Marrying Sergeant Major
~ 85 ~
I spent the whole day with Lala before Hana took her to Singapore.
Unbeknownst to him, I had arranged Lala's small suitcase which contained all the supplies including clothes and toiletries. Lotion for cold allergies I have slipped.
He'll be picked up by Hana's mom tomorrow afternoon.
"La" Call me when I'm done helping her get dressed. "Mother wants to talk to Lala, but Lala promises to listen to your mother and always remember what you say"
He who was standing on the bed, our level was almost the same, making Lala not have to look up and I did not have to duck. Lala blinked, her pair of beautiful eyes were not distracted from me and looked at me so deeply.
"If you are not the same Lala, do not accompany Lala on vacation, Lala still must be happy, must eat on time, and obey the father"
"Why? Is your mom busy? Usually if Lala takes a long vacation, mother does not work"
"But this time I was busy"
"Mother don't love Lala anymore?"
"It's not so, son" I refute quickly "Mother always loves Lala, not only mother, father too, Mama Hana also love a lot to Lala"
"But why don't you accompany Lala on vacation?"
"Mother busy, son. But mother promises, if it is not busy, mother must accompany Lala"
"If so Lala goes to the office of the mother, Lala promises not to be naughty, do not disturb the mother of work"
Yes Rabb, what is this? I tried not to cry, but this kid instead lured me to launch tears.
"Lala wants to get close to the mother, can ya bun?"
"May, but children are not allowed into the adult's office"
"But why, Lala is not disturbed"
I took a deep breath, trying to compose the right sentence to explain to a child who has not even five years.
"Lala loves you, right? Lala's a good boy, right? Tame kid?"
Lala nodded but very slowly.
"Mother knows Lala will not disturb the mother, but children as small as Lala pity if waiting for the mother to finish work. Mother will work from morning until afternoon, Lala will be tired, Lala continues to be sick, mother so sad to see Lala sick, especially if her hands are skewered by needles like Lala bobo in the hospital. Lala remember right?"
The boy again responded to me with body language, nodding.
"Lala want you sad? Want to cry?" ask me to hold the rate of water that is about to slide.
"No"
"If so, Lala should look after her, yes!"
"But my dear mother Lala keeps going, right?"
"Yes, dear mother Lala always, mother does not want to split with Lala, Lala must remember that"
I grabbed onto Lala's tiny body right as my tears fell. I really don't want to let him know my tears.
"So it will be on holiday if you work, work dad, Lala at home who is the same?" He asked, still in my arms.
"Yes Mama Hana first yes, mama Hana kangen Lala"
Lala's reflex took off our embrace.
"Mama Hana's name?"
"Hmm" My heart nodded.
This child fell silent, from his pair of neutrals like he was thinking about something.
"If the same oma is at home, may it?" lala asked, after almost a minute just shaking.
"Come, but I'm busy, too. Mama Hana is not busy. Want huh?"
"But after the mother came home from work, mother accompanied Lala play, accompany bobo too"
I'm stuck unable to answer the question.
Want to answer yes, afraid Lala was disappointed because later it could not accompany him. Answer no, I'm sure he'll be sad.
"If you have time, you must be with Lala"
"If you come home from work it's time a lot, later the father who cooks, mother Lala play"
Duh, it seems to be getting harder. If I'm honest her mother will take her away, she will obviously refuse.
"Look at La" I said in the lowest possible tone. My hands cupped her smooth face. "Just if you are not busy, you must be messing with Lala, Lala's dear mother, and will always accompany Lala"
"Lala also loves mom, Lala wants to keep going, not want to be with Mama Hana. If you choose the same father or mother, Lala must also choose mother" My little daughter hugged me again. While his words touched me.
Rubbing Lala's back, I tried to brace myself, while enjoying the warm embrace of my daughter. A hug that I will always miss, a hug that we won't do for two weeks.
"Have you finished the bath?" bima mas questions make our embrace automatically unravel.
"Ops.. Daddy's a nuisance, huh?"
"No, if you want to follow the hugs also can" Reply Lala looked at her father. "Well, is that bun?"
"Yes" I smiled.
"Yes, now it's Lala's turn with dad, mommy has to take a shower first"
"Daddy is done cooking?"
"Yet, I was just washing the same pieces of vegetables" Mas Bima was standing next to the bed. I myself picked up a wet towel Lala used for me to hang in the bathroom.
"The cooking is later after the maghrib prayer"
"Mothers want to take a shower first" I said interrupting their chat. Without looking at Bima and Lala, I walked out of Lala's room.
***
The next day, a car entered my yard after Jim opened the gate.
The owner is Mbak Hana. I am taking care of my flower plants, cutting the dried leaves, a little surprised because he did not come alone. He came with a man and also Gesya.
Seeing how the man held Hana's hand, I was sure that the man was Yudha, her husband.
If viewed in terms of physical, Bima mas superior, but for his wealth may be much behind Bima mas below him.
"Assalamu'alaikum"
"Wa'alaikumsalam"
Like me and Bima who are in the position of Hana and Yudha, maybe I do not want to set foot here, because this house is a witness to their affair. Although for the sake of picking up her daughter, I prefer to have Gesya come to take Lala.
"Mbak Hana" We shook hands just to be friendly. "Let's go in"
"What else is Bi?" asked Mbak Hana in the middle of the step we entered the house after from the yard.
