Marriage Proposal: Ben & Bima
17 - Guest Arrival
(Ben)
I woke up too late. Only slept for a few hours and opened the door still sleepy. I smell the cooking that stirs my taste. I saw a wall clock, it's 9 in the morning. I walked into the kitchen.
“Chloe, let's try this.”
I saw Yayai sitting on the floor in the kitchen and playing with Chloe. The view made my mood very good. My neck was gone because I only slept for a few hours. Plus, my work piles up and there are so many obstacles.
This kid always teases me with his traits. He said he loved me but he was so indifferent to me. Too unusual with most women.
“Pagi Prof's. I've cooked for breakfast.” he said. Smile bright.
I opened the hood and saw that there was a fried shrimp rice that was fragrant there. Yayai shifted the dining chair and sat in front of me. He looked at me who was eating for a while.
“Today there is an agenda, Prof?” He finally asked.
“Neither.”
“Then?”
“Ya no.” I said. Emphasizes. “Please let you do as you please.”
“What Prof want to go out of town?”
I stopped chewing. I have a travel plan. Bangkoks. To take care of a lot of things. Maybe Yayai heard me talking on the phone last night.
“No in the near future with this.”
Yayai nodded.
“I also don't want to go to the office. I work in the room.” told him. Why would he tell me something like that? I know, he was trying to get close to me.
Yayai smiled.
“I'll shop later in the afternoon. May..”
“Let me transfer the money shopping.” cut me.
Yayai sighed.
“Not Prof. Does anyone want Prof to eat? I'll cook for later tonight.”
“Oh, are you sure?”
Yayai frowned, a sign of not understanding.
“Last I waited for you for dinner..”.
“No, no.. I will pay attention to every promise I make to Prof.”
Yayai's face flushed. Finally he stood up to give me a glass of mineral water. He was really waiting for me to eat and watching the way I ate.
We went into our rooms and were busy. I heard a man and two women enter Yayai's room. Their voices were in the backyard, the kitchen, and I finally opened my bedroom door. I wonder who came.
“Prof Ben!” A long-haired woman, wearing casual clothes and shorts approached me. Snatched my hand and kissed the back of my hand. “How are you?” tanyakanya.
“Good.” answered. This woman is …
“Prof, this is Tasya a post-graduate student who is a Teaching Prof. Said it's been twice by Prof Ben ajar.” Yayai appears behind a woman named Tasya.
“Prof can't remember my name.” Tasya laughed loudly. It seems that it has been understood. I will never remember the faces and names of the students. Not because I have a disease, but I remember names and faces that I think are important.
I look over here and there, I feel like there's still one more person, a man. Then the door of the room opened. I saw a white man wearing glasses, looking like a young Korean artist.
“Bim, get here.” His head came out from behind the door. He saw Yayai flat. Face seriously.
Yayai went straight into the room. I was too shocked to see that scene. I don't know. Breath hunting.
“What Yayai is always alone with the man in one room?” I asked Tasya. I'm sure Tasya is his best friend.
“Yayai?” Tasya frowned.
“Bima mean I.”
“Oh yes, Prof call Bima as Yayai. Bima had a story.”
I looked at Tasya seriously. He closed his mouth because he laughed.
“That's my girlfriend, Prof. Name's Riko. Riko was already a few years ago as the editor of Bima.”
“Use simple language.”
“Bima is a novelist. Riko is my boyfriend who is the editor of Bima's writing. Before Bima's writing was published, Riko always read Bima's writing. So worth reading people.”
I already knew Yayai was a novelist. Levi told me the info. I've been scraping through all of Yayai's data since he escaped from me in Bangkok.
“Me and Riko had time to spend here, Prof. I'm in Prof's room, Riko's upstairs. We're friends since Junior High, so Prof don't get me wrong.” Tasya explained.
Misunderstand it? I did misunderstand. I don't like to see Yayai with another man in the room alone. I swallowed my saliva. Surprised at my thinking.
“Mistake? I'm just asking. He stays here if he dares to one room or invite another man into his room, I have no problem. If anyone sees the residents around how?” I gave you an excuse.
“Prof sorry, Riko is here often. Just because he said Bima, in this house there is Prof Ben so Riko and I rarely come here.”
