Trapped by Pandora

Chapter 4: Escape

Alin sat in front of a cafe near City Hall while waiting for the food he had ordered. He checked one by one the messages that went into his cell phone. Today is the birthday of Aunt Naima, her mother's best friend who is also the manager of the orphanage where they were both raised. As in previous years, Alin would bring cakes and a variety of food to celebrate with his father, the children of the orphanage, the caretaker and of course Aunt Naima, *star of the day. *

Alin loved Aunt Naima very much because since her mother passed away the woman who continues to support, love and love. Being a shoulder when he cries and acts as a backrest when he slumped. Alin felt very sorry for indirectly being the cause of his mother's death, that was how he had in mind. Too washed away in the depression suffered, Alin did not even care about the health condition of his mother. How the mother struggles to care for a depressed child and a paralyzed husband to often miss the nutritional intake for his own body. As a result, stomach disease is increasingly chronic and treatment of any type is not able to save.

Alin's heart was so broken that the world not only collapsed before his eyes, but as if swallowing him alive. He wanted to catch up with his mother, but Aunt Naima reminded him that there was still a need for him. If Alin's heart was so broken, what about his papa? Since then Alin slowly realizes that his life is not over, there is still more he can do than drown in a prolonged and endless depression. To hurt oneself only because of the past is worthless and to sacrifice the happiness of the mother is a futile act. That is his deepest regret.

“Order on behalf of Alin!” Alin also put a mobile phone into the bag when he heard the sound of the cafe waiter calling him.

“Iya, I!” he immediately walked over to the cashier's desk and paid for his order.

When he put the food bag into the car, Alin saw a young girl sitting curled up on a bench in the city park not far from the cafe he visited. The young girl was still wearing a grey school uniform. Alin squinted his eyes to see the teenager as he recognized it. He decided to walk to the park to see what he saw.

“Rory!” call it. The teenage girl who sat curled up raised her head. His eyes were puffy, his face was flooded with tears.

“Dok-ter A-lin?” said asenggut.

“Yes God, you why?” Alin sat down next to her and cupped the girl's face with both hands.

“Why cry like this? What's up?” tanyanya. Mallory hugged him with a broken cry.

Alin returned his embrace, rubbing the young girl's back to give a hint of calmness. His heart was filled to see Mallory crying more and more. Alin tried to let go of his embrace.

“Already, take a breath first and exhale slowly,” lead him. Mallory's crying also subsided even though it was still sobbing.

“Now try to tell me why crying alone here?” Alin wiped the girl's tears with a tissue removed from the bag.

“I don't want Daddy to marry Grandma!” sahut Mallory.

“Hah? Grandma attachments?” Alin frowned, feeling strange to hear Mallory's nickname.

“Iya, it's Aunt Zora! He is evil, not as good as he shows. He's fake! I don't want to have Mommy like her!”

“Which is why?”

“He said he wanted to send the three of us to the dorm after Daddy married him, because Daddy must be busy taking care of his own children. Last time I went to Daddy's office, I saw him in the car on the phone. He asked his papa to withdraw all shares if Daddy did not marry him,” Mallory spilled his strings. He was eager to grab the attached grandmother when he accidentally heard her talk on the phone. If Wisesa's family shares are withdrawn, then the opa and oma will definitely force her daddy to agree to the wedding plan with the attached grandmother. Something that his mind cannot reason at all.

* “Wait,* you're Daddy's son too. So even if they get married, your Daddy won't leave you. Try talking about this with your Daddy.”

“Doctor Alin does not understand, we are not the biological child of Daddy,” Alin was stunned to hear Mallory's confession.

“Daddy is actually our uncle, his sister Mama. Since Mama and Papa died, Daddy adopted us.”

Alin was amazed by Mallory's words. He felt Beryl Monza was a loving man, visible from his eyes. Despite the fact that the man is not Mallory, Shaquille and Kishika's biological parents, but he seems to love the three children very much.

“Hmm, how about I drive you home? You can have a good talk with your dad. I believe that your Daddy is a good person and very dear to all three of you. There must be a way out.”

“I don't want to go home!”

“Rory, they must be worried. What about your sisters? Would you leave them?” forcing teenagers who are hit by high emotions is useless, because obviously they prefer his ego. However, Alin does not want Mallory to feel what she is going through, lost in egoism.

“But I don't want to go home now. *Please, *Doctor Alin!” Mallory clutched Alin's hand as she pleaded.

“Hmm, okay. In that case, how about come with me,” invite Alin.

