Marry The Heir
My Lady

KEAN POV:

I never thought I'd get into this house again. Fulfill dinner? Huh no kidding, it's just a classic term to make it sound like we're a family.

Ever since Om Marcel came home, I've been sure to never come. I can imagine what will happen when we get together. All the talk is about the company. Grandfather's possessions, division of inheritance and ended in mutual insinuation failure which seemed to be a reason for each other to drop each other.

It's too petty in my opinion and it's not a circle where I should be.

A few months ago, when I came home from America, I was greeted with a family dinner. All the members of the family were present. My parents, my uncles, papah cousins to the closest people in the papah family were present to celebrate my return. At first glance they look happy, laughing boisterously and throwing jokes to each other until all ended with a tense whistling condition.

Ironic, though, I never felt that it was a welcome dinner for my return but it felt more like a confirmation that Papah had me as a potential successor to the family company he could be proud of more than my cousins.

I was proud not as his son but as a young man who graduated abroad, with a cum laude degree and had pioneered his own business there. But never once did he say that he was proud to have me as his son.

Yes, for him I am only a successor to no less or more company. That's because I can start my own business. If I grew up being a hoodlum, maybe Papah would never ask me to come home, because he never needed me.

Still fresh in memory, when 20 years ago I was forced to go abroad. Right after the fire at Grandpa's house. Mr. Marwan prepared everything. Pack my things, take care of my transfer papers and give me a foreign school.

For some people, I feel like I'm spoiled with wealth. I could attend a prestigious international school at a very high cost of education but to me, I felt like I was thrown out.

Back then, the pain from the burn on my back had not even healed. But Papah insisted on sending me away without giving a reason. He wanted me to be immediately sent to a land of people, without ever asking if I was willing or not to live there.

“Pah, kean don't want to go pah. Kean wants to be the same. Kean please pah.” Just then grimacing with pain I held the end of my papah shirt. But papah with his cold face ignored my whining. He was more concerned with calls on his phone and asked the condition of the company after the tragedy.

You should know, my grandfather died on the day of the tragedy. The sadness of the people is only a few hours, after which all are busy racing to claim that they are entitled to a share of the wealth of the inheritance of grandfather. For that reason papah prepared me as much as possible to be the successor of the Hardjoyo company so that not a little wealth fell into the hands of others.

Huh, that sucks. I don't even have a chance to be noticed and cared about. I cried myself in the room with the infusion hose still stamped on the back of my left hand. There was only a Kinar maam who accompanied and comforted me at that time. With his sad face and with the pity he showed me.

“Bu, I want to be in Papua. I want to be with papah.” I cry with a cry that I can't stand. It feels very crowded when passing through the most frightening experience alone without anyone accompanying.

“Please young master, big master will be back soon. Please hold on a second. After the big master's affair is completed, the big master will accompany the young master.”

But papah never came back. Everything is just a promise that can never be fulfilled by papa. With that promise also Bu Kinar tried to cheer me up. He hugged me tightly, as if I were a little baby in need of protection. But honestly, this is not what I need. It wasn't the Kinar ma'am I expected to be by my side and accompany me.

Until the time I had to go to America, Papah never once met me. All things he represented to Mr. Marwan. We are like strangers. Although living in the same house, it was very difficult to get the attention of Papah who was crazy for work.

And today, I'm back in this house.

If I remember what reason I came, it's all because of Disa's story. He said he didn't care if the food wasn't eaten by me because dinner with the family would be so delicious.

Idiotically. He's too generalized to all the families without knowing what my family is like.

Along the way he tells about how he ate with his grandmother and aunt. Just salted fish and boiled their side dish bamboo shoots, but I could see how Disa told a happy story while eating with her family.

Then, can I get a chance to feel the same way that Disa feels?

It hard.

But maybe just once, I gave the opportunity to fix our previous dinner which always ended in tension and quarrels. I want to enjoy a warm dinner with my family so I can remember that moment for the next few years. My determination is unanimous not to respond to anything that will happen at dinner.

For that, I'm here.

“Wah, finally you came too.” It was Om Marcel who greeted me and shook my hand tightly. Very friendly for him tonight. His facial expression was very different compared to previous times. Usually he always thinks of me as his rival so don't expect him to smile sincerely at me.

I returned Marcel's hand coldly. The alarm in my subconscious had sounded and seemed to remind me that the more base the battery, the greater the surprise that Marcel had prepared for me. Just prepared.

I also saw a smiling papah welcoming me. Beside her, there was the woman who had dressed up as a socialite of the jetset, Liana. There was also a little boy who smiled at me, Shafira. His eyes sparkled when he saw me.

Papah came up to me and grabbed me while patting my back. Be prepared to prepare an answer if papah asks about the news of the company I lead. There was nothing more important to him than knowing the company was improving against his own son.

“Thank you for coming.” His word.

