Our Story: The Sudden Chancellery
44. Too Thin

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Gemma was worried. No news was given by his son. The phone never answered. Neither did the husband, neither of whom answered Gemma's phone. But in this kitchen, the woman still could not stop not to overthinking. His hand that never touched the guitar again still moves with his habit, cook for dinner, even though his family is not here yet.

“They went where the hell?”

While the minutes passed in vain, Gemma went back and forth quietly. He checked his cell phone repeatedly, still no answer. He turned off the stove, moved the soup sauce to the bowl and continued cooking other foods even though his heart was in a state of turmoil.

At 7 p.m., the apartment door finally opened. Enter the two figures that awaited Gemma. But alas, there were others who were completely beyond his expectations.

“Viani, where are you going? Mama picked me up at school, but you why aren't there?!” said Gemma approaching Viani. “You too, Mas. Why can't you connect too?”

“I again internal meeting, Darling.. I take a shower first.” Indra said while putting his briefcase on the nightstand and walking towards their room on the 2nd floor.

Gemma held Indra. "What else is Ranita here for, Mas?"

"He'll have dinner with us. Viani invited," said Indra while continuing his goal.

“So Aunt Ranita asked me to watch Spider-Man, Ma. So I didn't have time to call Mama.”.

“Sorry Ma'am, have I also died earlier. So can not ngabarin, Mbak.” said Rania with an unpleasant face. "But it was Mr Indra who ordered Viani to take the road first."

Not wanting to respond to Ranita, Gemma looked back at Viani. “Not yesterday Mama has asked you to watch together? Yesterday you refused! Now, you agree to be invited by others. What the hell are you?”

Viani looked at him with care. “Ma... I'm tired and want to take a shower.”.

Hurriedly Gemma pulled her son's hand before she turned towards her room. “Viani, Mama is not finished speaking.”

“Moreover the hell, Ma?!”

“You don't know if Mama is really worried about you?! Why have you been like this lately, Mama? Never go home before, and often not! If Mama takes the road, you always refuse! Mama's cooking you said wasn't good, then now what else, Vi?”

“You know why Viani does not want to be picked up by Mama? Because Viani is ashamed! Look at yourself in the mirror! Temen-temen Viani, Mama pretty-beautiful, good at grooming, if to the mall do not make shame. While Mama?” Viani looked at Gemma from top to bottom. Oversized batik negligee with the original dipole hair made Viani anxious.

Sometimes, such an outfit was used by his mother to go to school, even though he never got out of the car. “Lagian, Aunt Ranita is good, not fierce like Mama who is a little angry because of trivial things!”

“Viani!” Ranita scolds Viani who is getting brash.

“Lunaviani Suteja! Login to room!” snapped Gemma who finally could not take it anymore.

“It also wants to enter the room!” The boy kept saying. Even he had forgotten that he had not yet touched his mother.

Not only Gemma was surprised, Ranita also looked confused at Viani who looked ketus on her own mother. Ignoring Ranita's whereabouts, Gemma returned to the kitchen, continuing what had been delayed.

“Mbak, want me to help?” ranita asked as she folded her shirt arms up to her elbows.

Gemma's eyebrows shot up as she saw Ranita's movements that took the knife and onion out of her hand. “I can do it myself.”

“It’s okay, Ma'am. I feel guilty for that. So I beg you, let me help Mbak to make amends,” forcibly Ranita.

For a moment, they were silent. No one talks to each other. Seen several times, Ranita wanted to invite Gemma to talk, but urung because the woman's face was already a sour puff.

Dinner was very cold, even though the food they ate was warm and delicious.

“Mmm... This is definitely a ripe Aunt Ranita,” comments Viani. “I've had a terrible taste of cuisine Aunt Ranita.”

“Can aja, Vi..” said Ranita whose face blushed. “Still good made by Mama you are!”

“After this, help Viani earn PR Yes, Auntie!”

"Vi... Mama is sure that Aunt Ranita has a life of her own and there is a family waiting at home. He can go home after this," Gemma scolded Viani.

“No pa-pa, Ma'am. I also promised Viani." Ranita turned to Viani with a gentle look. "OK... End of this yes..”.

The dinner ended peacefully. Gemma cleaned the dining table alone with a troubled heart. Seeing the child more enthusiastic about others, makes Gemma feel jealous. Indra did not even seem to care and went to the 2nd floor to work on something there.

