My Old Star
#24 Half Backstreet
"You sit down!" mr. Mahendra's orders to Arfan and Mentari.
The two of them sat facing Mr. Mahendra, not long before the waiter came to deliver the menu list to them.
After finishing ordering Mr. Mahendra back to focus on the purpose of inviting Arfan to meet today.
"Fan it turns out you managed to take her today with you!"
Arfan smiled and glanced at Mentari, "The fate that brought us Om,"
Mentari looked at Arfan and his father alternately, he did not understand the purpose of the two of them.
"Why are you confusing me like this?" Mentari grumbling.
Arfan and Mr. Mahendra laughed at Mentari's confused expression which was very funny, at that time the waiter came to bring their order.
"Please!" said the waiter after he finished putting all the orders on the table.
"Thank you" replied Arfan while the others nodded with a friendly smile.
"You eat first, after that we will talk seriously. Shouldn't it be enough energy for that?" Mr. Mahendra joking.
Here Arfan feels comfortable because Mr. Mahendra is not as scary as he imagined, though usually a father who has a daughter who is close to the opposite sex will be possessive of the young man who is with his daughter. Mr. Mahendra seems to be more open and uphold the dignity of others by not looking down on the status of the person.
After the lunch was over, they
refocus on the discussion that was delayed.
"Fan om sorry for Kartika's attitude towards you, my wife's concern overcame her conscience as a mother."
"Om no need to apologize like that, I'm fine. I should have apologized to Mentari for..," Arfan had not continued his words but Mentari had already cut, "Sister.no need to apologize, I do not blame you for behaving that way, I do not blame you for acting like that, I'm just grateful for everything you've done for me, brother, I already know everything."
"What Mentari says is true Fan, right now the most important thing is to prove to us if you're serious about Mentari!" Mr. Mahendra got up from the chair he was sitting in because he had to go back to the hospital, there were patients he had to deal with immediately.
"Om leave Mentari to you!" Mr. Mahendra patted Arfan on the shoulder before leaving the room.
"Sound you said, didn't you?" Arfan throws a smile at Mentari.
"Sister..means we...?" Shy mentari.
"We what?" Arfan pretended not to understand Mentari's words.
"That mm.. are we together again?" Mentari linked her two index fingers while smiling shyly.
Arfan grabbed the nape of Mentari, brought the two of their faces closer together. Looking at each other with meaningful gazes, Arfan's gaze dropped down, he grabbed Mentari's lips for a while no words were created.
They enjoyed each other's taste, a taste so wonderful after everything that happened between them. Arfan let go of Mentari and stuck his forehead on Mentari's forehead saying, "We will be together again, we will face all the problems together including your mother, I'm not leaving you like yesterday especially with Father and Grandma's blessing already in our hands."
Mentari closed her eyes and nodded, "Grandmother loves me very much!"
"Let's go see Grandma!" invite Arfan by helping Mentari stand up to leave the place.
Mr. Mahendra is now in the hospital to check the situation of Ilyas Mother whose condition suddenly dropped, Ilyas welcomed the arrival of Mr. Mahendra with an anxious face.
"Om please save my mom, if Mom's not around I don't know how else Om, I'll be alone in this world!" Ilyas sobbed as if his heart was broken into pieces, some days his mother is fine but somehow today suddenly his condition deteriorated.
"Pray, son, Om will help as much as Om can, Om get in first." Mr. Mahendra patted Ilyas on the shoulder to give the boy a little moral support.
At the same time Ms. Kartika arrived at the hospital knowing that Ilyas' mother was not in good condition.
"Ilyas how's your mother doing?"
Ilyas shook his head, "I don't know Auntie!"
"You're patient, don't be sad there's aunty and aunty's family by your side."
"Eihh...Mentari's not here?" Ms. Kartika narrowed her eyes.
"These few days he didn't come may be busy auntie," Ilyas tried to convince with his positive thoughts.
"Based on the kid, let the auntie call him. At times like this he should be here to accompany you!" Bu Kartika looked upset at her daughter.
"No aunt, did she not recover from her sickness, let her be happy with her choice of tan!"
"You mean Yas?" Bu Kartika did not understand the meaning of the words Ilyas.
Ilyas recounts everything he saw that night, when Arfan took Mentari to the hospital, accompanied Mentari overnight and when Arfan paid all the hospital bills for Mentari.
Ilyas sees all of that with his own eyes, Arfan's affection for Mentari is not worth his love which he is unable to prove by action.
Ilyas felt himself very weak when compared to Arfan who was certainly well established in his life. Bu Kartika was quite surprised by what Ilyas said, it turns out that what he saw that day was true. Arfan did keep his promise not to see Mentari, but when needed he was there for his daughter. Bu Kartika felt guilty, but his ego was still bigger than his conscience.
"You should not be discouraged, son, auntie would rather you be with Mentari than that old man, they will never fit in!"
"But aunt...,"
"You take it easy, it's aunt's business. They are very different backgrounds unlike you and Mentari, both young and young researchers. If you unite, then there will be new discoveries that will shake the world!"
Ilyas smiled wryly, what is his power that can only obey. In his heart he felt happy because Bu Kartika was very supportive, but he was also at the same time sad because it was useless if Madam Mentari received it but not with Mentari who only considered him as a colleague.
"So soon, son, please call him first!" Bu Kartika stood up leaving Ilyas sitting in the waiting chair, Bu Kartika looking for a place to contact his daughter who he considered to have no ethics because he did not also come to accompany Ilyas.
Mentari and Arfan are already on the road to Grandma Wijaya's house, they're back knitting happy days. The cheerful temperament really warms Arfan's heart. They laughed together as if there was never a problem between them.
The call to Mentari's phone made them stop the laughter that had been created, Mentari saw the caller id on his phone and gave the code to Arfan to be silent first by sticking his index finger on the lips.
"Who?" ask Arfan.
"Mother...,"
Arfan asked Mentari to raise the call, "Thank God!"
Mentari swiped the green button up, "Hallo Ma'am...,"
"Where are you commenting?"
"Mother Ilyas drop, why does a mother's daughter like she doesn't have this kind of ethics!"
"I'm in the way of Ma'am" Mentari glanced at Arfan while biting his lower lip.
"Come over here, don't you smudge your mother's face in front of Ilyas!" Bu Kartika closed his call.
The sun breathed an upset breath, looking at his dimming phone. Arfan rattled Mentari's hair, "Why? Is there a problem?" ask Arfan.
Mentari nodded and told Mother Ilyas' condition, "I'm sorry Brother, we don't seem to be able to go to Grandma's house right now!"
Arfan smiled, "You know Grandma will never close the door for you, so whenever you come Grandma will be happy. Now I'm taking you to the hospital!"
"Aren't you okay?"
"Don't think of anything, didn't we promise we'd face it all together?"
"Thank you, sister" Mentari hugged Arfan's arm while driving.
"Backstreet turned out to be this attractive, the voltage was higher!" Arfan joked that made Mentari gently hit Arfan's arm with his tiny hand.
"Half backstreet Brother!"