Whahuh? I was quite surprised by the words I heard. Since when can you thank me?

I just nodded, I'm not used to this kind of atmosphere. After letting go of his embrace, papah looked at me with a gaze that I did not recognize his intention. His eyes seemed to sparkle with a line of smiles that curved under his thin whiskers. I don't know how long I haven't seen Papah smile.

“What are you going to dinner now sir?”  mr. Marwan's voice was heard at the right time. Exactly, when we felt an awkward atmosphere instead of feeling the warmth of a family.

“Wait a minute, we're still waiting for someone.” It was Marcel who chimed in and looked at the watch in his hand.

“Who else did you invite?” it seems that Papah did not know the next guest.

“Quiet mas, this is a surprise for the son mas.” His dream was relaxed. He even smiled at me.

I turned to the all-knowing Mr. Marwan for answers. But Mr. Marwan just shook his head, he did not know who the next person would come.

The sound of a car entering the parking lot. At first glance, the car is quite foreign and I have never seen before. The car door opened and then closed again. And before long, it appeared someone was pushing a wheelchair with someone sitting on it.

Wait, I'm trying to identify the woman who wears a veil, sunglasses and a mask that covers most of her face.

“Arini?” lirih papah with a sentence that seems choked.

I turned to the surprised looking papah and looked back at the person in front of me.

For a moment, I was stunned and convinced that what I saw in front of me was really Him.

The woman opened her sunglasses and at that moment my legs felt limp. I recognized a pair of my eyes that were always looking at me warmly. His eyelids that looked stiff even if only to blink, made his tears slip without prisoners.

I'll approach the woman soon. I sat down before him and took his hand.  I looked into her red, wet eyes. I rubbed the corner of her eyes wet with tears. I tried to smile at him, but it was too hard. I finally sniffled and hugged him tightly.

God, this is really him.

We both sobbed, shedding longings that could never be measured. Eliminating the anxiety that has filled my feelings.

Here's woman. The woman I worry about day and night. The woman for whom I have to follow all papah's orders. And the woman I never wanted to leave.

“Mah, kean kangen..” lirihku with tears that slowly broke.

Mamah just nodded while gently rubbing my back. Somehow you can go home, through many obstacles to get here. Out of the many questions I wanted to ask, there was only one question I could ask.

“Are you okay?" I asked with a voice almost stuck.

Really, this feeling of sadness and happiness is the most powerful filling my chest until it feels like my breath is tight and sometimes relieved at the same time.

“I'm fine kean, i'm fine.” is barely audible.

His voice was still the same, still hoarse and almost difficult to let out. I no longer cared for the few pairs of eyes that were staring at us in shock. I just want to be like this. Hugged my mother as long as I could. Without distance and time. Without being tormented by longing and anxiety.

"Well, thank you for coming home safely."

*****

Arini's return surprised everyone, including Liana and Shafira.

Shafira was still standing at the entrance of Liana's room, leaning against the wall. He looked at Liana who had just fallen silent with a difficult expression to describe. Her shock was still not gone and this time it was mixed with fear.

He was nervous about the fingernails he had bitten. His gaze was empty with his mind somewhere.

“Mamih still don't want to explain to me, who is that woman?” shafira asked who could not wait to hear Liana's reply.

He still doesn't understand what's going on in his family. Who was the woman who was suddenly in Kean's arms and made her father speechless. No one introduced the woman to her and no one explained what was happening at the moment.

Despite asking Liana, Liana remained unmoved, as if she had not heard her daughter's question so many times.

“Mom! Answer dong! Who's that?!” gertak Shafira's. He was really upset because Liana was only speechless with a pushy look that shafira could not understand.

Slowly Liana turned her eyes to Shafira. The round eyes with black eyeliner looked glazed and flushed. The complete makeup on her face was not thick enough to cover her face that turned pale.

Her lips trembled, as if it was very difficult to get a single word out of her mouth.

“A-Arini..” The flow is barely audible.

“Whose arini mean mamih?” Shafira approached the mother and sat down with her.

Liana did not answer. He even cried sobbing on Shafira's shoulder.

Shafira was fixated with the growing confusion in her mind. What is it with the people in this house, why is it so difficult to explain the figure of a woman who suddenly came without wind or rain but like bringing a storm of confusion and fear to the fillers of this house.

“Mom, please don't cry first. Who was he first? Why is it that you're crying about him?” Shafira looked at Liana who buried her face on her right shoulder.

Liana simply shook her head and her cries grew louder. Whether this is sadness or anger or something, Shafira does not understand it.

“Mom!!” shafira exclaimed, but Liana's cries became even more.

Shafira grunted in annoyance. So many questions he wanted to ask but in the end he let Liana finish her crying. It seemed that at this moment he could not give any answer that Shafira wanted to hear.

What is it with this family?

*****