MYFATHER
Episode 21
”Have seen his wine cellar?” reprimand the Mother of Roses after Yudi and Mirna finished looking around the entire house that afternoon. The woman had just finished her painting and was resting in the living room accompanied by warm tea and homemade sponge cake, while the newly finished Yudi took a bath waiting for Mirna in the living room. The woman's life is very comfortable, after doing her hobby all day she can relax with warm drinks and good food.
”Ya,” Yudi replied with a polite nod.
”Where's mirna?”
”In his room..being in the shower..”.
”I remember she wanted to take you out this afternoon.”
“She hasn't said anything about it.”
“That child why be so shy with your arrival?” Mother Rose giggled. “You want tea ?”
”No, thank you,” Yudi does not like to drink tea in the afternoon. For him the coffee is more steady, but he still sat down to accompany the woman.
”So what do you think of this house?”
”Exciting,” Yudi replied. ”This house definitely holds a lot of memories. Reminds me of a thick-page history book.”
”Good parable,” Mother Rose chuckle. ”Indeed a lot of things happened inside this old house. All my life stories sad or happy – is part of this house. And those who lived before me. This all certainly belongs to Mirna later.”
”Is there no possibility of Mirna...exiting from this place?”
Mother Rose looked at Yudi,”Why should she do that?” His slightly angled lips made Yudi realize that the woman was not happy to hear his words just now.
”Well, maybe Mirna wants to get out of here, go to another city to follow her husband to a place where they will build a family together,” Yudi said.
Mother Rose smiled, ”Maybe.it is possible.but Mirna is the type of girl who always misses home. It takes a great guy who can hold him back from coming home.”
”Well, I think it's the responsibility of the man to make him comfortable.”
”But what should he go for if all his needs are available here?”
”Perhaps because of the natural urge that a man or woman will leave the parents and unite with her partner?”
”That's an interesting thought. Just have you ever thought that in this era of emancipation can happen women do not have to follow men? Can the opposite happen, men follow women?”
”Could be,” replied Yudi. It was not something strange because many of his friends in the office did something similar.
”And if it happens to you, what are your options?”
Yudi's face met red in a split second. Didn't expect Mother Rose to ask like that. Fortunately, he replied firmly, "I chose to take my partner out of the family house and build our own house."
Hearing that Mother Rose's eyebrows raised, it seems more challenged to dig further, ”Tell Yud, you are happy in this house?”
”Good,” said Mother Rose nodded and then drank her tea.
”But Mommy.. It is possible that Mirna's future husband does not think like me.”.
”Then why don't you give Mirna a chance?”
All in Yudi's face more blushing, ”I? Why me?”
Mommy Roses sighed deeply, “Do not pretend, Yudi. Mirna likes you. He had never made a cake for anyone, other than Mother, and he did it twice. When Mother caught him he was huddled to finish it because of shame.”
”Ya..ya..that's because the first one was eaten by rats..." Yudi commented.
”How long have you been friends with Mirna?”
”Lessly over a year.”
”You know not, that's how long Mother knows you. Mirna the closed child. It's hard to guess her heart but a mother's instincts are never wrong. From several times our chat, he often called yourself unwittingly and through the fleeting story that I know you are a good man.”.
”Thank you, mother,” Yudi did not know to be happy or sad, in fact he was not as good as these two women thought. If only the woman knew what she was doing to Mirna in her room in mess, and also what he did last night in this house when he was drunk because most of the wine was certainly a positive outlook that would turn one hundred and eighty degrees.
Yudi did not know how else to say, let alone this woman's expectations of him seem so high, he said, in fact, she was aware that the harsh reality would hit her because she was already adrift with a responsibility to Siska and her baby. Yang Yudi did not understand, Mirna said that her mother already knew about her condition to marry Siska, but why here the woman instead encouraged herself to have a serious relationship with her son. A strange family...
”Maybe in time, Mother.” said Yudi relented.
Mother Rose sipped the steam of tea that came out of her cup and nodded, ”In time..” After spending the last sip of liquid in her cup the woman stood up, ”Well, that's it she came..”.
Yudi turned around and was amazed to see Mirna so beautiful with tight-fitting buttered clothes and leathery jeans with white sneakers and a jacket draped around the waist standing in the dining room doorway. She smiled thinly, as thin as the scent of her perfume that dropped into Yudi's nose. Unknowingly Yudi commented, ”Your dress is very beautiful, want to go out?”
”Yesterday I promise to take you for a walk,” said Mirna.
”Don't go home too late,” says Mommy Roses. ”You can watch the circus but stay away from the carnival bagundal. I don't like to see them.”
Mirna gave a small nod before hurriedly holding Yudi to leave in the presence of her mother. Yudi felt Mirna did not like the suggestion of the mother just now so she whispered, ”Where are we going, anyway?”
”Follow it and don't ask much,” Mirna swerved while pinching Yudi's waist.
The two left the house with a car waiting for Mirna on the porch, and it was only natural that they had to use the car because Mirna's destination had to be reached in half an hour, a great distance to a small town. However, Yudi enjoyed the trip because there was no traffic and also many green scenery on the left-right that can be seen.
The intended place was a small hamlet, in which there was a collection of houses that were only half the size of the rooms in the house Mirna. The roof of the building is made of rumbia while the walls are of wood that has been rough shaved and browned inedible heat and rain. Besides the houses there are buildings that resemble barns with wells built of stone as high as the waist of adults to prevent children from falling into it.
At the back of the hut in the form of a bush fence as if to be a natural protector of the outside world, while at the mouth of the house meet each other in an empty field which is now occupied by a large circus tent striped red-and-white. A large signboard equipped with colorful decorative lights inscribed with ”SIRKUS RHYADI” emblazoned on the gate of the gate.
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