The Journey of Jinan

Chapters. 24

Jakarta, Indonesia. 19.10 PM.

In a restaurant that is quite famous in downtown Jakarta, Romi and his family and Aurel and their children are having dinner together. Dinner is one of their regular activities every night of the week.

The happy rails of the moment were clearly imprinted on their faces during the dinner. Aurel's son who sits in the middle between Aurel and Romi is now making this dinner like a family dinner.

"Rom, are you guys really not going to have a wedding reception?" ask Linda between her meals.

Romi and Aurel looked at each other for a moment before answering Linda's question.

"We're sure, Ma. Enough marriage. We've both been married, it doesn't feel good to have to do a wedding reception."

Romi gulped his saliva after saying that. Actually, he really wants to hold a massive wedding with the woman he loves. But after careful thought, if he did a wedding reception with Aurel, then all his parents' business associates would definitely be present at their event.

It is also possible that there will be people who recognize Aurel because Aurel's late parents were also once one of his parents' business partners. What if one of them asks about Aurel's son or about Aurel's first marriage? What should he answer? Aurel has never been married. Maybe his parents can succeed he tricked, but someone else?

Finally, Romi and Aurel had to cancel their wedding reception plans that they had originally planned together.

Linda sighed, she placed her cutlery on her plate.

"Just like, it's up to you. As long as you're happy, Mama and Papa will go with whatever you want" Linda smiled sweetly.

Romi and Aurel smiled stiffly, then they looked at each other for a moment before resuming their dinner.

After spending their dinner, they relax for a while at the dining table while enjoying the desert that has been provided by the restaurant. While being cool to respond to the jokes of Aurel's child, suddenly Romi's phone vibrates.

Without waiting for long, Romi just grabbed his phone to see what notifications were coming into his phone. Romi frowned when he saw a foreign number sending him a whatsapp message in the form of a photo. When he wanted to ignore the message, Romi was surprised by the second message from the foreign number. The message in which there are two words is, 'our children'.

Out of curiosity, Romi finally opened the message. The message came from Jinan. His ex-wife. Romi did not have a phone number after Jinan sent him a picture of his son a month ago.

Romi's eyes sparkled when he saw the face of a beautiful looking baby girl in the photo sent by Jinan. A few seconds later, Romi's eyes now appear to focus on reading a short message sent by Jinan.

'Assalamu'alaikum, Ma.

This is a picture of our one-month-old son.

I want to tell you, from now on I'll only send pictures of our son every two months.

My message is still the same, never let your child down if someday he wants to meet you.'

"My son is so beautiful" said Romi with a bright smile.

Linda, Dedy, and Aurel who saw Romi speechless in front of the screen of his phone with a fluffy smile on his face clearly provoked their curiosity. What makes Romi so happy that he can smile so sincerely, they thought.

Unknowingly, a single drop of happy tears now flowed down Romi's tyrannical cheeks. And it certainly makes the curiosity that is in Linda, Dedy, and Aurel called to reprimand the man twenty-six years.

"What's wrong with you, Rom?" ask Linda.

Romi who touched Linda his shoulder was shocked. He quickly placed his phone on the table in an inverted position. He also rubbed his wet cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" ask Linda again.

"Eh, you. Here, there ... someone sent Romi a sad photo, Ma," Romi said nervously.

Linda who saw a nervous look on her son's face did not believe Romi's words. His eyes now stared at the phone on the table, and he quickly grabbed the flat object to see what had made his son tear.

Linda clasped the phone tightly while closing her eyes. A second later he looked at Romi with an indecipherable look.

Romi himself swallowed his saliva when he saw the gaze of his mother. He was sure that his mother knew the cause of his tears.

"Dam. Why should I shed tears. Mama must be mad at me, "inner Romi.

And sure enough, upon arrival at the house Linda immediately spurted her child with a thousand sentences that dizzied the head of anyone who heard it.

"But Ma, he's my son. My flesh-blood. How can I ignore it?"

"He cheated on you. Do you still believe that child is your child? It could be that kid is indeed the result of cheating on him with another man."

"How can another boy if his face is similar to mine when I was a child, Ma. Mama look at this." Romi tries to show baby Ay's photo to her mother, but Linda quickly turns her face away.

Linda did not really put her face in the baby's face. Upon learning that Jinan had sent the photo, anger immediately covered Linda's gaze. He even forgot what the baby looked like. And now he doesn't want to see what Romi wants to show him that he thinks is wrong.

"Mom first look at my son's photo–"

"He's not your son, Romi!" linda shouted annoyed.

Romi was silent when he saw his mother who had been overcome by emotions. Now his eyes are on Dedy. He had to ask his father for help.

"Pa, co–"

Romi stopped his speech as his papa raised one of his hands.

"We'll talk later, let your mama calm down first."

Dedy takes his wife to their room, leaving Romi alone in the living room.

Romi ruffled his hair in annoyance.

"Why is it like this?" mummy Romi.

"He's my son. I have one more child. I have two children now" Romi muttered uneasily. Anxious for fear of disappointing parents, and restless for fear of disappointing the woman he loves.

 

 

 

******

 

 

 

Where is LIKKEEE n VOTEEE? It was so quiet -,-