At Least I’M Free
XXIII

Since getting to know Ian, Anggia has always asked herself the purpose of each attempt to approach the man. So his co-worker? A fella? Or even destroy her domestic relationships?

Anggia himself is not sure.

As long as he could be near Ian, that was more than enough. As for his feelings, is that admiration? Like taste? Or even love? Anggia can't be sure either.

However, one day in the break hour everything became clear, as clear as a mountain by the sea.

At first Anggia attended by his male students in the teacher's office.

'My friend was being overpowered, he was in pain, '" he said with a blank look and trembling hands.

The first response Anggia gave of course calmed him down. While stroking his student's head, Anggia asked gently. "Oh yeah? What did you guys play until he did?"

There's no answer.

"You're okay, aren't you?"

Silent.

"Well, you try to check here, where is your friend?"

After hearing that, the boy responded and led Anggia to walk towards the place.

The atmosphere of the school at the time of rest is very crowded. Children cheerfully play and run around in the field, although there are also some students who choose to quietly eat their lunch.

Still following the boy, Anggia began to wonder what kind of game this child was so serious about responding to.

Passing through the crowded corridor, then turn, and the atmosphere of the corridor turned quiet. Anggia observed around, he memorized that this corridor only leads to one place, the library.

Anggia's feelings are strange. He wondered, what kind of games do children play in the library?

Even so Anggia remained patient and followed, until they arrived at the doorstep. The boy looked down as if he was reluctant to open the door. Both of his hands were trembling.

"Why are you, son? Your friend is inside, right?" Tanya Anggia tried to calm down, although of course the results were in vain.

In the end, even with a bad feeling Anggia turned the doorknob and pushed it slowly. Inside is a silhouette.

"What's..."

Instantly Anggia froze at the sight that greeted him. As if losing control of her body, the woman began to limp down to the floor.

How not, in front of him appeared a man who he greatly admired in the middle of 'overlapping' a girl who looked unconscious.

...* * *...

Back in the present, in the presence of Huga Anggia confesses the true figure of the victim of an ill-fated murder that was most likely the result of a great sin he had committed in the past.

For a moment silence prevailed. Huga gave time for Anggia to be more comfortable. Meanwhile Anggia lit the 5th cigarette and sipped it deep. Despite years gone by, the incident still haunts him as if it had just happened yesterday.

"Even in my dreams I'm still terrorized by it." Anggia scatter smoke from their mouth and nose. "Protection also often makes me think of ending my life. But I can't escape that, this sin I also have to bear. Not really think since that day I became addicted to cigarettes."

Huga who usually puts on a smile is now showing a flat face with eyes like she is staring at something very far away. "So..all that happened in this library huh?"

Anggia nodded and pointed with her cigarette towards where Huga was sitting. "Below there."

"If you think everything is done just like that, of course, Mr. Huga is wrong.” Anggia sipped her cigarette again and prepared to tell her story again. "What I did after seeing that incident was of course securing my students and reporting to the principal. Before I knew it was also a wrong decision…. The problem is in the family of the girl who was the victim. Their relationship is very complicated. Mas Huga knows that the Kusumaningrum conglomerate family?"

"A property developer who has ever stumbled on a debt problem?" Huga Response.

"Yup, and this girl is their adopted daughter." Anger was evident on Anggia's face. "Although his status is 'adoptive child', he is actually just a tool to buy the sympathy of the community. Not only did not get inheritance rights, the name Kusumaningrum was not legally written on the deed and documents of the child. Yahh mesiki was, perhaps, financially this child was more secure than when he was still living in an orphanage. But still..."

"Ahh. Of course for the Conglomerate that has managed to recover its name with the action of ‘humble’ adopting a child from an orphanage, it will definitely be very 'harmful' if the news about his adopted son was harassed by his teacher spread."

"They will also be labeled as bad, negligent, and irresponsible in looking after the child, and only destruction will await them and their businesses." Add Anggia. "On the other hand there is also a principal who has the same open mind. He was afraid of being blamed by the foundation for not being able to maintain the reputation of the school. Mas Huga surely know dong what will happen next?”

"Cooperation in case closure, family settlement,” replied Huga appropriately.

Anggia. "They even tried to bribe the witness even the perpetrator himself so as not to open his mouth to the outside. Of course I refused the money, more than anything else I wanted to fight for the justice of the victims to the end. But..."

"You have no power against those powerful men alone. In the end you took the same sin as the perpetrator." Calmly, Huga explained what Anggia was difficult to say.

"Everyone is satisfied, happy and relieved. With the exception of that poor girl." Tears began to drench the cheeks of Anggia. He looked down as if he was carrying a great sin on his shoulders.

"And the one who benefited the most from it all was Ian." Suga smiled softly. "After escaping punishment with a criminal trail that had been 'cleansed', he could easily move on with life as if nothing had happened. Even her divorce had no impact on her.”

"Maybe from the beginning Ian knew it would end like this, which is why he chose the boy.” Emotionally, Anggia crammed her skirt into an iron box.

"Then why did you choose a letter with ambiguous words to threaten her?" Ask Huga.

Without retaliating against Huga's gaze, Anggia replied, "because she's a lover of literature, such a letter's kurira could be more impactful?"

Huga let out a long sigh before leaning her back against the chair and bowing deeply. "Truly useful information. That boy... That means he's 17 now? Do you have any other information about him?"

"none. Instead of that, why don't you put suspicion on me? Don't I have a strong motive to finish Ian off?"

"You're right." Huga smiled. "But when the murder happened, you were busy driving the students who were participating in the marching band race in the square right? And according to the testimony of other teachers, as well as the documentary video I had seen, you were still there even after the show was over the day."

"So while waiting for me, you..." Anggia looks stunned. Even so his eyes exuded a clear feeling of relief.

"Half hour is not a short time" said Huga as he cleaned up the iron box that was full of garbage and ashes of Anggia's second-hand cigarette.

"Mas Huga is really a detective huh," said Anggia who seemed to have improved. "As for my testimony, am I going to be okay? You see if the conglomerate knows.”.

“The incident is a long time ago, the culprit is dead, the evidence is no longer there. There is no reason for them to take care of your testimony, and even if the worst happens Huga threw a smile, and after pocketing all her belongings, she got up. "Again thanks for the information."

"Well, I didn't expect a day like this to come either. I guess I'll have to bear it all alone to death..."

Huga fell silent and looked at the languidly looking Anggia. "What happened in the past is not your fault. After all Ian himself had already got his reward by now. Be happy."

Instantly Anggia chuckled. "Where can be happy upon the death of a person!"

"In this case it seems okay." Huga smiled mischievously. "Oh yeah, after everything's done, sometime, is it okay if I take you to dinner?"

"E-uh? Whaan? W-you're asking me out?" With a reddened face Anggia looks excited.

Meanwhile, Suga just smiled and passed outside.