Love, Maybe
Chapter 16's
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Papa put the book he held on the table beside the family room sofa. He looked towards Mama with an unhappy expression clearly imprinted on his face.
“Where did they go?!” asked Papa half-shouting while massaging his temples. This is Saturday, the day he should be able to enjoy his weekend by relaxing while reading his favorite political-themed tome. But his weekend activities had to be interrupted by a married couple who came to his residence while carrying their baby, and left without taking him back with them.
“Yeah, don't scream like that. Remember, here is Aiden!” the protest of Mama sitting next to Papa with Aiden was on her lap.
Papa sniffed in annoyance. “But what did the two boys do? Where they go and leave their children here. Is this a daycare?”
“Already, Pa. They must also be tired because they are constantly busy working. They also need a day to rest and enjoy alone. Mama missed Aiden.” Mama aligned Aiden's chubby cheeks with her youthful face. Papa glanced towards the two of them and again snorted.
“He's not even a grandson–”
“Papa!” Mama immediately interrupted Papa's words and reminded her husband. “Do not talk like that again. Jane would have been very sad to hear Papa's words just now. Papa must remember, it was Aiden who made Jane change and finally obeyed our desire for her to marry.”
“Iya, forgive Papa,” Papa said finally. No one would shut Papa up if not Mama. Papa picked up his thick book and stopped talking about Aiden.
“But according to Papa, it's not just this baby that makes Jane change. That young man, he also made Jane very change.” Said Papa while flipping through the pages of the book in his hand.
“Iya true. Felix is a good young man,” said Mama with a smile considering how Felix asked Mama for permission to leave Aiden here.
“Since yesterday I saw Jane was not excited. The plan is today I want to take Jane for a walk. But I realized, if bringing Aiden, our focus would be on Aiden. So, if Mama doesn't mind, I'd like to leave Aiden here. Until five in the afternoon.”
Mama's daydreams are crumbling as Aiden's tiny hands tug at the necklace she wears. “Why Aiden? You're hungry, huh?” Aiden responded with a cheerful laugh as if understanding his grandmother's words.
“Then Grandma made food for you first huh. You were here with Grandpa, okay?” Mama put Aiden on the baby high chair that was placed by Felix before going near the table next to Papa.
After Mama left, Papa and Aiden were filled with silence. Papa is busy at his reading while Aiden is busy wiggling toys at his high chair desk. Feeling bored, Papa closes his book and grabs the remote in front of him. Papa turned on the television and changed the channel to a football broadcast. The sound of a boisterous ball match with the sound of a loud trumpet rang out from the flaming television.
Suddenly, Aiden's voice laughed cheerfully. Papa turned his attention to Aiden who was next to him and began to observe the tiny baby. Every time the trumpet went off on television, Aiden would laugh cheerfully. So jolly, his legs also kicked. Over time there was a sense of pleasure in Papa when he heard Aiden's funny laughter.
“You like balls?” tanya Papa, who Aiden responded by shaking his hands with a big laugh, made a big smile on the middle-aged man's face.
Felix parked his car in a parking lot in a mall in South Jakarta. Jane sitting next to him glanced out the window hesitantly, then he turned to Felix who was still silent behind the wheel.
“Felix, are you sure it's okay?” ask Jane to worry.
Felix glanced at Jane and smiled. “Take it easy. You heard yourself earlier Mama said it was okay to keep Aiden.”
“But to Papa–”
“Already, you don't worry. Don't think about it. The important thing is that now we get half a day without Aiden, we have to enjoy it while we can. Come on, we have to hurry in if we don't want to run out of cinema tickets,” Felix said as he rushed out and walked around the car to open the door for Jane just as the girl was done unbuckling her seatbelt. Felix stretched out his hand towards Jane, who was met by Jane awkwardly.
‘Come, Jane. It's just because you're not used to it. Not because you can't, but because you never try,’ inner Jane. He already intends and solidifies his heart to get used to things like this.
Jane welcomes Felix's hand, letting her tiny hand sink into Felix's, letting Felix take over his role as a husband who leads Jane on their date today.
Yup, their one hundred-day wedding celebration not only ended with a chocolate cake sable and one kiss that Felix gave her. They also decided to go on a date this Saturday to celebrate. Felix and Jane also took advantage of this moment as a relief after five days of the week spent working, and had to take care of Aiden at all times as well. They even left Aiden at Jane's parents' house for a date today.
Since it was a weekend, the movie theaters looked very crowded and they also ran out of tickets to the movie they wanted to watch. Because they also have to come back at five in the afternoon, as Felix promised Mama, so they are unlikely to take in another hour. They had to choose the only film that still has two slots available at that hour.
Unfortunately, Jane looks unhappy because the so-called only film is a horror genre. To be honest Jane prefers watching melodrama genre films than horror. Because one, he was a coward, and the second he was easily surprised. And the horror genre presents a sweet combination of two new things called that. Jane could've refused, but she wouldn't let Felix down. However, this can be said to be their first date after becoming husband and wife.
They had already entered the cinema and were already sitting neatly in their respective seats. Jane did not know until when she had to hold back her fear, even her legs were vibrating just by looking at the footage of the next film that averaged horror genre. And sure enough, when the new five-minute film was playing, Jane was already unable to cover up her fear and reflexively covered her face on Felix's shoulders. Blame the figure of the woman in a white dress showing her nose in the first minutes, successfully making Jane can no longer enjoy the film. Unknowingly Jane gripped Felix's shirt sleeve tightly as the accompanying film backsound grew louder.
Felix smiled and let his wife lean on him. Even now Felix's arm turns to the back of Jane's body and embraces her.
A few minutes have passed. Jane knows that the ghost is no longer there, but she is unmoved, the position feels very comfortable for her, and she wants to linger enjoying it.
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