The Woman Behind The Scenes

Chapter 19 - The Discovered Carcass

Learning to forgive may be good for her, so Dara decides to take a more relaxed attitude with her in-laws and in-laws. Her father-in-law cooked with her several times in the kitchen, like the scenario that happens in the movies. He also actively talked to his brother-in-law. No. gabe. He listened more. Tami tells a lot about the characteristics of her brother in youth, which makes people scratch their heads without itching.

From the kitchen, the aroma of ‘chicken adobo’, a typical Filipino food that looks exactly like chicken stew, can be clearly smelled. Cecil is cooking with Dara who happens to be on holiday with Tomi. Kio was busy sitting in his dining chair and occasionally joked about his distant tantamount coming from Indonesia. Tami is not the first time she has a niece. Before Kio, there were Farah's children present first. However, Tami's interest in Kio is very different. The woman who was the same age as Dara often took the boy out for a walk, until the boy fell asleep. It is rare for Kio to be at home and befriend boredom, once there is Tami there. The nature of this one Tami is something that Dara likes. He did not expect the brother-in-law who used to be half-scolded by email, to turn 180 degrees.

Dara was a royal woman to her friends, and to those who were kind to her friends. He several times took Tami out for a walk to buy a favorite snack. Both are so different even at the same age. Tami with his habit of shopping, and snacking, while Dara vice versa.

Unlike Dara, Tami does not speak English very well. Like her brother, she would take her new brother-in-law with her wherever she went around the Philippines. He also argued more with Tomi than anyone else in the apartment.

“Tam. Let's eat!” Dara calls her sister-in-law to eat lunch together, while preparing food on the table. She then went out, calling her husband who was busy bathing a flock of love bird piaara.

Dara never distinguished anyone around her. As they ate, Cecil also took part together. Seeing Cecil eating apart like being exiled, was the thing he hated the most. After all, Cecil was already accompanying her like his own brother.

“In the meantime, sweet boy,” Tami stroked the head of Kio who was focusing on spending grapes on his desk.

The lunch looks like a family in a big-screen movie that shows a description of a happy family. Her in-laws nodded while chewing on her homemade cooking, a sign of delight with the taste that Dara created from inside her small kitchen. Tomi told me several times that his wife was very good at cooking. On several occasions, Dara cooked various Indonesian food for her friends there.

Tomi's phone vibrated, an incoming call from Farah could be clearly seen on her phone screen. He drank water full of ice cubes and answered the phone.

“Iya. Good. I will send it. But it can't be today. Where enough? Mama is here, the money is used for the streets,” nothing else and no, all Farah's phone is just about the contents of the wallet. He turns off the call, and Tomi continues her lunch.

Dara did not flinch at all. She tried to look normal in front of her in-laws when Farah called.

“Who's Tom?” her in-laws broke the silence after that phone conversation.

“Farah, mah. Request a remittance for a list of TK,” replied Tomi straightforwardly.

His mother nodded, then asked again,” How much is it?”

“Five million, mah,”

“Hah? Five million? Where is the school?,” Tami commented while frowning.

“Iya. Where is that school? How expensive is it for TK size?” her mother also agreed with what Tami said. Dara remained unmoved.

“TK Seruni said. Last year the Word was there. Now the registration money is one million difference from Raffi registration this year,” Tomi replied without burden.

“Tetap it was huge, kak” said Tami still insisted with his opinion.

Tomi was a little cornered, but all this time he had only sent everything Farah had asked for, without a basbisbus.

“Sayang. If you are not busy, please check. How to do it.” Tomi asks Dara to check the details of the TK registration that Farah is referring to. Dara is always reliable in this regard. Tomi often uses his wife's ability to verify things.

“Iya. After eating yes, bi” a very obedient wife.

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

Dara looks so serious in front of her laptop. He is in the browser to find the information he needs. Uh! Here goes! Kindergarten, as Tomi said. He was trying to find a phone number he could call. Thankfully, a WhatsApp number is listed there. Dara took her phone and saved the phone number. He sent a short message via WhatsApp greeting, and immediately replied.

The owner of the phone number turned out to be the principal there. Goody! He was in the right hands. The man was so friendly, answering Dara's messages.

Mother: [ Mother. I want to ask for registration at TK Seruni has it been opened? ]

Principal: [Already, Dara's mother. Tomorrow we open the registration. Please take the form at school. J ]

Dara: [Oh, well then, ma'am. May I know how much the school admission fee is? ]

Here goes! This is the information Tomi needs.

Principal: [Registration is 1,750,000 only, ma'am ]

Dara was a little confused, but tried to keep trying to find out, because what the principal said and what Farah asked was so different.

Dara: [That's just mom? I mean no other fees?]

