The Marriage Order

The Agreement

Baruna PoVs

My watch shows at two o'clock in the afternoon as Sheryl is carried by Aunt Rini into the room. Our engagement event that was tinged with that little incident has been completed. The guests and family had already left the party venue.

From a distance Tika and her husband Mario came to me. His face looks worried.

"How's Sheryl Bar doing?" tika asked while holding Cindy his little baby.

"He's in the room with his mother."

"Bar, it just so happens that Mario is an orthopedic specialist if you'd like him to check Sheryl's legs right now" Tika said.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll take you to the room."

Tika and Mario nodded preparing to move their legs. We had not yet walked, Reynand's voice calling out to me.

"Baruna!"

I looked towards him. He walked up to me without a lover beside him, then we faced each other.

"Gue wants to give this to Sheryl. Consider it an engagement gift from his former boss." Reynand gave me a small paper bag.

"When have you been familiar?" I was surprised to see his different attitude.

"Don't think negatively. The gift was nothing compared to his sacrifice of being oppressed by me" he said, turning his back to leave me.

"Hey Rey, is that all?" my many.

"Yes Bar" he replied, looking back.

I stared at the small paper bag and immediately put it in my pocket. Oh yes, I almost forgot a kind husband and wife who wanted to help my fiancee. I looked towards those who were faithfully waiting for me to talk to Reynand.

"Come with me" I asked followed by their nod.

We walked down the hallway of the hotel room until we finally arrived at the door where Sheryl was. I knocked on the door, not long after which Aunt Rini opened it and invited us in.

"Tante, introduce her to Tika Sheryl's old school friend and this is her husband, Mario. Mario is an orthopedic specialist. He's gonna check Sheryl's sprained leg." I introduced the couple.

"Thank God there's a doctor here, too. Please doctor." Mom invited Mario to approach Sheryl, who was sitting against the wall of the bed.

I saw the woman had changed clothes, wearing her shorts and jeans. The smooth white legs were left unnoticed without a covering cloth, tempting my faith as a man.

Why are you wearing those short pants, baby?

I turned to see Dr. Mario. He's a man, isn't he? Doctor Mario steps up to Sheryl.

"Wait!" myrag.

Immediately, I picked up a piece of cloth lying on top of the bed to cover half a foot of its level. Sheryl just gaped at my actions, then she smiled and almost laughed.

"Just calm down Bar, I've covered all parts of a woman's body. You don't have to worry about it. I just love my wife." Doctor Mario laughs.

I'm not willing to, Doc.

I stood up scratching my head that was not itching. Tika and Aunt Rini looked at me while holding back her laughter.

"Sorry Sher, I'm holding your ankle."

Mario's doctor started to examine Sheryl's ankle. I saw him grimacing with the pain making my heart beat as if he felt the pain he felt.

"It's okay. Nothing serious and no dislocation. I'll write a recipe for him. If the pain continues you can come to the hospital where I practice. It's my card." Doctor Mario gave me his card.

"Good doctor. Thank you" I said as I looked at the card.

"Either. You can call me first if anything happens," she said, then wrote down the prescription on a piece of paper and gave it to me.

After a while, I drove Tika and her husband out to the car park.

"Thank you again" I said.

They got in the car. Not long after that, he left the parking lot. I waved until the car disappeared from my sight.

"Baruna!" someone called.

I looked up to see where the voice sounded. Dad called me, he walked up to me.

"Dad, why are you here?"

"Dad's done ushering in father's relationship."

"Oh ...," I said flatly.

"You're still mad at your father?"

"Then how do you think I should behave? All this time Dad covered up the real story," I sniffed back.

"I'm sorry, Son. I was too afraid to talk about the truth. Let's talk about this more seriously." Dad took me inside the hotel, took me inside the cafe.

The cafe inside the hotel looks quiet. There were only a few guests in it. My dad and I were sitting at a long bar table where there were just the two of us.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Once, Dad had a lover. He was my father's first love. Dad loved her very much. Until we finally decided to continue the relationship to the level of marriage. But your grandparents were against our plan because she came from a mediocre family."

Dad stopped the story, then took a sip of the coffee that was in front of him.

"Then what?" my many.

"That woman is Meri, your mother. But destiny says something else. Father's parents betrothed Father to their chosen woman, Aina. She's a beautiful and educated woman but a little ambitious and haughty."

"Dad not fight for Mother?" my many.

"It's all you can do, son. You know your grandfather was very stubborn. Where can I argue against it. I accepted the match. But behind him, we're secretly still in touch."

"Dad really cheated?"

Dad nodded then continued his story, "The match made Dad angry and disappointed. He vented everything by committing physical violence and repressing it with words that were not worth saying. He never complained about anything he did, spending all day at his family's company, Pradipta Corp. With all the ambition he had, he managed to advance his family business so quickly. It also made me even more angry with him. He eventually gave up and asked for a divorce. Both families don't know why we got divorced. But the carcass will definitely smell too, won't it?"

"Dad I don't understand. What about Reynand?"

"Dad didn't know she was pregnant. Until finally heard the news she gave birth. But Dad wasn't allowed to meet them until he was finally grown up now."

"Grandpa and grandma, what about them?"

"Finally found out after the previous father lied to them and accused things that Aina really did not do. But it didn't last long, I told your grandparents everything. I was never happy to marry him. Until finally they agreed to the relationship with your mother because they did not have the heart to see Daddy suffer. Can you forgive your father?"

"Somehow, I don't understand Dad. Why does loving have to be like that? Father and Mother must apologize to Aunt Aina as soon as possible."

"Yes that's one of the things you wanted to do but you saw for yourself yesterday how."

"Yes, Aunt Aina already hates you so much."

"Well, I don't know when he'll behave like that. You won't understand either because your life is so straight without a hitch, son."

I was silent, gulping down my saliva. My throat was still speechless. My father's words just poured straight into my heart. My life is straight, even straight as I wish. Rules are rules, but if I like them, why should I break them?

"Are you not afraid to repeat the same history with me and Sheryl?" ask suddenly.

"Why are you asking that? Didn't you like it a long time ago?" My father looked at my face in wonder.

"Yes I know. But what can guarantee I don't do such a thing. Inside my body is flowing Father's blood. Moreover, he used to have no feelings for me."

"Hey Dad's son, why are you so pessimistic? You already love each other" said Dad comforting me. "One thing that is different is that your relationship has a written agreement. We call it a Marriage Order Agreement."

I snorted, my eyes round gasping at my father's words. He looked at me with a serious face.

What else is dad? Why so many secrets?