The Struggle of Women
Episode 9

The girl he had cared for for nineteen years now stood with her head lowered, biting her lips firmly not to explode in the same way. The girl was holding back from saying hurtful words even though her ego wanted that. And the pause was used by Brian who had been silent to clear the situation he had been forced accidentally.

Arini's mother, let me explain. It's really not what you think.

“Sorry for letting Mom down. I'm sorry that Elma can't be the proud child you want her to be. Forgive Elma, Ma'am ... Really Elma apologise for this.” Elma's tears are flowing. His apology is clearly not just a mere talk, he is really sorry for it, because Elma knows how much Mom hopes for him. “But what Elma did all for Mom, because Elma didn't want to lose Mom...”.

The 3x4-meter room is now empty. Everything was silent after both Elma and Brian took turns trying to explain. Mother silently listened, refraining from judging before listening to everything. And his feelings after hearing all those explanations? His heart was broken, so broken that it felt like he could no longer speak.

Mother cried in silence, feeling the most sinful because it had made Elma trapped in a difficult position like this. He regretted blaming Elma at the beginning when he heard this news earlier, because even if there is someone to blame in this case, of course, he was, It was Arini who should bear all the hardships that Elma was going through right now.

“We moved like Mr. Brian said. Not just for the next nine months, but for so on, we will not stay in this place again,” said Mother rose from her seat, covering the sadness that is suffering at this time.

Elma was unable to stop her mother anymore. Mom wants to hear the explanation helped Brian alone he is grateful not to play. So when Mom left and locked herself in the room, Elma just stayed there with Brian who was doing the same thing.

“I'm sorry, El. I made your situation complicated like this, I don't know if you haven't told your mother.”

Both hands of Elma coiled in a warm tea glass made by Mother to relieve nausea earlier—mengore. Her senses were no longer feeling that warmth, but considering that Mother made her even in a chaotic feeling, somehow managed to make her heart feel the warmth of the mother.

“Speedly or later I'll definitely know. In fact, even though I originally intended to hide this from Mother for nine months and leave anyway, Mother will still know,” muttered Elma lowered her face even deeper.

***

The water that just went down Jenny's throat almost came out again because of the words Brian had just said. “Tante Arini, know?”

Brian replied with a nod. “I really don't know that Elma hasn't told her mother, Jen. Really.”

“Salahku also did not tell you that this problem is strange for the Elma family,” ringis Jenny with a look of regret. “Then, how? Is Aunt Arini angry?”

Putting the coffee cup Jenny presented in the woman's study after she sipped, Brian returned the woman's gaze in doubt. “Anged, maybe ... But more on himself.” At the end of his sentence, Brian forced his lips to smile. “And finally they agreed to move from there.”

Jenny exhaled a furious breath. However this has to do with her and somehow Jenny also feels compelled to apologize to Aunt Arini.

“Liam knows about this?” jenny's mind suddenly approached the figure of the man.

Brian's cryptic arm gives, “The man does not want to interfere in the affairs of the mother of his son, which he thinks only for the good of his son to be born. Once Liam looked so curious, but before he went too far of course I stopped.”

“What is your duty as a family lawyer?”

“All would be complicated if this black above white agreement involved the heart, Jen. Moreover, the heart that Liam would not be able to give to Elma. The party that will be most harmed is of course Elma, I just feel like I have to prevent it before all of that happens.”

Long silent, Jenny agreed to it in her heart.

“The apartment was only going to be used during Elma's pregnancy, but once her mother said she would move forever from there, I immediately offered the apartment for them to live in permanently, I don't think Liam would mind either.” Pausing his sentence, Brian shrugged his shoulders. “But neither his mother nor Elma, rejected the proposal outright. They said, they don't want their whereabouts to be known to the Liam family after all this is over.”

“You mean they want to go somewhere after the child was born?” jenny's forehead is wrinkled with worry.

“That was a condition that Bu Arini submitted to accept Liam's offer to stay in one of his apartments during Elma's pregnancy. But after their affair is over, Bu Arini does not want to know or deal with the Tanubrata family anymore.”

