I Don'T Want To Be Cinderella #1
20. The Past

The Past (Past Time)

“Why?”

“It's okay.”

Caraka just smiled at Kirana who was pouting during the trip home from Sentul.

“Today, you have permission right?”

Kirana nodded her head, making Caraka again hold back a smile.

“We play first ... want to go to the mall?”

Kirana shook her head immediately.

“Peak?”

Kirana was silent for a while looking thoughtful before shaking her head again.

“Dufan?”

Kirana looked at Caraka with a look of horror making Caraka laugh.

“Hmmm ... beach?”

Kirana went back into a deep silence before she finally shrugged, making Caraka laugh again as she said,

“OK! We go to the beach.”

The journey from Sentul to Ancol is quite time consuming with busy roads. It is not strange for residents of Jakarta to have to face congestion even when on the highway though, but to face traffic jam in silence.

Along the way Caraka tried to break the silence by telling all sorts, but it didn't work, Kirana was still speechless. He only responds with .. hmmm, yes, no, whatever and other short answers.

Caraka could only sigh at Kirana's behavior, and finally gave up by just letting the soft music accompany the rest of the journey.

Actually he could guess the reason Kirana was angry like now .. It seems like Sherly the green fly that Kirana mentioned when she came out of the toilet, had said or offended something. Caraka realizes sooner or later Kirana must know her past, and she wants Kirana to hear it directly from her own mouth instead of from someone else's mouth.

Now is the time, but not here .. talking between the streets of the Capital is not the right choice. He had to find a place that was really comfortable for them to talk to.

Around four o'clock, they had entered Ancol. Caraka turned his car towards the Baiturrahman Mosque, then parked it.

“We pray ashar first, but there is still time.”

“In there mukena no huh? Forgot earlier did not bring mukena.”

“Ah! Almost forgot.” Caraka turned her body to pick up the paper bag from the back seat. “I deliberately bought it for you, so you do not bother bringing me if we go.”

Kirana looked at the contents of the paper bag, then took it out. A mukena bag of peach-colored flowers with very beautiful little flowers. Kirana was silent for a while looking at the mukena bag, there was a sense of haru that she suddenly felt.

“Like?”

Kirana turned her gaze towards Caraka then nodded.

“Like once ... thank you very much.”

Caraka smiled as she stroked Kirana's hair.

“We pray now?”

Kirana nodded in response. Together they walked towards the mosque which looked cool. The front porch building looks very spacious with a theme such as a spacious Javanese pendopo with several large pillars, seen some people who seem to be tourists sitting resting in a crowd with their relatives.

The ablution place outside looks comfortable and clean with several water taps attached to the black natural stone wall, in harmony with the floor. After berwudhu Kirana entered the mosque that feels cool from the installed air conditioner makes the atmosphere and heart more peaceful and solemn during prayer.

After finishing the Caraka prayer and Kirana again continued their journey to the Ancol beach. Caraka again parked his car, then they began to walk on promenades or walkways like a bridge along the Ancol coastline that surrounds the beach.

Walking on the bridge of the path of wood, the cool beach breeze, the sun is not so hot, and the blue sea combined with the white clouds in the sky. A view that gives comfort to everyone, right? Plus walking hand in hand with our loved ones. All very perfect, Kirana was not even a frown earlier, she had started to smile and chimed in Caraka's conversation as usual.

“Are not angry anymore?” Caraka asked after they sat on one of the chairs in The bridge restaurant. A restaurant located in the middle of Ancol bridge with white tents, and chairs with matching colors.

“I'm not angry, just .. a little annoyed.”

“K Regret?”

“Iya, annoyed .. aarrgghhh, had it not been at the event of one of your acquaintances, I would have happily played claws, or a jam-jambak with the Mumu Peri.”

“Mumu Peri?” Caraka looked confused not understanding what Kirana was talking about.

“Iya, Mumu Peri .. former who can't move on!”

“Ah!” Caraka smiled knowing who Mumu Peri was. “Didn't you just say he ... green fly?”

“Iya Mamu Peri who was cursed to be a green fly, because it can not move on from Prince.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Awas, don't you dare kiss her to remove the curse!”

Kirana clucked while smiling. His eyes now look at the ocean with the sky that has begun to age, set in high-rise buildings.

“So ... What did he tell you? Did he offend our past?”

For a moment Kirana was silent looking at Caraka who was also staring at her.

“Is there a story of your past that I shouldn't know?”

Caraka fell silent then smiled.

