Womb of Titipan

Playing Ball.

Naina who was helping Sumi's mother cook for lunch, seemed to be not concentrating, he looked more dumb and daydreaming once in a while he also seemed riled up thinking later if later that night he and Aaric had to go back to sleep on a small mattress in his room..

"Sister. It's brother's husband's shirt." Suddenly a child ran over and gave her an Aaric shirt.

Naina looks confused to see Aaric's black shirt in her hand, she who is curious immediately left the kitchen to find out why her husband was undressing.

Naina did not find Aaric anywhere including in her room, then she faintly heard the boisterous sound of children playing on the field.

Naina then walked to the field, she seemed surprised to see her husband was playing ball with the children of the orphanage.

So engrossed in playing ball, Aaric did not realize if Naina was watching him on the sidelines, he continued to play until he did not care if his entire body was dirty.

Naina smiles at Aaric who apparently can also joke, do prank and ignorant, making himself chased by all the children until finally he was mobbed by everything, Aaric seemed to laugh amusedly as they all pierced and tickled his body for revenge.

Seeing her husband being overstressed by many children, making Naina who was looking a little worried, she was afraid that if Aaric would get hurt and injured, Naina then approached all of them and asked him to stop.

Hearing Naina's request, all the children stopped the action, they all got up and left immediately because Naina told them to rest.

The exhausted Aaric was still lying on the grass, watching Naina standing on top of him.

"Are you okay?" Naina crouched down to see her husband.

Aaric shook his head.

"Are you worried about me?" ask Aaric happy.

Naina was silent and did not answer. Makes Aaric thin his lips.

"Why did you stop them, we were playing." asked Aaric again as he got up to sit, making his face very close to his wife's face crouching in front of him.

The startled Naina immediately retreated to make her sit up, Aaric immediately smiled looking at her.

Now they sat on the green grass facing each other.

"This is my first time playing football again after my father died five years ago" Aaric said.

Naina looked at her husband's face.

"From childhood my father and I always played ball together, it was our favorite game, but by the time I was seventeen my father never again took to the field, he just saw me playing on the sidelines, I was disappointed but then I found out why I didn't want to play with me anymore."

"Why?" ask Naina curious.

"I accidentally heard that if my father was sick, he had cancer and he wouldn't be around much longer."

Naina looked at Aaric's dim face.

"But I pretended not to know because they wanted to keep it a secret from me."

"My father always tried to look strong in front of me even though I actually knew that he was in pain fighting his illness."

Naina felt sadness in her heart seeing Aaric telling a story while holding back a cry.

"Every weekend we still go to the field to play football even if he just looks at it. Everything continued until I was twenty-five years old when my father's illness was getting worse, and he could no longer accompany me to play ball until he died. That's where I never play ball again because everything reminds me of him."

"Why are you playing football now?" ask Naina quietly.

"Because I miss my father so much. Also because of the kids. They remind me of my happy childhood, playing ball with carefree laughs." Aaric tried to smile

Naina who saw the forced smile immediately lowered her head. He did not expect that Aaric had such a sad story in his life.

"Now that I feel very happy, playing with them helps reduce the longing for my late father." Aaric looked at Naina's face.

Naina jerks.

"Your face is so dirty. Go take a shower I'll go to the market now." Naina got up from her seat.

"You what?" tanya Aaric also stood up.

"Buying clothes for you, you have no change of clothes" Naina replied as she walked, Aaric following her from behind.

They had reached the room, Naina gave her husband a towel and told Aaric to go to the bathroom immediately.

Aaric was instead seen approaching a small table beside the bed where his wallet and cell phone were lying there.

Aaric took the wallet and was seen taking something inside.

"Wear this card for shopping, I don't have any cash."

"No, I have enough money to buy your clothes."

"No. Take this card, don't use your money. Please." Aaric asked very strongly.

Naina gives up, she takes the card from her husband's hand.

"Bet you buy all the necessities of the parlour,"

"Everything's been bought on a monthly basis by the mother and the caretaker."

"Buy anything, food for the kids."

"All right."

Naina comes out of the room, she walks around smiling feeling funny because she thinks Aaric has started to fall in love with the orphanage children here.

***

Aaric, who had taken a bath but was still wearing a towel, was seen walking back and forth while receiving a phone call from his secretary.

All her schedules today fell apart due to her not getting in, so she had to rearrange the delayed schedule to be rerouted to another time.

"Please handle everything, reset all my pending agenda today, for important files I need to sign immediately, just send them to my email, I'll check them here."

"Okay sir" replied the secretary.

Aaric hangs up, he sees the clock on his phone, it's been almost an hour Naina left but hasn't returned yet.

Suddenly his phone came back ringing, he smiled slightly when he saw Dani's name on the screen, this might have been his twentyth call and just like the previous call, he said, Aaric had no intention of raising her, he wanted to make her two best friends look for her.

Suddenly the sound of the car stopped, he then looked behind the window in the room, Naina got down from the car followed by a man.

Aaric's heart pounded, seeing Naina and the man walking side by side with his familiar, not even hesitating to throw a smile at him as if there was no distance between them.

Aaric clenched his hand, then looked at the door of the room, waiting for Naina to open it.

And sure enough, Naina soon opened the door and entered it.

"This is your shirt, I hope you like." Naina gave me the plastic bag she was carrying.

Instead of taking the pouch, Aaric looked at Naina in annoyance.

"Who is that guy?" tanya Aaric's ruffled waist.