Dara ended the conversation. He took a screenshot, making sure he kept the truth he had just gotten. He quickly moved to the living room, where Tomi was talking with his in-laws, and his sister-in-law.

“This I have got the details,” he told Tomi who had seen his presence.

“Viewful?”Tomi approaches Dara and looks at her phone screen. Instantly, Dara could see Tomi's drastically changed expression, and clenched hands.

“Why Tom?” her mother was curious to see Tomi's reddened face.

“He lied, mah. He's been lying all this time. The registration is not five million. Only 1,750,000. Means in the age of the Word entered the school is also not five million. Damn you!” tomi said, then rushed to get her phone.

He made a call to Farah, and put his phone on the table with the loudspeaker turned on.

“Halo.” Farah's voice can be clearly heard by everyone in the apartment.

“Who said five million registrations?” sambar Tomi's.

“Indeed the registration. Why get angry anyway?” as without guilt, Farah asked in a high tone.

“Your liar! You think it's good to make money here? Heh! Dara is desperately looking for money here with me. As if you mark up here and there.”

“How to get angry? Who's the liar?” Farah didn't want to lose, as usual.

“You are. I have WhatsApp headmaster. Registration is only 1,750,000. Farah! Oh this is why all this time I asked to see a brochure from school, you never send.” Tomi's emotions are explosive. An emotion Dara had never seen before when Tomi spoke to Farah.

This isn't the first time. Several times Farah did mention a number that either made amused, or a head bobble. Sometime before this, he said that Tomi should raise again the monthly ration, because the funds to buy milk are very large. According to him, in a month his children drank five kilograms of milk powder.

Farah sounded silent behind the phone. Then the call was turned off.

Tomi curses the woman in front of her mother, and Tami can only shake her head. Dara tried to be as calm as possible, despite a slight sense of happiness in her heart when her rival was shown to be doing something inappropriate. During this time the monthly allowance they sent was very much for the size of the children who attended public schools, and Farah always demanded less.

In-laws quiet. At least the woman can swallow back the thought that Dara came to spend Tomi's money. From the mouth of his own son, he heard the explanation that Tomi's salary was mostly used up to pay for Farah's needs, and Dara who had to several times patch the shortage in the household, in a number that is not small.

After that incident, Dara was like a football team with superior value. At least she is not a woman who is not honest about finances in her household. All those evidentiary conversations, really indirectly turned Dara into the center of attention of her in-laws and in-laws. They very rarely talked about Farah after the incident that afternoon.

Sometime after the incident, Tomi completely mawed a gloomy face in a few days. He does not speak rudely to anyone ., but like one who runs out of energy every day.

Dara knew the man she married. He knew he would not be moping if something was hard hit. With his initiative, he asked to go on vacation with his in-laws and in-laws to a place where they could see the cityscape 360 degrees from a height. It was not rejected by Tomi at all, and it was done immediately.

Kio was very calm in that short holiday. Dara can also spend a pretty useful time with her small family. The hotel is divided into several buildings, namely a tower building with a restaurant on its top, another building for rooms and ponds, as well as another building for breeding pigeons in various types.

Tomi knew very well, his wife liked something challenging. He invited his wife to cross the suspension bridge to the tower. It was cold, but not much wind was blowing. Dara breathlessly wiped away her sweat that was pouring out. The distance between the ends of the bridge to the tower is not close.

“Hunger again for sure?” cami's jokes were met with laughter from his wife.

“Iya. I think going down later, having to eat again” he replied as he sat his feet on the floor. A light breeze easily slipped inside his clothes, drying out half the sweat that was still pouring out.

“I want a story. It's about me and Farah,” the mood became so serious after Tomi said this. He chose a topic that Dara had been trying to avoid. What can be done, she currently should at least be a wife and a good listener for her husband.

“What's up, bi?” his curiosity is strong. Still, whatever it was, he would feel uneasy as long as the topic was about Farah.

“You know .. I've never been interested in a woman named Farah. He's just the staff at the place I work. At that time, she was not attractive at all .. let alone beautiful? Not at all. I rarely say hi with him. Faults. His name was also drunk, and he might just give up. Several times he was looking for attention with me,” long Tomi made the opening sentence.

“Then? Now what's up?” Dara briefly commented.

“You are now the only one. He covers a lot of other things from me. He asked me for talak. So I saw him off yesterday,”

Whahuh? Dara couldn't believe what she had just heard. During this time, he has always been the target of Tomi's threats to divorce, but reality turns around.

“I can't comment anything, bi. But I will try well to accompany you in these times,” do not feel his eyes wet by tears that seep. A strange feeling in Dara's heart knowing her husband has divorced his rival. Whether she should be happy, or just be wary of the nature of her husband who is easy to divorce women.