Aster Veren
Episode 50's

- Esther

Arriving at the tomb of my mother and grandmother, I immediately stored the Gladiolus flowers purchased by my father on the trip, combined with two white lily stalks impregnated by my mother and grandmother.

"It's clean, it looks like bi Siti has cleaned it up." My murmur could not turn away from the tombstone of my mother and grandmother who were already clean and looked a little wet.

"Mother, Helen ...," muttered my father to make me look at him standing next to me, "sorry, I just found you." The next sounds full of regret.

"Mother, this time Aster came with papa. Aster came to say goodbye to mother and grandmother, tomorrow Aster will go to Singapore with papa for a long time. Aster–" I said trying to melt the heavy atmosphere created by my father, but I haven't finished my words yet, father has grabbed the top of my head with his left palm and made me turn, look, he looked at his sad face.

"... You don't have to worry about Aster anymore. I'll raise her well, I'll love her as much as you love my daughter all this time or .. I'll probably love her more than I know." Said the father with his teary eyes did not forget the thin smile he forced.

It looked like she was holding back her tears so as not to spill in front of me, but if I cried I would not laugh at her.

Hearing him say that in front of the graves of my mother and grandmother touched my heart. How can I measure your affection for Kalea and compare it to your affection for me who just lived a while with you? I should have tried harder to get my father's affection instead of secretly crying and envy Kalea.

Mom, grandma .. I've met papa. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I promise to be a good boy and obey what you say. And .. I love my mom and grandma so much, I will visit again after coming home from Singapore. If necessary, I will take Papa with me. My mind looked back at my mother and grandmother's headstones.

"Father," I said, not turning a bit away from mother's headstone.

"Yes?" Ask Dad to kneel beside me.

"Thank you for coming with me to my mom and grandma." I turned to my father with my best smile, but I failed to stem the tears that were now flowing out of his place.

"Aster, hiks .. very happy to meet papa." I continued sobbing, The father who saw me crying grabbed my body and hugged me tightly.

The warmth she gave me made my heart feel calm, her foreign body scent was already making me opiate. I don't want to let go of Dad's embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't around you, never tried to tell you about you, and thought badly of your mother. Forgive your lame father this Aster." Said Dad made my grip tighten in his wear.

If only ... if I could see my mother again. I want to feel the embrace of mom and dad simultaneously, surely it will feel much warmer.

***

After finishing visiting the tomb of mother and grandmother, I went to the house of bi Siti along with father.

Arriving at the house bi Siti, we were warmly welcomed by bi Siti and uncle Zaenal.

Then Dad was busy talking with uncle Zaenal in the living room while I was busy playing with bi Siti in the backyard of her house full of flower plants.

"Auntie I want that!" I said while pointing at the guava fruit that looks ripe and tantalizing hanging on top of the tree.

After trying to eat the guava given by Carel, I became fond of the fruit of that one. And I just found out that bi Siti has a guava tree in the backyard of her house. So I asked without shame.

"Well aunt can't pick it up, the jam's too high." Gumam bi Siti looks disappointed as well as me, even though my tongue is impatient to feel the sweetness of the guava.

"What's wrong?" Uncle Zaenal's voice surprised me and bi Siti.

"It's Aster wants that guava, but it's too high so I can't take it." Clearly bi Siti while pointing at the guava I mean.

"Then let me get it, can I climb the bamboo tree?" My father surprised me.

"Pa–papa can climb?" I just don't believe what I see now.

If you remember, grandma said you were taught to climb trees by uncle, right? I continued in my heart, remembering the childhood stories of my father and uncle.

"Of course you can." Said the father who had climbed high enough until his hand managed to pluck the guava I wanted.

"Uwaah papa is great!" Shouted I felt excited myself.

"Hahaha, your papa is great huh." Uncle Zaenal said with a laugh.

"True, my papa is the greatest in the world hehe ...." I said again proud of my father, making bi Siti laugh with uncle Zaenal.

"Then try picking up more to take home." Said bi Siti while looking up at the figure of the father who was still sitting on the branch of the guava tree with a herd.

"The second one is a lot of papa!" I shouted to repeat bi Siti's words, somehow I even used this opportunity to prank my father. I wonder how many guavas Dad can pick.

"Aster since when do you like guava? As long as your uncle never eats guava." Asked Uncle Zaenal while grabbing the top of my head.

"Because Aster has never tried it before, when I first tried it I became very fond of the fruit of that one." I thought of Carel's face.

When I meet later, I will give some of the guava that my father picked for me to Caral. I continued in my heart while smiling widely, feeling elated for no reason.

"So this is enough?" Asked the father who had come down from the top of the tree and brought ten large guavas wrapped by his ash suit.

When did papa take off his suit? I didn't notice it .... My mind watched the white shirt my father wore and the ash suit in his hand.

"... uwaah the beard is big." My murmur could not take my eyes off the guava in my father's hand and put aside my stupid question that did not know when my father took off his suit.

"Give me, let me wash it before it's wrapped, you get the package ready." Said bi Siti immediately grabbed all the guava in the hands of the father and brought it into the house followed by uncle Zaenal who was asked to prepare the book by bi Siti.

"Thank you papa," I said with a big smile at him and I saw Dad's gaze soften with a faint smile that slowly lifted.

"Papa's here, down!" Then I asked him to look down because my hands did not reach my head, my eyes were very itchy to see the guava leaves that were in his hair and my hands were eager to keep the leaves from my father's hair.

"What's wrong?" Dad asked while looking down made me reflexively take that leaf out of his hair.

"Can." I said while removing the leaf from my father's hair, then without a second thought I grabbed my father's face with both hands and immediately gave a warm kiss on his cheek as a sign of my gratitude to him.

"This?" Father muttered looking so surprised while holding his right cheek.

"Thank you, hehe... Aster dear papa, very!" My words immediately hugged my body without giving it time to think, which I saw my father was so shocked by the kiss I gave him and I am currently happy.

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Thanks for reading...