Secret Denis
The Seventy Eight

The twilight wind blew slowly flying the hair over Denis. His gaze was far across the back yard of his mother's house that slapped down there. He was standing on the balcony of his room. He put both his hands on the iron fence that became the barrier in front of him.

Blurry eyes. His breath feels heavy. The burden on him is increasing. I don't know when he'll feel happiness. Problem after problem kept approaching him. Sometimes he thinks he was born unhappy.

Flashbacks

Denis' curiosity about the figure who had replaced him to give the kidney to grandma made him find out for himself that information. He was still waiting in front of the operating room after his grandmother was transferred to intensive care and everyone took him there.

A doctor spoke seriously with the police who were standing guard in front of the room.

Not long after, a gurney came out of the operating room carrying the body of a man lying unconscious. Denis stunned. His eyes did not blink to see who was on top of the gurney.

"Has he donated his kidney to Aryanti's grandmother?" The question he threw at the doctor who accompanied the body. Doctor assented. Denis was fixated on staring at the gurney that was getting farther and it appeared at the end of the hallway there was an ambulance waiting.

Apparently the man will be taken to another hospital. There he will get the care and care that should be because he is an inmate.

Flashback off

Someone suddenly stood beside him. Do the same thing as Denis did. He held his hand up against the barrier and stared as far away as Denis could see. A sigh sounded after a while the two stood side by side.

"Lo must have known who donated his kidney to grandma?" Denis made a sound after a while they just fell silent.

"You know?" The man standing next to her asked. Who else if not Alex.

"Yes." Yeah."

"Who?"

"That guy.."

"That guy?"

"Father.."

"He's your father."

Denis silent. His lips moved slowly. It seemed like he was holding a feeling in his chest.

Alex waits.

Of course he knew from before that Bisma who replaced Denis donated his kidney to grandma. Yunus sir had already told him while he was in the hospital. But he did not want to say it because it was the donor's desire to keep his identity secret. After all, he didn't want to mess up the operation if Denis found out at the time.

Denis knows now. And Alex is waiting for what the girl's reaction is now. Will he be angry?

"Why did that man do it?" Denis growled softly. His dark eyes stared straight ahead. "What's behind all that?" Without looking at Alex.

Alex choked. How could the girl directly accuse him so fiercely.

"I'm sorry." Alex had doubts. "Actually, I met him a few days ago. I told him that you were going to have surgery to donate a kidney to grandma."

"Why did you do that? You have no right to interfere in my life." The girl's eyes flashed a glance at Alex. Then he threw his gaze back. He was very angry with Alex.

"I love you. I'm worried about you. I don't want anything to happen to you after that operation."

"But not by asking the man to replace me. You know I hate that guy. Same with mom and grandma. Nobody likes that guy." His tone slightly raised.

"I didn't ask her to be a donor to Grandma. I just told him that you were going to have an operation. He's papaamu. He deserves to know about you anyway."

"He has no right to me."

"But he cares about you. The proof is he wants to replace you to give his kidney to grandma. He wants to make amends for all his past mistakes."

"There's no way he's thinking that." Denis smiled obliquely.

"He feels very guilty. Trust me, he's so sorry for everything he's done to you. He did that to make amends for you."

Denis shook his head.

"Why did you meet him? You hate him too, right? He's your enemy."

"I really hate him. But he's already got a penalty for everything he's done. Let the legal process go. He also regretted all his actions. That's enough for me."

Denis smiled wryly.

"Cannot be. He won't be that easy to regret his actions."

Denis smiled obliquely. His head shook slowly.

"Why do you care so much about me? You should have stayed away from me." Now the eyes of the two are clashing against each other. With a different highlight. It contains the same wound.

"Never will." Alex deepened his gaze. Convince the girl that she's not messing with her words. "And don't ever ask me to stay away from you."

"Gue doesn't pantes for you." Denis turned his face away, avoiding Alex's gaze.

"Let me decide that."

"Gue.."

Alex pulls the girl's body into his arms. Clutching her tightly and burying Denis' face on her shoulder. His left hand stroked Denis' head gently

"Don't find any reason to stay away from me." His whisper was in the girl's ear.

