Sorry, Ma!

Securing Witnesses

Hima just got home from her shop. When the car he was driving was about to enter the gate of the house, a startling sight began to fill the viewing room.

The woman squinted both eyes to sharpen the vision. After being confirmed that his view was not wrong, Hima paused to enter the yard of the house. The steering wheel slammed to the right, then parked his car next to the playground fence.

"Darling, what are you doing here?" Hima got out of the car, then approached Arun who was standing next to his car with a ruffled waist. The woman followed the direction of her husband.

Arun did not flinch at all.

"It was as if I saw Chia playing there," Arun said without distracting himself from the swing inside the park. Empty swing without occupants.

DEG

Hima suddenly felt all the hair all over her body bristling. In fact, Arun did not say the accusation against him at all.

"Darling!"

To vaporize the gerogi, the woman wrapped her hand around Arun's arm, then gently rubbed it.

"Didn't you promise to make peace with all this?" tanyanya while propping the chin on the shoulder of the husband.

Arun could be heard sighing violently by continuing to stare towards the swing.

"You're right" said the man. Then shift his attention to the wife. "Come, we're home." Arun pulls away from Hima, then walks towards her car. Unlike before, the man always grabbed Hima's shoulders, then walked along. However, this time there was something unusual that he was feeling.

Disbelief, disappointment, deception, and a sense of being played. Everything seemed to blend in the chest of the father of the late Rachia Arunika.

Same with Hima. She smiled broadly before entering her own car without taking her husband's unusual attitude.

Thirty minutes before Hima arrived.

"Is there anything I don't know about my wife?" ask Arun to Tuti.

GLUE

Tuti seemed to swallow his saliva. He did not expect that Arun would ask directly like that.

Before replying, the woman stared at Eri and Tegar in turn. As if asking for approval. After seeing the two nod their heads, Tuti did not hesitate to speak.

"Actually Mrs Hima's attitude isn't as good as you can see."

DEG

Arun's heart stopped beating. The opening sentence of Tuti was quite successful to make him agape.

Tuti was no longer afraid to reveal all the truth. After all, he now felt safe because there was a police officer by his side who would definitely guarantee his safety.

"The lady always torments non Chia when you're not home."

DEG

Once again, Arun was flabbergasted. How not? The wife who had been thought to devote all her love to her daughter, turned out to be inversely proportional to reality.

"Non Chia is always yelled at and hit despite only making a small mistake, hiks .. hiks."

DEG

Arun was unceasingly petrified. The sentence after sentence he heard from Tuti's mouth, was like a whip darting into his body and incising bruises everywhere.

He's upset. He growled. His jaw began to harden and both of his eyeballs were red.

"I have long wanted to report Mrs Hima's actions to Mr. Monsieur, but she has always been watching and threatened to kill Non Chia if I dare to open my mouth, hiks." Tuti continued to speak, although it sounded raucous because it was mixed with crying.

Erianiza stroked the woman's back.

While Arun just looked down. Of course, he regretted his inefficiency, which had already taken a decision too soon. If the past time can be played back, Arun prefers not to dismiss Tuti from his job. Because if Tuti stays with his daughter, maybe he won't lose Chia. However, the rice was already eaten by the chicken, there was no way the man would ask for it back.

"Well, you keep acting like normal to your wife, Sir. That way, he will not suspect if you have known the secret all this time," said Tegar while patting Arun's shoulder which looks still down.

Her tears have already shed. Arun really did not think out. Maybe he was fooled by Hima's gentle attitude all this time. The woman he truly loved with sincerity. But the woman did not love her daughter. Instantly Arun feels like a useless father.

"I have to follow him to the boutique." The biological father of Rachia Arunika was reflexively standing with a reddened face.

Tegar stood up, as did Erianiza and Tuti. They suddenly panicked because they saw Arun's response was too emotional.

"Pacify yourself, sir. If you're reckless in stepping, then you'll again miss the opportunity to subdue the perpetrator of your daughter's murder."

Hearing the loud speech, Arun again sat down lethargic. That's right the young officer said, if he hit Hima right now without any solid evidence, that's bullshit. The law has its own path. Arun must be patient so that all procedures in fighting for justice for his daughter can be carried out as well as they should.

Thanks to the advice of Tegar, Arun now still maintains his attitude so that Hima does not realize that he already knows all his foul treatment.

***

"Thank you for driving me" said Erianiza as Tegar's car arrived at the gate.

"Either. I'm sorry," said Tegar as he glanced at Eri from the rearview mirror in front of him.

Erianiza nodded, then got out of the car. After Eri closed the door again, Tegar immediately drove his car back to Prima's apartment. This time he had to drive Tuti.

At Arun's request, the woman remains in town until Chia's murder case is revealed. Because if Tuti is returned to the village, Arun is worried at any time Hima will do something that is not-no. The mastermind of Tuti's kidnapping has also not been found.

An hour later.

"Please enter!" Tegar directs his hand forward, gesturing for Tuti to enter the apartment unit first.

Tuti lowered his body slightly as he passed through Tegar. The body language in which he had the utmost respect for the young man.

"Here you're safe. This is a new apartment away from the crowds. Deliberately built for people who want to calm down after tired of working all day." Hardcore opened the guest room door.

"You can sleep in this room while you're here. Don't worry, think of it as your own home."

Tuti nodded.

He walked towards the kitchen, carrying a few shopping bags. Before arriving at the apartment, the young man took the time to shop for some groceries and other items Tuti needed. Put some shopping bags on the dining table.

"This is for you." Tegar held out a large paper bag towards Tuti, who had not stopped following his steps.

"What is this, sir?" Tuti seemed eager to accept it.

"Dress change. It's a men's apartment, so I don't think there will be any clothes for you to wear" the young man said.

With hesitation, Tuti accepted the paper bag.

"Never open the door, if it wasn't me or Eri who came!"

Tuti nodded back.

"I have to go home" said Tegar, twisting his heels.

"Thank you very much, sir."

Tuti's words successfully undo the steps of Tegar who was about to leave him. The young man again rotated his body facing Tuti.

"I'm just doing my job. So, you don't have to feel overwhelmed by all this. Watch yourself!"

Rigid smiled faintly before actually stepping out of the apartment.