“What's really why? I have no problem.” I tilted my head. When did I forbid Yayai to hang out and even invite her friend to come to this house?
Then the door of the room opened, a man named Riko came out followed by Yayai.
“Elo can't make that a fiction huh? Elo's life is too flat there are no challenges. Do not get in the early chapters of many followers but in the middle of not interesting.” said Riko hard. He's lookingat me. “This Prof Ben?” He pointed at me.
Riko smiled at me, then hugged me.
“Prof, I am so happy that Bima finally likes men.” chirps.
I saw Yayai. His face is so red. Between shame and anger at Riko.
(POV)
It's really been a hot day. Sometimes it's hot sometimes. Even though it is cloudy but the rain does not fall. A woman looks simple but if people see her that she is in the top circles. How not? He was wearing a gold necklace and earrings that were rather striking. Even though he only wears one bracelet. Oh, even his watch.
“Wait ya.” the command is slow on the driver. He opened the car door and got off. He looked at his house which he had once occupied a few dozen years ago and decided to contract it out for a cheap price.
The woman slowly opened the fence, removed her sunglasses and saw the car parked in the yard. It looks like this is his son's car. A Mercedes Benz Gla Class. The car he thought was a rather cheap car. Let it be, maybe his son wants to save because his money is spent on his new company.
The door of the house was fortunately not locked, because he saw the doorknob fused with an automatic key that uses a password. He entered slowly. Impressed silently and when he reached the living room, he was startled by two men and women who were joking while hugging affectionately out of the main room. This woman is riveted. Is this the woman Ben meant? A woman named Yayai? Long-haired, coquettish, wearing clothes that almost all of his thighs look like, and cuddling with another man?
These two humans fell silent when they saw the woman in the living room.
“Sorry find who ya?” ask the long haired woman.
“I find Ben.” replied the golden-clad woman.
“Prof Ben? Oh is in his room.” The long haired woman pointed towards the second room. Next to the main room.
Finally the long-haired woman knocked on Ben's room several times and came out a man with a disheveled look. He was shocked when he saw the golden-clad woman.
“Mee?”
“Ben, since you live here you have never visited Mee.” chirped the golden-clad woman. Name's Daria. Beautiful face. Typical of a mother who is very patient but behind it is chatty.
Daria walked leisurely and sat on the sofa in the living room.
“You didn't clean house huh?” chirped again. He glanced at the long haired woman. Ketus.
“We're busy. Sometimes just cleanin home.” reply Ben.
The long-haired woman and the man beside her in glasses fell silent.
“Ngg... Aunty want to drink what?” bargained for. The man in glasses smiled at him. Somewhat wrong.
“Air white only.” Daria replied.
A cat walked by Daria's feet.
“Chloe! He's still alive! He is old!” surprised Daria saw her son's pet cat, Ben.
“Mee, don't talk like that.”
“You are willing to move from Bangkok to here again, have you changed your mind for a dozen years?”
“Mee, don't talk here.”
“Yaa, when else do I talk dong? You never miss the same.”.
Back then, when the long-haired woman put the glass filled with water, a shoulder-haired woman was rather long, not so tall, not so short, perhaps about 162 cm in height, carrying groceries.
The woman with the luggage as it ran out of the supermarket looked puzzled as countless people gathered in the living room. He looked at Daria and smiled.
“Mee, this is Yayai.” Ben introduced Bima. “Yayai, this is my Mama, who owns this house.”
Yayai placed her groceries in the kitchen and washed her hands in a hurry. Afterwards he kissed Daria's hand. So polite.
“Halo Aunt. I'm Bima not Yayai.” he said. Bima glanced at Ben annoyed.
“Wait. Bima?” Daria frowned.
“Then I am Tasya and this is Riko, Auntie. The three of us stayed here three years ago. We both moved into our homes. Only Bima who still lives here.”
Daria fell silent. Seeing Bima and his son, Ben repeatedly. Think hard. So, this woman was the one being courted by her son? That fast when Ben just moved to Indonesia? He confessed to Eyangnya? Then one house? Supposedly, Daria was also aware that Bima was the woman her son had been looking for for a dozen years.
“Oh yes. Aunt remember. This is our first time meeting huh?” Daria was friendly with Tasya. Maybe because he thought, Tasya was his son's girlfriend and was with another man.
Daria's mood is finally back.
****