"Dady, what is this?" A small spoiled voice sounded soft, making anyone who heard it want to turn to the origin of the sound. Whoever turned to the owner of that voice, his eyes would focus on a chubby-faced figure with gray irises.
"That's a pony, the kind of horse that's less than two meters tall. it's about as high as my waist!" replied the father who was holding the little girl. Now they were sitting under a tree on the edge of the cliff, they were waiting for the sun to set.
"Oooo" the little girl's mouth rounded as she nodded in understanding.
In the midst of their jokes came a voice from behind them. In the midst of their jokes came a voice from behind them. A beautiful woman who is the wife of a man who has a little girl on his lap, she is also the mother of that little girl. The woman gave instructions.
"Honey, let's bring dad here and help mommy prepare the food!".
"Mommy..." the little girl shouted as she ran with a sullen face while hugging her mother's legs. The child's head stroked loving, then the mother asked about what made her only child's frown.
"Why baby?".
"dady mom... Dad said, Mom this morning fried Aletta Frog!. Dad lied, didn't Mom?" the little girl finally cried while hugging her mother's legs who were carrying a food basket.
"Honey, please bring this!" said the wife handed the food basket to her husband while rolling her eyes in annoyance. The husband even chuckled amused at their daughter's spoiled and innocent behavior. After that the woman turned to her daughter, then took the little girl and said.
"Of course not honey, there's no way mommy cooks Keke" persuade the woman to make the little girl stop sulking.
They walked together towards the carpet where they sat under a shady tree. "Mommy, when Keke grows up, does it have to be releasing back into the river?" asked the little girl in her mother's arms.
The mother poked the little girl's nose, then she said "of course, after the Keke is released, we will find a new Keke!" cried the woman excited.
Keke is a kind of wild frog that the little girl keeps. since the frog is the size of a pencil tail, until it is large enough, then Keke will be releasing back into its habitat. the little girl will look for a new keke with her father and mother in the village. The little girl's father owned a lot of land in the countryside, which cultivated by local farmers. so it was not difficult for them to find new frogs for the little girl to raise.
"Does that mean we're going to the village often?" asked the little girl excited in her mother's arms. A mother sat the little girl on a soft brown carpet. Now the little family looks very happy.
***
"Mom, from now on Letta doesn't want to keep frogs anymore. Because Letta's friend said, frogs can't be kept in the swimming pool, there are lots of germs!" the little girl told her mother when they arrived inside the family Villa.
The father who heard the little girl's words chuckled, he approached, "Then why are we going to the village?" asked the father, grabbing his daughter and then holding her.
The little girl laughed when her father picked her up, she gave her father a peck on the cheek and said. "Catch the frog" replied the little girl cheerfully.
"You said you didn't want to keep frogs," said the mother, placing the drink on the table. They sat on the sofa, with the little girl between her mother and father. Then the little girl answered her mother's words.
"I said that I don't want to raise frogs, it's not that I don't want to catch frogs!" she answered confidently. Then the little girl said again. "I like to catch frogs, there are no rice fields around the house." the little girl persuaded the mother to do as she wished, catching frogs in the fields.
"Of course baby!" replied the mother stroking the head of the princess gently.
on the other hand the father said "Of course, there is no rice field, what is clear is that you live in an apartment." whispered the father, he provoked his daughter to tantrum. Then they would joke until they finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
"Daddy!" shouted the little girl who jumped into her father's arms and they started joking non-stop. Until Aletta fell asleep from exhaustion.
"Honey, let's move Letta into the room, it's getting late!" the wife rubbed her husband's shoulder gently.
The husband nodded in agreement with his wife. He rose from his position and led the little girl to the room with the pink door. Then the wife followed until they arrived at the room. For a moment, they sat at the end of Aletta's bed, rubbing the top of the head of the only daughter they had cared for so well.
In the room, as they were sitting on the edge of their daughter's bed, the wife said to her husband. "Sorry, I haven't given the best for you. Now I've even added to the burden on our family!" The woman rubbed their daughter's shoulder with a sad look. The husband immediately grabbed his wife's hand, then said. "Enough, dear, you have fought hard, whatever the result, accept it gracefully. Yes?" the husband strengthened his wife who looked so fragile.
"Whatever happens, you have to be fine, you have to _" yet to finish the sentence, the husband interrupted.
"Let's go to sleep, tomorrow Aletta will wake up early in the morning!" said the husband inviting his wife to return to the room.
The wife held her husband's hand, then he said. " Can we sleep here tonight?, don't know when I'll have a chance like this again!" he said slowly. The husband who heard his wife's words immediately denied.
"Do not talk like that!" angry the husband looked at his wife warningly. "Don't talk like you're going to die tomorrow!" the husband warns his wife who begins to talk about the thing he avoids the most. That is death.
The woman smiled, then shook her head. "Of course not, Aletta's age will increase, it's difficult for us to sleep together like this in the future." replied the wife reasoned, dispelling her husband's anger.
Hearing that answer, the husband nodded in understanding. He stretched out his hand and then hugged his wife and daughter. And they sleep together hugging each other.
***
"Dad..." the little girl's voice woke her father who was still fast asleep. While her mother had prepared breakfast for them. When the father woke up, the little girl played and had a small fight with her father like the previous morning. Until at last they arrived at the field.
From the edge of the rice field, the woman sat on the carpet smiling happy. She saw her daughter and husband playing in the mud that she still had the opportunity to witness it in person.
8 years later…
"Mummy Letta got it!" there was a scream from the middle of the rice fields, there was a girl showing off a frog in her hand.
The little girl who used to be has now grown since the last 8 years into a beautiful and charming teenage girl. The girl ran to her mother at a slow pace because she was stuck in the mud.
"Mummy Letta wins!" shouted the girl stopped in front of her mother, she was showing off the frog to the mother.
she smiled at his mother who was sitting in a wheelchair. Her mother's head tilted and stiff to the right due to a stroke. Her mother's head covered by a hat and around her mother's neck was a shawl to keep her warm.
The father followed her, then they talked with enthusiasm. Their conversation stopped when they heard a heavy sigh from a woman who was sitting in a wheelchair. They panic, but they try to calm down. They immediately provide first aid by installing backup oxygen that is carried everywhere.
Since 8 years ago, she mother suffered from brain stem cancer and stopped talking since 2 years ago. The mother's condition is getting worse day by day. She can only answer with a nod or a shake of her head, even now the mother is unable to answer except by blinking her eyes
They brought mother back to the villa. Waiting for the mother's condition to stabilize, they clean themselves in turn. Then some time later, the mother's condition stabilized and they returned to the city. Along the way, Aletta kept crying until they arrived at the hospital.
Not long after they waited in front of the ER, Aksa's parents came. Aletta immediately hugged her grandmother while crying. After a few minutes of crying, Aletta fell asleep from exhaustion. Aksa carefully placed Aletta's head on her thigh, so that the girl could sleep comfortably.
After confirming that Aletta was asleep, the grandmother asked.
"How's Melia?" with a sad face he answered. "It's getting worse... Doctors don't even dare to guarantee more than 10%". He whispered as he gently stroked his daughter's head.
"Aksa, whatever happens to Melia you can't be weak! Remember, you still have a responsibility towards Aletta. Even though she's your adopted child, but you have a big responsibility for her. If you fail, just once, Mama will take Letta and go. It's from you forever! " Threatened his mother.
"No, ma'am, Aksa has nothing but Aletta!" please the person is serious.
"Then there should be no mistakes, because there are no second chances!" Aksa's parents said they didn't want to be denied.
TBC