“Not ... nothing I hide, it's just that I want you to hear my past stories from my mouth directly not from someone else's mouth, let alone from an ex who can't move on.”

A waiter brought their drink order. Blue lemonade punch, a glass of blue soda drink with a slice of lemon for Caraka, and a red rasberrry lemonade punch with berries and lemon slices in it for Kirana.

“As I have told you ... My past is not too straight, even many turns.” Caraka begins her story when the waiter leaves.

“Wild race, brawl, even .. women.”

Kirana was flabbergasted at Caraka's last words.

“No. Not what you imagined.”

Kirana breathed a sigh of relief hearing that.

“I know my limits when it comes to dealing with women .. but I wouldn't lie by saying I never kiss .. it's a bull shit! Of course I've done it.”

“Stop!” cut Kirana. “Can we skip that part? Let it just be your secret.”

“I just don't want any secrets between us.”

“Other problems of course should not be secret, but about ... kissing? Do I have to hear you've kissed how many girls and how you guys kissed? No thanks, it better be your personal secret only.”

Kirana took a sip of the fresh-tasting soft drink to relieve the heat that had taken hold of her heart. Oi! How not to get hot when we hear our lover kissing another woman. Yeah, even though it happened before Caraka came into contact with her, but still imagine her doing that with another woman? Nah! he didn't want to imagine it.

“Alright .. but you should also know, that not a few also women who willingly give themselves to me.”

“Uhuk-uhuk-uhuk!!!” Immediately Kiran choked and coughed at Caraka's confession.

“You all right?” Caraka stuck out her hand to pat Kirana.

“I told you ... skip! Past! Pass!” Kirana looked at Caraka with a look of horror.

“Alright .. skip, past, pass.”

Kirana nodded in satisfaction with Caraka's words, but then her face looked curious. Several times he looked at Caraka, his mouth already wanting to say something, but he paused. Caraka who saw it tried to hold back the laughter by sipping her drink, before how long Kirana gave up by revealing what made her curious. Kirana and her curiosity.

“Hmmm ... but ... you are not .. mmm .... that is right?”

“It wasn't? What?”

“It ... who surrendered yourself ... you don't .. accept it right?”

Caraka smiled at Kirana's question.

“Skips! Past! Pass!”

“Ckkk!”

“Hahaha .. no, I told you, I know my limits about women, you don't have to worry.”

Kirana smiled, there was relief there .. she must and will accept Caraka's past whatever it is, she must and will accept it, but knowing that Caraka could resist and not be tempted by lust made her more convinced that she was not wrong to have given her heart to a Caraka Continent.

“My past misadventures were probably just the usual mischief boys my age used to do, brawl, wild races, but ... when living outside I used to have a hard drink, he said, even illegal drugs, and almost plunged into a dark world.”

Kirana turned a surprised eye. Caraka just smiled as she smirked her cigarette, her eyes glaring considering her dark past.

“However, God loved me so much .. When I began to fall into the dark world, I was met with Darek, my German friend. I told you about it, right?”

Kirana nodded considering that Caraka had told her about her Muslim friend who came from Germany. Caraka returned to smoking her cigarette before continuing her story.

“Darek introduced me to Abdul who is from Sarawak-Malaysia and Hafiz from Lampung .. from the three of them I studied religion in earnest, at least I became aware of the prayer reading, he said, and a little know the Hijaiyah. From there I began to leave my dark world, alcoholic beverages, the night world, drugs, slowly I left it. And I should be grateful that I can get away from it all.”

Kirana smiled, her hand clutching Caraka's hand that Caraka returned with a smile.

“That's my past .. I'm not the perfect Prince everyone has imagined. My life is far from perfect.. I’m just human being, not a perfect Prince (I'm just an ordinary man, not a perfect Prince).”

Kirana was still silent with her hands still clasping Caraka's hands, her eyes looking at her affectionately.

“Thank you for being an imperfect human being .. and thank you for being who you are now, who made me give up and finally fall in love with the figure of a Caraka Continent, he said, regardless he is a Prince or not, to me you are you .

For the first time Caraka's heart trembled at the words of a woman, and for the first time she heard someone thanking her for her imperfections.

All this time he had always asked if there were any women who liked him because he was Caraka Continent, an ordinary human who was far from perfect? Is not Caraka Continental as the eldest son of the Mahesa family nicknamed the Prince of Indonesian hospitality?

And now the answer was in front of her, the girl who was holding her hand, smiling softly and holding her affectionately, the answers God gave him to his questions all along.

****