Denis closed his eyes. Both hands were hanging on his side. His clenched fingers restrained himself from returning the man's embrace. Even though he really wanted to do it.

*****

Tonight Aryanti invites all her family members to come to her house for dinner together. After intensive treatment, he was finally declared cured and allowed to return home with various rules that he had to obey during the recovery period and so on.

He wanted to gather his grandchildren at home as a sign of gratitude as he was already able to get through the operation smoothly.

Aryanti's only two children, Damian and Rania. Damian has two children, a boy and a girl. Rania has a daughter from Bhishma, Denis. And from his marriage to Andres, he was blessed with a boy who is now studying abroad. So that at this dinner his son from Andres could not attend to gather with the extended family Adi Wijaya.

Rania forces Denis to leave despite the girl's apparent reluctance to accompany her mother to Aryanti's house.

After being persuaded many times finally by being forced Denis want to go with his mother. Andres drove the car and Rania sat down beside him gracefully. While Denis, he uses his favorite motorcycle that runs in tandem with Andres' car.

Denis is very striking among other family members. His seemingly unstoppable appearance made him the center of attention of everyone. But he did not care about the strange gazes of the other family members, especially the son of Damian's daughter of course. And Rania too. He didn't mind his son's appearance at all. They ignored all the gazes of the people who were there.

"Thank you mommy for saying to Damian and Rania is also my daughter-in-law who has always supported my mother and kept encouraging me." Aryanti spoke before the dinner began. His voice was slow but resolute showing that his position remained at the top of the family.

"Mother apologized to all of you if mom had something wrong with you all along." Aryanti's eyes stared at every member of her family. For the first time he did this. As a person who is always firm and hard, he almost never apologizes to others. Everyone knows that nature.

Of course Damian and Rania felt a little surprised. But they just silently listened to all the words conveyed by Aryanti.

"To the grandchildren of your grandmother, live your life together. Keep supporting each other. We will not know what will happen in the future. In even the worst of circumstances, the family will always be there to deal with it." Aryanti. Then his eyes turned to Denis.

"Denis, forgive the grandmother who has always been bad to you. Grandma never hated you. Grandma loves you just as much as Grandma loves another granddaughter." His gaze was in nailing Denis' face. Denis was silent with his gaze falling on the table full of food. There were no words spoken from his lips.

The dinner was quiet and solemn. Everyone enjoyed dinner in a slightly awkward state. There is no meaning to fellow family members. Both of Damian's children seem to care less about Denis' presence. And vice versa. There was no intention in the least Denis to greet his two cousins. Although Aryanti has said that they should get along with each other, in reality they are used to moving away from each other.

After dinner, Aryanti entered her room assisted by her nurse. He asked Denis to follow him.

Without much question Denis obeyed his grandmother's orders. He followed the woman into his room.

The woman was sitting at the edge of the bed. The nurse who always kept him out after throwing her smile at Denis.

Denis stood in front of the woman. Waiting for what Aryanti will say to her.

"You know, grandma used to say that grandma never hated you." Aryanti opened her voice after the door of her room closed perfectly. "Grandmothers just never liked the man who ruined your mama's future. Grandma hates him so much."

Denis was still listening to all the old woman's words.

"And now, he has given his kidney to grandma. He said he was very sorry for everything he did in the past. She also doesn't want you to sacrifice yourself for grandma. He doesn't want anything to happen to you and he can't do anything for you. He said, at least once in his life, he wanted to do something to make amends."

Denis's eyes blinked. He escaped his gaze out of Aryanti's room through the large glass window across from where he stood.

"Grandmother cannot refuse her wishes. Grandma needs those kidneys. Grandma also can not force you to give your kidneys to grandma because actually grandma never had the heart to do it. Grandma wouldn't really do that. Grandma just wants to know how far you will sacrifice for grandma. You agree to do it."

The woman seemed to start to sting. Probably because he talks so much that he seems so exhausted.

"That's it. Grandma should take a break." Denis looked at the woman.

"I'm sorry grandma. Whatever Grandma does, don't leave this family again. You're still Grandma's granddaughter, no matter what."

Denis nodded. He painstakingly helped the woman lay her body on the bed. Pull the blanket and cover it on the body of the grandmother.

"Sleep. Don't think too much."

*******