RUN WITH ME
CHAPTER 17: FREEDOM

On this sunny morning, the residence of the Kanagara family was already crowded with the sounds of dishes and food utensils coming into contact with the marble table. The waiters began to prepare a breakfast menu that is usually in every morning, such as bread, various kinds of jams, cereals, fruits, milk, tea, to coffee at the request of the head of the family.

While waiting for the entire preparation to finish, Harris sat on the living room couch watching the daily news through the television, while Rebecca was in Erlano's room to wake him up. A servant walked up to Harris and lowered his head slightly.

"Master, breakfast is ready." Harris turned to the waiter for a moment and nodded his head while thanking him. Then he turned off the television and set foot into the dining room. Because the road to the dining room had to pass the stairs, Harris could see the wife descending while holding her little son who was still in his nightgown.

Harris also kissed Erlano's head slowly, "good morning, jellybean." That kiss Erlano could feel even though he was still half conscious. Erlano opened his eyes slowly and returned the father's greeting with his head still resting on his mother's shoulders.

"Morning too, papa." Harris and Rebecca chuckled at the reply with that raucous voice, showing just how much she wanted to continue sleeping. The warm family interaction was able to make some of the servants who saw him smile thinly.

"Sweetheart." Call Harris after sitting at the dinner table. Rebecca who knew she was called turned to look at her husband after putting Erlano in her chair.

"Where is Gavin? Why hasn't it come down yet? Still sleeping?" That question made Rebecca pause for a moment. Seeing her husband's puzzled look, Rebecca suspects that Harris still doesn't know where Gavin is.

"Gavin was gone an hour ago" replied Rebecca who had a twitch on her husband's forehead.

"Where's he going at that early hour?" Rebecca looked at her husband deeply, then exhaled softly. Harris was confused.

"He went to Anahita's grave." Both of Harris' eyes widened and could not say anything. Rebecca again exhaled heavily after seeing Harris who was not warting.

When does this man understand his own child? Rebecca's inner voice with a tired tone.

... ⁕⁕⁕...

Gavin's been sitting there for an hour. His eyes looked at the engraving of the identity of the person who had been buried two and a half meters deep in the ground. The stone bears the name of her mother, Anahita Irvine, who was born on September 11, 1974, died on September 14, 2010 at the age of 36, and a short sentence.

"Thank you, I'm free now," muttered Gavin reading it as he stroked the sentence's engraving.

Gavin's thoughts were thrown back to ten years ago, when he was still living in Germany with his family at the age of six. Although it was very late and the house should only be filled with silence, but not with the house of Kanagara. Little Gavin could only stand in front of his room and stare at the bewildered servants who were running chaotically before him. Little Gavin stiffened his ears and faintly heard the cry of the butler who asked to call the family doctor as soon as possible.

Because he still did not understand, little Gavin walked to his parents' bedroom, wanted to ask the mother—because the father was working outside the city. She was sure that her mother knew what was happening. But arriving at the doorway, he even saw many servants swarming something. At first the young master's presence went unnoticed, but one of the maids accidentally caught the little man's silhouette. Suddenly some servants walked up to little Gavin and asked why his young master had not slept with a panicked face. Unfortunately, Gavin's gaze had been fixed on the mother lying on the floor with her foaming mouth and weakly grasping hands an empty transparent tube.

"Mama?" Call Gavin with a frozen body. She was a child and did not fully understand what happened to her mother, but her heart knew that she was in danger. The servants tried to pull Gavin away from the room, but little Gavin rebelled, shouting to call his mother.

"Mama! Mama! Up, mama! Gavin is here! Release Gavin!" Unfortunately his strength was unable to defeat the few adult maids who held both of his arms. He was taken to his bedroom with a servant accompanying him, and then sat on the bed. Gavin played his fingers agitatedly with his head bowed.

"Carrie, mama's gonna be okay, isn't she?" gavin asked in a soft voice, instead sounding like a whisper. The servant who stood next to him was as strong as possible holding back his cries and kneeling in front of Gavin, then holding both hands of the young master. His head slightly looked up in order to be able to gaze at the little greenish blue netra of Gavin.

"Let's pray for the best, huh? Hopefully the madam is fine and can play with the young master again" Carrie replied as she tightened her hand. He had to completely hold back his tears because he did not want to make bad assumptions in Gavin.

