A large, night-colored SUV pulled up in front of a spacious ironwood house, dropping off a pair of people who seemed perfectly matched in both appearance and body language. The sturdy old building in front of them was surrounded by a heavy guard, reinforcing the notion that an important event was taking place inside."Do we have to come like this?" asked the woman, adjusting the skirt of her evening blue satin dress to cover her ankles. A headpiece of similar material was pinned with a simple silver hoop, adding to the expensive feel of the overall look.She regretted the impression of a family that had to look perfect at all events despite the fact that they were going through a long war of contention that had yet to be resolved. From legal settlements regarding the division of joint property during marriage, to custody matters and the accompanying financing.Iqlima could use the alibi of Darren's infidelity if he still insisted on taking their three children from her side. Not only
"M.J. Abraham...," said the man who made Angga turn to the clapping hands nearby, "this is Angga's surprise, isn't it?"A couple of humans Angga knew greeted him in turn, then Resti joined their small circle. Maureen reflexively followed Angga even though she felt she had never seen the two people before, she was a bit surprised by the title the man had given them as if they had known each other before."Wow, Uncle Erlan and Aunt Iren came too!" Resti offered two glasses of drinks on trays carried by the waiters and was immediately greeted with a look of friendliness.Perhaps confused, or rather observant, Maureen had to take a quick look at each face near her in turn. There was no falseness that came to her from Angga's life, including the family that came. They were even newly reunited."No word on the candidate, here." The woman called Aunt Iren chimed in. Although the knee-length dress she wore was formal with long sleeves and no special accents, she had her own charisma behind th
"Bi?" Iqlima followed the quick steps of the man who was her partner in the engagement party invitation out of the room. "Where are you going?"After watching the dance of the couple hosting the event, Darren felt restless and needed more space than just accompanying the conversation of the colleagues present. Most of them were talking about expanding the distribution market to several developed countries and profits that were not affected by issues.Grandpa seems to have succeeded in building investor confidence until the latest client through the engagement party of the step-cousin, so Darren thought. No wonder he had to come with Iqlima even though the old man knew they were in the process of divorcing.Not only were there many eyes, but there was also still media coverage, albeit in small numbers and private, to witness the denial of the incident in front of Angga's shop earlier.How great! Darren wanted to applaud his grandfather's instant scenario for his grandchildren's lives.
"This is better." Maureen rolled on top of Angga, combing through the man's hair that had been trimmed before the task.Accepting Maureen's deliberate embrace, Angga repositioned himself to lean against the headboard. Angga's thick eyebrows formed a surprised frown, then his fingers also pinched the strands of hair that fell down his forehead. "Really? No wonder they're watching?"At first Angga's frown could bring out laughter between them, then Maureen's expression suddenly turned serious. "Who are they?" she wondered.Angga looked up as if thinking, then glanced at Maureen's whining which seemed contrived. "Yeah ..., colleagues at the hospital," Angga replied while nodding slowly, deliberately teasing his lover who then moved to the side."Do it again!" Feigning ignorance, Maureen grabbed her cell phone from the charger on the nightstand and began scrolling through the screen randomly. After the statement she made a few weeks ago, hearing that Angga could be close to the opposite s
"Yes, Grandpa gave me a first class ticket. It's really cool, isn't it?" After going through the check-in section, Maureen dragged her suitcase through the corridor directed by the attendant to be placed on the flight baggage entry rail while continuing her phone call to a friend on the other side. "Never really. I've only ever been on private jets."It wasn't just a different island, but also a different continent. Her friend Serena had already left for another country."I and Angga just let it flow. We don't have to get married quickly." Maureen's steps quickened as she looked at the white gold band-like watch around her left wrist. Her departure time was just around the corner. She needed time to relax her waist for a moment."Are you sure he can stay with you so far away?" Serena's question had been a long consideration for Maureen to maintain a relationship with Angga until it needed to be discussed.Angga's time-consuming profession sometimes made Maureen doubt if the man was on
"We need to talk, Uncle." Maureen almost pushed the blanket off her legs when Darren nodded.In his opinion, they needed to settle their dangling relationship outside of the judgment of those around them. They had the freedom to decide their future regardless of the stigma attached to Maureen snatching Darren."Yeah, we have to," Darren smiled instantly even though the airline's departure announcement seemed to delay them, "but later. See ya."The man signaled his departure by pointing outside. Of course Maureen clearly knew she had to wait for Darren to meet her. However, the flight--which she had read about via the internet--lasting for over eight hours until arriving at the transit airport further strengthened her curiosity."Shit!"There wasn't the slightest hint of enjoyment in any of the amenities that could divert his curiosity. The airline's signature main course reminded her of eating with Angga even though it was served in small portions. The expensive wine offered by the ca
