Despite using my cornea, my husband, Felix Halward, forced me to kneel on glass shards. Despite using my heart, my daughter declared that I was not fit to be her mother. Before my artificial heart stopped beating, I called Felix, only to have him snap at me, “Liana, could you stop kicking up a fuss? If you want to die that badly, do it somewhere far away! I’m not collecting your corpse!” I shut my remaining left eye as I lay on the snow. Later on, Felix, who had stopped loving me, plucked out his own eyeball. My daughter, who had denounced me, tried taking her life multiple times just so that she could see me again. However, I no longer longed for their love.
Voir plus“Nah, gitu atuh masak yang enak-enak dari kemarin buka pakai sayur kangkung terus. Bikin ngantuk aja!”
“Ya bagaimana lagi Akang kasih uang belanjanya pas-pasan.”
“Ya, ‘kan kamu tahu sendiri. Kemarin gajian Akang diminta sama Ibu buat sekolah Tia sama Ari. Sabar aja dulu!”
“Hm.”
Tia dan Ari adalah adik kandungku. Mereka masih sekolah. Gajiku bulan ini memang sebagian besar di transfer ke kampung untuk kebutuhan mereka sekola mengingat Tia dan Ari yang masih menginjak bangku SMA dan Kuliah. Entah kenapa istriku seakan tak terima dengan keputusanku untuk memberikan uang itu pada keluargaku di kampung.
Padahal, jelas mereka lebih membutuhkan. Tak sampai hati melihat mereka putus sekolah hanya, karena biaya. Sebagai karyawan pabrik dengan gaji 10 juta perbulan. Sebenarnya sangat cukup untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sehari-hari hanya saja, karena aku harus menanggung kebutuhan ibu dan adik-adikku gajian selalu hanya lewat saja.
Seperti sekarang di akhir bulan, di meja makan hanya tersedia lauk seadanya. Namun, entah dari mana Lara mendapatkan ayam goreng dan sayur Nangka. Mengingat sudah seminggu Lara hanya menyajikan sayur yang ia petik dari halaman belakang rumah.
Ia pandai menanam sayuran, namanya juga orang desa. Sebenarnya, aku tidak suka dengan caranya yang selalu membawa kebiasaan di kampungnya, hanya saja ternyata hobi bercocok tanamnya berguna juga di saat-saat kritis seperti ini.
Setiap bulannya aku memang membagi gajiku 7 juta untuk di kampung dan 3 juta untuk pegangan. Mengingat aku juga memiliki cicilan mobil angkutan umum di kampung halaman. Pendapatannya lumayan. Namun, aku lebih mempercayakan usahaku pada ibu, mengingat ia sangat pandai mengatur keuangan. Buktiknya saja aku sudah berhasil memiliki tanah yang nantinya akan kugunakan untuk membuat rumah di kampung saat sudah tua nanti.
“Wah Bunda masak ayam goreng! Asyik!”
Arfan, anak keduaku yang kini berusia 9 tahun tampak semringah. Ia yang baru saja pulang dari bermain bola tampak mengeluarkan lidahnya. Kami memang sudah lama tidak makan enak. Hanya saja haruskah dia begitu kampungan sampai-sampai berprilaku seperti itu.
“Cuma ayam aja kok.”
“Lah, emang kita enggak pernah makan ayam Yah.”
“Arfan, bantu Bunda sini!”
Lara yang kini tengah berada di dapur malah memanggilnya. Padahal, aku masih ingin menasihati anak keduaku ini.
“Kamu bantu Bunda cucikan timun surinya ya!”
“Oke!”
“Anak cowok itu jangan dibiarin main di dapur. Pamali!” sindirku.
Saat itu Lara hanya diam saja, entah sudah berapa kali aku melihat Lara kerap meminta anak-anakku untuk membantunya memasak. Apa lagi Musa, dia malah sangat lihat memasak. Entah ada apa dengannya. Lara malah mendidik mereka seperti anak perempuan. Terkadang Kana juga kerap mencuci dan menjemur pakaian di rumah. Meski, kerap digoda oleh tetangga sekitar anak itu seakan tak peduli.
Seperti kali ini, bukannya mendengar sindiranku. Kana yang baru saja pulang dari musala, malah langsung terjun ke dapur membantu Lara memotong sayuran.
“Enggak usah Mus, kamu pergi aja sana! Bunda bisa sendiri.”
“Udah biar Musa aja! Bunda mandi sana, bau ketek!’
“Kamu ini!”
Lihat saja mereka bukannya mendengarkanku Musa malah menggoda Lara. Anak itu memang sangat dekat dengan Bundanya. Hanya saja tidak selayaknya ia melakukan semua pekerjaan wanita dari mulai bersih-bersih rumah sampai memasak, bahkan sampai menyetrika pakaian pun dia lakukan.
“Kamu itu fokus aja sekolah. Main kek sama anak cowo.”
“Males, Yah! Mending di rumah.”
“Masak? Anak cowok kok hobinya masak.”
Musa memang tak pernah melawan. Hanya saja aku tahu dia sepertinya kesal setiap kali aku nasihati, untuk tidak mengambil alih pekerjaan rumah tangga.