“Where?” Mallory wiped the remains of tears.

“To a place where you will always feel grateful,” Alin winks one eye. Mallory was filled with a thousand questions. However, the girl chose not to reveal it, she simply followed where the beloved Doctor had taken her away.

^^o^

Beryl walked back and forth in the waiting room of Jenaka Dental Clinic. When he arrived at the house at eight o'clock, the first thing he encountered was the aura of anxiety of his family members.

“Rory, escape!” so said his mother.

In this clinic now Beryl is, waiting for the doctor fretfully because he also did not find the existence of Mallory in the entire corner of the clinic. Doctor Alin's last patient had just walked out of his room, in a hurry Beryl barged into the room being cleaned.

“Good night, Doctor Alin! I'm sorry ...,” Beryl choked, her throat was dry with panic.

“Night Mr. Beryl, please come in!” Alin invited Beryl in and sat down before he finished his sentence.

“Where is my daughter?” Beryl went straight to the point.

“Begini, this afternoon I met Rory at the city hall park. Her emotional state was not good because I saw her crying. I offered to take her home, but she refused. Finally I took it to the orphanage because I happened to have an event there,” Alin looked at Beryl's face filled with anxiety.

“Crying? Is there a schoolmate bothering him?” Beryl was astonished because she had never seen Mallory cry before, except for the last time when both her parents died.

“At first I thought the same as you, but it was not a school problem. Except for family matters,” Alin stopped his speech for a moment.

“What? Family issues?” Beryl was astonished. The eyes looked far away, trying to remember what was the problem in his family. But none of the answers got.

“She said something about grandma attachments,” Alin carefully delivered it.

“Grandma attachments? Who is he?” Beryl frowned, the more she did not understand.

“You better ask Rory yourself, I don't want to interfere too much in your family affairs. But, I beg you to be more calm when talking to him, given the emotions that are still unstable.”

“Hmm, of course,” Beryl is still racking the brain looking for answers related to the mystery of the attached grandmother that Alin said earlier.

“Can we get there now?” ask Beryl.

“Ya, okay. Coincidentally I also finished,” Alin took his bag stored in the desk drawer. They both left the room.

Once in the front parking lot of the clinic, Alin pulled out his car keys which were directly reached by Beryl.

“Let me drive,” Beryl presses her auto lock button, opens the door and lets Alin in.

“Eijaz, you follow us from behind!" he shouted at Eijaz who was waiting beside the car. Eijaz nodded his head in understanding his master's orders.

Along the way, the two people of different generations were silent to each other. Silence without a word. Alin looked at the streets that were abundant in light, while Beryl stared straight ahead, focusing on the steering wheel.

The umpteenth time fragrant lavender infiltrated Beryl's sense of smell. He occasionally glanced at Alin from the corner of his eye. His heart hunt. There is a foreign feeling that pierces the heart. Not a sharp, painful prick, but a soft, warming prick. A feeling of happiness crawls its heart. Unknowingly, her smile was etched sweetly.

Never once did he feel the same way in women who had been close to him. Even with his first love. He felt fascinated by the woman sitting beside him from the first time they met. Highlights of eyes, smiles, jovial look, body fragrance, and the smell of long hair that is scattered, really makes it lulled.

Every time it got close to him, Beryl's heart beat faster. There was a turmoil in his heart that was jumping around like a jump on a trampoline. Her youth is back to dancing. Is this what you call second puberty? Beryl rubbed her nose with the back of her right hand. Deep down, there was gratitude with Mallory's escape. Let's just say he's half-crazy, because Mallory's departure is a blessing to him. He became closer to Alin.

“Is this still far away?” Beryl tried to break the silence between them.

“Oh, no. In front about five kilometers turn right, then the road slowly because it is not far away,” Beryl nodded slowly.

“Have you known the parlor for a long time?”

“Ehm, my late Mama grew up in that parlor,” Alin actually refused to tell the family background to strangers.

“Sorry, I don't know. I don't mean ...,” Beryl misbehaved.

“It's okay. Mama and her stepbrother then managed the parlor together when we moved to this city four years ago.”

“If you may know, Mama you died because of what?” Beryl didn't mean to be presumptuous or open old wounds, she just didn't want them back in silence.

“Chronic gastric pain,” Beryl mangosteen.

“Ah, that's the replacement. We have arrived!” Alin did not want to discuss more about his mother, he was relieved because the nameplate of the orphanage was seen. That means they have arrived and do not need to continue their conversation anymore.

~***~