Letter to Atlanta
42. Mother

As usual, Rudi's family will start the day with breakfast together. This was where they were, along with the many delicious dishes Bi Mirna had made, they ate very solemnly.

"Eat a lot, baby. Mother's child must be healthy, so that later the Olympic race will be smooth." Hana poured vegetable soup into Jay's plate.

"Thank you, Mom. Jay promised, Jay will make Dad and Mom proud," said the man with an excited smile.

"Jay, if you manage to bring the cup, I'll take you on a holiday abroad at the end of this semester." Rudi chimed in on their conversation.

Jay widened his eyes. He is increasingly eager to win the award. "Serious father?!"

Rudi nodded in response, that he was really with his words.

"Yes, where are you going? The french? Japan?"

"We're going to France last year. How about we go to Japan this year, Dad."

The grown man nodded again, breaking Jay's black hair.

"Well, now eat, yeah. It's gonna be cold."

In the middle of a hot breakfast, Jay suddenly remembered a picture of the woman he had seen in his Atlanta room last night. Should he ask his parents that? He was sure that Rudi and Hana clearly knew who the woman looked very similar to Elisha.

"Well, Mom, can Jay?" He glanced at Rudi and Hana alternately.

The old man stopped their activities for a moment, only to hear what Jay wanted to say.

Hana took a sip of water in a clear glass, then said, "What's the matter, hm?"

Jay was still poking at his lips, until the attention of the two parents focused on him, then he raised his voice.

"Hani who is it?"

Naturally, Rudi and Hana looked at each other when they heard a name spoken from Jay's mouth. In the next instant, Hana changed the look of her face to be unfriendly, the smile she always displayed in front of Jay collapsed instantly, instantly, it turned into a flat gaze that showed that the woman did not like the question that Jay was asking.

"Nobody" the woman replied briefly.

He continued his breakfast at that time, even though his appetite dropped dramatically.

"But Jay wants to know. Who's Hani? Why-"

Prangs!

Hana threw the spoon she held onto the glass plate, and managed to make quite a loud twang. Jay flinched, he did not know why his mother got so angry just for asking something that he thought was trivial.

"Don't you ever say that name again in front of Mom, okay?!"

"Yes but Jay just wants to know, Mom. Why does she look like Elisha. Who is he? And why it's in the Atlanta room, Jay also saw the woman's picture in Mom's nightstand drawer."

"You don't need to know, Jay. He's not an important person. So don't ever ask him again. I don't like it." Hana pointed at Jay for the first time, he moved, his feet stepping wide leaving the dining table that was originally filled with tranquility.

The man was increasingly clueless as to what he had just heard from the mother's mouth. The hope at that time, no other and not not Rudi, but he just kept his mouth shut, as if reluctant to answer the curiosity that was getting in Jay's mind.

"Dad, answer Jay's question. Who's Hani?" He looked at Rudi expectantly.

Rudi just looked at Jay's curious face, he himself was not sure what to answer to his son.

"Udah, don't talk about it anymore."

"Well...."

"Jay, I'm going to the office right now. You're abisin your breakfast, yeah."

There was no clear answer from his parents. The man is more and more convinced, there is something with a woman named Hani, and her parents try to cover it up from Jay. He looked at his father who had left, left him alone at the dinner table, but he still saw his father's plate was still filled with rice and side dishes were still many, he said, maybe Rudi wanted to avoid the question Jay thought.

"Bi Mirna?"

Whether he got enlightenment from nowhere, Jay suddenly remembered Bi Mirna. He said, Bi Mirna has been working in that house even since Rudi was single, he was sure Bi Mirna knew something about Hani.

He immediately went to the kitchen, which he hoped Bi Mirna would be there. Just as the man entered the kitchen, he looked at Atlanta who was about to go to school. As usual, he would return Atlanta's gaze very flatly, like he didn't care about the greeting smile from Atlanta.

Seemed to be used to Jay's attitude of being indifferent to him, Atlanta immediately went from the kitchen to go to school.

"Auntie."

Bi Mirna cleared her throat, she had already memorized Jay's voice. The half-century woman glanced a little without stopping her activities that were washing vegetables in the sink.

