The Story Behind the Curtain
Admiration And Courage

Their second meeting gave a good impression in their hearts and since then Erli and Rafan have met often. When Rafan was about to say goodbye to Erli, when he saw Xavier meet Erli his steps stopped and heard their conversation.

Rafan did not intend to eavesdrop on their conversation, only that he did not want the young man to be rude to the woman he liked.

“Enough! I don't want to hear your words anymore. Don't you bother taking care of my life and my son's, get out of my sight!” continued Erli with a high tone of voice.

“Oh, yes. You don't need to see me anymore! I'll take care of my life without bothering a loser guy like you,” hard on that girl while leaving Xavier.

“Alright, if that's what you want. Remember well! Until whenever I won't acknowledge the boy as my son, keep it!” xavier said slowly but sharply.

Rafan who was standing not far from them was fixated when he heard Erli and Xavier talk.

So ... She pregnant? And that young man, the father of the child he was carrying? Inner Rafan.

The thirty-two-year-old man was stunned to look at Erli who continued to walk regardless of Xavier's words. Unbeknownst to Erli, Rafan follows his steps until he stops at a quiet corner of the park from visitors, Rafan reaches into his pants pocket reaching for his phone and calls Erli.

Assalamualaikum, greetings Rafan soft.

*Waalaikumsalam, have you arrived at the park*? Erli asked quietly while arranging his sobbing voice.

Hmm, where are you? Rafan asked the question again.

*I. .. I'm still on the road. Waita minute! The taxi I was riding the tires leaked*, Erli said nervously.

Without further ado Rafan hung up his phone, Erli stared repeatedly at his phone screen and the girl buried her face between the folded hands on his bent legs.

“I'm sorry!” erli said softly, again the girl cried contemplating her fate that had been destroyed.

“Why are you lying?” Rafan's question made Erli surprised and at once the girl looked at Rafan who had been standing next to him.

“You?”

“I'm sorry! Not that I meant eavesdropping on your conversation.” Rafan thrusts his handkerchief.

Erli hesitates to take Rafan's brown handkerchief.

“It's okay. After all you have known a piece of my story ten days ago,” said Erli kalem.

The man's hand was about to touch Erli's head, but it just stopped because he felt it was inappropriate for him to do so.

“Marry me! God willing I will take care of you and him,” said Rafan as he stared intensely at the girl sitting next to him.

Erli glanced at Rafan sharply and the girl's eyebrows almost fused together after she frowned.

“Do not mess!” cetus Erli chuckled.

“I'm serious about my words. All this time I never said a lie,” concluded Rafan.

“Already, aah. Come on, let's have lunch at an expensive restaurant. I treat,” invite Erli while presenting his sweetest smile.

Rafan pulls Erli's sleeve and Rafan's glare is able to make Erli freeze.

“Where are your parents' homes, right now I'm going to propose to you.” Rafan's gaze focused onto both of Erli's eyeballs.

Erli who was sitting frozen suddenly slapped a hard slap into Rafan's cheek.

“Don't you think I'm a cheap woman like a woman out there. I am pregnant out of wedlock, but .. I do not want to accept the mercy of others just because of this!” tukas Erli full of anger.

Rafan was speechless at Erli's remark, the thirty-two-year-old man stood up and pulled Erli, all the visitors who saw the incident continued to look at them with curious gazes.

“Detach, don't make things weird!” moaning Erli while hitting Rafan's arm.

“Listen to my words!” added Rafan, “aku Rafan Winasis promise. Will marry this girl standing before me,” cried Rafan shamelessly.

All the visitors were cheering and there was shouting and thunderous applause.

“Receive, Thank!”

“Come, quickly accept!” a few visitors with a loud voice.

Erli looked at everyone who was coiling around him.

“You are indeed insolent!” whisky Erli.

“I'm serious. There is no intention in my heart to insult you,” concluded Rafan slowly.

“Ayo, accept! We wait ...,” cried visitors, not many of them capture this moment with an android phone.

There's no way I'm embarrassing him in public, and again .. they're all recording this. What would happen if I reject this sudden proposal, Erli murmured in his heart.

A little hesitant Erli answered Rafan's proposal.

“Iya, I received your application.” Erli looked around and smiled.

“Alhamdulillah, congratulations Kang!” I screamed at one of the visitors.

“Congratulations to both of you,” other visitors.

After answering Rafan's proposal, Erli took the man away from the center of the park. Feeling already far from the sea of humans Erli flocked Rafan with many questions.

“What do you mean do that? You are aware of your actions?” add Erli, “answer my question! Do not dwell rich lifeless statue,” snapped with bulging eyes.

“I did this because of my heart. You don't need to be this angry, think about your honor and the future of that fetus in your womb!” Rafan's index finger leads to Erli's flat stomach.

Erli was momentarily fixated on hearing Rafan's words and a second later the girl spoke again.

“This is none of your business. And ... I don't want to be pityed!” erli said with great emphasis.

“Maybe it is currently up to the next eight months, you can be this tough. But ... when he is born and raised, will you be able to answer the question, about the whereabouts of his father?” timpal Rafan, “can you resist his disappointment, when he finds out that he was born to the folly of his mother who was consumed by the seduction of a striped man.”

The sky seemed to collapse and lightning seemed to strike when hearing Rafan's words, the punch was right in Erli's heart, unconsciously the circle dripped and Erli quickly blocked his tears.

“Can you live in a slump like this?” ask Rafa slowly.

“Then, what should I do?” Erli looked at Rafan's face.

“Marry me! We make an agreement so that you can live comfortably without fear later when living together with me,” proposed Rafan while showing his ID card to Erli.

“What is this for?”

“Let you be sure that I am not a fraud.” Again Rafan looked closely at Erli.

\*\*\*

“If you think about it again. My husband was crazy at that time,” Erli said.

“What do you mean?”

Erli looked at the figure of the man he had admired all this time.

“K-why are you b-be here?” Netra Erli widened with a stuttering voice she asked.