The Mediums Help

09

"Resa, hurry up breakfast!" shouted Anik loudly. She put two plates filled with boiled vegetables and fried tempeh.

Regina was ready with her school uniform, she sat at the dining table while enjoying her breakfast with gusto. Warm rice and spicy chili sauce are delicious to enjoy in the morning. Her face was red from the spicy taste of the chili sauce, but that didn't stop her from eating. Regina even felt addicted to it and added one more plate of rice.

"Mom, I'll just eat rice and fried eggs." Resa also sat beside Regina with his hair still messy and wet.

"You smell really good," said Regina.

"What about chili sauce, Resa?" asked Anik. She was still busy with the donuts that had to be fried immediately.

"I'm afraid of stomach pain, so I don't eat chili sauce early in the morning," said Resa. He began to take a little rice with fried tofu and fried egg as a side dish. "You said I smell good, didn't you? Use the soap that Mom just bought yesterday."

"Did you buy new soap, Mom?" Regina asked when the rice on her plate was finished. Now she goes to the sink while enjoying a full stomach. "Mom, when are you buying the new soap?"

"Yesterday the soap in the bathroom was finished, said Father, so Mom bought it. But apparently it's still there," explained Anik while looking at the other person who was washing the dishes. She turns off the stove because all the donuts have finished frying, all that's left is to put them in a small plastic bag to make them look more attractive.

She sat in front of Resa with a large box filled with powdered sugar donuts. Save donuts into plastic slowly, one by one without getting bored. Occasionally she saw Resa who was still enjoying him breakfast silently.

"Father isn't coming home anymore is he?" asked Regina, she decided to help the mother without sitting down. "Why do Father always get angry like that? If we don't obey, he will get angry and make the house like a trash can. He really doesn't love us, Mom?"

That sentence made Anik stop her activities. She felt sad for a moment, but soon gave a huge smile as she touched Regina's right arm. "There are no parents who don't love their family, especially their children. Father may look like that, but actually he love you."

"Why can't it be seen that he loves you?" This time, Resa joined in.

"Because he can't express that, you don't know how. As a family, we have to be patient with Father, and you have to give love so that Father don't feel lonely."

"Mom, expects too much from people who do not have love like Father," said Resa. He went to wash the dishes with mixed feelings, it's unpleasant to have to be like this. He wanted to be happy without hearing any stories related to his own father. "Come on, let's go Regina!"

"It's time to go to school huh?" Regina prepared to bring donuts in a plastic bag, and a small box filled with packaged rice. She kissed the back of Anik's right hand after Resa, and left with a pretty big smile so her mother wouldn't feel sad.

*****

The streets are quite busy this morning, there are many motorbikes crossing the streets. Motorcycles are more dominant, while cars are seen quite rarely, and there are only a few buses on different routes. A special lane that never looks jammed. Resa, who is happy to see the bus lane, always thinks of changing to a bus lane that feels lonely. Feel calm as long as possible until you get bored alone.

"Older brother?" Regina called, she hugged Resa's waist quite tightly while looking up slightly because Resa was too tall for her. "You're not mad at Mom anymore, are you?"

"No, did I look angry this morning?"

"Yes, even the way you talk makes Mom sad. I don't like seeing Mom sad, it's enough for Father to make Mom sad, and you don't have to be big brother!"

Resa sighed deep enough, he knew what Regina was thinking now. But sadly he couldn't let Regina, and Anik imagine something that would never happen. Surya will never give Regina and Anik the love they want. The man only cares about himself, and forgets about his little family that struggles to make money by trading.

"Why is that part only for Father? Why not me?"

"Because Father gives love in a different way."

"How long are you and Mom going to live a lie, Regina?" now Resa's voice sounded sad, and that made Regina silent.

She was silent as she watched the busy street. Don't know what to answer anymore, there is no right sentence to issue. It felt like everything Resa said was true, but she felt it was also wrong if it had to be done.

"Don't have high hopes for Father, that man will never realize that we give a lot of love. Instead of being aware, he does everything as he pleases. I'm tired of that," Resa said again.

"Yeah, I know about that. But if we don't give love to Father, who will give love to him?"

"The activities he does will always give love. He loves gambling, and his work we just don't know what it is. He will continue to love those two things, and will never be able to give love to us."

Again, what Resa said was true, and Regina couldn't answer. She chose to remain silent, and would always sound like she was on Resa's side if that was the case.

The motorbike stopped in front of the school gate, Regina immediately got off the vario motorbike. She kissed the back of Resa's hand before finally going into the school yard with other friends. Resa could only watch his sister's back until she was no longer visible, then he left. Towards his school which is not so far from where Resa's motorbike stops.

And Resa actually feels guilty for what he said just now, but he doesn't want to make the two women who he really care about always wait for love from his father. They won't get love, but Resa isn't sure of his own beliefs sometimes. Sometimes he also wants to get that, imagining what it would be like if he got love and feel his family living happily. It seems impossible when you think about it.