A Handful of Love for You
54. Hand in Hand

Alena POV's

“Len, we pray and have lunch first.”

Suddenly he was sitting next to me.

“Hm..”

He then called Aras and Aris

“Aras...Aris!” call him while approaching them.

I see it looks like Aras and Aris still want to play but have to obey him.

“We go to musala first,” take him while holding Aras and Aris.

I followed him without saying a word.

After finishing the prayer, he invited Aras and Aris to lunch but seemed to deliberately not include me in his invitation. I don't care, I follow them wherever they go.

The four of us sat around the table in a food court. The place is quite crowded because it is the same as lunch time

“Aras and Aris want to eat what?” ask her in twins.

Because annoyed not considered by him, I returned to play games on the phone. While playing games, he suddenly grabbed my phone and kept it in the front pocket of the jacket he was wearing.

“Save the first hapeenya. Now order food!” strict orders.

“Back!” I didn't like it because he took my cell phone.

“Later I return after you finish eating,”.

“Iya nih Aunty from earlier main hape continued. Later scolded Daddy if you eat while playing hape,” said Aris reminded.

“Iya..iya.” I grumbled annoyed that the phone was confiscated plus a warning from a boy like Aris.

“What do you want to eat?” tanyakanya.

“Terser..”.

“Don't say whatever!”

Not yet I answered he was playing sambar.

I was shocked when he suddenly grabbed my hand.

I tried to let go of his hand but his strength was stronger so it wasn't easy for me to get away from him.

“Aras and Aris want to eat what? Mang Atep with Aunt Lena buyin.” He asked Aras and Aris.

“Aras want to eat fried kwetiaw just as drink orange juice,” sahut Aras.

“Aris wants to eat fried rice only, drink orange juice too,” replied Aris.

He pulled my hand to follow him ordering food and drinks for the four of us.

“Lepasin if your hand.” I'm still trying to take my hand off her.

Instead of letting go, he clasped my hand even tighter and he hooked our fingers to hold each other.

“Too tau.” I began to whine for him to let go of our fingers hooked together.

He ordered and paid for the food we ordered without letting go of my hand.

“Tep, please release my hand. Shame if anyone sees.” I whispered so that I wouldn't be heard by the people around us.

Instead of letting go of her hands, she pulled me over to order a drink.

“What do you want to drink?” tanyakanya.

“I want you to let go of my hand.”

“Corrus juice alone equals Aras and Aris.” He decided on his own without listening to my request to let go of his hand.

After paying for our drink order, his hand still continued to hold mine.

He had not let go of his handrails when he returned to our table.

After our order came, he just let go of her hand.

“Aras...Aris, where else to play?” ask after we finish our meal.

“Aras want to go to the bookstore, can?” ask Aras.

“Bby dong.” reply. “Aris also want to buy a book?” Aris nodded.

“Ya already, now we are sliding into the bookstore. Want a bookstore here or to Gramedia?” Atep asked the twins.

“Ke Gramedia is great just so many books,” replied Aras.

You little guy bummer. Just then would not want to let go of my hand but now it's like not seeing if there is me. Sucks.

I grumbled in my heart.

Towards the magrib, we just arrived at my brother's house.

Aras and Aris fell asleep in the back seat. I called A Endra to carry Aras and Aris who were still asleep in the car.

I saw Atep trying to take Aras and carry him but before Atep could do it, my brother came.

“No need to carry. Just wake. Magrib in a minute. They have to take a shower first,” my brother said.

That's my brother who is very disciplined in everything.

“So where's lunch?” ask brother.

“Di Food court's. The place is clean and healthy. Aras and Aris do not order all kinds of kwetiaw, fried rice and orange juice.” I reported our lunch to my sister. My brother is in addition to discipline in terms of cleanliness, complicated also in terms of food. In the past, he did not want to eat the cuisine made by Teh Iyah but after tasting it once immediately addicted and did not want to eat made by others other than his wife or our mother.

Katika used to be abandoned by Teh Iyah, my sister complicated the food problem until her weight dropped dramatically. So my sister's family rarely eats out and prefers to eat at home. Even if you have to eat out, my brother will be selective in choosing food and drinks ordered.

“Mau sling, Father..” Aris sulks at her father.

Even though my brother is hard but he loves Aras and Aris very much. He held Aris who had just woken up.

“Aras want to be carried too?” I asked Aras who looked sleepy.

Aras nodded.

“Gendong Cedar, tuh!” my orders to Atep.

“Prepare to do, Beautiful.”

After hearing my orders he immediately carried Aras.

“Ish, dreadlocks continue..” grumbled.

He chuckled at my grunts.

At 8pm after we finished dinner, he came home.

“Nginep here only, Tep,” Fresh Tea.

“Besok Atep must go to the cafe early in the morning Tea. There is something to do,” he replied rejecting the offer of Teh Iyah.

“Kan can go from here too.”

“Just go home. Someone will be angry if Atep nginep here,” he replied as he glanced at me and I replied with a plot.

What the hell does he mean he talks like that? Just make it ashamed. There are people who are angry that must mean to me. Basic sucks.

“Yes already, you be careful on the road. It's night and drizzle too.”

“Iya, Tea. Atep go home first.”

He said goodbye and kissed the back of Teh Iyah's and my brother's hands.

“Len, Atep anterine up to the front door gih,” Teh Iyah command me.

“Ish, the big time still has to be delivered anyway.”

I refuse to do the order of Teh Iyah.

“No need to deliver, Tea. Later if you are married then a wife must take her husband's departure.”

“Ih...who also wants to be your wife,” I said softly but still heard by A Endra who was watching a talk show on television.

“Now do not want, but later also want. Even whining does not want to be left.” A Endra's words piss me off. I decided to go straight into the bedroom without saying goodbye to my brother and Teh Iyah. Before leaving, I still had time to step on the foot of A Endra.

“Aa nyebelin.”

“Aww...sick Lena! Fuckin' sister,” shouted my brother complaining of pain.

“Sgratiramin!” I stuck out my tongue to make fun of my brother and was successfully rewarded with a sofa pillow by him.

I went up to my room laughing.

Even though my brother and I are adults, but if you meet often make fun of each other or insult each other. I'm just happy to be colonized or argue with my brother because it's better than being ignored by him.

After the kidnapping that my brother experienced when he was a child, his mentality was a little disturbed so that A Endra became antisocial. He doesn't care about the surrounding including me. It went on for a few years until my brother was finally healed and he was able to start interacting with me and other family members. So even now his friends are very few, only Arfian can be his best friend until now.

The time when Teh Iyah left my brother was also a stressful time for me. For several months my brother shut himself up and did not want to communicate with anyone else. Lucky my brother didn't close himself for too long. Maybe because he is an adult so he can control his emotions.

So, I'd rather we fight and judge each other than be silenced by my only brother.

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to be continued...