“A, udah selesai ini!”
“Oke, sini! Kita bikin es timun suri pakai gula merah.”
“Wah enak, tumben sih kita makan enak hari ini.”
“Iya, aa gajian.”
“Kamu gajian?” tanyaku.
Bukan apa-apa, hanya saja aku heran. Musa masih kelas 1 SMA, tapi dia sudah mendapatkan gaji. Memangnya dia bekerja apa?”
“Iya, Yah.”
“Kerja apa?”
“Ngajar ngaji di musala.”
“Hah, sejak kapan?”
“Udah lama, Yah.”
“Siapa muridnya?”
“Ya anak-anak tetangga sekitar aja.”
“Kamu minta-minta ke tetangga kita?”
Musa malah terdiam, tetapi dari gerakkan bibirnya aku tahu dia sedang mengucap istighfar.
“Lain kali enggak usahlah kamu ngajar lagi, nanti ngeganggu sekolah kamu.”
“Ngajar ngajinya ‘kan sore abis ashar. Enggak akan mengganggu.”
“Lara, kamu ya yang minta Musa ngajarin ngaji anak tetangga?”
“Aku enggak pernah minta. Biarin aja atuh Kang, namanya juga ngisi waktu luang.”
“Tapi, kalau dia jadi enggak fokus belajar bagaimana? nanti malah enggak dapet tuh beasiswanya buat kuliah nanti.”
“Akang tuh kenapa sih, lagian Musa ‘kan melakukan kegiatan positif. Bukannya didukung.”
“Bukan masalah positif dan negative, lah dia minta-minta ke anak tetangga. Akang yang malu.”
Lara yang kala itu baru keluar dari kamar mandi mendadak mendekat.
“Musa, emang kamu pernah minta-minta sama murid kamu?”
“Enggaklah, Bun. Tadinya juga enggak bayar, orang tuanya aja yang inisiatif ngasih Musa. Lagian mana berani Musa, minta-minta apa lagi sama tetangga kita. Walaupun, sebenarnya kita lebih sering kekurangan dari pada cukup.”
“Maksud kamu apa ngomong begitu, Musa?”
“Ya emang kenyataannya begitu ‘kan Yah, lihat aja ibu. Di lingkungan ini, mana pernah ibu ikut kumpul-kumpul. Pengajian aja ibu kadang enggak berangkat.”
“Ya, itu ibu kamu aja yang enggak mau berangkat.”
“Emangnya Ayah tahu kenapa ibu enggak berangkat? Ayah pernah tanya enggak kenapa ibu enggak pernah berangkat?”
“Sa, udahlah. Bentar lagi maghrib loh, jangan ribut ya! Sayang ‘kan puasa kamu dari pagi.”
“Enggak apa Bun, aku enggak akan ribut kalau enggak terus-terusan disinggung. Ayah juga harus tahu ‘kan?”
“Memangnya kenapa sih? Lagian buat apa juga pengajian kalau orang paling di sana cuma adu pakaian.”
“Pengajian, itu biar dapet ilmu atuh Yah. Bukan adu out fit.”
“Kenyataannya begitu lihat saja tetangga kita, mau pengajian aja segala perhiasan di pakai.”
“Ya, biarin aja atuh Ayah. Orang mereka punya, ya wajar di pakai. Enggak kayak Bunda yang enggak punya apa-apa. Jadi, apa yang mau dipakai?”
“Kamu sekarang udah pinter ngomong ya, oh udah jadi guru ngaji jadi merasa berhak melawan sama orang tua. Besok-besok enggak perlu kamu ajar ngaji. Berapa sih gaji kamu ngajar ngaji di sana!”
“500.000 sebulan.”
“Cuma 500 ribu sebulan buat apa, Musa. Besok-besok enggak usah diterima! Malu-maluin aja, balikkin ke mereka.”
“500 ribu juga uang Ayah.”
“Gaji Ayah aja 10 juta.”
“Gaji 10 juta juga percuma kalau enggak pernah di kasih ke Bunda.”
“Ya, Bunda kamu boros. Yang ada 10 juta abis sehari.”
“Boros dari mana? 1 juta aja Ayah enggak pernah kan kasih ke Bunda? Mending juga gaji Musa 500 ribu full buat Bunda! Coba ngandelin gaji ayah. Setiap hari Ayah belanja seenak sendiri. Beli sayuran, ya sayurannya aja emangnya bisa layak makan tanpa bumbu? Di mana-mana juga yang belanja mah perempuan bukan laki-laki. Ayah belanja cuma tempe tahu, emangnya bisa mateng tanpa minyak? Udahlah Yah, Musa capek! Ayah mah kebanyakan gengsi, enggak pernah mikirin kalau kita juga pengen hidup normal. Bukan hidup terserah ayah. Gaji 10 juta juga bukan buat Bunda mah, enggak jadi apa-apa. Makan aja kadang enggak kenyang, karena berasnya enggak cukup!”
