Wagering
Baskara and Father Figure

Unlike Fabian who would only find emptiness every time he returned home, Baskara was perhaps a little bit more fortunate as there was still Sera who would welcome his return with open arms.

Even though the woman also often greeted him with different scolding every day, Baskara still felt lucky because at least he knew someone was waiting for his return.

But, in fact, the presence of Sera alone still feels not enough for Baskara. He did not lie, especially lately, he began to miss the figure of his father who had been since the last six years had suddenly withdrawn.

Jeffrey, his father suddenly started not coming home. At first it was just not home a day, then it increased to two days, until now Jeffrey even only came home occasionally in a few months.

As a boy, Baskara of course felt limp because of the figure of the father who had been a role model so far had suddenly withdrawn without a definite cause.

Until now, Baskara had no idea what kind of trouble was going on between her father and mother. Because his mother never wanted to open her voice, and his father certainly could not be spoken to because to meet only, it took months.

Their families used to be happy. Both of his parents seem to love each other, and thanks to that love, Baskara also felt that he was so loved with all his heart.

Until now, Baskara still felt blind. He did not manage to fumble what was wrong from the relationship of his parents, until now they were so far away.

And what makes Baskara not understand is, why is he also involved in the matter? But he doesn't know anything. Even though his father can still talk to him, even though the relationship with his mother is not as good as before.

Six years passed, and Baskara was still left confused alone.

Baskara got up from her lying position on the mattress, inched towards the nightstand and opened the bottom drawer, only to find a worn-out piece of photo.

The photo he took, he brought it forward and stared at for quite a long time.

It was a photograph showing portraits of her, her father and her mother. Set in the Prambanan temple, where he is seen a herd in the sling of the father, while the mother is seen embracing the arms of her father with affection.

Both parents smiled sweetly at the camera, while Baskara, who was two years old, looked cool with small toy cars in his hands.

"When we were this happy first" he murmured. The surface of the photo with a terrible feeling.

Then his gaze fell on his father's protret and Baskara decided to drown in the man's intoxicating smile.

In Baskara's eyes, Jeffrey was a cool male figure. Where Baskara, then only eleven years old, once said to himself that when he grew up, he wanted to grow into a man like his father.

The speech he still held until many years later, even until the age of eighteen, when he graduated high school and the man did not show his nose in his graduation even though, he did not show his nose, Baskara was still reluctant to retract what had already come out of her mouth.

Until the age of nineteen greeted, and Baskara began to realize that Jeffrey had completely turned into an alien figure, Baskara decided to withdraw.

He never said he wanted to grow up to be a man like Jeffrey. For the man had left a deep wound for himself. The wounds that always make him wonder where the mistake he has made so that his father decided to stay away from him.

...****************...

In the middle, Baskara woke up because his throat felt dry and hoarse.

At first he wanted to let it go because he was honestly sleepy and too lazy to go down to the kitchen. Especially because he knew that all the lights must have been turned off and he was not at all as smart as to press the switch button.

But as the dry feeling in his throat grew worse and almost caused a burning sensation, Baskara finally gave up. He jumped down from the bed and rushed out of the room.

Baskara clucked violently, but he continued his steps and decided to press only one switch located on the dividing wall between the living room and the kitchen.

However, when the lamp was successfully lit and the light began to glow illuminating the kitchen, Baskara's steps immediately stopped.

Because he found a figure that shouldn't be there. Especially this late.

Indeed, Baskara misses that figure so much, that it almost feels crazy. But Baskara is convinced that he is not really crazy to get to the stage of hallucinating the presence of the figure now.

Thus, Baskara could loudly tell himself that he was not currently hallucinating. That the figure sitting on one of the dining table chairs and looking at him with a pair of eagle eyes was not just an illusion.

It's Jeffery. Obviously Jeffrey, his father who hasn't been home for nearly six months.

"Pa," he said slowly. Very slowly, because even though he had tried to convince himself that Jeffrey's figure was real, there was still a small part of him who thought this was just a dream.

"Why is that there?" he asked again, when his leg managed to tread four steps away from where Jeffrey was sitting.

Jeffrey did not reply, as if to assert that his presence was not real, and that Baskara had gone mad from imagining himself.

"Mom knows Papa's coming home?" Baskara still did not give up. Even though he found only silence because Jeffrey still insisted on silencing his mouth.

"Pa"

"Well, why haven't you slept?"

The voice .. Baskara's chest shook violently just by hearing it. A voice that had not been heard for a long time was talking directly to him. The voice that used to always flowed melodiously in his ears, airing praises for what he managed to do.

After a long time, the voice could be heard again. Even though the sound doesn't sound the same. No more warmth from there. There is no hospitality, there is only a cold impression that feels piercing to the bone.

"Abang's thirsty, Pa. Wanna drink." Baskara said, painstakingly withstanding the clear fog that suddenly appeared to cover his eyes so as not to decay into tear-filled eyes.

Then, what Jeffrey did next had succeeded in making Baskara's defense collapse just like that.

When Jeffrey got up from his seat, walked up to the fridge and took a bottle of mineral water from there and walked up to him and held out the mineral water to him, Baskara let his tears fall.

"Finished drinking, go straight to the room and sleep." Jeffrey said, before breezing away just like that, leaving Baskara who immediately sat limp on the floor.

Baskara was crying, it just happened. Forgetting his image as the most feared gang member at the University of Neosantara, and returning to his initial suit as a whiny, spoiled mama's son.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey's steps stopped at the eighth step. He held his breath, trying to hold back the tightness that was creeping through his chest by clenching his hands tightly.

The sound of sobbing that escaped Baskara's lips was like a sharp dagger that unsheathed his heart countless times, leaving him dying and nearing death.

Then, so that he did not really die horribly in front of his son, Jeffrey continued his steps, trying to find only a few parts that could still be repaired.

Seriate