Knights For Mundika
23
“Mundika..,”
“Zayed..,”
The weak hand movements and the sound of the incense from Artika awaken Mundika who was sleeping soundly on the edge of Artika's bed while holding her conscious mother's hand and letting while Zayed was still asleep in a special waiting bed. For a child his sister's age, enough rest is needed in growing up.
“I am here Mom, Zayed is also there and is currently sleeping due to fatigue having to experience a long and fast trip overnight,” Mundika increasingly grasps tightly the five fingers of Artika's right hand. Her guilt was slightly treated with her mother's consciousness. “I called Doctor Hakeem first yes Mom, to inform him that Mom is aware.” He immediately pressed a special caller button given by Hakeem to Majid before to be handed over to Mundika who is currently on guard for Artika. The excitement because of the happiness Mundika felt inevitably woke Zayed from his sleep.
“Mother?” Zayed asked still with his sleepy face. “Mommy is conscious? Thankfully..” The young man who had just grown up as a teenager immediately embraced Artika wholeheartedly. It feels like he has missed his mother very much, but only a matter of two days he went out of the country and soon returned. Thank goodness his persuasion to the brother managed to get back here soon. His entire body was tired, but his fatigue disappeared when he saw his mother had regained consciousness. It was like finding his home again after traveling long distances aimlessly.
Shortly thereafter Hakeem came with two nurses to perform a health check after two days of unconsciousness.
“How is the Head Doctor?” Ask Mundika anxiously.
“Your mother's condition has started to improve,” Hakeem smiled after finishing checking Artika. “I'll tell your Dad and the others.” He walked to the couch in the treatment room and picked up his smartphone and called Dalmouk.
“Thank God..,” A sense of relief immediately flowed down in his chest when he heard the news from Hakeem. “Thank you Mom, I'm aware.., that's a sign that Mom still loves me and Zayed. I promise Mom, this time I sincerely promise not to violate Baba and Mom's request to go to Indonesia.” Puddles of tears filled Mundika's pair of beautiful eyes. He also pointed the five fingers of Artika's right hand to his left cheek. “I admit wrong Mom, just because for the sake of selfishness and curiosity about Mother's family in Indonesia made Mother hurt. Mansoor said, After all, Mother, Baba and the family here are my family. I shouldn't have done that. You're going to forgive me, right?”
*“Of course Nduk*,” Artika smiled weakly as she rubbed Mundika's cheeks gently and felt Zayed's embrace to ensure that her children's figure was real before the eyes and could be touched by rags. “Which parents will not forgive their children.” But suddenly his heart became painful when the shadow of his own parents showed his disappointed face. Except maybe my parents are Nduk, people you want to meet at the time in Indonesia.
“I also promise Mom, will never bring up the past again Mother and Baba,” Mundika continued. “I promise..”
“You don't have to promise my son,” Dalmouk suddenly appeared in front of them with Majid.
“A soon as you come?” Not yet Dalmouk continued his remarks, Hakeem immediately cut off the conversation.
“At the time you called earlier, Majid and I were on the way here earlier,” Dalmouk braked a bit annoyed at feeling Hakeem had ruined his serious moment earlier. “Majid send a message to all of you because he can not visit considering he has two days not to the office to take care of his work.”
“Oh, okay-okay,” Hakeem who felt wrong because it damaged the atmosphere that was seriously awakened earlier can only smile.
“We continued earlier,” Dalmouk again put on his serious face and decided to sit next to Hakeem. “You don't have to promise, son, because Baba will tell you what you've wanted to know all along.”
“Dalmouk...,” Artika who was surprised by the words her husband tried to rise from his sleeping position assisted by Mundika who pressed the button so that the bed can be positioned to sit. “Do you seriously want to say it now?”
“Better now than Mundika and Zayed do more desperate things than before,” Dalmouk turned his head for a moment towards his two children making them feel bad and guilty.
“But Dalmouk...,” Artika still disagrees with Dalmouk's decision. She was worried that when Mundika and Zayed found out the truth, it would result in both of their children hating her and her husband and choosing to leave them. That is why he tried to hold everything back despite the result that his two children were plagued by gossip not wearing a hurtful one.
