The River House

12. Wet Towel

Bayu finished his dinner quickly. He looked at his friends one by one. The face of Dipta who was tense and afraid had been clearly drawn, now changed more calm and sparkling. The stomach is full, money has been entered in the account in fact makes Dipta forget his fear.

"Why not from the beginning we were told that there is a wifi network here? I thought we were completely isolated, once there was internet access I was like coming back to life" Denis sounded grumbling.

"Internet networks are much more important than oxygen huh Den?" Hendra.

"Yes doongg. Now I can live Instagram. My fans haven't heard from me all day" Denis laughed.

"Wiihh, selebgram, musician, youtuber, many dong duitmu Den. What did 100 million Zainul make?" Mella commented.

"Ah, not your business" Denis said, looking at his HP screen. He seemed to smile at his own smile afterwards.

Tia also appears to be picking up a phone call. He hurried away from the dining room. He continued walking through the living room and stopped on the front porch.

"Hallo Well," Tia picked up the phone that turned out to be from her husband.

"Why are you so hard to contact?" Ask Tia's husband over the phone.

"Difficult Yahh signal."

"Where, really given money with your High School?" Tia's husband asked again.

"Yes Well, this has transferred 100. The rest are two days away" Tia said.

"Then, you'll be there two nights?"

"Yes Yaah. We need this money, so we can buy a house. I can't stand living with your parents and all your brothers" Tia said, walking back this time to the grass in the front yard.

The sky really looked dark. There is no starlight. Even the moon does not reveal itself. All were swallowed up by the black cloud.

Tia recalled her life that felt chaotic and failed. He regretted his decision first. After graduating high school, when her friends continued their studies to try to achieve their dream dreams, Tia chose to get married. She adored her husband so much. He used to feel that he could live only with love. When her parents warned her and even forbade her, Tia did not abhor her, and ignored her.

And now the rice has become porridge. The soybeans have become tofu. It is impossible to repeat the power of time. Life will go on, and Tia is trying to bear the consequences of her choices. There is no way he asks for mercy on his parents even though the economic crisis is increasingly felt.

And what torments Tia more is when the husband is no longer working because of the PHK. Having to stay with the in-laws and a few siblings in one roof made him even more sultry.

Finally, an invitation letter came from Zainul. A glimmer of hope for the problem that Tia was experiencing. And this is where Tia is now, in the riverfront house in the middle of the forest.

Tia hung up. Without feeling like he had walked far enough away from home. Tia was standing in the middle of the grass outside the front yard fence.

"Duh, not even conscious until here," Tia muttered to herself.

The night air was bone-chilling. Tia shivered in the cold. He decided to return home immediately. The cold weather in fact also makes the feathers of Tia bristles.

Sraakk sraakk sraakk

There was the sound of something moving on the bush in front of Tia.

Sraakk sraakk sraakk

The sound is getting closer. Tia took a few steps back while still sharpening her eyesight, watching the surroundings. His neck felt so cold and enlarged.

The sraakkk sraakkk sraakkk

 * * *

As Tia picks up the phone from her husband, Denis gets busy with her social media. While others choose to relax in front of the television, so does Bayu. He sat on the sofa facing the television but his mind was far away.

"Bath is full, should immediately be told our bedroom where. I'm getting sleepy," Dipta yawns wide. It wasn't even 7pm.

"So who asked to go home. Now who is whining for sleep," Iva sneered.

"Can you shut up? Pity is right that your husband has a wife mouth there is 3," Dipta replied.

"Pity your wife too. Having a cowardly and unfaithful husband, "Iva strikes back with her sharp and piercing sentence.

He stood up from his seat. His hands were clenched with a red face. It was obvious that he had trouble controlling his emotions this time. Hendra and Galang simultaneously stood calm. 

Everyone in the room knew that the relationship between Dipta and Iva was not good. They were often at odds in class in a few moments. At first it was trivial, because Iva reported it to the teacher when Dipta was cheating. As the Javanese saying kriwikan dadi grojogan. Problems that feel small and trivial in fact enlarged until now.

The creation can finally be calmed. He lit a cigarette. Galang asks Iva to stop making fun of Dipta and provokes a fight.

"Where are our wet towels, by the way?" Mella asked to switch the conversation. Indeed, the newly finished towels they wear are left piled in the corner of the sofa.

"Yes yes. Try not to call Mak Ijah," Ellie chimed in.

"Before a moment, let me be," Bayu suddenly moved from his seat. He remembered something that needed to be asked of Mak Ijah. The stacked wet towel gave a big question to his mind.

Bayu hurriedly headed to the kitchen looking for Mak Ijah. He found Mak Ijah busy cutting through the flesh and bones, which seemed to be ribs. The presence of Bayu did not bother him.

"Mr Ijah?" Call Bayu.

"Yes Sir?" Mak Ijah just glanced, not looking.

"Who prepared the towel for us earlier Mak?"

"To my knowledge, Mr. Mardoyo received direct orders from Mr. Zainul. Is there a problem?" Mak Ijah this time turned his head to look at Bayu, but his face remained flat with no expression. The apron Mak Ijah wore looked splashed red. Probably from the bones and flesh he was cutting.

"Ah no Mak. We were just confused where to put the wet towel" Bayu replied with a smile.

"I'll settle up, sir. Put it anywhere, the important thing is still in this area of the house," Mak Ijah again busy cutting meat.

Bayu looked at the old-looking woman's back. Another one that became a note in Bayu's mind. The number of towels prepared is exactly 10 pieces. Though the time the towels were distributed, everyone thought Yodi was still sleeping in her room. There should be 11 towels prepared. So, the host already knew if Yodi disappeared from her room back then. Bayu is increasingly suspicious of the figure of Zainul, the owner of the house on the river bank. Bayu was also slightly suspicious of the maid who was currently standing on her back.

When Bayu was busy with questions in his mind, he arrived . . .

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I heard a scream from the front page.

"Tia?" Scream Bayu and immediately run towards the direction the screaming sounds came from.

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