The Age Different Pairs

Chapter 14's

A replacement? Whatdoes thatmean?

"See, I don't understand," said Rara, "Lo said that I should have been betrothed to ... Keenans? Where is Keenan now?"

Stupid question. Rara remembers the story of Alvin who said that her brother died. That means Keenan is Alvin's older brother who died as a child.

But there's still something stuck in Alvin's statement just now.

"Vin, man,"

"Hm?"

"Kalo lo is a substitute for Keenan, is your attitude all this time to me just a lie?" ask Rara.

Alvin looked at Rara for a while, then shook his head, "My feelings for you don't lie," he said, "Gue likes you. And even though I'm a substitute, I deserve what I want, right?"

"Lo's pretty selfish too." Rara raised her shoulders, "Gue doesn't mind you it's your brother's replacement who should be betrothed to me or not."

"Seriously?" Alvin widened his eyes at Rara's words, "Lo isn't angry, Ra?"

"Who are you angry with? In this case, you are not wrong. You're just in the wrong time and circumstance." Rara said with a sweet smile, "After all, I'd rather have a younger brother than be engaged the same age."

Alvin's face this time is a bit bent, "Oh, so you think I'm a little brother doang?"

"Hmm. I thought about it again," Rara laughed amusedly at Alvin's facial expression, "We're out yuk. I think Miss Regina must be worried about us not getting out of here."

Rara got up and almost fell because of the daze. Alvin quickly restrained Rara's body by hugging her waist, "Lo was careless anyway."

Rara's cheeks flushed red and she immediately stood up straight as she glared at Alvin, "Gue slipping. Not reckless, yeah!"

"Everything," Alvin chuckled, "Udah ah, don't frown. It's more funny that way. Your face looks like a squirrel, you know!"

"Ap—Alvin!!!"

***

Alvin and Rara's small quarrel was heard by Regina Bu standing outside the room, but she did not go straight in. The middle-aged woman knows it's not a good time to bother Alvin and Rara.

When the door in front of him opened and showed Rara walking out, then Bu Regina approached them, "Son Rara is better? Is anyone sick?"

Rara blinked her eyes at Regina before answering her question with her head, "No papa, ma'am. Just exhausted so that he fainted like that."

"Is that? Not because you're in shock coming here, are you?"

Rara could only be speechless at the second question of Ms. Regina.

Ms. Regina smiled faintly and guided the two of them towards her study. There he invited the two of them to sit down and serve drinks, "Mother Nak Rara came here. I remember you used to swing with Nak Alvin and ...,"

The middle-aged woman's gaze briefly met with Alvin, who nodded slowly with a gesture without her word.

"With Keenan?" ask Rara.

Bu Regina blinked then nodded to hear him, "Yes. Rara used to hang out with the two of them. Baby Nak Keenan isn't here with us."

Rara just smiled stiffly. He didn't know what to answer so he just stared at his drinking glass on the table with a half-empty look.

"Actually the reason I brought Rara here to see Regina and get the stuff that Daddy used to leave here." Said Alvin, "Do you still keep it?"

"Ah ..., that thing? Just a minute."

Ms. Regina got up from the sofa and walked over to a shelf containing pictures and story books for children. His hand sifted briefly between all the books on the shelf and took out a hard cover of the dark blue novel and came back to them.

"Is this what Nak Alvin meant?" ask Regina while handing over the hard cover.

Alvin accepted it and took a quick look at the contents before then nodding. Rara could only frown not understanding what the contents of the thing that was now in the young man's hands were.

"This is indeed his stuff. I'm sorry for making you look after this thing all this time" Alvin said.

"It's okay. Your father is one of the donors of this place, and also often take the children here for walks for educational activities, so it is only natural that I keep the mandate."

Alvin smiled at his words.

"Vin, what is it?" ask Rara curiously.