“What does Baba mean as a sinner?” Mundika looked confused by his father's words.
“The long story of my son,” Dalmouk smilingly looked at his beloved daughter. The daughter he was so grateful for was present that he could make Artika his legal wife. “Hakeem, , I hope that you will remain here as a witness to all the confessions I will make to my children today because I cannot possibly ask Sheikh Maktoum to present as an additional witness in light of his already overstated schedule busy.”
Sheikh Maktoum? Wasn't he Emir of Dubai and father of Mansoor? What the hell is this? Mundika's mind was getting full of questions and he felt a bad feeling hearing his father's words.
“Alright, we start with the introduction of me and your mother first in your Grandfather's office,” Dalmouk's view looks bright as if turning the memory of the past that is still stored neatly in his mind. “Yumu is one of the company's flagship engineers founded by your great-grandfather in search of petroleum positions that will be exploited later.”
This is new news for Mundika. He did not think his mother ever had a profession dominated by men in general. The motherly face and the tiny body of his mother is really different from the followers of the engineering profession in general who tend to be masculine.
“We cannot judge a person by his appearance,” Dalmouk smiled while being able to read what his daughter had in mind towards Artika. “Through his physically that seemed frail, your mother had cold hands and keen instincts to a location that no one else thought had the potential for petroleum to be penetrated by her ability and almost all of those locations were 100 % accurate there is petroleum content.”
“At that time, Baba has just returned from completing her Master Baba degree in England to replace your grandfather as the successor of the company and has just learned that there is a girl who has managed to steal Baba's attention who has not paid too much attention to her surroundings because busy with education and adventure in the wild.”
“Together with me and Sheikh Maktoum who at that time was still titled Crown Prince of Dubai of course,” Cut Hakeem off at will and only responded to a little long breath upset Dalmouk to his friend. Come on, let yourself explain everything to those two kids! “The three of us were invisible friends because they never appeared together even though at that time Sheikh Maktoum was stealing the attention of many people, he really appreciates us as a person who does not like to be exposed excessively like himself the icon of the future leader of Dubai.”
What else is this? Just the Babanya story, there have been many things that he never knew in his entire life except unpleasant words from his two sisters and some members of the extended family of his baba.
“Please ignore your Uncle Hakeem, my son,” Dalmouk was a little worried that Hakeem's half-measurement made his daughter think that her wedding plans with one of the sons of the ruler of Dubai was a crazy idea. “And just so you know, getting close to your mother is not easy. Your baba even got rejected twice by your mother on the grounds that Baba is not her ideal type.”
Suddenly the serious atmosphere that was originally awakened suddenly broke with the sound of laughter restrained from all the people there was no exception Artika who became the object of conversation as if to guarantee what her husband said. He recalled how Dalmouk desperately tried to get close to him. It is only natural that he refused first, because for her career is the most important thing in her life as a form of expression of herself as a woman to her extended family that she can be independent away from the family and Dalmouk is not the ideal type even though she admits her husband is a person the handsome one with a million charms at that.
*“You never imagined didn't you?” Dalmouk turned to Mundika who was still trying to hold back his laughter. “See your brother Majid and your sister Zayed, they're excellent products as handsome as I am right*? Could your mother have rejected Baba then?!”
“That's because you're too dismissive and assume all women like you Dalmouk, so when there's one girl who refuses you it makes you die a flea and your pride plunges free without a parachute,” Reply Hakeem can no longer bear to hold his laughter while patting Dalmouk on the shoulder. “This is the second time I laugh for the same reason you used to when you told me and Sheikh Maktoum.”
“Damn you Hakeem!”
“My husband,” Tone is a little high from Artika reminding Dalmouk to be careful in his remarks. “There is Zayed who is still a minor, you do not want our child to be a person who is easy to say harsh words right?”
*“He-em*, let's get back to the story line,” Hearing the alarm from the wife makes Dalmouk refocus on the story. “Short story, with the maximum effort and half force finally Baba managed to melt your mother's heart and we became lovers. Although secretly for the sake of keeping our professionalism in work. A decision Baba will regret later.”.
***