The Woman Behind The Scenes

Chapter 18 - The Unanticipated

Dara propped up her chin as she slowly wiggled her exhausted can of soft drinks. In a few hours, his shift will be over and he will have to go home. This was not the day he had been waiting for, and he had not expected it at all. The arrival of her in-laws today was something she was eager to avoid.

Unusually, she seemed uninspired to read a message from her husband. Tomi sent me some photos, seen his sister, and his mother who had come up with a lot of suitcases. The number of suitcases, of course, can be understood by Dara .. they will long be in his apartment.

“Ra. Not coming home?,” it's Nino, one of Dara's friends at the office. The somewhat shy man was so gentle and treated Dara like his own sister.

“Iya. Lazy ah. Later on,”

Dara looked so uninspired, like a heavy mind hanging around her head, and it could be seen clearly by Nino.

“They've sampe yes, Ra?”

“Iya. Where's the suitcase again. It will be a long time,” answered Dara while he was singing his lips, and greeted with laughter from Nino.

“Hahaha. Yeah, well, how else, Ra. You are also not all vacation to Indonesia with Kio” joked Nino to his best friend.

Dara's desire to return to Indonesia is huge. I want to take my son to visit his mother. But he just moved company with Tomi. Yep! New company, but still with Tomi. Currently the obstacle is his work VISA that has not been completed is taken care of by lawyers from the company. Without a VISA, he cannot go anywhere.

“Iya this. Our VISA is stuck, No. Phew,” like a desperate man, he replied Nino who was cleaning the bag.

“Ya. You just go home. If you see them, Ra. You're the host. They should have found themselves. Yuk! I don't go home if you don't go home,” Nino encourages her friend to rush home.

Drrta! Drrta!

Dara's phone vibrated. A message from her husband made her even more unwilling to go home. They reached the apartment, and Dara could see her in-laws occupying her room. Dara was a little surprised, because according to her husband, her in-laws would occupy the room next door. No matter what, now they occupy the main room where Dara and Tomi rest.

Dara with a heavy heart set foot home. The distance between the office and the apartment is very close. Within a few minutes he arrived. He did not enter the elevator; for a while he sat on the sofa lobby, breathing several times.

I don't know what to do when he meets two women who have rebuked and demeaned him through short messages. However, he finally stood up and entered the elevator, remembering his son.

He rang the bell beside the door, and soon the door was opened by Cecil. She could hear the laughter from her husband and sister-in-law. He took off his shoes and entered, and could immediately see his in-laws and sister-in-law with Tomi eating dinner. They seem to be unaware of its existence at all.

“Eh ..” a very awkward greeting from her sister-in-law who finally saw her existence among the boisterous atmosphere of laughter of the three of them.

“Home home turned out. Here, this is Mama, this is Tami,” Tomi approaching his wife, and giving the code to shake hands with his mother. The woman who was no longer young, smiled so widely. A smile that was so opposite to his attitude towards Dara for several years with Tomi. Dara greeted her in-laws, without a word, but with a reasonable thin smile. His hand was greeted by his sister-in-law who was experiencing it.

“Have eaten, Son?” her in-laws said. What's the matter? Has he not hated me all this time? That's what Dara had in mind.

“Iya already, auntie,” replied Dara briefly but did not show nervousness at all. He had heard many things from Cecil about such an event, and certainly he was not one who hesitated to show his courage.

“Iya. Just continue. I want to go straight to sleep,” Dara invited her husband to continue their exciting conversation which was interrupted by the presence of Dara.

Dara had to sleep in the next room. Apparently Cecil had tidied up the room, and moved Dara's belongings there. There were also some Tomi clothes there, and Kio who had fallen asleep. Dara sent a message on Cecil's phone, asking ‘partnernya’ it to come to his room. Dara can speak several everyday conversations in Tagalog. He uses his skills to ask Cecil a few things, such as who told him to move Dara's belongings, whether they talked about her or mentioned her name at home, and how Kio responded to her, and the tantenum for the first time.

Cecil chuckled at his curious master. Straightly, he told me everything. Starting from the request of Tomi's mother to stay in her room, to Kio who cried when she first met. A laughable remark also from Cecil, which is about some big suitcase as if a sign they will linger here.

Dara had indeed seen a series of large suitcases being carried. It felt like he was not in his own residence, but like a person who hitchhiked. Just this time he felt uncomfortable in the room in his apartment. Several times, he flipped, trying to close his eyes so he could fall asleep.

...****************...

That morning, as usual Cecil ‘berduet’ with Dara in the kitchen. Despite having a housekeeper, Dara remains active in doing various household chores. Before the sky brightened, he had already finished preparing breakfast for everyone. That day, he will start work at the office at 9am, and will leave a few dozen minutes before his arrival hour.

As a woman with a lot of planning, she never rushed to do anything.

He ate his bread along with Cecil, accompanied by a cup of black coffee with a lot of sugar. Since Cecil, Dara has friends to eat breakfast together, and sometimes eat late at night together.

“Pagi. Are you leaving already? I didn't take it, yeah. I did not enter for a moment. I'm asking for a leave today. Want to take mama for a walk to the salon,” Tomi's sudden presence makes Dara a little surprised.

“Iya. It's leaving,” is short, solid, and clear. Typical Dara.

That morning Tomi landed a kiss on his wife's forehead before he left for work. His nature has been very good lately.

Dara walked down the city streets that were quite crowded at that hour. As she continued to step up, she digested back what her husband said. The salon? Waw. That's something Dara hasn't done in her time with Tomi. Alright. He will be honored and consider this a filial piety to his mother.

Without much distraction, Dara spends her time in the office, and does not think too much about her husband's schedule so much in his in-laws' visit.

When she came home, Dara saw some shopping bags from famous brands. Shopping for clothes too. It was a little strange for him, because he knew that Tomi severely limited the use of money in fashion.

“Eh, already home, brother. This is Tomi's sister brought me shopping with mama. Buy clothes also for Kak Farah,” again, Tami is the first to realize the existence of Dara.

Hearing Farah's name, Dara burned for a moment. What kind of drama is this?

Dara doesn't talk much. She only listened to the shopping details conveyed by her husband. Yep! As always. Using their savings.

“Tadi mama to the salon, Ra. this clean face, and massaged too,” the talk of her in-laws makes her envious instantly. He had for several years overcome his own facial skin problems, without visiting the salon. This is because her husband is so calculating if money is used for such things.

It was different once .. During his time side by side, his in-laws were very kind to him. It is hard to believe that the same person gave hardikan for the sake of hardikan, and can be sweet instantly to Dara and Kio.