Secret Denis
Twenty-four

"You?"

The man widened his gaze to look at Denis face. Half could not believe he was looking at the person standing before him right now. He turned around and shouted to his wife.

"Mac'e! Mak! Here look who's coming!" The man immediately got out of the door and invited Denis to come in. His old hand held Denis' shoulder longingly and rubbed him there.

"Let's go in. Is this really you? Oh gosh. Just get more handsome." Denis chuckled at the old man's chattering. A woman of Mijan's age came crashing in from the inside.

"Who is pak'e?" tanya with narrowed eyes pay attention to the guest who is with her husband.

"Well guess who this is? You must not know him, right?" Mr. Mijan even teased his wife. The woman got closer and then suffocated in shock and moved when she realized who was now in front of her.

"Is God really you, son?" Ms. Darmini hugged Denis' body with her shaking hands. A happy cry came out of his eyes. He looked up at Denis's face far above him. Reaching out with his wrinkled hands. Denis lowered his face, allowing the hand to hold both cheeks.

"You're getting higher. I'm so hard." Ms. Darmini kissed Denis face, expressing her longing for the child she had been caring for since infancy.

Denis again chuckles to get such treatment from his foster mother. Alex who had just noticed, smiled and saw the scene in front of him. There was another feeling when looking at the other side in Denis' life. Seeing scene after scene in front of his eyes, he could slightly know one by one the secrets hidden by Denis.

"Let's sit. This was not asked to sit down what?" Ms. Darmini pulled Denis' hand which she hadn't let go since. Taking Denis in his simple living room seat. He sat next to Denis as if he did not want to be away from his foster child.

"Who is this?" Ms. Darmini only realized Alex's presence after everyone sat down.

"Direct me, ma'am. This is my friend, Alex."

Alex greeted Mr. Mijan and Ms. Darmini alternately. He smiled and nodded his head politely.

"When from Jakarta?" Ask Darmini's mom while continuing to stroke Denis' back.

"Not from Jakarta, ma'am. It's a long story."

"Woala. The long story mak'e. Tomorrow's the story, now let Nak Denis rest first. He must be tired all day long on the street." Mr. Mijan interrupted his wife's chat who seemed very enthusiastic and did not want to let Denis go. "Have you eaten yet? Prepare the food first mak'e. They must be hungry."

"Not sir. We'll just take a break." Denis also feels reluctant if you have to make the host hassles because of his arrival. Moreover, it's been too late.

"It has. Sit quietly here. I prepare food first. Father's right. You must be hungry. I want to make your favorite fried rice." Ms. Darmini got up from her seat and went into the kitchen without waiting for Denis approval. Mr. Mijan immediately got up and asked Denis to go into a room.

"Let's rest here. Let your friend sleep in the next room." Mr. Mijan showed me another room to occupy Alex.

"Don't bother sir. Let me just sleep in one room with Denis." Alex said when Mr. Mijan showed him the room. Mr Mijan's reaction was unexpected. The man looked shocked and turned towards Denis who was grimacing and scratching his nape.

"What's? You guys...?"

"That's..He just doesn't want to bother you, sir. Whose room is this, sir? Anwar where aren't there?" Denis immediately switched the conversation. What he asked was the eldest son of Mr. Mijan who used to accompany him if he was in this house.

"He's married. I already have two kids. Now living in his wife's village. Been a long time. Come back here sometimes." Mijan explained. They sat back in the living room seat after showing the room for their guests to rest.

"If the Mother is Asih?" That's Mijan's second son. He's four years older than Denis.

"He's also married. Her husband is still here. He lives not far from here. Tomorrow I'll tell him you're coming. He must be happy."

Ms. Darmini came to interrupt. He told me the fried rice was ready. They moved to the dining room.

"Let's eat first. This is straight to rest. You must be tired."

"Mothers eat all together."

"We ate earlier."

With deft bu Darmini serving his guests. It seems that he is very happy with Denis' arrival.

Denis smiled at his foster mother who seemed very happy to meet him. He felt the same happiness as the woman.

"I'm happy to see my mom and dad in good health." Denis said in between.

"Alhamdulillah. You are also happy to be given the same age of God and can meet you. Thank you for remembering me." Mr. Mijan smiled looking at Denis. Ms. Darmini nodded in agreement with her husband's words.

