Chapter 36 - Stay

Without Ayu and Firman there is someone staring at them not far from their current position. A beautiful smile engraved on his handsome face. Entering the age of 46 years does not fade his charm. 

Galih Surya Atmadja was about to leave the tomb area because not far from the graves of Gunawan and Galuh there was the tomb of Angga Prasetya Wardana.

Galih looked up at the sky sadly this afternoon, he could clearly see the figure of his adopted sister who he missed so much.

"Luh, look I haven't done anything to bring our children closer, but the universe has given its blessing," Galih's eyes filled with tears without asking the master first. After looking sadly at Galih's sky, he quickly moved from where he was now.

He had to leave before the three of them realized his whereabouts.  Galih arrives at Angga's grave confused because he misses his son, but Firman's presence with Ayu makes the old man's day no longer dim.

Arriving at the house, he immediately hugged Kinanti tightly, showering the woman who had given him two children with many passionate kisses. Kinanti was made to wonder what was behind Galih's action.

Was the project a success? How much will he get? Who knows. 

"Dad, what are you doing?" asked Kinanti while pushing her husband's chest so as to create distance between them. The smile that was painted on Galih's lips succeeded in making Kinanti shudder in horror. 

Hopefully the man who has been with her for 27 years of marriage is still in her right mind without the slightest flaw.

"You know—"

"Assalamualaikum," a string of greetings from Zaskia, managed to interrupt Grandpa's words.

Seeing the arrival of the granddaughter, Kinanti suddenly forgot about Galih.

Seeing Ayu's behavior, she couldn't hold back her laughter. Ayu thought that her father was negotiating with Mama Kinanti to ask for her rights, unfortunately the 24-year-old woman's guess was wrong.

"Where is this grandma's favorite granddaughter from, anyway?" asked Kinanti as she invited Zaskia to sit on one of the living room sofas.

Unlike Ayu, Firman and Galih, who are still loyal, are standing tall.

"From the grave, Grandma," answered Zaskia.

Only Kinanti was confused by the answer that came out of Zaskia's mouth.

"Whose grave?" the look in Kinanti's eyes she brought to her daughter to demand an explanation.

"Grave, Mom! I was from  Gunawan and Galuh graves." Hearing Ayu's words, Kinanti's eyes were now in front of Galih.

Galih is not an idiot who doesn't understand the demands of his wife's gaze.

"Man, you have dinner here huh, Boy," instead of answering  Kinanti's question, she changed the topic of conversation.

Firman looked at Ayu asking for the woman's approval. How strange, right? Galih already gave the code clearly, Firman actually asked Ayu back.

"It's up to you, Honey!" Kinanti was increasingly made to stare in disbelief. Since when and what is the background of Ayu speaking with a graceful tone to Firman.

The change in Ayu's style of speech only happened to Firman, while to Akbar he was still impressed with his forehead.

The relationship between mother and child is one that does not deserve to be doubted. The inner contact between the two began when the child was still in the womb. Kinanti can clearly catch her daughter's strange behavior in Firman.

However, the middle-aged woman didn't want to rush into concluding something.

"I'll just go back, Dad, Mom," said Firman after glancing at the clock on his wrist.

Firman approached Galih and Kinanti and grabbed the back of their hands for him to kiss the goodbye sign.

Don't forget, Firman also placed a kiss on Zaskia's forehead. The interaction between father and son did not escape Kinanti's sense of sight for a second.

Suspicion and curiosity were so great that it burned his soul. Ayu said goodbye to her parents to take Firman home.

Don't forget Zaskia also accompanied her father to the door of the terrace of the house.

Now there are only Kinanti and Galih in the living room, Mama Kinanti wants an explanation from her husband but not now. The time after dinner seemed to be a good time to interrogate her husband.

***

Ayu could feel the different atmosphere when they all gathered for dinner. Her parents were so cold to each other. But Ayu chose not to bother, everyone has privacy that we don't go deeper into.

Kinanti left the dining table first and didn't say goodbye at all. Not long after Kinanti's departure,  Galih went to follow his wife. The husband and wife seemed to have forgotten the existence of their only daughter.

Seeing the behavior of her parents, Ayu just shrugged her shoulders as she resumed her dinner activities. 

"Did you guys meet at the tomb?" Hearing that the door to the room was perfectly locked, Kinanti began to question Galih with a question without further ado.

"I saw them at the graves of Galuh and Gunawan, but none of them realized I was there," Galih answered without hiding anything from the woman who had given birth to two children for her.

The answer given by  Galih did not immediately relieve Kinanti's heart.

"Ayu and Firman are getting closer every day," said Kinanti accompanied by a long sigh.

Galih frowned in surprise hearing Kinanti's words, shouldn't friendship relations really have to be close? How to make friends without intimacy? Galih's brain suddenly stiffened because of his wife's question.

Mama Kinanti explained that Ayu's closeness to Firman, the intimate one, was only limited to friendship. 

Beyond friendship? It was Papa Galih's wish for 24 years. Firmans beautiful face really reminded him of the late Angga's death due to Agasa's carelessness.

"Maybe Ayu was created as Firman's broken bone, Mom," persuaded Galih, stroking his wife's back in an up and down motion.

Kinanti's response was beyond Galih's reasoning. Kinanti roughly brushed off her husband's hand.

Now the 46-year-old woman seems to have turned into a wild lion ready to pounce on the prey in front of her.

"They can't be close anymore, let alone get married, Dad." Kinanti rebuked, she even raised her index finger emotionally at Galih.

The man who has been equipped with abundant patience since his marriage just accepts his wife's every action with respect to him. 

Whatever it is, as long as it's not abandoned by Kinanti, she will accept it without further ado. 

"Why?" asked Galih innocently. 

Sometimes Galih's expression, which doesn't seem to show any guilt, makes Kinanti angry.