Merely Winnowing
Pitted Sheep

"Mama, do you realize that one day Mama's mistake will be fatal?"

"Koranora..."

"Mama, what if it turns out that the young mother who left Mba Luna at that time was in trouble and accidentally left Mba Luna in the train car, Ma? What if they've been looking for Mba Luna's whereabouts?"

"Arka, please don't talk like that, son. You're making Mama feel guilty."

"We have to make up for all this, Ma. We have to make up for all our mistakes with Mba Luna."

"What should we do?"

"I probably can't, Ma. But Devano can."

"Devano?"

"Yes" replied Arka, nodding her head.

***

A man walked into an office building with strong footsteps. Highlight his eyes sharply forward as if he wanted to pounce on every person passing by in front of him. No different from before, the figure always ignored the greetings of the people he passed and walked towards his office room.

"Good morning, Mr. Devano."

For two months, the atmosphere of the office was gripping. Devano is not the Devano he once was, all work must be perfect in his eyes. His attitude was so cold towards everyone, including his new secretary. The secretary, whom he used to always make as a gratifier, is now like any other worker who has to work perfectly under his command.

"Good morning, Mr. Devano. There is a man waiting for you inside" said a secretary in front of the room.

"Who?"

"The name is Arka."

"Why did you tell him to come in? So presumptuous!"

"Sorry sir, but he insisted on meeting you."

"If you make a mistake like this again, I'll fire you without a severance!"

"Bright, sir."

"the arka? What's he gonna do here?" muttered Devano while frowning.

Devano then went into his room, and saw Arka who was already sitting on the sofa and smiling at him.

"Good morning, Mr. Devano."

Devano only fell silent as he walked closer towards Arka. "What do you want? Isn't there enough money your brother has brought in to support all of you?"

"Money? What money do you mean Mr Devano?"

"No need to pretend, Arka. Your sister Luna just left me with all my belongings and a lot of money, didn't she?"

"Mr Devano, you can't make it up because Mba Luna isn't that kind of woman! Just so you know, when Mba Luna came home, she even looked so devastated!"

"No way, isn't he happy because he managed to fool me?"

"Happy? Where is Mr Devano happy? You don't make it up! She was so badly hurt that she was hospitalized!"

"Luna's sick?"

"No way, you don't make it up, Arka. Shouldn't he be happy to walk out of my life? Why does he have to be sick?"

"There has never been such a happy look on Mba Luna's face as you might imagine, Mr. Devano! And just so you know, he never brought any stuff from your house! If you don't believe me, you can check out our house right now! You should not speculate too much before investigating the truth about Mba Luna first! Don't you know how innocent Mba Luna is?"

Devano was just pensive to hear the words of Arka. 'Luna didn't do that? Then who did that? Is all this still related to Mama? Have I been played? Oh, my God, this is all my fault. I've turned off all the CCTVs in the whole room, including the living room, the television room, and the, and the balcony because I wasn't comfortable when I had sex with Luna so I couldn't figure out what had really happened that day, Devano said.

"I'm sorry, Arka. Maybe I was too quick to draw conclusions. Now what do you need?"

"I'm sorry I don't want to talk about this with you, Mr. Devano!"

"Arka, I'm sorry. I don't know everything that happened to Luna, maybe we've been pitted against sheep. Please forgive me, is there anything you want to say about Luna?"

Arka then shuts up and tries to control her emotions. The accusations made by Devano, felt so hurtful to him. But, he wanted to temper his anger, all for the sake of Luna.

"Arka, again, please forgive me. Please tell me what you need?"

"It's about Mba Luna. I want you to help me figure out who Mba Luna's birth parents are?"

"So it's true that Luna isn't your older sister?"

"No, this is what you're trying to listen to" Arka replied as she played the voice recording on her phone.

"Geez, poor Luna is your fate" Devano grumbled.

"Well, I'll help you figure out who Luna's real parents are. Arka, can you ask your mother when she boarded the train with Luna's real parents?"

"Well, I'll ask you later. I'll send you a message later."

"Thank you, Arka."

"I'm very pleased, Mr. Devano. I have to get back to work."

"After Arka, didn't I promise you something?"

Arka smiled too. "No need, sir. I don't want anything from you. To be able to help Mba Luna find her biological parents is a joy to me, thanks again. Excuse me," Arka said as she walked out of Devano's room. Leaving Devano still pensive.

He then took his phone and fiddled with it and put it in his ear.

[Hello, please check the CCTV on the date I sent you around the basement did any woman come to the apartment like I sent her picture to you?]

[Okay sir] replied someone at the end of the line. Before long, a message entered Devano's phone.

"So right that morning Mama came to our apartment? So we've been pitted against sheep by Mama?" devano said when he saw the message sent by CCTV officers inside the apartment building.

****

Shakila sat on the sofa in her room. Then open the gallery of his phone and see the photos of his togetherness with Darren. A last photo he liked was a photo of them together before Darren went to Australia. A few hours before Darren left for Australia, they were sitting on the balcony of Shakila's room.

In the photo, Shakila is sitting in Darren's arms. In the other photo, they appear to be sticking their lips to each other.

"Sister Darren, Oma has indeed betrothed me to a man I do not know. But until now I will never accept that match, because my love is only for you, brother. And I'll wait for you, until anytime."

NOTES:

🍒Sorry ye, othor slippage bit Shakila scene in Bed Friend while still ngarep with Darren, because there is a red thread.