THE FORMER SHADOW
49. Secret

Badrina was still sitting quietly in the living room of the Poppy residence, busy wondering what her tantric intention was to hand over a piece of paper. Badrina's mind raged as she read over and over again the inscription.

Badrina was well acquainted with the contents of the writing that Poppy had handed to her.

The ringing of the cell phone in a small bag interrupts Badrina's mind realm.

Badrina reached into the bag and grabbed her phone. Calls from Arshaka, and Badrina responds to the call.

"Rina, are you done? I was in front of Aunt Poppy's house," Arshaka said straight into the core of the conversation.

Badrina blinked, processing Arshaka's speech. "Huh? You in front? Why?" badrina asked after understanding Arshaka's intentions. The action of Arshaka certainly makes Badrina surprised, because he never told Arshaka would visit Poppy's house.

"Pick you up" said Arshaka with a cheerful face. "If it's done, get out immediately. I parked across from Aunt Poppy's house" he continued.

Badrina immediately turned off the phone connection between them. Badrina thought, Arshaka should not enter the house, because Poppy refused to approve their relationship again. Badrina did not want to cause a commotion if Arshaka had met Poppy.

Badrina immediately picked up her small bag, walking soundlessly towards the main door.

Not until the destination, just walking for a while, Badrina heard a faint sound from the room next to the family room, the door was not closed tightly.

Badrina peeked into the room, looking at the back of a man, who knows. The woman wanted to ascertain who the male guest who entered Poppy's private room was. However, his mind suddenly remembered Arshaka's words if he waited outside.

Badrina undoes the intention to find out who the man is, it could be the handyman who is repairing the room, his inner self.

"How long have you been here?" badrina asked as she put on her seatbelt, as soon as she got in the car, sitting next to Arshaka.

"Ten minutes ago," he answered closely watching Badrina.

"Why look at me like that?" badrina asked wrongly with the gaze in Arshaka.

"You weren't fucked by Poppy, were you?" Arshaka asked the question, sitting sideways at Badrina.

"Shaka, you forgot to mention the word 'tante'," Badrina recalled sliding up her eyeballs. "I'm not okay, what's worrying?" badrina asked again while showing her a fine body.

"She's an aunt to you, not to me" Arshaka said, straightening her body forward.

Badrina let out a sigh, she wanted to reprimand Arshaka for not showing any respect for her tant. However, not wanting to debate, Badrina chose to sit and be quiet.

"Why silence? If you want to be angry, just angry," said Arshaka fishing Badrina.

"You want to pick me up or fight, Shaka. I'll just take a taxi, then" Badrina protested, her hand moving to unlock her seatbelt.

Arshaka hastily restrains Badrina's finger which will press the seat belt button. "I'll pick you up, Mama Cantara. We go home yes," Arshaka responded smiling idly.

Arshaka's vehicle leaves Poppy's house. Only the sound of Yiruma's musical instrument in Arshaka's car was heard. The two were silent with each other's thoughts for some time.

"Have you eaten?" tanya Arshaka started the conversation again.

"Not yet."

"Want dinner with me?" tanya Arshaka turned his head for a moment, hoping Badrina agreed.

"After three months of making up," Badrina quipped with a faint smile. Badrina deliberately moved her head to add to the effect of insinuation.

Arshaka smiled hearing that and rubbed a embarrassed face. "I'm hungry, I need to eat" said Arshaka. The man was still stiff when faced with Badrina.

Arshaka admitted it takes time to make himself more relaxed when dealing with the woman who had been his wife.

They arrived at a Javanese restaurant. The local food menu is appetizing, as well as the musical accompaniment of instruments soft in hearing.

Badrina went in first to order food, while Arshaka was still looking for a place to park. Badrina still remembers what became her ex-husband's favorite menu.

"So what did you talk to Aunt Poppy about?" ask Arshaka as soon as the order is finished put on the table. Arshaka was forced to use the word aunt instead of being ridiculed again by Badrina.

"Not talking about anything" said Badrina lying while pouring rice into a plate and put side dishes and vegetables.

Arshaka observes Badrina's countenance while chewing her food. "What's the need to get there?" ask again. Arshaka feels unsettled because there is a big secret between him and Poppy that is not yet known to the woman in front of him.

"Skewedar. Long time no visit my aunt and childhood home" replied Badrina. There is no exaggerated expression in Arshaka's observation.

The woman seemed to calmly answer all of Arshaka's questions. Arshaka could not unearth the meaning of Badrina's tranquility.

Arshaka suspects that Poppy did not tell the dark story of the past that intertwined between the two of them.

I don't think their dinner is over. There's only a row of conversations on the table about Poppy, not about the continuation of their relationship.

Aware of the secrets that are still stored, Arshaka asked a question. "If one day..yeah, someday...let's say I let you down, are you going to leave me?"

Sontak Badrina who was reaching for her small bag, raised her head to observe Arshaka's look.

"Depending on.. depends on my ability to accept disappointment or not" said Badrina.

Arshaka grabbed Badrina's fingers, grasped them. His thumb moved stroking the back of Mama Cantara's hand. Warmth between the two of them.

Arshaka breathed a deep and long breath. "If tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or the time comes you know something is wrong with me, please don't leave ...." Arshaka's words suddenly stuck in his throat.

"I. I will explain everything to you" Arshaka pleaded.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand" said Badrina, pulling her hand and putting it under the table. There was an unpleasant feeling that lingered in Badrina's heart.

"Later you will understand, until the time comes to promise Rina, you will still survive to prove the truth," said Arshaka impressed diplomatically.

"What exactly do you mean? Why not just tell the story now?" sued Badrina, he was increasingly agitated by the absurd words of Arshaka and also the speech of Poppy in his house earlier.

"The time is not right yet" said Arshaka. "One thing you know, I'm sincere to improve our relationship, not because of anyone's encouragement or anything. I really love you," Arshaka's message honestly with an expression begging to water Arshaka's handsome look.

Badrina was stunned to hear Arshaka's bold words. Badrina touched her warming cheek.

During this time, Arshaka as best as possible to keep the feeling, there is rarely a romantic speech after they decided to knit the relationship that had tangled.

Badrina's mind was filled with curiosity about the sentence after sentence that Arshaka threw. What is it, Badrina asked in her heart.