"Angga is a jerk!" The woman at the edge of the bar counter continued to sip the contents of the glass that had been emptied of ice. She connected to another glass that the barista thrust in front of her in between swearing harshly every time she looked at the extinguished phone screen. "Damn it!"Her name was Maureen Jovita Abraham, a college student who made the most of her empty nights by following the habits of her new friends in a foreign land. And the cell phone's low power added to her frustration with her boyfriend, who had not been forthcoming."Where are you going, motherfucker?!" Her palms pounded on the table, fuming at the loneliness. The drinking partner who had invited her had disappeared into the crowd of music lovers."Rin?" The call came from a voice she hadn't heard in a long time, who else could say her name with the distinctive accent of her home country."You are here?" Maureen tried to lift her head, which was getting heavier from the effects of the drink, to lo
"When are you coming out, anyway?" asked the woman on top of me, who was still riding like a horse controller around the stables at high speed. Her hoarse voice sounded tired, but there was no sign that the rider was about to collapse.I just enjoyed the sensual view from the surface of the bed that I thought was too narrow for the two of us to occupy. While removing the hair from her damp face, while touching the softness of her sweat-soaked skin, I... felt deja vu.Eight years ago, when she did the same thing, when I was completely unaware of her existence. My first moment with her could not be replaced by any other woman."Uncle ...." She moans, lowering the speed of her hip shaking as she bends over. Ah, those warm lips teasing the dark circles on my chest. The slight bite there became very stinging in my head.I recognized her amazing stamina despite being under the influence of alcohol. Maureen repeatedly achieved release, felt from how hers clamped down on me, oozing warmth tha
An impromptu visit that I didn't expect, it turns out Angga told me our wedding date so Matthew and Ben came, of course with their spouses. Maybe they're on vacation?Then the arrival of Darren who followed alone with a line of food service workers was enough to confirm that they intended to hold a small party without the host's permission.I only saw him after changing into a looser floral overalls that allowed me to breathe. The dress was too tight although it still didn't cover my pregnancy at all."You weren't invited, but you came." The satire I said wasn't funny at all, but they still laughed when I returned to the center of the conversation with a bottle of champagne ready to open."Ow! How cruel, Sister." Matthew snatched the fun out of my hands and quipped back, "Alcohol is not for pregnant women.""Damn it!" I cursed in annoyance, only to be met with an instantly infectious laugh.Angga had just followed me to where I was standing. He handed me a glass of avocado juice and a
"Maureen!" I faintly heard Angga calling my name, then it was replaced by the echo of air bubbles in my ears.I thought I could die here or wake up somewhere else. In fact, when I gave up, a stream of water replaced the blast of air on my face.I was still very much conscious, just afraid to open my eyes and face reality. The chill of the early spring air washed over my already wet skin along with the pressure behind my shoulders and behind my knees. It was warm on the right side, but instinct demanded that I find a grip.Angga, who I first saw, was also wet. His slender neck becomes the target of my trembling grip. This time, I'm afraid of being dropped.From this vantage point, his parted lips along with the angular movement of his firm jaw create a charisma of their own. Could Angga possibly hide the cruelest side of a warrior like him?Fool. I should have remembered that everyone has a dark side, a poison from their own life experiences. They only need to choose; oppress or be opp
Maureen demanded an explanation, before we had even had a chance to change?She and I had just arrived in our room, barely stripped to the surface of the fabric that covered the entire bed. Dusty, full of sawdust and mustiness. We should have taken down all the protective covering before attempting to use the room.Yes, almost.Just being alone with her could heat up the temperature around us. It felt like breaking free from all the coverings and letting instinct take over.Then, Maureen's question threw everything off. "So..., did you make a deal with Grandpa?"I was still in front of her, on top of her body while supporting myself using the elbows perched on either side of Maureen, avoiding the pressure on her stomach. Our lower waists were already attached as our legs slipped over each other.Argh! She messed up the appetizer.The look of rejection forced me to roll over to Maureen's left side, following her to gaze at the room's ceiling covered with sheets of bright albasia wood. T
