We, From The First
#39. I've Remembered You
It had been ten minutes since Rakha and Mama arrived at a Restaurant and sat facing each other. But even so, Rakha did not say anything and just lowered her head, hiding her anger at this figure in front of her.
Rakha played both of her thumbs, by scratching one of them against the other thumb. It keeps Rakha doing for ten minutes to make her skin peel and redden.
Whenever he felt anxious and was in a situation that he could not face, Rakha did indeed always do that.
"Rakha, you still don't want to look Mama in the eye, son?" Evelyn softly said. Rakha is flinching.
"Sorry Mama, huh? I'm sorry that Mama left Rakha too long."
Rakha's feelings are increasingly raging hearing the last series of sentences that slide free from his mother. Then, without him commanding, all of those feelings burst out as if giving him the impulse to open his mouth.
"Because it's been too long, Mama shouldn't have come back."
Rakha spoke very softly, but was full of strong emotions behind it. He did not even look at his mother.
"Mom knows it's too late now, but... Mama misses Rakha and Ranha so much." Evelyn started to waver. Without her being able to shake, a clear crystal burst from her pretty eyes and then fell on the back of her hand.
His chest was truly full, as the Son he had longed for so many years was now unwilling to even look him in the eye.
Back, without looking at the figure in front of him, Rakha sounded with the same volume, "don't say one more sentence about the longing that Mama pendam for me and Ranha. We went through these four years very well without Mama. We're used to it, for that, Mama doesn't have to come back. Because neither I nor Ranha expected Mama to return to our lives."
"Waaah, Rakhaditya Aryan. You must have really grown up to say something as painful as that." Evelyn said that she could no longer hold back her tears.
"For that, let's not hurt each other again." This time, Rakha threw the sentence while staring right at her Mama's two eyes. There was not the slightest fear or hesitation from his tone.
After conveying what had been stuck in her heart, Rakha got up from her seat and left her mother alone in that place. And Evelyn had absolutely no intention of stopping Rakha. Evelyn understood that Rakha needed time to be able to accept her presence, which was why, Evelyn did not want to push Rakha too much. He realized that he had also left his two children too long. So it is natural that now Rakha — who takes the role of the firstborn feels very disappointed with him. Regardless of the reason Evelyn left her son at the time, she remains guilty.
And it was fitting that he accepted how Rakha responded to his presence again. That was the reward he had to receive for his negligence.
As soon as Rakha came out of the restaurant, he immediately stopped stepping when he saw Aira who was now standing not far from her current position. Rakha moved her footsteps again with her lifeless gaze. For Aira, this was the second time she saw Rakha behaving like this, after Rakha previously made a mess, causing her Papa to be summoned by the school.
"Kha? You... all right, right?"
Aira asked as soon as Rakha had arrived before her.
As much as possible, Rakha tried to shine a smile on her face even though her eyes looked empty.
"Yes, Ra." Answer's short.
"And yes, I've asked Rio to help bring your bike home."
"Thank you, huh?"
After that, Rakha passed by Aira. He walked on the terrace without knowing where to go. And Aira who was worried about him, quietly followed Rakha from behind.
Along the way, Aira continued to stare at Rakha's shoulder. That normally sturdy shoulder, now looks so fragile. Because it was so fragile, as if a single gentle touch would make it collapse in the blink of an eye.
And suddenly, a memory arises in Aira's head after realizing that Rakha is the Son of Evelyn Lim. Suddenly, he felt that Rakha's face was not so strange in his old memory.
...****...
Banu Island, 2008
Aira had just come out of the toilet when suddenly her attention was on a boy who was watching the two people's quarrel before her eyes. Aira's position at that time was right behind Rakha with a fairly close distance, making him able to see what Rakha was looking at. And that's when he knew, that Evelym Lim was the one who was fighting with someone.
"You think I wouldn't know that you would bring Rakha to this Tournament? What do you think you're doing to my son?!"
That's what Aira can hear. And when Arkha says Rakha's name, his attention is automatically drawn to the basketball costume that Rakha wears. On his back it says "RAKHA". At that time Aira knew that the topic of the quarrel between the two adults was, the boy who was now in front of her, at the same time, Aira knows her as their child.
Realizing that Arkha was about to slap Evelyn in the face, Aira swiftly ran up to Rakha and closed her eyes to avoid seeing the incident. After feeling the situation somewhat restrained, Aira pulled Rakha's wrist and carried her away from the place.
...****...
And without Aira noticing, it turns out Evelyn is following them by car from behind. Evelyn saw it all, and was able to draw the conclusion that the beautiful girl who was following Rakha right now, must be one of the people who meant something to her Son.
...****...
"Don't Nico wait inside?" Ranha said to Nico who was waiting for the arrival of Aira and Rakha on the veranda of Rakha's house.
It had been almost an hour for Nico to wait, but he did not give up and remained determined to wait for the two men to come.
"Here you are, Ran." Answer Nico as it stands.
When Aira called Rio earlier and asked for help to bring Rakha's motor home, Nico immediately volunteered to Rio so that he alone brought Rakha's motorbike.
Fifteen minutes later, as the time had gone by, Nico was finally able to see the two men coming.
And from his current position, he saw Aira who seemed to be accelerating his pace and standing right in front of Rakha for Rakha to stop his steps.
"Kha. I remember you now." Aira said as she looked into Rakha's eyes confidently.
"Huh?"
"Yes, I remember you. At that time, on Banu Island in 2008, we... never met, right?"
Rakha was silent for quite a while. He was completely shocked, not expecting Aira to remember him that day either. Rakha then sighed softly. After the rumble on his chest had calmed down, he very carefully dropped his forehead on one of Aira's shoulders. Rakha then closed both eyes as a sense of comfort whipped his fragile body.
Now Rakha sounds sighing, "hhh... It took a long time also for you to nginget me, huh?" Rakha said softly in a half-whispering tone. Without Aira knowing, Rakha pinned a smile on her face.
"So, you've been ingesting me all this time?" This time it was Aira's turn to ask.
"of course. You're the 88-numbered back girl I liked from the start. At that time you were very cool when shooting, how could I not want you?" Replied Rakha who still looked comfortable leaning her forehead on Aira's shoulder.
Aira this time did not say anything, and let Rakha borrow her shoulder without complaint.
When Rakha opened his eyes, his gaze was immediately fixed on the figure of Nico who was standing in his yard. He lifted his head from Aira's shoulders without letting go of Nico's gaze.
Aira who felt the atmosphere suddenly changed also turned her head back and followed the direction of Rakha's gaze. As soon as he saw Nico, he was even more shocked than before.
Nico, with his face always flat and hard to read, stepped out of Rakha's courtyard and approached the two men.
"Where are you now?" Ask Nico to Rakha.
"Gue feels better."
In response to Rakha's reply, Nico nodded in understanding. His eyes were not as cold as before. For now, he had to understand Rakha's position. As one of Rakha's thick friends, of course Nico should not turn a blind eye to Rakha's life problems.
"Gue's relieved." Nico said briefly.
Nico then turns his attention to Aira, "Ra? Wanna go home now? Mama Papa is home."
"Om and Auntie are home? How not ngabarin?"
"Yes. They don't know they're going home today either."
Once again Nico looked towards Rakha, "oya, Kha. The key to the motorbike I've tapped into Ranha."
"Thanks, Nic! Sorry to be so ngerepotin."
"No problem. That's what friends are for, Kha."
^^^To be Continued...^^^