Aster Veren
Episode 54

- Esther

"Miss ...," the voice of sister Hana along with the sound of my door that has been open, "eat a little, since arriving here lady has not eaten anything–" It stopped as I turned to her with my stiff smile standing by the window. Noticing the departure of the guests and the yellow flag that was still fluttering in the gate.

Ah, it feels like my tears will spill again now. My mind felt a puddle of tears that began to fill my eyes.

"Miss," he immediately hugged me after keeping a tray of rice dishes and side dishes along with a glass of water on the table near my bed.

"Hiks..," my sobs could not help but feel sad when I remembered my grandmother's promise a few years ago. Crying all day is not enough for me.

I felt the soft clap of Hana's hands on my back making the outpouring of tears more and more come out.

"Why?" I asked to stop while squeezing black clothes Hana who still hugged my body warmly, "..why did grandma leave so soon? Hicks..." Continue while sobbing.

"Miss ...." Said sister Hana tightening her embrace.

"When he promised we'd get together again after I got back from Singapore, but why did Grandma leave me?" I asked not to get any answers from sister Hana.

"Why didn't grandma keep her promise?" I immediately let go of Hana's tight hug forcefully, then I looked at her dark brown bead with a bitter smile to find the answer I needed.

"... my sa–," said sister Hana in the midst of my sobs, I saw that she had bitten her lower lip with anxiety.

... ah, it looks like Hana's sister has lost just as much as me. He even tried to put aside his current feelings so as not to look weak before me. Butwhy? Why did Grandma have to leave on the day of my return? My mind feels pain deep within my heart.

The return that I thought would be a pleasant meeting to give up longing ended in deep sadness for me.

I thought I could be happy after the departure of my mother and grandmother, but again this feeling of loss came back to greet me. My remaining grandmother is gone forever. Though I had imagined the day of my meeting with grandma, but I never thought the day of our meeting would be a farewell day like this.

"... I know that the lady feels very lost, as well as me, so please don't be like this. Eat a little, Mr. Ansel would not be happy to see a lady like this. Miss has to eat, I don't want to see miss getting sick." Sis Hana broke my daydream as both of her palms landed on my shoulder.

"Hana," Carel's slightly changed voice and still very familiarly called out the name of Hana's sister, making us turn to the source of the voice simultaneously.

"Son Wanda called you." He made sister Hana hurry to leave me and Carel after wiping away her tears that had spilled a little.

Then I did the same thing when I saw Carel put his foot on me who was still standing by my window.

"Bas stupid." He said as he pulled my body into his arms as his steps came to a halt right in front of me.

"Caravel ...." My murmured back sobbing in his warm embrace while squeezing his black shirt.

"You must think that the people you care about go one by one out of your life, and then you also think God is being unfair to you, right?" Continue while linking his chin at the top of my head.

"Why do you know?" I made him chuckle.

"Of course, you're very easy to read." He replied with his sarcastic tone that was so annoying as usual, I wanted to hit him but my hand did not have enough energy.

But what he said was true. It felt like everyone I loved one by one was leaving me, as if God was forcing me to live in grief.

"You must know Aster, in life death is certain. We must be strong if one day left by the people around us, the old grandmother will also not be happy if you see you crying continuously like this." Continue while gently stroking my back.

"Pft. If Grandma's still around, maybe she'll hit you." I muttered while looking up to see what expression he was making at the moment. And I see Carel has thrown his eyes off me.

"Sorry, habit." His words made me remember all the moments I had together with my grandmother.

"... You used to comfort me when my cat died. You said I had to let her go so she'd be happy .. And now I have to let go of grandma too?" I said back to dunking my face in her chest and enjoying the warm embrace of Carel that I had long missed.

"From that, aren't there things you should do right now?" Carel asked surprised me as she let go of my embrace quickly as I calmed down.

"Ma–eat! You have to eat, right? Quickly finish your food before it gets cold." He immediately walked to the table beside my bed.

"Come here, I'll bribe you." Continue while reaching for the plate containing rice and side dishes in front of him without looking at me one bit.

***

- Ansel

I breathed my leg when I saw Aster being fed Carel painstakingly. Hana had just told me that Aster wouldn't touch her food and made me rush to her room to comfort her.

But my steps stopped when I heard Carel's voice comforting Aster in his arms.

"I should have come sooner" I murmured unwillingly to see my daughter being hugged by the smelly teenager.

"You must think that the people you care about go one by one out of your life, and then you also think God is being unfair to you, right?" Carel's voice stopped my steps intending to enter Aster's room to end their arms. But I immediately paused upon hearing Aster's question as Carel linked her chin to the top of my daughter's head.

"Why do you know?" Aster's question made the boy chuckle.

"Of course, you're very easy to read." He replied with his sarcastic tone that sounded annoying.

"You must know Aster, in life death is certain. We must be strong if one day left by the people around us, the old grandmother will also not be happy if you see you crying continuously like this." He continued to make the corner of my lips lift when he heard his words.

Although he's a shitty kid and always troublemaking. But when it comes to Aster, he can always position himself. At the moment, he is also facing a big problem in his family.

"Pft. If Grandma's still around, maybe she'll hit you." Aster's voice ended my intention to keep eavesdropping behind the slightly open door and I decided to leave Aster's room immediately.

I took my foot to my mother's study to meet everyone who was waiting for me there.

Arriving at the study, I was immediately greeted with serious expressions Arsel, Victor, Eric, Tomi and Rigel who were present at my meeting today. Somehow the pressure made me reluctant to approach them, but I forced myself to enter the room and join them to discuss the accident that my mother had two days ago.

Before mom dies, Tomi and Eric discover the great awkwardness of the accident that mother experienced until she is in a coma and pronounced dead the next day. And it got me thinking when I heard their story, plus Victor and Rigel also had information that might be related to the accident.

Then today I decided to call them to discuss the awkwardness that Tomi and Eric felt to find out the truth of the accident that mother experienced.

I hope this accident is not the hands of your enemies. I don't want to suspect anyone but from all the evidence that Eric and Tomi have gathered. My mind is trying to round my heart to investigate my mother's accident.

"You don't intend to have a meeting without me, do you?" Asked Arsel, the person who should not have been present at my meeting.

Looks like he learned the situation from Eric huh? My mind sighed in resignation as it did not want to argue with him when my body was so exhausted.

Yes, I feel very tired from taking care of the important guests present today to express their condolences for the sudden and quite surprising departure of my mother and them.

Even though today's guests aren't as many as yesterday, it's still that my break time is cut off a lot to take care of them and some of mom's unfinished work.

"All right, let's just start." I said before sitting in an empty seat near Arsel.

"Then let me be the first to explain the day's events ...." Tomi began to explain what was troubling her mind.

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Thanks for reading...