Currently, Gemma had finished washing the dishes. He was sitting on a chair, facing the dining table that had been empty with a blank look. Until he didn't realize it was 9 p.m.

“Mbak ..”

That soft voice sounded like a demonic voice in Gemma's ears. Wania did not want to look at him at all. He took his phone and pretended to play it.

“Go home. Don't come back if we call.”

“Mbak..

Gemma looked sharply at Ranita as she said something. Indra's wife squeezed Ranita's hand and dragged him to the balcony, right behind the wall so that his position was more private.

“What do you want, huh? What purpose do you have here until four days in a row come to my house and play with Viani? Even you dare to touch my kitchen!” ask Gemma with hardened jaws.

Ranita looked at Gemma who demanded her answer. “Sa-I don't mean anything, Ma'am.”

“Some times you pick up Viani before I get to pick her up. What do you mean?”

“I just agree to Viani's request and Pak Indra's order, Mbak.”

Gemma's gaze grew sharper. The maniacal woman in front of him looked intimidated and increasingly disinclined.

“Ngaku you! What is my husband's relationship? You're Rita! Your names are almost similar! You are Mas Indra's affair, right?”

“No, Ma'am! Saya-Aw...” Ranita complained as Gemma's nails pierced the skin of her smooth arms.

“Do not pretend!” Gemma tightened her grip and did not care about the woman's skin even though it was painful.

“But Mbak, my arm really hurts!”

“Gemma!”

The half-dead startled Gemma immediately turned to the source of the voice, where she could see Indra standing on the balcony sliding doorway with even more anger rising from her.

“Mas?”

“What the hell!” Indra pulled Ranita inside and told her to go home.

After making sure Ranita has disappeared from their apartment, Indra immediately brings Gemma into their room on the 2nd floor.

Gemma slammed Indra's handle on him as they reached the balcony of the room. “You're the shit, Mas! She's Rita, right?! Why aja!”

“He's not Rita!” refute Indra with frustration.

“Your lies are too thin, Mas. Their names are too similar!”

“Why do you keep carrying around my old mistakes?! I've apologized to you!”

“You think I can excuse you, huh? Just now I'm starting to be sure of you, why should you bring another woman here? To our house?”

“He's nobody, My God! He's just an assistant who took my orders!” Indra's expression that had been full of anger suddenly changed when she realized something. “You're jealous, Honey?”

“Do not switch talks! It's not a matter of jealousy or not, Mom! It's a matter of trust between us that has collapsed and is almost nothing!”

After Gemma poured out her anger, she turned away, unable to look at the man she almost loved. His tears slowly decayed as the sigh of Gemma's breath that never stopped when his efforts to lower his soul's emotions still did not succeed.

“If I lose you and Viani, I live in vain, Mas.”

Even though he looks fragile at the moment, that's the honest voice that comes out of Gemma's heart. His life was already too dependent on Indra, and Viani was the one who kept him in this family. He could not imagine what would happen if Indra took Viani away from him.

“Do you think of my feelings? Letting your assistant be closer to our son than his own mother, really makes my heart ache.”

Gemma's knees shook and made her lose her balance. But before his body completely fell, Indra's burly arms grabbed him, clutching him in a tight embrace. His hands stretched out to caress the woman's head and kiss the top of her head.

“Sorry..I'm sorry, Honey. I didn't mean that. I didn't know you were that hurt. I just want to make your job easier by letting Viani be picked up by Ranita.

And FYI, Ranita is not Rita. He is someone else I've thrown away from our lives. I promise, there are no other women among us. and I promise I will limit Ranita to meet Viani.”.

“You are evil, Mas,” whispered Gemma in tears.

“I'm sorry, Honey. Please. Don't cry anymore. I can't bear to see you like gini.”

Gemma ended her crying by wiping away the tears using the back of her hand.

“I will not let our marriage that has been happening all this time be ruined, dear. We both fought, huh? I will fight to get your trust back, and you will have to fight to believe. For my sake, for Viani.”

In silence, Gemma nodded and let Indra embrace her more tightly. “You are my life, Gemma.”

Indra looked down, reaching for Gemma's face with both hands. “I just love you."

...****************...

How's it? Heart2 darting ya guys 😂