Remember You
THE SELFISHNESS

I ran hastily along the hospital corridor. Ignoring the dozens of pairs of eyes that glanced at me was eccentric. My uniform was soaking wet, my hair was blistering, even my loose shoelaces made me almost trip over and over again. My appearance is now far from the word 'waras'.

7A

VVIPS

My lungs felt like they were going to explode as they were being forced to breathe a lot of oxygen. I tried to catch my breath while matching the writing on the door with the message that Uncle Melvin had sent me a while ago. Same. This is the room where Dad was taken care of.

Just as I was about to open the door, at the same time a glamorous-clothed woman came out from inside the room. I was stunned for a while. My breath's choked. My feet were going back a few steps as his entire attention was now on me.

He closed the door again very slowly, reluctantly until there was a distinctive bang sound of the door tongue. I'm still quiet. Dare not open the conversation. Too scared, to be honest. Nyalang. Implied anger and also a sense of annoyance that flared in his eyes. His heavily wrinkled face fell down, uninspired, full of disappointment. I immediately looked away. Feeling completely intimidated.

"Follow me," he asserted without further ado. He doesn't even seem to care about my pathetic appearance.

"But, Oma. I want to see Dad first," Lirihku in a raucous voice.

"According to my words as long as I ask for them is fine." Oma walked ahead of me. I had to follow him from behind with mixed feelings.

"Come in" Oma said shortly after we arrived at the parking lot. He told me to get in the back seat of the car, with him. He gave instructions to the driver to wait outside the car.

Three seconds later, Oma took out a handkerchief from inside her bag. "Dry your body with this, don't make my car wet. I'm uncomfortable," he said with a style of speech that made me a little hurt, he even threw the handkerchief with no intention to seem demeaning.

I obey and do not argue. I don't want to make trouble.

"I'm sad." said Oma before turning her seat towards me, "I'm sad why my son should have a child like you."

From that moment on, Oma spoke to herself with the word 'me' and continued to speak in formal language. As if intentionally creating a sense of uneasiness. I feel increasingly uncomfortable.

"I was also sad," he let out a long sigh, "why my son would willingly hurt himself just to get sorry from his selfless son."

I'm still silent, not warting. Subjecting the head while playing fingernails to dampen the soul-stabbing angkara.

"My son fainted in his study. Depressing. He was diagnosed with stress and dyspepsia. Do you know who caused it?" Oma folded her hands together in front of her chest, I could see it from my light tail even though it was vague. Because now the two netraku are damming the circle of tears that are ready to slide at any time.

"Oma, I can explain" I said trying to make a sound.

"Nothing to explain. You're that predictable. Too naive for an 18 year old girl. So childish!" he nodded without thinking about my feelings. My pride is hurt. Oma cornered me, thinking of me as the ringleader of all this trouble.

"Dad slept with another woman. But why does Oma seem to make me a shield from Dad's mistakes? Shouldn't I be the victim here?" My chest is up and down no crap. The more you feel claustrophobic. The tears I had so hard to endure eventually fell down my cheeks.

"Funny huh? Feeling like a victim. Just tell me if you still don't want your father to turn away from your dead mother, you don't have to give up."

Oma laughing. To think that what I just said was a joke worth laughing at.

"Even I think Dena will laugh at you too."

Den**a, that's my mom.

"Well, actually today there's two pieces of news you need to hear. Good news and bad news. Where do you want to start?"

I didn't answer.

"Assemble upstream, swim later. I think I should tell you the bad news first, only then the good news,"

I felt Oma's springy hands touch my chin. He smiles. Smiling wickedly. The wrinkles in the corners of his eyes were so clear and successful that they made him look even more sinister. "I'm sure you've been wondering who the woman who slept with your father was. This is gonna be bad news."

Oma put her mouth close to my ear, then whispered, "The woman is Renata."

Both balls of my eyes widened as Oma returned to her original position. Both of my hands spontaneously clenched tightly.

"And the good news is, my husband and I agreed to marry your father to the woman he slept with."

I think my eyeballs almost popped out of his petals. My soul wails. It's too sudden.

"YES!!" I snapped it off.

"Why? It's about my son's life, and I don't need the consent of his selfish son. My son deserves to be happy" she said lightly.

"Ta-"

Tuk tuk's...

Oma deliberately interrupts me by tapping on the window glass. Not long ago, the driver who had been waiting outside the car rushed in. He really didn't give me a chance just to voice an opinion.

"Get out of my car," Oma ordered as she pointed to her chin. I also came out with a heart that felt very upset. All the uneg-uneg in my mind is still held back and I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about it.

I bowed as Oma's car started to leave the parking area. Anyway I have to stay polite even though it feels like I want to swear it all out.

Forget about the fairy tale about the grandmother who was always warm and loved her granddaughter wholeheartedly, because I think Oma looks more like a little grandmother.