1. FORCE MARRIAGE

"Where are you going?" asked the middle-aged man, whose hair had turned white, to a handsome young man of thirty who was neatly dressed in a black suit, bow tie and trousers of the same color.

The young man, named Mahardika, stopped his steps as he let out a long sigh, "Yes, what else is there grandfather, other than going to the office. I have to attend an important meeting with some company officials. The meeting will start in an hour."

Mahardika looked at the watch on his left arm. His forehead furrowed slightly as the streets were bound to be very crowded at this hour.

"Sit down, there's something important I want to talk to you about," the seventy-five-year-old man pleaded.

Mahardika nodded slowly. He wanted to refuse. However, he decided against it because it was his grandfather who was asking.

"What exactly did you want to talk to me about?" Now it was Mahardika's turn to ask.

"Cancel the meeting!" said the middle-aged man, without blinking.

"Cancel it, you mean?" Mahardika raised one eyebrow in half surprise.

"Yes, every day you're always busy with work. There's never any time for family and thinking about your future. Don't you want a family?"

The middle-aged man, whose full name was Bambang Wijaya, asked in a serious tone. Leaning his head back, he folded his arms across his chest.

Mahardika let out another long sigh, "I'm not ready to start a family. I still want to grow our family business." Then he got up.

Mahardika had guessed the direction of this conversation and did not want to continue. He buttoned his jacket, about to leave.

"Sit down!" ordered Bambang, sternly.

"Never mind, Grandpa. Don't continue this conversation. Mahardika is not in the mood to discuss anything about marriage." His breathing was long and heavy.

Instantly, the smile faded from his handsome face. Her mood turned sour now.

"But, you have to get married, Dika. You're already thirty years old. How long will you be alone, while your father and mother want to hold grandchildren. Grandpa, too, wants to see you taken care of," Bambang Wijaya said, his voice shaking slightly.

Again, Mahardika exhaled heavily. "Didn't grandfather once say that a soul mate will come by itself. So, why should Dika look for it, if it can come by itself?"

Bambang Wijaya tapped his forehead. He couldn't understand the mindset of his favorite grandson. Mahardika was indeed good at business, very successful, but the way he interpreted his parents' words was very bad.

"It's up to you, but grandfather wants you to cancel your entire agenda today!" said Bambang Wijaya inviolably.

"The reason?" Mahardika questioned his grandfather's wishes.

"Because we're all going to go propose."

"Applying? What company do you want us to apply to again? We already have many companies in several cities. Oil palm plantations and coal mines," Mahardika replied innocently.

Bambang Wijaya tapped his forehead again while shaking his head. He eroded the distance. Now his position with Mahardika is less than or meters away. Overwhelmed by his grandson's innocence, Bambang Wijaya flicked Mahardika's forehead.

"Ouch grandpa, it hurts," Mahardika complained spontaneously while rubbing his forehead.

"To propose, not to propose. I mean proposing to a girl." The middle-aged man clenched his teeth in amusement and annoyance at the same time.

Mahardika paused for a moment. His grandfather's last sentence needed to be examined for a longer time.

"You're an adult, Dika. You should be married. In the past, your father got married at the age of 25, while you were thirty years old, without a companion. Mom and Dad have both agreed to marry you off to Eka..."

"Eka, Uncle Teguh Saputra's daughter?" said Mahardika quickly, fixing his eyes on the beautiful woman coming from the kitchen.

"I want you to meet Eka today because your marriage is fixed," said the woman familiarly called Mother.

Mahardika didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either. Silent like a stone statue for a while.

***

Balaraja, Tangerang Banten.

Saputra's family residence. A simple family who owns a well-known restaurant in the Balaraja area.

The two-storey house has a large courtyard overgrown with trees and ornamental plants, making anyone who sees it feel calm.

"Welcome to this simple house," said Teguh Saputra welcoming the arrival of the Wijaya family.

"Thank you for your warm welcome, my friend," replied Frans Adi Wijaya, standing right at the door.

"You guys go in first. I have to take a call first. It won't take long. Just five minutes," Mahardika said, in between warm welcomes.

He couldn't ignore this phone call because it involved a big project he was working on.

Bambang Wijaya shook his head. It was always like that. The phone call came at an inopportune time.

After that, the host immediately cleared the special guest to enter.

"Come on, have a seat. I'm sorry it's like this," Teguh said, modestly.

Bambang Wijaya, Frans and Annata sat on the sofa there. Each had a smile on their face. Their arrival was solely to propose to the youngest child of the Saputra family.

Meanwhile, Mahardika, who had not yet entered the room because he had to receive a phone call first, seemed to end his conversation with someone far away.

When he turned around, Mahardika saw a petite girl, wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, walking silently between the mango and guava trees. Her suspicious movements aroused Mahardika's curiosity.

Mahardika's brow furrowed, because he recognized the girl. Her face was familiar, even though he had not seen her for a long time.

"Where is she going? Why does she look like a weasel about to pounce on a local chicken?" Mahardika wondered.

To answer his curiosity, Mahardika ran to follow the girl.

Right in front of the gate, the girl stopped her steps. "Where are the keys." She reached into her blue sling bag.

"What are you doing here?" Mahardika said in surprise.

The petite girl was stunned. Her shoulders twitched slightly. She turned around. The action was already known to someone. Even though she had made sure it was quiet. Today was quite unlucky for her.

"What is Uncle Dika doing here?" the girl asked, innocently.

"What, Uncle? Who do you call Uncle?" Mahardika frowned.