Trapped in 2001

Fathers

Time goes back.

That afternoon when the school bell was rung, Mario stepped first towards the school gate.

While Brian and Cavin are being called by the teacher, no matter what. Mario stood at the gate waiting for his two friends. But then he accidentally turned his head, and met face to face with someone.

"Degh."

Mario's heart trembled violently, tears suddenly spreading in his eyes. But trying hard he held it.

"Papa." she said slowly, with a half sobbing tone.

"Mario, do you remember me?"

His real father said then smiled at Mario, but Mario looked and continued to look at his father.

"Mario?"

"Ah, oh, uh. I, yes pa."

"Still craving papa?” ask his father again.

"I, yes pa. Time forgot about Michael's father."

Mario takes a breath and tries not to get swept away in deep feelings, trying to make his sadness invisible. Despite his taste, he was eager to scatter and hug his father tightly.

"Where's the man from?" ask Mario again.

"From meeting your teachers, talking about Michael's punishment."

"I've talked too, pa. My father also discussed with the teacher, so that the punishment received by Michael could end soon. So Michael can go to school again."

His father breathed.

"Papa didn't think Michael was that bad guy."

This time Mario looked down, what Michael did was just to defend him.

"I'm sorry, pa. Michael was so for defending me."

Again his father breathed.

"Papa did not blame the defense, but papa regretted Michael's rude attitude. Could it be, he defended his friend without having to do that hard."

Mario was silent, but he still felt guilty. Although his father said that he did not blame Mario.

"Oh yeah, you want to go home now? Come with me, papa."

"Hmm but, I'm waiting for my friend."

Suddenly Mario's phone rang, and it was a phone call from Brian.

"Why, Bri?"

"Lo go home first, bro. I have a baseball practice this afternoon."

"Lo same team lo?"

"Yes, there's a sudden match of time."

"When?"

"This week he said."

"Well, which Cav?"

"So Cavin asked for his sidein as well, if his coach asked him to do the same team training this afternoon."

"There's a sudden match too?"

"You know, yes, yes, time. This era is full of impromptu events, just don't get married suddenly."

"Hahaha, that's mah lo doyan."

"Mayan, if I bini bunting can ghosting into the future."

"Anjrit, haha. Yes, I've come back." said Mario later.

"Ntar's our afternoon to Adrian."

"Yes." Yeah."

Mario hung up his phone, while his father was still standing by his side.

"Yet you're not going home?"

"There was a sudden exercise he said, pa."

"Yes, go home with papa. Papa anterine."

"OK."

His father directed Mario to a car, which was parked on the left side of the school gate. Mario stepped up.

When he got into the car, Mario's heart shook. Tears are back in her eyes.

Never once did his father take him or pick him up from school. He once thought that his father was actually dead. And both Michael and Marcell were just making up stories, that their father was now in America. All just to keep Mario feeling so he does not lose the figure of the father.

But once his father called, Mario heard his voice. Just now Mario called "this is papa?", Michael immediately grabbed the phone and spoke to his father. It's as if Michael doesn't want Mario to know his own father.

"Who is Mario living with?"

Suddenly his father breaks Mario's daydream.

"Sa, same daddy." replied Mario then sighed, to neutralize the emotions that are now raging in his heart.

If you remember all of what Michael did to him in the future, it feels like he wants to take revenge on his brother.

But he has no power. Until the time before he entered this era, he was still dependent on Michael. He still lives in Michael's house and gets pocket money and school fees from his two brothers, especially Michael.

"Michael, how are you?”

"He's good, yeah he's like he's cool in suspension."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. When I asked him if he did the same, he said nothing at all. Papa did not think the same child, very different from his brother Marcell. Marcell is super, a lot of friends, a lot of achievements. While Michael was more of a silent man, it was secretly harsh."

"The child is different, Pa." Mario defending Michael.

"Yes, it's exactly the same thing you said. Just like Michael's attitude."

Once again Mario was silent, he did not know what to say anymore.

"Mario has lunch?" ask father.

"Mm, not yet. I'll be home later."

"We had lunch first?. Papa also while waiting for Marcell, today papa promises to accompany him to buy a book."

Mario's heart was back. The thing he wants most in the future is to walk with his father. Either just eating together, drinking coffee in a cafe, or whatever it is.

This is the moment he has been waiting for the most in his life, so there is no way he will just miss this.

"You want?" pinta's father once again.

Mario nodded, his father went to take Mario to a fast food restaurant. They both ate and talked about a lot of things.

"If it's Michael, he doesn't like eating fast food like this." his dad started the conversation again.

"Yes, he always cooks himself and forces Mario to bring his own provisions to school. He's the one who's getting home early."

Things that could not be accepted by his father's reason at this time.