"Why, Jay? Is the breakfast done?"

The man chose to sit his butt in a high chair, resting his chin on a marble table.

"Udah, Bi. Hm ... Bi, Jay can't you?"

"Can, just a minute."

Bi Mirna immediately finished her work, stored the clean vegetables in the refrigerator, then approached Jay.

"What's it, Jay?"

"Aunt ... You know who Hani is?"

"You know where you're from?"

"That's not important, Bi. Now Bibi answers Jay's question, who is Hani," he said while giving a little emphasis, he did not care, he was already curious about the woman.

Bi Mirna let out a heavy breath, she was still weighing, should she tell Jay everything about a woman named Hani?

"You sure you want to know?"

Jay nodded steadily, he was completely sure of it, and according to him Bi Mirna was his last hope, he did not want to be overwhelmed with curiosity every time.

"Jay sure, Bi."

"Hey ... She's your mother's biological sister, Hana." Bi Mirna paused her speech, thinking again to reveal Hani's identity.

"Dan Hani, he is ... Mother Atlanta."

Jay geming's. Her mother's biological sister? And, Atlanta's mother? He was confused by Bi Mirna's short answer.

"Stay, Bi. Mean Aunt?"

Bi Mirna sighed. "So gini. In the past, when Mr. Rudi was in college, he had a relationship with the woman you mean, Hani. But, the parents of Mr. Rudi had betrothed Mr. Rudi with Hana since they were children, so Mr. Rudi and Hani had to separate, and change their status to sister and sister-in-law."

"So, Atlanta?"

"Yes, after being married for three years, Hana still has not given any children to Rudi. They almost got divorced because of it. On the other hand, Rudi was still in love with Hani, who at that time was his sister-in-law, and vice versa."

Jay looked up at Bi Mirna more and more, listening carefully to every word Bi Mirna said.

"They're in a forbidden relationship. Until Hani gets pregnant, then gives birth."

Jay was stuck with Bi Mirna's answer which he thought was very surprising. Even for a few seconds, the man did not know how to catch his breath.

"So, where is he now, Bi?"

"Unfortunately, after giving birth to Atlanta, Hani died of severe bleeding."

.......

.......

.......

"This is all you make?" elisa said as she spread through the paper inscribed with many piano chords that she herself did not know how they worked.

Atlanta nodded, then smiled, confirming Elisha's words.

Elisha closed the thick brown book on the table. "When did you start to like music?"

"Since I was a child."

"Keep, why do you like music?"

"Because Mommy likes music."

That look was the most beautiful look Elisha had ever seen. Highlight cool eyes that at that time emanated in the clear obsidian Atlanta, managed to make him curious about the figure of the Mother who the man called. She wanted to know, which woman was capable of giving birth to an angel-hearted human like Atlanta.

"You didn't write a song for your mother?"

Atlanta nodded, she opened the book again, looking for the page she was looking for.

"It."

Elisha stared at the final line of lyrics and chords neatly written on white paper. His smile expanded when he saw the many colorful heart-shaped stickers there. Ah, he was more convinced, surely the man loved his mother very much.

"When, may I see your mother?"

The man looked at Elisha for a moment.

"Yes, I'll take you to see Mommy."

In a classroom so crowded with students, Atlanta and Elisha again opened the sheet by sheet of the man's book. Atlanta has promised to teach Elisha to play the piano after school.

"Atlanta. Asked to face Mrs Rina TU." Man who just came—Juan— keeps his backpack on the table.

Atlanta moved, after which he breathed heavily. Somehow, Elisha thought there was something in the man, how the body gesture suddenly relaxed when Juan told him to immediately meet the TU teacher.

"What's wrong?" elisa asked Juan who happened to be sitting opposite her right after Atlanta disappeared behind the door.

"Don't know. Most told to pay SPP again," replied the man while taking out a thick book from his backpack.

"Isn't SPP paid on the first to five of the month? Is this the middle of the month?"

Juan clutched his ear with earphones, allowing a look toward Elisha.

"That's because Atlanta's in arrears, so Miss Rina's asking now, Elisa."