Alex is just an observer. He was able to sense a different aura from the Denis he had only known for about a month. There was no sharp and cold look from those eyes. There is only a radiance of happiness and sincere feelings. Alex saw that this time.

After eating, Denis cleans up and gets a change of clothes from Darmini's mom. And so is Alex.

"I'm sorry, nduk. The clothes of Anwar. Tomorrow I buy a new one for you." the woman seemed to feel very reluctant because she could not provide decent clothes for her former employer's children. They sat on the bedside in the room Mr. Mijan provided for Denis to rest. Alex was in the next room.

"No papa ma'am. It's more than enough." The woman looked at Denis with teary eyes.

"You've changed, haven't you? I'm so happy to see you like this." Ms. Darmini rubbed Denis' shoulder gently. He was so moved to see the personality Denis showed now. It was very different when she was working at her parents' house.

"Oh my goodness, ma'am. I forgot." Denis gasped when he remembered something.

"What?"

******

A warm morning. Mr. Mijan is already in his backyard. Spreading fish feed into the middle of the pond which is immediately welcomed by various fish chips. The sound of chickens in the cage on the west side of the pond sounded very boisterous asking for the breakfast ration.

Ms. Darmini was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast more than usual because there were special guests in her house. His movements are still nimble even though no one helped him signify he is still very fit at his old age.

Denis just came out of the bathroom near the kitchen. She rubbed her wet hair with a towel. Alex, who was waiting for his turn, went into the bathroom. He had to wait in line because this house only had one bathroom.

"What kind of mom?" Denis approached Ms. Darmini. His body felt fresh after bathing in the right place. From a few days back he felt he could not bathe properly due to the limitations of the place when he was in the Darman cottage. Now she is grateful to be able to return to the bathroom, even though it is very simple.

"I'm sorry, I can't entertain you. Can't be as fancy as you used to be in the house of Mr and Madam."

"Mom don't talk like that. I'm here so I've been really smart."

Mr. Mijan went inside the house along with Alex's exit from the bathroom. Alex looked so fresh with his wet hair. The smell of soap came out of his body as he approached Denis.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Ask Mr. Mijan while looking at the dining table that is already full of food.

"It has. Let's have breakfast first." Ms. Darmini put the plate in front of Denis and Alex. She gave up one plate for her husband.

"Assalamualaik." Someone said hello from the back door. A little boy ran in and hit Bu Darmini's leg.

"Dennis!" The woman screamed happily while hunting for Denis.

"The Asih Tomb." Denis got up from his seat to greet the newly arrived woman. Asih hugged Denis and patted his back.

"Geez, like my dream. Is this really you? I guess it's getting more handsome." Asih examined Denis' body from the tip of the foot to the tip of the hair. Denis chuckled followed by Mr. Mijan and Ms. Darmini.

"You're real, there's nothing." Ms. Darmini rebuked her daughter by widening her eyes. "Already, don't bother. Denis wants breakfast first. You want to have breakfast?"

"Neither mak'e. I ate the same thing as Trisno." Smile as. "Come Denis. Don't be disturbed."

Asih nodded her head towards Alex who was smiling at him. He sat at the table, even though he did not eat.

"Ijal has eaten yet? Let's eat together mbah uti." Ms. Darmini offered her granddaughter something to eat. But the little boy shook his head while looking at Denis and Alex timidly. He took refuge behind his mother's body.

"Do you know who Denis' son is here from? You tell me, huh?" Ask Darmini's mom while spooning rice to Denis' plate.

"There's no Mak'e. Suddenly I wanted to come here. This is Ijal from last night want to meet Mbah kakung. Early in the morning we got here."

"Oh, so. Mak'e was going to tell sir'e to ngabarin you if there are far away guests." Ms. Darmini filled the rice into her own plate after serving everyone.

"How are the ladies and gentlemen in Jakarta?" Ask Mr. Mijan after they start eating his food. Denis did not answer immediately. He ate it and drank the water in front of him.

"I don't know how they are." Answer slowly.

"Pak 'e. Then ask questions. Let Denis spend it eating." Ms. Darmini admonished her husband. She could see that Denis was reluctant to answer her husband's questions.

"No papa ma'am." Denis glanced at Mr. Mijan.

