-CHAPTER. 03-
This morning on a very bright Sunday, I had to squeeze into the train carriage that would take me home to my parents' house in the Bekasi area.
For some reason last night, my mom told me to go home. Usually, I have a schedule to go home every two weeks. Even though the distance from the office to my parents' house isn't too far and it only takes two hours to travel, but my father still told me to stay near the office so as not to get too tired.
Ting!
I opened the chat application for millions of people in this earth, when I felt a vibration from my pocket and found several incoming messages from Reval.
Annoying Reval: Des, have you arrived? I'm in the parking lot.
I smiled when I found a message from him, informing me that him had arrived at the Bekasi Station parking lot.
Deska J: Yes. But still walking on the platform. Wait a minute, okay?
Last night, when I got news from my mom, for some reason I was so happy and immediately contacted him - Reval - about my return. Coincidentally, Reval was also on leave from work and was willing to pick me up at the station, then he planned that we would go first to buy durian ice cream, before I went home.
But at nine in the morning, where would there be a durian ice cream seller who was open? This plan was canceled! In fact, last night I couldn't sleep because I was so happy imagining eating durian ice cream with Reval.
"Hey Dedes, you're getting more beautiful."
That was Reval's first greeting when I just arrived in front of him who was sitting on his Red CBR 150R motorbike.
"What the heck, you keep on sweet-talking me!" I sneered in annoyance. Even so, secretly without his knowledge, I felt very happy to be praised like that, because it had been quite a long time since Reval had sweet-talked me since the four of us were busy working.
"But you like it when I flirt with you, right? Hahaha."
Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I immediately took a sitting position on his motorbike even though he wasn't ready and almost caused the two of us to fall. "Slowly Des, if you fall I'll be the one who hurts too!" Reval's taunts were only answered with my signature innocent chuckle and grin.
"Sorry on purpose! Let's go hunting for durian ice cream!"
Reval didn't respond to my words anymore, but I heard him click his tongue in annoyance. Let me be the one to prank him once in a while, even though I know it was a bit excessive, because we almost fell off the motorbike.
"Des, durian ice cream seller isn't open yet, so what should we do?" I saw that the durian ice cream cart that we usually hung out at in the Prima housing complex wasn't open yet.
"Well, I've been craving durian ice cream." I pursed my lips in annoyance. Well, what else could I do? Should Reval and I go to the seller's house to open it immediately because I really wanted to eat ice? No way.
"Is the one at Fatal still closed?" I asked casually, even though I knew the answer was definitely not open yet.
"I don't know, want to check there?" Reval answered who asked me again and of course I immediately nodded my head enthusiastically in response to his words.
"Sure, who knows it's open. Poor thing, my child will keep drooling." I said jokingly which I didn't expect to get a reply that could make me speechless with a small smile on my face.
"Be patient, son. Daddy will try to make sure that today you and mommy can eat durian ice cream."
***
I lay my body on the bed while looking at the ceiling of the room, reviewing what I did earlier with Reval.
I couldn't hold back a smile anymore, when I remember Reval who just followed my orders to look for a durian ice cream seller until we found one whose shop was open, without arguing or grumbling in annoyance, because I am so very stubborn. Even though We had to go quite a way to be able to enjoy the durian ice cream that I wanted. And luckily we found a durian ice cream seller in Kota Harapan Indah, a place that I had visited three years ago with my co-workers at my old office.
I felt my chest whose heartbeat was still racing faster than usual. This is what I would feel every time I was close to or chatted with Reval. Although I didn't look nervous and awkward when I looked at him, my heartbeat couldn't lie if the feeling of liking him was still there, even growing stronger in there for the past nine years.
Gruyuk~
I, who was feeling hungry, was forced to get up from the bed and walk out of the bedroom. Stepping down the stairs one by one to the ground floor, where my mother who was in the kitchen immediately greeted me.
"My youngest child, was it Refal who took you home?" asked Mom when I had just stepped on the last step. "Yes, Mom. Reval was the one who took me home earlier."
I chose to sit on one of the dining chairs and reached out with one hand to take a plate.
"Honey, Mom wants to ask. Are you free?" I nodded my head briefly. I think I know where this conversation is going.
"If Mom introduce you to my Mom's friend's child, is that okay? You won't be angry, right?"
I guessed it.
"I'm not angry, Mom. The most important thing is that Mom doesn't badmouth me in front of Mom's friend's child." I am Mom's biological child, so I know what my beloved Mom's character is like when faced with someone who has captivated her heart.
Especially when it comes to her beloved children.
"No way! If Mom talks about your bad behavior, your selling value could drop even further."
See! Mom is really serious, I'm starting to suspect that Mom must be badmouthing me.
"So, which of your friends' children do you want to introduce to me, Mom?" I asked, concentrating on looking at my mother. "The second child of Mrs. Praja. Mrs. Praja's youngest son who works as a pilot. Remember?"
I tried to remember the son of my mother's friend that my mother had mentioned earlier. "Oh. Mr. Pram? Isn't he married with Ms. Rika, Mom?" I asked as I remembered a man in his thirties who had married the daughter of my neighbor's uncle a year ago.
"Pram is indeed married! I mean, his younger brother, Sena, Honey!"
Ah, I thought my mother wanted to match me with a married man, because her youngest daughter was so desperate to not have a boyfriend, let alone get married, at the age of twenty-four.
"Do you want Mom to introduce you to Sena? Who knows, maybe you two will be a good match."
Hm. How should I say, I hesitate to say 'Yes' because my heart and feelings right now are entirely for Reval, even though he doesn't know at all about my feelings, I'm afraid that I'll just use the man named Sena as an escape.
But, if I say 'No' I'm afraid that my mother will be disappointed, because I've already rejected him before trying to approach him. This is a situation that I really want to avoid, a situation where I'm faced with two trapping choices.
I have to think about this carefully. But, there's no harm in trying to approach him first, right? Besides, if I don't feel any feelings during our courtship period, I'll tell my mother and her friends if there's no compatibility between the two of us.
Yes, that's right. I'd better try first.
"Hm. Okay, mom. But if I don't feel compatible with him, I'll end it. A relationship that's based on coercion won't run smoothly and last long." I answered, stating the choice I made. "Okay. Later, mom will ask Sena to come to your boutique opening!"
Hopefully the choice I made will bear sweet fruit. But if not, it doesn't matter, I will make it a lesson for the future.