My Heart Was Wounded Deep
Chapter 30's

After she finished eating, Kikan asked her whereabouts of his son Jason. "Where's Jason?" tanyakanya.

"There's group work" Rey said, trying to be cool. And suppress the sense of attraction that arises, so that Kikan will never expect it.

There's no way Rey's interested in Kikan anymore. But that doesn't change the fact that he's interested. The freshness and spirit of the catang gave up Kikan which became the allure of the petite woman. So Rey felt the same feeling as before.

"You must have gone home and helped Jason if you didn't have to fix that door."

Right now Rey is helping Kikan fix one of the doors in his residence. Trying to hammer a nail into the middle hole of the hinge.

"Jason's been doing his own schoolwork without me helping out lately." Answer Rey

"He's a great kid. I hope he's not too disappointed by what happened this morning" Kikan said

"He's worried about you"

"A little fall is not to be questioned."

Little fell... From Kikan's point of view, it probably fell a little. As he said, Kikan had already experienced much worse. Rey could confirm that, as she looked at the scar on her shoulder.

Once he finishes fixing the door, Kikan invites Rey to take a look at the room he has provided for Jason. Rey spread his gaze around. Noting inwardly, how neatly Kikan piled things in the corner, there was no wardrobe there, but Kikan put a drawer table in Jason's room. The little thing was not lost in Rey's attention. It seems that Jason also has a more comfortable bed.

Rey sees Kikan waiting expectantly, his assessment of Jason's room. "The room looked clean and comfortable" Rey said.

"Trims." replied Kikan with a smile.

"Do you sell bracelets, to raise money?" Rey tried asking.

Kikan looked surprised to hear Rey's question. "That's a small business I started in prison. I don't know how it's gonna be."

"It seems like the effort was quite successful."

"Better than I thought" Kikan said, admitting with a shy smile.

"How did you get into that field?"

"They gave a course of working with skin when imprisoned. I came along and.. made it in some kind that other women like and want to buy them. So I sold it, got the money, then bought more materials. Then I sold again and so on. There's a warden who really likes my bracelets. After buying some bracelets for gifts, she asked my permission to display them in one of the online shops. I shared the proceeds with him, because I couldn't do it alone, and that's what made me have the money I sent you mostly."

Rey felt her chest hurt from being reminded like that. The money turned out to be a considerable sacrifice, but all this time he did not really need it. Almost all of that money is still in savings for Jason's college fund. Actually Jason knew Kikan would occasionally send him money, but he didn't know that his father didn't use it much.

"Now that you're free.... Is it purely your own business?" Rey hoped the warden would no longer have a share.

Kikan. "That's our deal."

"Good.so, the buyer paid you directly?

"True, and straight into my account. The results are not much, but."

"Why didn't you tell Jason that the bracelet you gave him was made by you?"

"There's no excuse" Kikan said. But Rey knew that was a lie. Kikan must have been afraid that Jason would turn him down or that he didn't want Jason to feel obligated to accept the prize.

Kikan tries hard not to expect others to love him, Rey is aware of that.

"Thank you for coming to help me again" Kikan said.

If Kikan apologizes once again for the hassles he thinks he caused Rey. Maybe Rey's gonna be pissed. "As I said, I don't mind."

Rey approaches Kikan, but the closer Kikan gets, the further away he gets,

"Tell Jason he can stop by when he's done with the group, so you better get ready."

Kikan looked stiff. "Jason's coming here?" Ask Kikan.

The panic in her voice shocked Rey. "Where else?" said Rey.

"He won't judge you at all" said Rey, but thanks to his mother, Kikan's whole life has always been judged by people. Rey knows she won't be able to convince Kikan.

"The room is not ready yet" Kikan continued. "I want to fix some of the furniture that's here. Painted it. Also cleaning the outside of the house." Kikan turned twice to the wall coating that had not been removed was no longer there. "What happened to....Did you finish it?"

Rey shrugged her shoulders. "It didn't take long" he said

"thank you. Wall coating paper is really hard to remove." Kikan

"That's what a scraper is for" Rey said

"Otherwise what are you doing?" ask Kikan.

Rey mentioned the work she was doing earlier, but Kikan didn't seem so happy. "You don't have to do all that."

"There's nothing else I could've done." Answer Rey

"Stay still....."

"Not a big deal. So what do you want with Jason? Do you want me to tell him not to come?"

Kikan biting his lower lip, looking worried." If you don't mind, I want everything to be perfect before he sees all this."

Rey immediately reacted to seeing Kikan's serious expression. "Of course."

The tension in Kikan's body loosened in relief. "Thank you." Her speech.

"Then let's start now" Rey said excitedly.

"alright. I'm going to the room for a while looking for work gloves" Kikan said

As long as Kikan was in the room, Rey checked the soup bowl and was satisfied to see Kikan had eaten quite a lot....

" Kikan!" someone shouted out

Rey cannot see Kikan's mother, but Rey can hear her screams clearly. "Where are you? Where's my lunch? Are you going to let me starve here?"

Kikan did not answer, but Rey was sure he heard, all the windows were open. If Rey can guess, she thinks Kikan refuses to shout back from a distance like his mother.

Rey imagines Kikan in the bedroom, trying to hurry. But Kikan could have had a concussion, with five stitches, and Rey felt Kikan should have been left to rest.

While telling himself to bring more food tomorrow, Rey grabbed the remaining soup and walked straight to her mother's residence, carrying the soup. "This is" Rey said. "Kikan told me to give you this soup for lunch. He intended to bring it but he was too busy with the order of the bracelet."

Lis's eyes seemed to jump out when she recognized Rey. "What are you doing here?" Miss Lis asked, as if a demon had appeared at her door. "Don't tell me you're sleeping with my daughter again! Of course he's not that stupid."

There were footsteps on the ground and Kikan came running to his mother. "I'll take care of my mother. Don't worry"

"Did he do that to you?" Urge Mother Kikan to see the scratches, and stitches on her son's forehead.

Kikan tried to stand in the middle of them. But he staggered and his hand held his head as if he was about to faint.

Rey grabbed his arm so Kikan wouldn't fall. "You shouldn't have come out."

Kikan paid no heed to Rey but also did not pull the hand as he usually did. Since he was inside the house, Kikan had not let Rey be within half a meter of him, the proof of which was in the way Kikan walked past him in the hallway. but Rey knows Kikan's head is dizzy and he needs help. But Kikan's attention was entirely focused on the mother.

"No, he didn't hurt me." He said, struggling against the effects that arise from moving so quickly with his condition now.

Kikan nervously explained. "So Rey drove me home in her car, that's all"

"Then you let him ride you?" look for Lis's mother. Seems like seventeen years in jail didn't tell you what the consequences of stretching your legs were for that spoiled Stinson boy, huh?"

Rey stared at the item towards Kikan's mother. "Enough" he growled, "I don't care what you think of me. But be careful when you talk to your son."

"Oh, right too. You're the only one who can treat her like trash," Bu Lis said with a small laugh, then turned her back arrogantly.