Alvo returns to Althea after nearly two hours on Earth. The first person to greet him there was Basta who looked pensively facing the table inside Althea. Of course not really welcoming him because Basta only saw the cell phone in his hand.
"What are you doing here alone?" Alvo asked with both hands perched in his pockets.
"Me? I'm just looking at my cellphone," said Basta, swiftly entering the business card he was holding earlier.
"You're hiding something?" Alvo asked probingly.
"Nope!" said Basta jokingly.
"Then what was that you put in your trouser pocket?" Alvo asked deliberately teasingly.
Basta looked confused. "Hahaha. I was just kidding. Where are the others?" Alvo asked curiously seeing Althea who was so quiet.
"It seems that they are in their rooms. Except for Juno, of course, I don't know where he is," said Basta.
Soon Orfe entered Althea, bring his favorite trumpet. His intention was to train there but was embarrassed because it turned out that Basta and Alvo were also there.
"I don't think there's anyone here," Orfe said, slightly pouting.
"Why? You want to practice right? Practice," said Alvo encouragingly.
"You know that I'm not that… good," Orfe said unsure.
"Owh come on. We all know you're good at playing it after all, isn't practice meant to make you more skillful. We promise not to say anything," Basta said again, giving sign language locking his mouth.
"Hm, is it true that you won't mock?" Orfe asked.
"Ah come on, Orfe. We can't wait forever," Basta spoke again.
Not so sure, Orfe started playing his trumpet. The music is beautiful and quite perfect. There were indeed a note or two missed but Basta and Alvo were sure it was nothing more than Orfe was too nervous. But because they promised not to say anything they chose to be quiet and enjoy playing Orfe's trumpet. As soon as he finished his music,
"Am I bad?" he asked unsure.
"We promised not to say anything," Basta reminded him.
"Ish you guys. Just say it," said Orfe pleading for an answer.
"The only thing lacking in your music is confidence. You want to be perfect so much that you forget music is about beauty," said Alvo finally.
"Have you spoken to your mother? Isn't your mother very old now and sickly?" Basta asked again and Orfe just shook his head in response.
"Maybe one way for you to find confidence is to talk to her. I'm sure your mother only wants the best for you. I'm also sure if you want to talk about it properly she might accept your decision to be here," Alvo said giving input.
"That's right. Shouldn't you be grateful that among all of us, you're the only one who still has a mother here. And as a child, I'm sure you don't want to regret it in the end, "Basta said.
Orfe's mother was indeed different from the other Xander's Mothers. Orfe's mother was also a demigod because her father was a demigod and her mother a human. He was longer than humans in general but not as long as demigods in general.
Orfe was contemplating. All this time he had indeed come down to Earth, to be more precise in Saudi Arabia. His mother lived there for a hundred years. She no longer has any relatives and lives only at the mercy of her neighbors. Orfe always secretly gave gifts in the form of money or groceries that his mother never knew that it was from him. Orfe sometimes came down just to stare at his mother who was daydreaming and seemed to be waiting for someone at the window of her simple house. After all, the woman was her mother and Orfe loved her very much. How can he make other humans happy but can't make his own mother happy. The thought really bothered him. "I'll definitely meet her someday,"
Orfe's training session ended and Althea was also empty. Orfe decided to use Orion to go to his mother's house right now. He could see the old house again but not with the mother. His desire to get closer became so. Orfe approached slowly and the closer he got the clearer the sound of someone coughing inside. Her mother's voice or actually she always called her Ummi.
Orfe peeked through the window that was there. It looks like his mother is lying weak with a pale face and coughing incessantly. Indeed, rather than mother, the woman's appearance is more suitable to be called grandmother. Wrinkles filled her face and gray hair filled her head. He really wanted to go into the house but he refused when a woman who might be a neighbor came into the room and gave her drinking water and medicine.
"Your condition is getting worse. Why don't you go to the doctor? I can take you there," said the middle-aged woman.
"You know I don't have enough money for that," said Orfe's mother, Yasmin.
"Don't you always keep the money you get from those who give gifts? Can't you use that for yourself?" asked the woman again.
"That's right. I still have it. I need it to buy something," said Grandma Yasmin.
"What else do you need? The only thing you need is treatment now," said the woman, intending to help.
"Why do I seek treatment? You can see that I live alone. It only bothers good neighbors around me like you," said Grandma Yasmin again.
"No, Jidah. No one feels burdened. I love you like my own biological mother. Not like yours biological son who has never visited you once," said the woman again, of course offending Orfe.
"I know and I'm grateful for that. You and the others have helped me a lot. But my son will still be my son and you can't disturb him. It was my fault for making him leave me. This is all purely my fault, "said Grandma Yasmin sadly.
"Yes, it's fine, Jidah. Then take this medicine first. Hopefully you can feel better," said the woman again helping Grandma Yasmin sit down.
In a flash, Grandma Yasmin saw someone outside the window.
"Who is that?" call Granny Yasmin and Orfe immediately switches.
"Who?" the woman tried to peek and make sure conditions were safe.
"It seems my son is coming again," said Grandma Yasmin.
"Huh? Your son?" asked the woman.
"Yes, my son, Orfe. Even though he doesn't want to see me yet but I know he always comes to visit me. Even those gifts, where do you think they came from if not him?" asked Grandma Yasmin.
"So all this time, its from your son?" the woman's words hang.
"Yes, he has been watching me all this time from where he is," grandma Yasmin smiled meaningfully at the dark sky that night.