Hello Arvin!
My boy
It was strange to see his former superior so weak and unconscious. The tool sticks to his body, keeping it stable for how long. Though his figure was one of the favorite people for Nara.
Candra is a good, understanding, intelligent, and authoritative boss. There were so many lessons he learned while he was his subordinate. He was also the one who helped his career grow in the company.
Nara doesn't really understand or know how Candra is out of her job. As a father figure to Arvin or a husband to Lena. All the things he knew and could understand were Candra as his superior only.
Now the 60-year-old man is his father-in-law. Nara wanted to be able to understand how she was in the family. The tempi-day talk with Candra is too short, perhaps illustrating a bit about it.
Attentive and very worried for his son, Arvin. The last thing Candra ordered to him was to look after and accompany Arvin when he would become the successor of the family.
Lena cut the apples and put them on a plate at the table. Staring at Nara and hinting her to pick up one of the pieces. Nara took it for pleasantries, although she did not want to eat anything at the moment.
“Pak Candra what's the condition now, Mom?” Ask Nara.
“Yeah.. It was stable, the doctor said, but still did not know when he realized it. Yesterday after the operation of the ring for fluid in the vessels in the heart, there will be no more problems. It turns out that he's got his brain's blood now. Maybe because of age and also a lot of thoughts as well.” Lena explained.
Lena's appearance today looks chaotic. A plain and pale face without makeup, eye bags twitching, eyes puffy and reddened by crying, hair rolled carelessly back and his body looks thinner than the last time they met. With a broken white sweater and shabby black pants, it confirms her immortality when her husband is unconscious and in care.
Though usually Lena looks very fashionable and beautiful at her age who is no longer young. Graceful and classy clothes are always worn, with a bold make up, and neatly arranged hair.
Nara always remembered the figure of Lena as one example of a successful businessman's wife. With strong, intelligent and elegant character. At times like this she looked like an ordinary mother. Nara also just realized Lena's hair is now infested with gray hair that she did not cover.
“Thinking about Arvin?” Ask Nara carefully.
Lena smiled for a moment then sipped tea in front of her, “Partially yes. Lately must you know also about the matter of Arvin in the office? All the co-workers and higher-ups survived just because Candra was still around. Arvin could not make them sympathize, even though the performance was good. All his scandals so the highlight and make many people cons the same him. Even from the beginning he replaced Candra, news about Arvin's status and Candra's scandal to blow up suddenly. Though no one knows other than certain people, now it has become everyone's consumption.”
Nara also attacked him. When Candra was sick, rumors about the Aditama family and Arvin were very strong among office employees. Even low-level employees. Nara used to just think it was a fun talk. About Arvin's status as an affair boy, about Candra's affair, about the question of why Angga didn't take the CEO position, and many more rumors that he and his office mates talked about at lunch.
Before Arvin replaced Candra, who everyone knew was Arvin the son of Candra and Lena, studying in Australia until S-2, a spoiled child given luxurious facilities, and a delinquent delinquent. The information also spread by word of mouth among the employees, until Nara also believed it.
“Arvin rarely stories about office problems.”
“But you know what people are talking about him and our family?” Lena looked at her tea cup.
Nara felt strange when Lena spoke of our family. Yes, now Nara is also part of the Aditama family. It is also one of the causes of all these bad family scandals that are increasingly talked about by others.
“You must also think, if I am a bad person who misahin Arvin with his birth mother, until they both can not meet for life like gossip in the horrors of people.”
Nara nodded awkwardly. Given all the gossip that was talked about with his former office colleagues and the story pieces from Arvin. Lena and Candra keep her birth mother's whereabouts a secret. Until his grandmother begged to be reunited with Arvin. After the two men meet for the last time, Arvin never returns home to the Aditama family. Nara doesn't know which version is true of the story about Arvin's childhood.
Just this time Nara heard another version of Arvin's life. She blinked in shock knowing Lena was pregnant. Candra once said that Lena could not have children. Everything felt confusing for him.
“Bu Lena was pregnant?”
“Yes. Once and also the last time get that chance. I stopped going to prom after I adopted Audrey. Thinking that Candra will be quite happy with the adopted child. Unexpectedly I was pregnant naturally, only knew after the age of the womb was more than 3 months. My pregnancy wasn't easy, 7 months of age was diagnosed with severe eclampsia. At that time I also heard that Candra was cheating on her secretary, until she became pregnant. I was stressed and my baby died in the womb at 8 months old. Though just a minute to wait to be born.”
Nara felt the pain in Lena's trembling voice. Although it looks strong and fine after saying this. His heart must have been broken. Which woman is not devastated to know the child she is waiting for dies in the womb, especially in the midst of the news of her husband's affair. Nara immediately cried, tears fell uncontrollably listening to Lena's story.
“Do not cry, later your baby will be sad. I'm fine now.” Lena smiled to see her daughter-in-law was carried away by the atmosphere of hearing the story. Soon she pulled out a tissue to wipe away Nara's tears.
“Children lost parents can be called orphans. But parents who have lost a child, we never know what to call ourselves. The biggest heartbreak I have ever had. More than news of the Candra.” affair
Lena leaned her body against the sofa. Staring at the grey ceiling of the hospital room. I hope her tears don't fall like Nara. Decades had already passed, but it felt like just yesterday she touched her little cold, blue baby.
“You know, Ra? I was depressed losing it. But my father-in-law took Arvin 2 months later. It was still red and was just born. He said his mother died. I don't want to touch Candra's baby. But the baby continued to cry for days, until fed up with it. At first I wanted to close him with a pillow to stop, but instead I carried and suckled. That day I found life expectancy again. Keep saying in your heart that day Arvin my son, forever my son.”
...****************...
The car was parked in the basement of the hospital. Arvin let out a heavy sigh before descending. The whole day he was in a mess when he heard his father was unconscious and went to the hospital. He was like that, but finally he was saved after the operation.
This time it was different, Audrey said there was no surgical procedure for narrowing of the blood vessels in her brain. Too risky because Candra is old age. Only a miracle could bring him back to consciousness.
Lying if Arvin says he doesn't care. Of course he cares about his father. Although there are many things he hates about her. Her lies, her neglect, and how she hurt Lena and her biological mother. To this day he does not know how to forgive and apologize to her.
Arvin began to walk from the parking lot to the elevator. It was unexpected that the people he knew also did the same. They wait for the elevator to come down and bring it to the floor where Candra is being treated. Standing side by side but not knowing each other.
“Gue seneng lo finally got a little sanity for dad.” Angga said starting the conversation. Arvin didn't respond. “Lo is still a boy. Ngganggep lo most hurt humans on earth.” Further.
“Lo don't know what it's like, mending diem aja.” Answer Arvin ketus.
“Lo also does not know what it feels like so I am squirming our families on each other and not being honest with his feelings. I've been a spectator for decades. You're sick of all of you. You do not know anything about mom and dad, so you continue to be childish with their kayak now.”
“Yes if you know why you didn't say? Same with me now!” Challenge Arvin, “If you in my position who suddenly spelled out your love child, told to see your biological mother dying, never asked to return home and never contacted for years. What will you be like, Ga?”
Elevator in front of open. Some people came down from there, squandered out. Arvin and Angga go inside. Only they were there. Arvin reached out with his hands to the 6th floor number where their father was being cared for. But Angga pressed the floor number 3 first.
“Then we talk about it now. Things you should know about dad and mom.” He said as he stared fiercely at Arvin.