"Mm, I mean sometimes Michael likes to bring my supplies and bring me too. He said that shit ain't good."

"Oh." Dad laughed.

"Michael Emang that, Marcell aja in masakin early in the morning with him. If you're the same papa, papa won't. And he gets angry sometimes, he says buying food outside isn't necessarily clean."

This time Mario laughs, it turns out that Michael was already so. At rest work alone, for example, he will eat in the office cafeteria with food that he brought himself from home.

Michael was always chatty about food, he only believed in his own cooking. Wherever he travels, he always carries a small stove and some cooking utensils. Or prefer to rent an apartment rather than a hotel, just so that he can cook for himself.

"Mario's the same old man, the relationship is good right?" ask his father again.

"Yes, daddy's a good old man."

"Degh."

"Daddy."

Mario just remembered that today Deddy came home quickly, and they promised to have lunch together. Mario grabs the phone from his pocket and finds a lot of calls from Deddy. There were also many SMS messages that the man sent. The last message Mario received read,

"Where's mario?. Daddy's at home."

"Why?"

His father, who was watching Mario, asked.

"Mm, it's okay."

Mario smiles and saves his phone and continues eating. It's okay this once, not keeping his promise to Deddy. He thought because this was a rare moment. Where he could sit together with his biological father, whom he had longed for.

While at home, Deddy ended up not eating because he was worried about Mario. He grabbed the car keys and gas-tipped it into the school. After earlier he asked Ratna and also Heru.

The two children said Mario may be accompanying Cavin and Brian, who still have to practice at school.

After eating, Mario followed in his father's footsteps. Walk towards a store in the mall where they ate earlier. He went to the counter selling the watch, where his father sorted. Mario was just watching from behind.

"Mario, which one do you think is good?. Papa wants to buy it for Marcell and Michael."

"Mm, if according to Mario this is pa."

Mario pointed at the watch, which was in his father's right hand.

"You sure they like it?"

"Maybe."

"Well, I want three." His father bought three watches. Mario himself had already stepped closer to the counter exit.

"Mario."

"Yes." Yeah."

"It's for you."

"Mom, make me pa?”

Mario did not expect that his father also bought him. He thought buying the three was for his father, Michael and Marcell.

"But it's expensive, pa?”

"This is the standard price koq, take it. Because you want to be Michael's friend, he's hard to get."

"It really?"

"Yes, for you."

Mario was silent, the feeling of haru now re-enveloped his heart. He never got a gift from his own father. In this day and age, everything is reversed. Even the gift of expensive items like this he got from his father.

"Yeah."

Someone shouted from a distance.

"Well, that's Marcell." His father said, Marcell approached and smiled.

"Papa must buyin Marcell watches, huh?" marcell asked as he watched the paper bag containing the watch, which was in his father's hands.

"Yes, baby, this is for papa children who always excel and become the pride of parents."

His father handed the watch to Marcell, and Marcell seemed happy to accept it. But suddenly Marcell realized, if the paper bag was also in the hands of Mario. Marcell then pulls Mario.

"Lo's my cuckoo kid, right?"

"No, no."

"If not, why are you also bought. It's expensive." he said later.

"My loved ones."

"Whatever, if you're my bokap son from another girl. That's your right to make in love anything as my bokap. But tell your nyokap, don't ruin my family."

"Gue ain't no bokeh lo's cheating son."

"Gue is suspicious."

"Mario was going to take you home, see you at the school gate."

"Oh yeah, pa." Marcell turned around while grinning to his father.

"Yes, you come with us." said Marcell sukamah, but he was still suspicious about who Mario really was.

"Father want me to buy a book" he continued.

"Let's Mario come along, if you want to buy a book too" said his father.

Mario finally nodded, he followed the two men everywhere. All day long he was always suspected by Marcell.

While on the other hand, Deddy looks anxious when he arrives at his son's school. Because even today, Mario has not returned an SMS and did not pick up the phone from him. The message was sent and the phone was connected.

"Where the hell is that kid?" said riled.

"Maybe go to a bookstore or hang out with a classmate om." Cavin tries to calm Deddy's heart.

"Yes, Mario also never played far away" Brian said. 

"Mario never believed it, usually she went straight home. Or if he comes home late he'll have permission."

"Yes, Cav knows. Cav will try to help call or ask another question, yes."

"Ok, thanks Cav, Bri."

"Yes, um."

"Om try to find first, just meet on the street."

"Om fine. But no need to worry, Mario must go home koq." said Cavin again.

"Yes, o'm sorry. You guys want to go home yet?. If so, just go with it."

"We're still training, um" Brian said.

"Oh yeah if so, come home."

"Yes, um."

Deddy got into his car and left the school yard. He crosses paths and hopes to meet Mario. After a few hours, he found no one.