And that sentence is like a hammer that has been knocked, with a decision that can not be contested.

***

Jenny said it had something to do with the gestational age and the age of Elma who was too young to conceive, that was why everyone around them was on standby for anything related to Elma.

The early months of Brian even had to be bothered with the affairs of “ngidam” which said Liam must always be obeyed for the sake of his son so as not to buy after birth. Inevitably, whenever and wherever Brian was, when Elma suddenly called him and informed him that she wanted and needed something, Brian was immediately present to fulfill it.

To hell with his agreement with Liam, now Brian clearly regrets all that. The five-fold payoff from his paycheck is definitely not worth it, Brian thought.

“Kan Kakam himself who said that I need anything just contact. I can't possibly ask Mom to find a cake early this morning, pity Mom if you have to go around looking.”

Brian snorted, after a few months of getting to know and almost every day meeting with Elma, the man really already knew the character of the girl. In fact, Brian now really thinks of her like his own sister—iya, a brash sister for actually taking advantage of her brother's kindness.

“You feel sorry for Mom but don't feel sorry for me, do you? So tega. Good thing I was able to find the food you wanted it because of the information from the investigator in my office.”

Elma laughed out loud in front of him. Looks very cheerful, happy. “Only for putu cake use information from all investigators? Overrated.” The girl shook her head. His laughter looks tired because of his enlarged stomach, several times Brian also saw Elma grimacing while rubbing his stomach.

“Don't laugh like that, ah. I fear. You look in pain when you laugh again.”

“That boy where to hear, Bri. Already Aunty said don't keep bothering you she doesn't care.” Arini's mother came from the kitchen, brought her a steaming glass of tea and served it in front of Brian. The man thanked her, before returning to grunt silently towards the woman beside him.

“Lho, Brian himself said that I want something and need anything directly contact him. I just obey what he said really,” slurping Elma does not want to be cornered.

The mother who took a seat on the other sofa narrowed hearing the defense from her daughter. “You always take the same reason when it comes to this,” Mother sneer.

“But I was right..” reply Elma did not want to lose.

“If that's the case, Brian doesn't mind, Auntie, because I said it myself. But Brian just asked Elma to know her time a little, and to appreciate a little what I've been working on. Remember a few days ago I brought the sweet Elma wanted in the morning blind? When I came he said he didn't want it anymore, it really sucks.”

“It is my fault that the baby does not want to?”

“Ya you should have persuaded your baby to keep wanting. Anyway from what I heard, if you're pregnant this big there's no cravings, so you should stop asking for weird ones like me, right? Are you intentionally thinking of me?”

Elma straightened her originally leaning sitting position, laughing sarcastically with her face made to hang in front of Brian. “Oh, oh .. see who's talking? So a self-serving brother? Yes, it is, there is no need to do it. Let this boy wander like his Om's wish. I really don't care because obviously this Om who will be angered by his papa.” Elma raised her cocky chin, making Brian silent but with her anxious gesture.

I laughed at the two men's discussion. Their age is indeed quite far, but their behavior is really like brothers who if fighting no one wants to give up. Seeing him, Mom shook her own head.

“Already, already. Don't fight anymore. We better have breakfast before the soup gets cold. You too, Brian, don't you have to hurry to the office? So let's have breakfast first.”

Only a few months indeed, in just a few months the presence of Brian who filled their time as if isolated behind the magnificent walls of the apartment so colored made. Mother who was originally foreign and many avoid the presence of the man was slowly accepting, until finally they now look like a happy family.

They enjoy, they live it all loosely, because they know, the time they are living is pseudo.

Happiness that at any time can be lost and they must let go once the owner of all that happiness takes it out of their hands whenever the person wants. It all starts and ends with the baby. The baby is still in the womb of Elma, a baby who will be born in just a few weeks. The baby that Elma and her mother loved, but they also had to let go.

📽To be continue🎞