Deciding to get married was not on my life list at all, especially under the age of thirty. What's happening now?Just a few months ago I turned twenty-five and within minutes had signed the marriage certificate. Everything I've been through has been beyond expectations, pregnant and married?Still in my simple wedding dress-just a white lace-covered overalls that didn't hide the size of my belly at all, I noticed Angga's figure when dressed officially like now. A clean-cut face and freshly cut hair refresh Angga's look with a black suit overlaying the white suit inside.Even though it was only a few days ago that I saw his face full of bruises, the main reason I made the choice and said yes, so that he wouldn't have to do such menial work anymore.What was I thinking at the time?"Not like this again!" I shifted the conversation from Angga's request to the cause of the bruises on his face, again he said about marriage.Des he really want to tie me up in a commitment? So what, I can't
I was almost desperate as I repeatedly checked my phone screen, waiting to hear from Maureen's friends about her whereabouts in the last two days. Maureen was unreachable, her phone dead.I don't know how many cans of beer I've consumed since returning home from last night's brutal game. I could have killed someone out of disappointment with myself. I felt like a failure.The phone screen lit up, but it wasn't someone I wanted to call. Maureen's sugardaddy was listed there. I deliberately gave him a name like that, so he'd think twice when he needed help. I still couldn't make peace with the past between them.Just glancing at the message display outside, without opening the messaging app, it was clear that each word indicated the address. No pleasantries or greetings.That's funny. He asked me to come there?A few minutes after putting the empty cans into the trash bag, an incoming call echoing the voice of a prominent rapper distracted me. Darren seemed genuinely intent on asking me
"Aren't you in college or doing something?" Uncle Darren was already babbling this early. Even the sky outside the window when he drew the curtains wasn't fully lit yet even though the alarm clock on the nightstand read seven o'clock. "Really, Rin, I'm confused to see you just lying in your room these days."A few days? I've only had a mattress this soft for two days. The sheets were soft and didn't rub against my skin. This time I can somewhat agree with Angga's previous insinuation about our ... well, lifestyle.The only choice is for me to give in and try to lower my standards, or for him to raise his income. Fix, yeah, I don't want to get married yet.In the last month of living together, I can't keep giving in to the future that Angga offers even though everything can be distracted with sex or Netflix and ignore everything.But, how to talk about it? Our fights would only continue to end with unification. I hated that."Why did you wake me up, Uncle?" I squirmed and kicked off th
"Uncle ...." I moan, feeling the ludicrous touch that traverses the skin. It descends from the arrangement of bones that make up my shoulders, collarbone, and then cupping the wedge of the neck divider of the body-wrapping overalls.From where he stood, Uncle Darren must have clearly seen the puffs that were getting denser as a result of his actions. I reflexively tilted my head to the right side, letting his warm breath caress the recesses of my neck without being covered by hair."You're always delicious, Rin." Uncle Darren's whisper sounds lulling behind my earlobe. The mint-scented exhale and woody-herb traces were replaced by the wetness of a taste bud that was beginning to venture out.Some seconds were fun to savor, but the next, what I was doing was more like an escape to get recognized. It felt like being a traitor.The corners of my lips twitched, realizing Uncle Darren wasn't doing anything more than that. Even though I liked the way he treated me, I still couldn't deny tha
"Move on, Is." Angga was seen patting the woman's cheek. What is her name? Isma? I could hear Angga talking casually through the barrier like that. "Anyway, stop following me."I was close enough to hear their conversation. It was just a stack of boxes at the turn of the foyer facing the exit of the supermarket.At first I thought Angga was still asleep because all my voice messages and calls had gone unanswered. Well, I should have sent a short message about going shopping before going home and asked Angga to ignore my request.Turns out he was in this place and met a 'flower snake' like that Isma. She really used to be a campus slut, right?Angga just told me about his habit of fighting in the arena just to buy time with Isma in the past. No wonder Angga didn't complain about getting a woman like her to support him.Well, I guess any man in Indonesia would always think of ways to get a virgin, but he chose the hardest way by capitalizing on feelings. Including me.Are there still peo
"Raka!" Isma waved from where she was pushing the shopping trolley towards me.Even though this monthly shopping business is usually the part of Maureen who understands best, but this morning when I woke up, there was already a note stuck to the refrigerator door. Correction, noon. I even got home early in the morning after last night's battle."Please, you do the shopping," accompanied by a heartfelt emot, a very long shopping list with special notes, and her black card. Including an incoming message on my phone explaining why Maureen was in such a hurry. Company research."Shopping too?" asked Isma after aligning the trolley she was pushing with mine. She even took the note I was holding and nodded, as if she understood.Why did we have to meet here, anyway? I'm even more uncomfortable with Isma around."Feeling better?" She still asked after returning the shopping list along with a few things taken from the shelves in the left row to my cart."When was the fight?" I arranged each i