence makes him know what it's like to be a father, because until now he has not dared to have children of his own.

"Ckckck is amazing you can do all that, Ran .... Jeany should have found Kevin to be responsible!"

"When as long as Kevin's in Singapore can you call him?" randy asked Johan.

"Hmm really, too. He was lost to the earth. Number is inactive. His Fb ama Ig is suddenly no more. Eh so nongol directly kasi news want to marry. Ama former bini lo again!" Johan looked at Randy's face, making his best friend careless.

"What do you think about my face like that?"

"Lo really gapapa?"

"Whoa, I'm also happy for my baby now."

"Gue hail you, Ran! Not necessarily I can like lo," said Johan sincerely.

"What? Amused me horrified him! I go to bed first, tomorrow I want to see an old friend," he said with a grin on his lips.

Randy walked back to his room. He opened his phone and typed in a conversation message. A second later, a reply from Kevin appeared. He smiled and laid himself on the bed. Tomorrow he will settle all misunderstandings with his old friend.

***

Kevin's last day of work before the wedding leave was passed impatiently. He repeatedly looked at the timepiece, hoping that the wall clock in his study soon showed five o'clock in the evening. When the waiting time finally arrived, Kevin hurried to leave his office. He drove his car to a restaurant.

Randy was waiting for him in the restaurant. In fact, he is now enjoying a dish without waiting for his best friend who has not come. Kevin pulls the chair in front of Randy and sits down.

The man looked at Randy. There's not much change in Randy, just a little thinner. He wondered what pain his best friend was suffering so that he could not touch the woman who had been his rightful wife.

"Hello, Bro! Sorry I ate first, laper already!" greet Randy kindly while smiling as if there had never been a problem between them.

"How are you?"

"Yes as you can see. Scatheless. Mo pesen what? I'm the one who bought it!"

"No, I'm just here to talk."

"Eat first .... It's not good to talk on an empty stomach. Bride-to-be do not get sick," said Randy relaxed, still chewing.

Kevin picks up the menu book, chooses his favorite menu and calls the waiter of the restaurant. After his order was served, he ate very quickly. Seeing his best friend's plate empty, Randy spoke up.

"One of the girls I slept with died of AIDS."

Kevin listened while looking at Randy's serious face. He began to calm down in the direction of their conversation.

"That night at Jeany's boarding school, I just had an HIV test. The result was positive" Randy said.

Kevin looked surprised. He was silent for a moment. "So that's the pain Jeany meant?" tanyanya felt devastated.

"Why don't you tell me, Ran?"

"It's a disgrace to me. Even until now, my best friend knows. I want to live a normal life without getting a look of disgust from people."

Kevin knows he will do the same when he is in Randy's position. "Sorry I can't be a good friend to you yet" he said bowed.

"Newly aware of lo?"

"Where is your condition now?" Kevin asked again without responding to Randy's teasing.

"That's great. It is no different than people who are HIV negative. That's because I'm not caught positive my condition is not severe and I immediately do the treatment."

Kevin was silent, regretting his absence when the friend needed moral support from him. "Gue is real money, Ran. I'm not a good friend."

"Nothing to regret. We were all immature at the time. I'm also wrong for asking Jeany not to tell you the same story."

Kevin nodded, although the regret was still entrenched in his veins. There were more things he wanted to ask, but he hesitated to convey it. Apparently Randy first offended that.

"Anybody else want to ask?"

Although he hesitated for a moment, Kevin decided to ask so that nothing else weighed on his mind.

"During Jeany's marriage, have you ever touched her?"

"Touching what it was?" Randy asked back while putting on a smile that Kevin found very annoying.

"Lo know what I mean."

"You mean ML, never."

Secretly Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. That means Jeany is unlikely to catch the virus. But Randy's next answer made his feelings of jealousy stick out.

"But I've kissed him." Randy then raised his palm to hold Kevin talking. "Dengerin. I'm glad Jeany was married for two years. Of course you're not as naive as thinking nothing ever happened between us. I say this so that in the future after you get married you do not reveal this problem again and make him sad. If you can't accept the situation of him who was once my wife, you better rethink your decision to marry him."

Long enough Kevin thought of Randy's words. He is very disturbed to know that other men have touched the woman he loves, even though he has not had sex.

I don't know why his mind has changed. When he found out that Jeany was divorced from Randy, he was so happy that he did not mind accepting their marriage, which he thought was Randy's son. Is it because of the virus that her best friend has contracted?

"Why don't you ask for your rights? You can still use safety."

"Because I was afraid of accidentally infecting him. K*ndom can be leaked. So I'm using it another way."

"Another way?"

"Lo doesn't need to know. Think of Jeany's past as my wife. The question now is, can you accept his past?"

***

Jeany waited for news from Kevin until late at night. Since their argument yesterday, the man has not contacted her, even after the man's meeting with Randy this afternoon.

Various bad thoughts flashed through his mind. Could Kevin change his decision after learning he was married to an HIV sufferer? Why didn't he think of him before? What if the man thinks he is dirty?

When the door was knocked on, Jeany was so excited that she almost ran to open it. He knew who would come at a time like this.

"Come in. Kenny is asleep" he said, welcoming Kevin.

Kevin's face is very tangled, showing the inner upheaval he is experiencing. Jeany was sad to see it. He took a deep breath to strengthen himself before speaking.

"Have you talked to Randy?"

"Udah."

"Vin, I .. I understand if you want to cancel our marriage. You must be disgusted now with me-"

Kevin clutched Jeany tightly.

"I'm just as disgusted with myself, Jean! I'm not a good boyfriend, not a good friend, not a good papa .... I wasn't there when you all needed me!"

Kevin buried his face on Jeany's shoulder and took out his stuffing. The owner of the shoulder that became the seat rubbed Kevin's head gently.

"It's not your fault. The forcing state."

Kevin lifted his head and looked at Jeany. "I'm sorry I'm so jealous. It's all because I'm afraid in your heart you're growing in love with Randy. Because he's always there for you."

Jeany looked back and held the man's cheek. "Randy will forever have a place in my heart, Vin. His sacrifice was too great for me. But all I love is you."

"I understand .... He took care of you and our son."

Afterwards Jeany invited Kevin to see a photo album when Kenny was a baby. The man looked at each photo with a grievous heart, for it was not he who hugged and kissed Kenny in the photo. It is not he who smiles proudly while holding the hero. Other men did it. Own friend. His sight then stopped on one of the photos.

"This shoe ...?"

Jeany approached and smiled, though her eyes were already glazed over. "You remember? At that time we went looking for gifts for Enzo. Suddenly I wanted to buy those shoes ...."

Kevin is back. "Remember. I am grateful to buy those shoes. As if there was something I bought for our child ...," he said, wiping away tears.

Kevin walked into the room and kissed Kenny who was sleeping soundly while hugging the bolster. His heart was filled with regret. Too much precious time he missed, which is impossible to return even if exchanged for anything.

Can I ask ya? Do you know where this novel came from? Thank you in advance 🙏