12 Badoets
Wolongpuluh Loro

"When Seruni died, I had intended to take custody of Angel, also the child of Seruni," said Mak Lastri.

"Nilla," Angel.

"Nilla?" Mak Lastri frowned.

"Yes. Bu Seruni's son is called Nilla" replied Angel.

"Ohhhh. . yeah I've been intending to bring you guys. But Santoso came. And I think you'd be better off with him" Mak Lastri said with soft-looking eyes.

"What kind of mother would prefer her child to be taken care of by someone else? Your story is getting pissed off me!" snapped Angga. Any explanation of Mak Lastri is difficult to accept by Angga.

"I'm watching you Angga, always. Don't think you're the only ones suffering, I'm the same. As a human being, as a woman, living decades only to hide in escapism is excruciatingly born and inner. I don't want you guys with me like that. Your lives are long. There is a chance to have a decent life. And I chose it, choosing to let you be with Santoso for your future" Mak Lastri said with watery eyes.

"Then when the world has changed, like today, when you don't need to hide anymore, why don't you try to meet us?" angga. His hands were tightly clenched.

"I feel unworthy. I don't want to come when you can live independently. In my old age isn't it selfish of me to be present and just be a burden to you? I prefer you to assume that you are gone, so that you can live without being burdened by me," explained Mak Lastri.

"But in fact we are not happy Mother" said Angel. Mak Lastri was quite surprised to see the expression on his daughter's face that looked firm and strong.

"By disappearing without explanation, Mother instead burdened our lives with a grudge. We thirst for explanation, we look for those who are thought to be responsible for the disappearance of Mother. As long as you know, a human being cannot climb happiness in the future by ignoring the past" continued Angel. Mak Lastri was down to hear it.

"Why did you choose this house for a place to live? Mother was very close to me, but never tried to see me" Angga said.

"Eitherway. When there was an empty land behind Sumiran's house I bought it. With a new name and identity I can't go back to the village either. In reality I felt already chained by Sumiran. Moreover, Wito told me that Sumiran's house will be converted into an office after the auction process. I feel safe here. How ironic. The safest place for me is to stay close to the house I left behind," Mak Lastri let out a long sigh.

The mood changed quietly. Angga and Angel fell silent, trying to understand what her mother had been going through and hid for decades. In their stories, no one leaves each other. All entangled with the unfinished problems of the past.

In the silence, we heard footsteps approaching. Jumani and Nuryanto enter the family room. Their faces look strange.

"Why are you here?" ask Mak Lastri.

"We heard what you were talking about" Jumani said.

"You said you were looking for people who felt responsible for the loss of Mak Lastri or Bu Melati. That means you're hunting clowns, right?" nuryanto.

"Yes, that's how it is," Angel replied casually.

"So you who have finished off our colleagues, when it can be said all this is just a misunderstanding." Nuryanto was emotional.

"We're looking for clowns. But it wasn't us who took them out, even though I wanted to." Angel answered straightforwardly. Nuryanto gulps.

"Then who? Then we're not safe yet, Nur?" Jumani whines in fear. Nuryanto was silent.

"I know one name" Angel continued.

"Who?" ask Jumani and Nuryanto together.

"Name Inka. I don't know where that girl came from. He's obviously framed a colleague of mine. All this time the woman was watching our movements. Whether he has a plot, I don't know, either" Angel said.

Jumani and Nuryanto exchanged glances in silence. The two of them did not recognize the person Angel mentioned at all.

Suddenly Mak Lastri stood up from his seat. Then he crouched down in front of Angga and Angel who were sitting on the chair. The old woman looked at her two children with trembling eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mother, for everything you've been through. Everyone says that the first teacher of a child is his mother. For me, you are the teacher in my life. Forgive me for bringing you to see the world from the bleak side." Mak Lastri cried.

Angel just shut up. She had never felt the affection of Ms. Melati. For Angel, the figure of Mother is Bu Seruni. So at the moment he is difficult to have a bond with the woman before him.

While Angga looks shed tears. Unlike Angel, since childhood Angga is always with Bu Melati. There is a strong inner bond as well as a great longing. Throughout his life Angga is haunted by worries if his mother is gone. But now all is answered. Ms. Melati or Mak Lastri, looks healthy in her old age.

With the arrival of dusk, the people who were in the Mak Lastri stall realized that the love of parents was real. Whatever path Mak Lastri chooses, all for the happiness of his son. Rain spots began to fall, as if touched by the sacrifice of a mother.

Meanwhile a car stopped just behind Angga's parked car. Nilla jumped down and hurriedly checked the SUV in front of her. Rio the hotel leader followed after turning off his car engine.

"Is this really his car?" rio asked curiously.

"Yes. Really," replied Nilla while peeking into the car.

Rio and Nilla were driving around the city looking for Angel. And when they almost gave up, they accidentally saw Angel who was in the car with the figure of Brother. But unfortunately when following him, they had lost track.

"There's someone in the back seat" Nilla said as she peeked into the car.

Mr. Burhan who still has difficulty moving, just silently looked at Rio and Nilla from the car.

"Who's Nile?" ask Rio.

"I don't know. But maybe he was one of the Clowns I was telling you about," replied Nilla hesitantly.

Nilla turned her eyes. He noticed the house with a large banner that read Mak Lastri's pecel stall. Nilla frowned, thinking of every possibility in her brain.

"Is it possible that Angel ate inside? Eating pecel late in the afternoon? Or maybe not this car that Angel was riding earlier?" Rio looks confused.

"I suspect, Ms. Melati who Angel and Brother have been looking for a long time, is in this house," replied Nilla. Rio.

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