The Estuary of Desire Baruna
Eps. #7 In The House of Waradana

The night was getting late, but the city streets still looked crowded. Night activities still dominate the city life for twenty-four hours as if it continues to live and never sleep.

The mat! The mat! The mat!

In the large and luxurious house of the House of Waradana, it appears that a couple was sitting on a sofa in the middle room of the house while watching the clock that continues to tick and rotate on an antique wall clock decorating the corner of the room is very spacious.

Sometimes the husband stood up and paced with an unsettled face.

"It's been this late but Ardila hasn't come home yet either. Where's the kid going? His phone is also off." The man pressed his forehead and looked extremely agitated.

"Don't worry too much about Ardila, Bang! She's an adult, and I'm sure she can take care of herself," the wife comforted, trying to reduce her husband's anxiety.

"How can I not worry, Ra. Ardila's phone from earlier could not be reached. I'm afraid anything's happened to him."

"We pray that things don't happen that we don't want to, Bang."

Ting! Tung ...!

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"That must be Ardila home!" The man immediately stepped his foot towards the main door in the house.

Ardila lowered her face not daring to look at Arkha's face, her papa who was standing before her, and had already opened the door for her.

"Where did you come home at this time?" cecar Arkha, gave a displeased look towards Ardila.

"I-I'm sorry, Pa. Ta-tadi .. was there, ee .. a-there is additional guidance from the lecturer. That's why I'm late to go home" said Ardila stammered and nervous about lying to her father.

"Don't you see what time it is? Is it appropriate for a girl to still roam outside the house these nights?" arkha snapped, pointing at the circular watch in her right hand. He was irritated by his daughter's behavior which had made him restless waiting for his return until almost midnight like that.

"Already, Bang. Let Ardila in first. We'll just talk inside" between the Pearls, preventing her husband from scolding his daughter.

"Come, Dila, come on in!" bring the pearl while embracing her daughter's shoulder and bring her inside the house.

"Sit down! Papa wants to talk to you!" have Arkha confirm her order for Ardila to sit on the sofa in the room. Ardila could only nod obediently, not daring to go against her papa orders.

"Now explain to Papa, why did you come home this late without the same news Papa?" sue Arkha with great emphasis while staring intently at Ardila.

"My phone's lowbat and I forgot to bring a charger, Pa," Ardila went back to lying and kept her face down.

"Can't you borrow a cell phone from your friend just to tell papa or mama?" Arkha smiled wryly, getting annoyed at the unreasonable reason that Ardila gave.

"I'm sorry, Pa! I was so busy doing the final task that I forgot to tell my mom and dad" Ardila said, looking for a reason to defend herself.

"How many times must you remind me, papa most does not like to see girls wandering outside the house these nights! Don't you understand that all of this is very dangerous for your safety?" Arkha. She was disappointed that Ardila did not heed the advice she often gave to her daughter.

"Other times if you dare to violate papa's advice again, papa will not hesitate your love of punishment!" Arkha pointed his index finger at Ardila's face.

"Here, don't be mad at Ardila anymore, Bang! The important thing is that now Ardila has arrived home in good condition" cut Pearl defending the princess. He did not want Arkha to constantly scold him.

Ardila nodded obediently and immediately stepped towards her room.

"You're spoiling that kid too much, Ra. That's why he got used to doing whatever he wanted" Arkha told his wife, when Ardila had left them in the living room of the house.

"Don't be too hard on Ardila, Bang. He's young, it's not good if we over-stretch him. Let him enjoy his youth first," said Pearl not too worried about the behavior of Ardila.

"It is important now that Ardila has come home and nothing has happened with her" added Mutiara did not want to prolong her husband's annoyance.

"It's almost midnight, we should also rest, Bang. Let's go to the room, we better get some sleep!" take Pearl with you while pulling Arkha's hand and bring her to their room.

Arriving at the room, Arkha and Pearl both laid their bodies on the bed and lay looking up at the ceiling of his room.

"It has not been twenty years that we have lived together in this house, Ra," Arkha said, recalling the journey of their twenty-year happy life together.

"If we have three children, I don't know why I'm so lonely here" Arkha lamented.

"Why is that, Bang? Is my presence not considered yes, why can feel lonely like that? I'll always be there for you, brother," protested the spoiled scrawled Pearls.

"It's not like that, honey!" tangkis Arkha turned his body and slept on his side facing his wife.

"When our children are older, we rarely get to be with them. Baruna is still in Sydney, while Arnav, for two years, has continued his studies in France. Fortunately Ardila has been living with us again in this house. That's why I'm so worried that anything will happen to him. Although Ardila is not our flesh and blood, but I have considered him to be my own son" said Arkha groaning with his wife.

It has been three years that Ardila returned to the House of Waradana. Previously, he lived with his grandparents, parents of Livina, Ardila's mother, who lived in another city. The reason Ardila lived there was because of the treatment of Oma Yuna who always discriminated in giving affection to Baruna and Arnav who was the real son of Arkha and Pearl.

Ardila is not Oma Yuna's granddaughter. Ardila is only an adopted daughter who is considered a biological child by Arkha. After Oma Yuna decided to spend her old age in Singapore with her brother, that's when Ardila was willing to return to the House of Waradana and live with Arkha and Pearl and continue his studies to get his master's degree in the city.

"Baruna is also coming home soon, Bang. After she finishes her studies at Aussi, she will be with us forever again here" Pearl responded in response to the outpouring of her husband's heart.

Pearls then tilt their bodies so that the two sleep facing each other.

"Yes, Ra. When Baruna comes back later, I'll start teaching her to take care of the company. Once he can run his own company and get married, we'll be freer to live out our old age. I want to be like Mama Yuna. I want to spend some time retired in Singapore and settle down there." Arkha smilingly looked at his wife's face, expressing all his hopes after they were old and no longer productive.

"Yes, Bang!" Pearls are only a good listener and do not take Arkha's curses too seriously.

It has been twenty years that they have been living in a household and living together, as long as it is only happiness that they enjoy together. Although sometimes there are pebbles that become a barrier, all that they easily go through, because the sincerity of love that binds them is always their strength to face all the crossroads before them.

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