"Let's take a nap, but it looks like you'll be up soon"
"I'll take Lala ya Bi, I'll also bring a cover letter, and for two weeks Lala will be my responsibility"
"Yes mbak, mbak kanungnya, mbak right to bring Lala" I tried to calm down, when in fact I wanted to scream, wanted to bring Lala run away so that he could not take my daughter away.
"Please sit down, mas, Gesya"
"Thank You Bi"
I smiled, then said. "I'll call Bima for a minute"
"Yes"
After being asserted by Mbak Hana, I left the three guests who were one of them, sitting with crossed legs. His hand was busy playing the device, while his face seemed haughty and arrogant. She's Gesya, a yeng woman obsessed with Bima mas.
After a few minutes, I returned to the living room with Bima mas as well as carrying a tray containing four cups of tea.
There is no sense of awkwardness in them, because I believe both Bima, Mbak Hana and Yudha have forgotten the events of several years ago. That's because they have both lived happily with each other's partners.
When I put the cups one by one on the table, I had a glance at Bima mas who was greeting Gesya. Mas Bima did not look at the face of the woman who was most likely the perpetrator of sending poisonous snacks to my office.
"Would you take Lala now, Han?" ask Bima shortly after sitting down.
"Lala's sleeping, don't you bother"
"No, not at all. Faster is better"
I don't know what the meaning of Bima mas, but from the sentence as if he really wanted to mbak Hana could immediately leave our house.
"Wait a minute, we will wake him up" Mas Bima stood up, I also stood up.
"In drink first mbak tea, we'll help Lala get ready"
"Yes, Bi"
Her father Lala who had already entered first, was waiting for me in front of our room.
"It's okay?" ask Bima when I was standing in front of her.
"No matter what, Mbak Hana is also entitled to Lala"
Mas Bima rubbed one of my cheeks gently. "You go to the room, I don't want to see your drama and Lala"
"But mas_"
"Then, obey your husband, lest you appear before Lala, understand"
"But why? Lala wouldn't have left if she hadn't told me"
"It's best for you Lala, don't argue, okay!"
This man pushed my body slowly to let me into the room.
Inside the room, I was confused by the uneasy body gesture. Thinking about how sad Lala was when she knew her mother would take her away. Unimagined the cry of the child would definitely break so much, a heartbreaking scream would also echo throughout the room. Not only that, Lala must have revolted because she was forced by us.
Five minutes passed, ten minutes, up to fifteen minutes, suddenly my ears caught the chatter of Lala and Bima mas.
"So the mother broke up with Lala, now she's gone?" that's Lala said. Mas Bima must be lying to his daughter.
"Yes, mother is busy, the mother ordered Lala not to cry, and must obey the father"
"Where do you want to be now?"
The sound of both of them was getting faint, even I could no longer steal their conversation, but after three minutes, I heard Lala's cries grow deafening.
I went out, hiding next to a closet in a special room to play the piano.
"Lala doesn't want to go with Mama Hana, Dad. Lala doesn't like it, Lala wants to be here waiting for my mother to come home"
"Mother's been home a long time, son. Mother is very busy"
"No, anyway Lala wants to be the same mother" Lala's breathing was getting breathless holding back a bit.
"It's been ordered by the mother right, so that Lala does not cry, must be obedient as well"
"Lala promised not to cry, but dad said Mama Hana let's not bring Lala"
"Mama Hana kangen with Lala, want to take Lala for a walk later"
"No way"
"Lala!" pekik mas Bima's. Perhaps the man had already begun to be overwhelmed over his daughter who continued to show rejection.
"Bring it up, Han. It will go away on its own"
"Let's go, come with mama. Mother Arimbi again busy, for a while Lala same mama first, okay smart boy"
"No" I don't know what Lala's reaction was, which is clear I'm here trying to control myself so that this leg doesn't lift up to get to him.
Hearing him roar to sting, my chest felt tight, without realizing my tears were flowing so hard.
"Yetoo!" lala's scream instantly made me flinch. "Please Lala, mother! same father Hana's mother is evil, Mama Hana wants to take Lala away. Please mother, Lala wants to be here, wait for mother, Lala promise not naughty"
"Just for a while with Mama Hana son, later if the mother is not busy, the mother and father pick Lala up"
"Lala doesn't want to, Lala's going to your room"
"Had told you she wasn't home"
"Mother must be in the room, mother did not go to the office, was the same powder Lala. I must be lying"
"Dad ain't lying, baby"
"Father lied" sambarnya Lightning.
Lala's cry was getting louder but I could only watch her roar that was getting out of my reach, maybe they had already taken Lala out to the car.
"Bad, I don't love Lala, Lala hates me. Mother Arimbi, please Lala mother. Lala does not want to go with Mama Hana, Lala wants to be with mother, it's okay Lala accompanied the mother of work, it's okay Lala tired, Lala is happy to be able to accompany the mother of work, Lala is happy to be able to accompany the mother of work, Lala promises that if tired, Lala will not be sick waiting for her mother to work in the office" Lala's voice gets hoarse, as much as she wants it must be very obvious. "Mother, please Lala mother, Lala wants to be taken away with Mama Hana. Please motheraa!"
"Here son, son pint_"
"Lala doesn't want to recede, Lala's not a smart kid"
I peeked out of the living room window, observed the rebellious Lala and continued to put up resistance. Mas Bima myself I see standing with an unsettled look mixed with sadness.
The car was slowly moving, while Lala continued to pound on the glass of the car with such a pitiful face.
Lala's expression, inexplicably pinching something inside me, made my pair of legs feel weak for a second .... And I fell on the floor with an empty mind.