Secrets & Prejudice = Keep it secret, you will hurt

four. Dinner

Later tonight Ananta will have dinner at my house, this has become a habit of our two families who are quite close. More precisely my mother, with her mother's father. There's a small exception to her stepmother who somehow complicates things. He hated us for some strange reason that I couldn't understand.

Come to think of it, actually me and Ananta fared almost the same. We both lost, my father and his mother died since we were children. The difference is, I still have a caring mother, whereas she is not at all.

His father often runs away from home, his own son will not know his whereabouts because they are not communicating at all. While the stepmother also hated Ananta. Therefore he is more often in my house than his own home. Maybe he'll just go home to sleep. The rest he's always hanging around.

My mom was busy at the dinner table. It was almost over, so I just stayed in my room. Stare in annoyance at the exam sheets marked red everywhere. Today I just got a test result that must be asked for a parent's signature.

I know I'm not good at math. But I didn't expect the result to be this bad.

“Halo Ananta, have you arrived??” greet mom when she shows up at our door. My mother smiled broadly, as if it was her own child. Well, he's always happy once every time he sees Ananta coming.

“Iya aunt” the answer is short and polite.

“The food is still aunty prepared, briefly finished, wait for ya” said mother, still with aprons and warm rice in her hands. Everything was done in order, but he went back to the kitchen again to pick up some side dishes.

“Alana is in the room, please call all ya” said mother again ruled gently. She stepped towards my room, though I did not hear her footsteps as I was still too focused on complaining. My mood was really bad today because of that red ink.

He was used to my house so I was used to seeing him enter the room without cueing.But I didn't expect him to go straight into the room, walking straight towards me to peek at my test score. He came from behind and I was not aware of his arrival.

“Huh, perfect zero” he said surprised me. He stood so close, bending a little on my left side making my heart race. If his head had dropped just a little bit his chin had touched my shoulder, that close!

“Hei!!! Knock the door first! This is not your home!” my shout immediately hid my answer sheet earlier in a hurry even though it was useless, he had seen it. I'm. Embarrassed.

I was still trying to normalize my heartbeat, while he was rummaging through my room with his gaze. He scanned the entire contents, as if astonished at the books I arranged neatly on the tables and book cabinets. I knew he would scold me again.

“Shouldn't you be more serious about studying?? Instead of actively reading things like this” he said taking one from the pile of my favorite comics and manga.

“You have no right to set what I should read” I said fiercely. Reading comics has been my hobby for a long time. It's the best entertainment when bad things happen to me. Besides the game, of course.

“ah, that was just a suggestion. If you do it will probably be a little free from remidi, otherwise! you will remain as stupid as this” he said full of ridicule. She never talked to me much at school, and at home she was chatty, and every talk was always painful.

“Wah shrimp!!!” I was happy, rarely did my mother cook my favorite food. I immediately picked up the rice as usual (very much). Ananta appears along with the mother carrying her last meal. Followed me to sit in the chair next to me, facing my mother.

“Alana, Do’a first” Mother interrupted, I also put my food on the table before staying waiting for everyone to prepare at the dining table, then muttered do’a softly.

“Ananta my horse!” I said spontaneously seeing my target shrimp in his spoon, but despite knowing I liked the shrimp he still did not let me eat it.

“Your face is very round, do not eat this much-many” he said mocking with a ignorant smile, now our spoon is racing a strong fight. I don't care, let it be fat as long as I can eat my favorite as much. My anxious mother finally mediates your quarrel and takes her horse.

I smiled happily thinking that my favorite food would end up on my plate, but it turned out that I was wrong because of the big shrimp he moved in Nanta's bowl. Suddenly I felt like a stepson was being treated like this.

“already, do not be like a child Alana, other side dishes will still there” reprimand mother mediate is indeed still there, but the size is smaller than what he just put on the plate Ananta. I still can't stop whining. I told you, right. If Nanta was around me, it felt like I was suddenly a stepson.

“hiks, big shrimp” I can only glance at Ananta who actually devoured the shrimp by pretending to be greedy and delicious. I just hope he chokes in annoyance. I relented again, taking the remaining shrimp with a smaller size. Even at home, he still beats me.

He came home after offering to help and washed all our dirty dishes as a sign of gratitude. Well, he had to, let alone grab my favorite food. I still have a grudge.

When she said no, only Mom followed Nanta to the front door.

“be careful on the road Ananta, do not hate your father..he is in an equally difficult situation” mother's advice can still be heard though vague.

“iya aunt, Ananta come home first.” Answer in a soft voice. It sounds disappointed there. I know, she misses her father too. The one who should be the place to lean which actually brings him trouble by remarrying a new wife who hates her own biological children.

In the end, I never really knew about the person closest to me, everything was a secret in his heart. I couldn't force her to tell a story even though I knew there were obviously a lot of wounds in it.

I will just keep waiting until my heart is open to tell me. Even to mother, I did not dare to ask about her, I only understood little by little what I heard and saw. And whatever it was, it must have been painful for him to face alone. But because it's Ananta, I know he's strong going forward. He's still my knight, a tough guy facing anything in life.

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