THE FORMER SHADOW
15. Up to Surface

Badrina walked hastily with a feeling of worry, after the school party called telling her beloved daughter to cry constantly. No teacher could calm the boy.

He sat crying as he pleased on the sofa, turning his back to everyone in the room. He chose to face the white wall of the teacher's room as his hands twisted the edge of his school skirt.

His surprise for Parama's remarks about his parents made Cantara's heart grieved.

His school uniform is not only wet with tears but a runny nose and sweat. Cantara of course did not accept the words of Parama who said his mother had a fight and now divorced.

Badrina gasped inside the teacher's room, after saying her greetings. Hearing his mother's voice, Cantara ran into Badrina's arms. His cry grew louder and more bitter, the words that came out of Cantara's lips did not sound clear at all.

Badrina also glazed over, she stroked the head of Cantara. "There's Mama here, Canta," he said, and Badrina knelt to equal her height with Cantara.

The woman did not know what was causing her daughter to cry. Despite being so curious, Badrina first calmed her son who looked sad before asking the problems that occurred to the teachers.

Cantara was a little calmer, after getting a hug from Badrina. They moved to sit on the couch, hugging. Not many words from Badrina, just a little stuffing out.

Badrina wanted to ask the teacher, but she was worried that if the chronology was explained, Cantara would cry again when she heard it. Badrina refrained from it.

Not long after Badrina's arrival, Arshaka came with long steps towards the teacher's room. He was contacted by the school.

In school regulations, if there is a problem child then both parents/guardians will be contacted. For who comes to fulfill the vocation becomes a family decision.

Arshaka took up the position to sit on the single bench, "Canta dear." Arshaka stroked his head to the back of Cantara.

The boy did not hear his papa coming because Arshaka went in as soon as he arrived. The teachers who watched began to judge the values of both parents Cantara unlike divorce couples in general.

"Lad...." Cantara moves from Badrina's embrace to Arshaka. Cantara sobbing back.

"Parama says. Papa and Mama Canta quarrel. Canta says no. but Parama says divorced, "he's not so obvious to Arshaka. Cantara who was hugged looked up to see Arshaka who was shocked to hear his daughter's words.

Although Cantara's speech was accompanied by sobs, Badrina understood the trigger of her son to be like this time. "Parama lied, Pa." Cantara asked for information from her father. Arshaka was stunned, unable to answer just looking at Badrina.

Badrina clenched her hands then she came out with bubbling emotions. The woman was looking for Parama among the children at school.

His gaze fell on a bongsor boy who was taken by a woman to the parking lot.

Badrina stepped wide, as she drew Parama's hand to face her, "What did you say to Canta?" that fierce gaze frightened the boy.

"Hey! What the fuck is pulling my son's hand!" The woman who was none other than mama Parama rebuked Badrina. Not accepting that his son was treated harshly.

"He... Gossip mongers, you know your son says something that doesn't suit his age. What do you teach your child?" Badrina's words were full of thorns, fixed on Parama's mother. A frightened Parama hides behind her mother's body.

"What happened?" Mama Parama did not know the problem, even the school did not say anything to her.

"My son, Cantara, doesn't stop crying because of your son's mouth." Show it to Parama. "Fifth-year-olds talk about divorce, who taught the boy? I'm sure his parents were gossipers or television gossips!" Badrina kept attacking Mama Parama.

Mama Parama did not receive labeled gossip, she immediately lunged at Badrina by pulling her front shirt. Badrina managed to dodge and twist Mama Parama's hand. Mama Parama's agonizing voice instantly made the boy scream loudly.

Many people's attention was drawn to the incident. Arshaka broke up before a more severe showdown took place. He left Cantara to a teacher and asked her not to take him out.

Arshaka had expected Badrina's anger to peak, upon hearing her daughter's words. He tried to explain to Cantara before going out to chase Badrina.

Contention from others Badrina experienced as a child. No one defended her at that time, now the woman will not be silent when the incident happened to Cantara.

"Rina, release!" firmly Arshaka, he grimaced to see Badrina as if he wanted to turn off the opponent before him. Parama himself has been secured away by the teacher.

With Arshaka's hard work, Badrina's spin comes off. It's just that, mama Parama became angry, he attacked back Badrina.

Arshaka quickly pulls Badrina from behind to get away, forced to hug his ex-wife from behind. Badrina's legs and hands tried to kick and scratch Parama's mother who was also in the act of loyalty.

Arshaka is completely overwhelmed over the physical strength of his ex-wife who is fueled by anger. Not to mention mama Parama who kept on advancing. Not long after, Mama Parama was detained by two teachers from behind her body. They were taken to distance themselves so as not to have physical fights for longer.

"Take me off!" badrina shouted as she untangled Arshaka's hand in her stomach.

Badrina was released by Arshaka. He flipped his body and sprayed Arshaka with words ketus. "Why don't you let me beat up that girl. He's the one who caused Cantara to cry!"

Arshaka could see flashes of anger mixed with wounds. He felt sorry for Badrina no longer returned to scolding. Arshaka felt that he failed to pay attention to the emotions of his ex-wife all this time. It turns out that small things could make Badrina a criminal.

For Arshaka this kind of problem can be solved in a familial manner. However, he saw no to Badrina.

"We're home!" arshaka's voice sounded resolute but low.

"Don't want to go home with you!" stir Badrina with a strong breath.

Arshaka could not possibly yell at or scold his ex-wife in public, "This time follow me Badrina Aini," Arshaka flashed a deep look at Badrina's bead.

Sighing, Badrina walked towards the teacher's room, "Canta, let's go home, son," Badrina said. He stepped out of the room without greeting the teachers who looked afraid.

Badrina assessed that the teachers viewed the case as a mediocre occurrence. Parama's parents were not called, they waltzed home because the teacher told Parama's parents nothing. While his son had to reap sadness and maybe after this I don't know what will happen to the mental Cantara.

Do the teachers know that they are trying hard to choose the right time to convey their divorce problems to Cantara without anyone's interference?

Are the teachers unable to call Parama's parents and declare their mistakes to the extent that Parama consumes news that is not appropriate for his age, even being a gossip spreader at school?

What kind of parenting patterns are applied in Parama's house? Badrina didn't think about it all.