"It's just a small thing, anyway,"

Rara doesn't want to force anymore. For the next half hour, Rara chatted with Bu Regina, reminiscing about a childhood that she unfortunately could not remember clearly. When it was time to leave, Ms. Regina gave something to her hand.

Rara looked at the thing in her hand and nodded slowly, then followed Alvin into the car.

"What did Regina give you, Ra?" alvin asked while starting the engine.

"It's just candy. He seems to know that I often sleep on the street." Rara said reasoned.

Alvin's just a mangosteen. He was unaware of Rara's somewhat changed countenance. His eyes glanced at the tightly grasped object in his right hand silently. The tiny thing that was only the size of one thumb knuckle made his heart uneasy.

The object is nothing but a thick glass pendant with a engraving of the name Keenan on it.

***

Coming home from taking Rara, Alvin didn't go straight home. He stopped by his father's company for a while and headed straight to his parents' office, finding him preoccupied with piling up files.

"Look like Daddy needs help,"

Albert Alexander looked up from the file he read and smiled faintly at Alvin, "You still remember coming here, apparently. Daddy thinks you're just gonna take care of this company out of your shell."

"Of course not. I'll be nineteen soon, Dad. That age is already considered the age of maturity, right?" Alvin fell wide and sat down in front of his father, reading the files on his desk.

"Is there something wrong?" asked his father without glancing at Alvin.

"Nope. I just took Rara to the kindergarten where I and Rara went to school."

Albert's eyes now looked back at Alvin, this time deeper, "Would you take Rara there?"

"Just want to remember childhood," Alvin smiled faintly, "Just calm down, Dad. We're not going to that place, if that's what you're worried about."

Albert was silent, but his eyes were fixed on the only son left by his wife, "I hope you don't do anything to frighten Rara."

"Just relax, Dad, I'm not going to do anything" Alvin chuckled, "After all Rara is still pretty innocent, I don't want to scare her."

Albert laughed stiffly. He closed one file and stretched his body, "Have you had lunch? If not, how about we have lunch at a restaurant nearby?"

"Sound's good. I also want to talk to Dad."

"What talk?" asked Albert frowning.

"On the accident that befell Mom and Keenan," said Alvin, "There are some things I have to tell Dad, including the truth of the accident that befell them."

***

Rara stared at the pendant pendulum in her hand. The letters of Keenan's name are engraved there in an elegant font style. Rara's eyes never wanted to look the other way and continued to stare at the necklace pendulum which was only as big as one thumbbook. He felt weird at once. Rara did not know what the name of one foreign feeling that was churning on her chest.

The sound of the door being knocked disperse the daydream of Rara who was busy daydreaming in her chair. She turned her head and saw her brother, Darren, standing at the door with a big smile that unfortunately for Rara, was not as bright as the sun.

"No welcome yet?" Darren walked over to Rara who looked disheveled in her face.

"Did you say Kak Darren came in without excuse?" balas Rara's.

Darren chuckled at his sister's speech which instead of welcoming was mocking. Her hands ruffled Rara's hair and then her eyes looked at the thing her little sister was holding.

"Ra, where did you get that thing?"

Rara saw Darren's gaze fixed on the pendulum necklace he was holding, "Emang sister knows what this thing is?"

"The necklace bobble, obviously," said Darren, "But what you want to know, where did you get it from? Not that necklace pendulum..."

Darren's words hanging and the look on his face that suddenly changed even made Rara curious, "What's the pendulum of this necklace why, Brother?"

"Eh, no. No papa," Darren shook his head.

"Seriously, Brother! Why is Kak Darren suddenly getting worse?"

"About!" sumpul Darren, "The necklace bobble should be in Alexander's family, right? Why do you have it?"

"It's Keenan's." Answer Rara.

"Had Keenan. Why can I forget." Darren patted his forehead.

"Sister, since Darren said muter-muter, obviously why the hell?" rara said more and more anxious to kick Darren into the pool of cold water right now.

"The necklace bobble was your fiance's necklace as a child. Mama used to give you a pair of necklaces like that to both of you."