Both of his legs were stopped in front of his mother's bedroom. He could see all the servants covering his face with trembling bodies, some were hugging each other. And on the floor near the bed, her mother's body was covered by a white blanket that was supposed to be on the bed by the family's personal doctor.

...Her mother saw herself growing up and becoming a great pianist in the future.

Unable to hold back his cries, Gavin immediately let out all his grief with a very loud puff, shocking everyone in the room. Gavin squatted himself and hid his face between his legs and stomach. Her little lips kept calling to her mother, hoping that she would wake up and calm herself down because that was what happened every time she cried. The servants in the room, including Carrie who leaned against the wall by the door crying, could not say or do anything. In the end everyone in the house was shrouded in black fog on the dark night of September 14, 2010.

Gavin's tears returned to flow when remembering an old incident but still painful until this moment. Actually, Gavin's arrival there is not to recall the incident. He always comes there when he feels homesick for his mother and usually tells a lot of things, even though he does not know the mother listens to him or not. Only in this way can Gavin remember the presence of his mother, also this is the only way Gavin can feel comfortable taking out what is in his heart.

Gavin wiped his eyes and gave a gentle smile, not should he show a sad face in front of his mother's grave. He did not want his mother to feel sad when he saw her from the vast meadow.

"Ma, since two weeks ago, Gavin has been living in the country. Finally Gavin can visit as many mama as Gavin wants. Before Gavin it was very difficult to come to this place because he still lives in England and my father would definitely not let me go if no one accompanied me. Gavin also finally knows why mama loves this mama's hometown." After finishing his sentence, Gavin laughed softly and changed his sitting position to two legs that were bent and he hugged until it stuck to his chest.

"The food is really good, fortunately Gavin fits the food here. My favorite foods are meatballs and fried rice. Then for the drink, Gavin was introduced to the colorful sachet, Gavin forgot the name, but the drink was delicious." Gavin began his story while continuing to stare at the stone in front of him.

"The people are also friendly and nice. In my new school, in a day Gavin makes four new, great friends, right? Mama once said, Gavin must find a friend who is willing to help me in every condition and never look at Gavin's background. Gavin found it, ma." Gavin proudly tells his four new friends—which is none other than Arunika, Hera, Maverick, and Floyd— with a happy smile.

"The environment is quite comfortable. Every morning the air is refreshing and very suitable for exercise, so every Saturday and Sunday morning Gavin took time to exercise, such as running or swimming. It's just that, sometimes you have to get stuck in traffic when leaving school and the weather is very hot during the day." Although the last sentence sounds like a complaint, it is not. The man was simply recounting his new experience in a country he had never lived in.

Gavin was finally silent after a long story, but soon he released a hug on the leg and stood up from his seat while slowly hitting his buttocks, cleaning the ground and grass attached.

"It's worth it in the letter that mom asked to be buried here. Gavin understands now." After saying that Gavin raised his head to the sky while closing his eyes. The wind gently swept across her face and grabbed her hair. He took a deep breath and then exhaled it.

"Gavin is grateful that mom is here, the environment is really good. Every morning the mama will be treated to a healthy and clean green meadow with a very soothing breeze. Even mama can see butterflies or birds flying, pretty, right?" gavin said after seeing blue-winged butterflies and sparrows alight in the left and right corners of his mother's tombstone. A smile on that handsome face.

"May you always be happy there, because this freedom is what you have always longed for." Gavin ended his sentence with a soft smile. This fact he realized as time went on.

"Gavin go first, yeah. Gavin will come again sometime" said Gavin. He felt enough for today. He seemed to have spent one and a half to two hours there, looking from the sun which was still timid when he came and now his sun was about to go to the top.

Gavin was preparing to leave the mother's grave, but when he turned to the right side, his eyes caught the figure of someone he knew very well. At first Gavin was not sure because the figure was wearing a hat that made his face not too visible, but on the other hand Gavin felt very familiar with the posture.

Incidentally, after the figure placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone, the figure turned to the left and his eyes instantly caught the existence of Gavin staring at him from earlier. That's when Gavin found out that his guess was right.

"Arun?"

"Gavin?"

...⁕⁕⁕ ...