"Over time we don't see them." Mr. Mijan paused for a moment his bribe. Denis looked at him for a moment. It's like looking at the past. When he was working at the Denis house.

Denis continued eating regardless of Mr. Mijan's gaze. They ate breakfast in silence. After everyone finished their breakfast, they moved to the backyard. There is a set of rattan chairs on the back facing a fairly large fish pond. There's a little sack over that fish pond.

They chose to sit in a rattan chair with a special snack of the village at his desk.

"If Alex is this, where's the friend? You think you guys.."

"Friends on the street, sir." Denis immediately cut off Mr. Mijan's remarks. "It's a long story..." Denis starts telling her story and Alex. About his journey from saving Alex from the ravine to being bullied by the men who hunt Alex. Everything Denis told me without anyone missing until how they got home Mr. Mijan.

Denis also told of an attempted robbery by the car driver and his friend who took him last night.

"So that car that drove you last night, they want to rob you?" Mr. Mijan looked very surprised. "But last night it seemed like they were kind of like you?"

Mr. Mijan remembers last night Denis almost forgot the two people waiting for them outside the house. They'd probably have stayed in front of the house if Denis hadn't told them to leave.

Denis then recounts his and Alex's resistance to the men.

"You are indeed, from a small child like to fight. It's great gini, it turns out there is a benefit yes." Mr. Mijan laughed in memory of Denis's very brave and unruly childhood.

"She's been fighting since she was a kid, sir?" Ask Alex in amazement. His eyes were staring at Denis. The one being stared at can only grimace.

"Got very often. The boys are all scared of him. Haha.." Mr. Mijan is back. "The children here are also familiar. Early here, the enemy is many. The kids here don't like it. The little Denis, arrogant, haughty, unopposed, likes to rattle people. But he has a lot of money. So yeah.all kids on the manut."

Alex laughed at Mijan's words. He could imagine how little Denis was as Mijan described him.

"Pak'e.if you don't use the brakes. That's Denis' son to shame so much, his secret is known to his new friend." Ms. Darmini opened her eyes when she heard her husband's words. He just joined after tidying the dining table in conjunction with washing dishes, assisted by Asih his son.

Denis just kept his lips thinned. In his heart he confirmed everything that Mr. Mijan had said. He used to be arrogant with Mr. Mijan and Ms. Darmini. But the two men were always patient in their attitude. And he felt the loss of both men after Mr. Mijan and Ms. Darmini decided to stop working.

Since then he has become more uncontrollable. He rarely went home. Wild racing and nightlife became his daily companion. Of course with his friends who are mostly men. No one always reprimands him with affection. There are only slurs and degrading words coming out of the mouths of those who should be his patrons.

"Oyes, sir. Can we stay here for a few days? We need a place to calm down for a while." Denis looked at Mijan expectantly. Diverting his gaze to Bu Darmini with the same look in his eyes.

"Son Denis. How long will Denis want, you will gladly accept Denis son. This house is Denis's, too. You are very happy if you can help Denis" said Mr. Mijan in a soft voice.

"Son Denis and son Alex can count on you. Whatever you need, just say it don't hesitate." he added.

"Thank you very much, sir." Almost simultaneously Denis and Alex expressed their gratitude. They stared at each other after saying that.

"Oyes, sir. We want to find our needs. We're going to town for a second." Denis switched the subject.

"Go away. Just use the motorbike." Said mr. Mijan. Then he turned to his wife to give Denis the keys. Ms. Darmini moved in to retrieve the motor key stored in her room.

"You guys be careful on the road. Don't be too long, go home." Said Darmini when handed over the motor key to Denis.

"Yes ma'am."

"The street knows, right?"

"Know mom. Noon seems, if my night is wrong. It hasn't been here in a long time, pangling everything." Denis said.

Mr. Mijan pulled out a matic motor from a small room next to his house. Two helmets he gave up for Denis and Alex to wear. Both of them immediately put on the safety device and immediately passed from Mr. Mijan's house after saying goodbye to him.

Denis rode a motorcycle with him who knows the streets there even though last night they were taken stray by two terminal thugs. Alex piggybacking behind him reminds Denis as he escorts Alex to meet the villain in exchange for Sisil.

Suddenly he remembered the beautiful girl. How's he doing now? What happened to the bang Theo family? Are they okay?

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*****