The Story Behind the Curtain
Rafan's search

While Rafan was in the parking lot, Galang called out to him from a distance. Immediately Rafan turned his gaze to the source of the voice.

"Where are you going?" ask Galang.

"You go to Aldy's house."

"Did you go there?" Again he asked a question.

"Teaching him!" rafan exclaimed with tightened jaws.

Galang frowns at the words of his brother.

"Lo still holds a grudge against Aldy? Never mind Fan, forget your past!" said Galang advising his sister.

"Gue wants a lot of my wife's whereabouts," said Rafan who now drives his car out of the hospital area.

Galang increasingly does not understand the meaning of Rafan's words.

"Aldy's the one who took Erli away?" Galang asked take installing a seat belt.

"Maybe" said Rafan.

Galang sighed, "Oh my goodness, if there is no evidence yet don't take action. Investigate first, if it's true that he just beat us up!"

"But I'm sure he did. Rania said that Aldy seliweran's car continues in front of the house for the last few days," explained Rafan kalem.

Galang saw his two brothers' hands clenched.

"Lo don't make mistakes that will lead to big problems."

Rafan glanced at Galang last glance, he refocused driving his car.

A few minutes passed, now they reached the village of Tegal Mutu— where Aldy lived. The two men got out of the car and knocked on Aldi's door.

"Assalamualaikum," said Rafan and Galang simultaneously.

From inside there, a middle-aged lung woman answered their greetings and rushed her to open the door. When he looked at Rafan and Galang's stepfather, Aldy's mother was shocked and her face simply vanished.

"W-What are you guys doing here?" the woman asked without shifting from the doorway.

"We came here to see Aldy, Tan!" rafan said without further ado.

"My son is sick and now he is being treated at Pelita Bunda hospital" the woman said.

Galang and Rafan threw gazes, of course the two burly men were shocked. Because Rania saw Aldy's car always pacing in front of their house.

"If I may know, what accident happened to Aldy?" hurriedly, Galang asked.

Aldy's mother was silent and her tears just soaked. The middle-aged woman recounted the events that happened to her dear child, after listening to Aldy. Rafan and Galang say goodbye.

"There is something strange about all this," Galang said, calling Rania.

"Lo really is Mas."

After several times Galang called finally the girl received her brother's phone call.

"What's up, Mom?" ketus Rania on the other end of the phone.

"Astagfirullah, say hello first!" sulk Galang while glancing at Rafan.

"Ehm, Assalamualaikum Mas Galang ugly who is pretentious .. satisfied!" hiss Rania over there.

"Ha-ha-ha, haven't you checked yet?" asked Galang in his laughter.

Galang listened to his sister's babble carefully, so understanding Galang ended his phone call with Rania.

Rafan raised both eyebrows, as if asking a question.

"He's really in a coma. And that means it's not Aldy who took Erli away" Galang said with a small nod.

...***...

Erli glanced at the old man. Then, back to see two people wearing health workers clothes.

"My son doesn't know about this" he said as he walked closer to the window.

That means ..he's Xavier's father, Erli's inner being interrupted by his shock.

A few seconds later he asked a question.

"If it's true that he doesn't know about this, then what is the purpose of you bringing me to this place?"

"I want you to marry Xavier, my son. Leave the poor man who married you!" Safwan's remarks infuriated Erli, but he held back his anger in order to know Xavier and Safwan's true purpose.

"Why now?" Sontak Safwan turned his head.

"Do you agree with my plan?" Safwan asked with narrowed eyes.

"Of course not" Erli replied with a cynical smile.

"Why not that time? A time where I really needed the responsibility of Xavier, as a father! It's been almost a year since you dumped this poor girl." Erli ventured to stare at Safwan's expressionless face.

"When you meet .. you both force me to divorce a perfect husband like Rafan" he said, shaking his waist.

Erli sees clearly that Safwan is very angry, but Xavier's father restrains his emotions. Wh-wh-what for? Erli is also not sure, which is clear he can feel there is a secret that urges them to ask him to part with Rafan. The man who sacrificed himself to keep the good name of the Erli family.

"What's your perfect husband?" Glanced sharply, "Aren't you happy to see your son living with his biological father?" safwan said with clenched jaws.

Erli smiled cynically at Safwan's words, "Happy .. biological father? Hmm, your son doesn't deserve to be called father!" Erli sat himself on the edge of the bed.

"Your son of a bitch, it's not worth mentioning father! And the man who is currently my husband is so perfect, better than your loser son!" scorn Erli without fear.

"So what you say!" snapped Safwan, the old man's emotions could no longer be held back.

"This person in front of you .. is not an indiscriminate person." The nurse denounced Erli's words.

"Ha-ha-ha .. Even if you don't explain, I already know exactly who this man is." Surveyed Safwan from head to toe.

"You really don't have attitude!" screamed at Safwan's personal nurse and the aftermath of the nurse's thunderous noise made baby E wake up from his deep sleep.

Rushing Erli approached the child alone puppet and Erli's right hand stroked the body of baby E.

"Cup ... cup ... cup .. Mother's child," said Erli calming the little angel who was only 3 days old.

"What did I say wrong about your son? But ... Where is my fault? Tell me my mistake, sir!" pinta Erli with one eyebrow raised.

"Aah .. I know! it was my fault to know that son of a bitch!" His glaring net looked at Safwan's face which continued to tighten when he heard his son was insulted all out by the woman his son loved.

"What makes you hate my son? He's changed and trying to get into a relationship with you again." Safwan's words were again denounced by Erli who was already burning with emotional fire.

"At any time I won't be willing to accept a jerk like your son!" he said grumbling, "one more thing, my son has nothing to do with you all. I've cut off any relationship with Xavier, after he reneged on his promise to me."

Erli pulled his hand out of the incubator, then looked at Safwan's slightly calm face again, but the old man's jaw was still tightening.

"You better not waste your energy on something like this. You better find her the perfect wife, in terms of looks and the possessions she has. Don't expect me, poor man!" murmur Erli with a more suppressed tone of voice.

Safwan was no longer speechless, he felt that when arguing with Erli and besides the old man did not like to talk so much. Falling upside down with his only child, Xavier prefers to interact with his friends as well as people he just met.

As he stepped closer to the door Safwan turned to look at Erli with the look of his own eyes which made Erli feel a little guilty. However, he did not want to feel any more humiliation from the Xavier family.

"If my son had not experienced this, he might have ...." Safwan hangs his words that make Erli curious, but he is not so dizzy with the words that come out of Xavier's father's mouth.

***

Minutes change and minutes change hours. The days just passed, it did not feel Erli had been there for two days. His heart and mind are never calm, he always thinks about the situation of Rafan and his other family.

They must be very worried about us. Mommy's gonna try to get you out of here, son. Inner Erli who is now breastfeeding her child.

"Nriv ...." A very familiar voice in his ears.

This voice ... There's no way it's him! looks in the heart.

"Liana!" The voice was as clear as it could be in Erli's eardrum.

His eyes were looking for the person who had called him.

"Who ...?" erli asked as he stood looking in every corner of his room.