The After The Rain
Little Sister

Since being left alone with Mom, Sekala has become more silent than ever. During the first few minutes, she just sat on the chair while repeatedly turning her gaze in the other direction, feeling awkward because Mom was constantly staring at her with a smile that never faded.

"Dik" call Seruni.

I had to look at my mother again. The smile that the woman was sharing was now like an oasis that saved her from drought. He liked the smile, although on several occasions, it reminded him of the guilt he had many times more.

"When have you grown this big?" Seruni brought his body closer. His thin hands stretched out, touched Sekala's face and then gently rubbed his son's cheeks.

"When it feels like just yesterday you cry because Mas Saga does not want to share toys," Seruni's view laughed. Back to remember again scene after scene from the past, where Sekala was still a snot boy who was often fussy looking for the mother. Where his first son, Saga, did not really understand that the child brought by their father on a dark and rainy night was his sister, Saga, thought that the child was just a poor child who had no place to live.

Betrayed by loved ones is of course sick. Serunis are not hypocrites. She often cussed on Graha, her husband, for having made a child born into the world without her knowledge.

However, the twinkle of innocence that emanated from the two eyeballs of Sekala as the boy was timid to accept his helping hand that night as if to melt all his hatred towards Graha.

Seruni just thought, what if Sagara who is in the position of Sekala? Wouldn't he be so miserable, for a son born with a bet on life should be abandoned, and grow up feeling lonely?

After all, Seruni knew that Sekala was not wrong. No child can choose to be born from whose womb, and with what family conditions. So when Sekala only had Graha as a parent after her mother died at that time, Seruni would be willing to accept her to be treated like her own child.

"Mas Saga's still stubborn, bro. You clearly know what your stubborn mas looks like," this time, Seruni's hand turned tightly to hold Sekala's cold hand. "But, you are also the one who knows best that actually Mas Saga loves you. Right?"

He nodded even though his movements seemed hesitant.

"Go home, yuk, brother. We live three more like before," Seruni still has not given up on persuading Sekala to return home.

However, he forgets that Sekala is exactly the same as Sagara in terms of stubbornness. The boy shook his head without much thought.

"The Sekala place is not there" said Sekala. The hand of Seruni holding her hand was released slowly. However, he did not intend to keep away the hand that had taken good care of him, but rather to turn him around using both hands.

"Who said that? My Saga?"

He shook his head slowly, forcing a smile.

"From the beginning, the house was not the place of Sekala, Mom. I shouldn't have taken Sekala there that night,"

"Bel,"

"Never run away again" he interrupted, without diminishing his respect for his mother.

"Sekala ... will often come home to see Mom. But if you go back there, you can't, Mom."

"Why?" Seruni looked sad. His hope of bringing his little boy back home was dashed when he saw the confidence from the look in Sekala's eyes.

In contrast to the chaotic Seruni, Sekala smiled thinly.

"Because Sekala has made a plan, to add another family member in the house that is now Sekala luni."

...****************...

In front of the nursery, Kinara and Saga sat side by side. It might have been almost half an hour, yet both of them were still equally reluctant to open their voices.

When Kinara did not know what to do and just busied himself by sliding the screen of his phone to the right and left many times, Sagara several times glanced at the girl, seems intent on opening his mouth but always ended not so because of doubt still keep coming.

"He ... my little brother," said Sagara suddenly, after exhaling a long breath and re-enforcing his back.

Finally, he managed to open his voice. Although now he was forced to throw his gaze far ahead, on the passing of the medical team who were doing their respective work. He was not sure he could look at Kinara, so avoiding the girl's gaze was the best way for him to keep talking.

Kinara draws his attention from the phone, then devotes it to Sagara completely.

"I don't know how far along you and Sekala are, or what kind of relationship you have. But, seeing as you can come here with him, I think he has already told you everything."

Kinara's ears were well prepared, to catch whatever Sagara said, without the slightest intention of interrupting.

"The last two years, he ran away from home, decided to stay alone after we had a big fight and I brought up about him not being Mom's real son."

Kinara was able to catch the grin that rose on Sagara's face. The man lowered his gaze for a moment, to re-establish his head staring at the void in front of him.

"And I'm sorry," I'm Sagara. Only after the expression of regret came out did Sagara want to look at him.

"I failed to be a good brother to her, so she decided to go and enjoy the pain alone. In fact, from a long time ago, he was the one who always advanced the front to be a shield so that me and Mom were not hurt. He ..." as if he could no longer continue his words, Sagara gave a long pause.

"He sacrificed a lot of things for me and Mom, without anyone else knowing." Sagara continued after hoarding a lot of oxygen in his lungs because his chest suddenly felt tight.

"So now, the boy should be happy." Sagara said again. Then, his gaze felt deeper and washed away.

So far, Kinara is still a listener. Because he knows the comments that will come out of his mouth could even hold Sagara from his intention to talk more.

"I just want to say to you, please take care of him, don't hurt him. Because Sekala was originally a crybaby. He cried a lot, but it was too prestige to cry in front of others." As Sagara said that, Kinara could see the sincerity that radiated from the look in the man's eyes. Something he did not find yesterday when the man visited Sekala and threw a fist into his handsome face.

From there, Kinara finally finds out that Sagara and Sekala are actually just separate invisible bulkheads, which if both can knock down the bulkhead, is, then the status of the other siblings of the mother they care about can be forgotten. Because, Kinara clearly saw that the two of them actually loved each other, in their own way.

"I hope you can be home for Sekala to go home. A house that could give him a sense of security, which he never fully got when he was with me and Mom." That's what Sagara said, then the man got up from his seat and hurt both hands.

Sagara did not leave immediately, and instead stayed in front of Kinara while looking at the girl fixedly.

"When you're a good boy, you won't regret knowing him." Then, Sagara moved after anchoring a soft pat on Kinara's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Kinara was still busy digesting Sagara's previous words. About being home to Sekala. Because to be honest, he himself did not know how.

Seriate