Bald-headed
Ch. 9

"What's up, Birundasih?" He turned to her, forcing her to look, but she kept staring at the house.

"I'm kind of silly, aren't I?" he asked, trying to smile.

"What do you mean?"

"All this. Appeared suddenly, not knowing what to say. You must think I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy" he said softly. He grabbed her hand, and she let him hold her hand as they stood side by side. He continued: "Although I don't know why, I can see this is difficult for you. Why don't we take a walk?"

"As before?"

"Why not? I think we can both use one kayak."

Birundasih hesitated and looked at the front door of his house. "Do you need to tell anyone?"

He shook his head.

"No, there's nothing to tell. Just me and Cemong."

Although he asked, he had suspected there would be no one else, and in his heart he had no idea how he felt about it. But it made what he wanted to say a little more difficult.

It would be easier if there were other people.

They started towards the river and veered down the path near the river bank. Birundasih let go of his hand, startled him, and walked a sufficient distance between them that they could not come into contact accidentally.

Sugi. Birundasih was quite still, with thick hair and soft eyes, and she moved so gracefully that it was as if she was sliding. However, he had seen beautiful women before, women who attracted his attention, but in his mind they usually did not have the traits he thought were most desirable.

Traits such as intelligence, self-confidence, soul power, spirit, traits that inspire others towards greatness, traits that he aspires to himself.

Birundasih has those traits, he knows, and as they walk now, he feels them once again clinging to the surface. "Living poetry" had always been the words that came to her mind when she tried to describe it to others.

"When did you get back here?" he asked as the road led to a small grass hill.

"Since last December. I went to training for a while, then spent the last three years in Australia."

He looked at her with questions in his eyes. "training?"

Sugi nodded and he continued.

"I thought you might be there, overseas, I left on a full scholarship," Sugi chuckled.

"I'm glad you made it."

Me too," he said.

"Are you happy to be back home?"

"Yes. My roots are here. This is where I should be." He's stopped. "But what about you?" He asked the question gently, suspecting the worst.

It took a long time before he answered.

"I'm engaged."

He lowered his head as he said it, suddenly feeling a little weaker. So thats. That's what he needs to tell her.

"Congratulations," he finally said, wondering how convincing he sounded. "When is the big day?"

"Three weeks from Saturday. Ali wants a wedding in November."

"Origin?"

"Ali Attoyar J'r. My fiance."

He nodded, not surprised. The Attoyar family is one of the most powerful and influential families in the Bandung section. Mastering some business. Unlike his own father, Ali Attoyar Sr.'s death was published on the front page of the newspaper. "I've heard of them. His father built a pretty big business. Did Ali take over for him?"

He shook his head. "No, he's a lawyer. He's got his own practice downtown."

"With his name, he must be busy."

"He. He works a lot."

Sugi thought he heard something in his tone, and the next question came automatically.

"Did he treat you well?"

His voice was far away when he answered, or at least he thought so. Sugi wondered if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"How's your father doing?" she asked.

Sugi took a few steps before answering. "He died earlier this year, right after I came back."

"I'm sorry" he said gently, knowing how much that figure meant to Sugi.

He nodded, and the two of them walked in silence for a moment. They reached the top of the hill and stopped. The oak tree was in the distance, with the sun shining orange behind it. Birundasih could feel Sugi's eyes on him as he stared at the tree.

"Many memories there, Birundasih."

She smiles. "I knew. I saw it when I came in. Do you remember the day we spent there?"

"Yes," he answered, not offering himself up again.

"Have you ever thought about it?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Usually when I exercise this way. It's on my property now."

"You bought it?"

"I can't bear to see it turn into a kitchen cabinet."

Birundasih laughed softly, strangely he felt happy about it. "Are you still reading poetry?"

He's nodding. "Yes. I never stopped. I think it's in my blood."

"You know, you're the only poet I've ever met."

"I'm not a poet. I read, but I can't write one verse. I tried it."

"You are still a poet, Mr. Sugiono." Her voice softened. "I still think about it often. It was the first time someone had read a poem to me before. In fact, the only."

The sentence made the two of them drift and remember as they slowly spun back home, following a new path near the pier.

As the sun set slightly lower and the sky turned orange, he asked, "So, how long are you going to stay?"

"Eitherway. Not long. Maybe tomorrow or the day after."

"Is your fiancee here?"

He shook his head. "No, he's still in Bandung."

Sugi raised his eyebrows. "Did he know you were here?"

He shook his head again and replied slowly. "No. I told him I was looking for antiques. He won't understand my coming here."

Sugi was a little surprised by the answer. Coming and visiting was one thing, but hiding the truth from her fiance was a completely different matter.

"You don't have to come here to tell me that you're engaged. You could've written to me, or even sent me a message or called."

"I knew. But for some reason, I have to do it myself."

"Why?"

He hesitated. "I don't know, ." she said, speechless, and her way of saying it made the man believe her.

The pebbles crackled under their feet as they walked in silence for several steps. Then he asked: "Birundasih, do you love him?"

He answered automatically. "Yes, I love her."

Those words hurt.

But then again, Sugi thought he heard something in his tone, as if he said it to convince himself. He stopped and gently grabbed her shoulders with his hands, making their faces face to face. Fading sunlight reflected in his eyes as he spoke.

"If you're happy, Birundasih, and you love her, I won't try to stop you from returning to her. But if there's a part of you that isn't sure, then don't do it. It's not something you can do in the middle of the road."

The answer came too soon.

"I made the right decision, Sugi."