On the day that my body was cremated, Mandy stood beside Felix in a daze. It had just been a few days since the truth was revealed. Yet, her chubby cheeks had sunken in. She stared at my tombstone and whispered, “Daddy, am I never going to see Mommy again?”Felix patted her head and could not bring himself to tell her that the dead could not return. Mandy then puffed out her cheeks as if she was throwing a tantrum. “She can’t not want me!“She’s the one who ran away! Ruby said that she doesn’t love me.”Felix became choked up, and tears rolled down his cheeks. He squatted down and pinched her cheek, just like I would when I tried to comfort her. “It’s not that Mommy doesn’t want you anymore. She left so that she could give you her heart. She only had one eye left because she made sure that I could still see. “Mandy, Mommy loves you the most.”However, Mandy frowned. “But Ruby said—”Unable to bear the pain in his heart any longer, a cold expression settled on Felix’s fac
“She had a tibia fracture, and there was a three-inch cut at the back of her calf. It was made by the blade of an ice skate. She also suffered from bleeding below her ribcage. It was caused by pressure from a sharp object. Her artificial heart also stopped working due to prolonged exposure to the cold.” The police officer looked up from the report and stared at Felix, who appeared lost. “Your wife was murdered in Switzerland,” he said sympathetically.Felix scowled, and his chest heaved. “Her lover must’ve killed her! Did you find out whom she last contacted?!”The officer sighed. “You keep saying she has a lover, but do you have proof?“When your wife ran out of the villa, she brought nothing. Didn’t you notice this when you packed up her luggage?“Ruby Jones followed her. She wasn’t dressed in ski wear, but she was wearing a pair of ice skates. Your wife’s wounds were left by ice skates.”Felix whipped his head up in disbelief. “What do you mean? Are you saying that Ruby kille
Felix hung up and smiled at a rather pale Ruby. “Liana must be thinking about coming back. She probably paid an actor to figure out how I feel about this entire thing. “Don’t worry, Ruby. Once she’s back, the first thing I’ll do is divorce her!“I feel disgusted whenever I remember her face; she’s blind in one eye, and she still can’t stop herself from cheating. Someone like her should leave the family as soon as possible.”Ruby just hummed in a distracted fashion. Right then, Mandy ran over with a children’s book and asked Ruby to read her a bedtime story. However, Ruby pulled a long face. When she read the story of the Little Mermaid, she snapped. “Ariel should have killed the princess. The prince doesn’t love her at all!“Only those who love each other should be together. The princess only got together with the prince in the end because of her family background.”Her ruthless expression terrified Mandy so much that she shrank into her covers. Felix was not all talk. He a
When Felix returned to the villa, the door was open. I was supposed to be resting in bed, but I was nowhere to be found. For some reason, he started to panic. He searched for me a few times upstairs and downstairs. He even called out to me, but no one replied. Mandy pouted. “Daddy, why don’t you call Mo… Why don’t you call her?”She teared up and seemed to be shocked by my abrupt disappearance.However, my phone had turned off due to the cold. Seeing Felix put down his phone with a frown, Ruby smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, you guys. I saw Liana getting really chummy with a ski instructor yesterday. I think they agreed to go out today.”Felix was furious, and he threw his phone on the floor. “Me? Worried about her?! She’s just a shameless woman! Her leg’s broken, and she’s still out on a date with a man?! I knew it. She was just pretending!“If I ever care about her safety again, I’d be a fool!”Mandy sniffled and huffed. “She must’ve left us behind again!”Since I was
Before my broken fingers could heal, Felix dragged me onto a plane, and we went to Switzerland. It was all because Ruby said that she wanted to go skiing. She pretended to be sad and said, “Don’t leave Liana at home alone. Let’s bring her along.”Felix seemed to have forgotten that I had told him I could no longer do any sports. When I said no, he just scoffed. “Stop joking around. Do you really think you’re that frail?“Ruby’s showing you respect by inviting you along. Don’t be ungrateful!”I was dragged to the ski resort, and Ruby simply sneered when she saw my pale lips. She pointed at Felix, who was helping Mandy put on her protective gear. “I heard that Felix taught you how to ski, but he won’t even touch you now.”She deliberately slowed down to compete against me. Then, she hit my right leg with her ski pole. “Say, if we get into trouble, who do you think Felix will save first? Me or you?”I could only panic as I rammed into a pine tree.However, Felix anxiously
When Felix noticed the bandages on my knees, his eyes flickered with an emotion I could not decipher. “Ruby has an art exhibition today. She’s always wanted you to see it, so you’re coming with us,” he said.He sounded so high and mighty about it, as though he was being nice and giving me this opportunity. Since when did going out with them become a generous reward?I could feel my heart fighting to work. Suddenly, I remembered how the three of us had gone to a theme park in the past. Mandy had fed me some cotton candy with a smile, and Felix had used a fan to blow away the heat. Unfortunately, times had changed. “Daddy, why is she coming to the art exhibition with us? She’ll just ruin my mood!” Mandy grumbled in displeasure.Felix pinched her cheek. “I’m around, and I won’t let her bully Ruby.”I wanted to avoid conflict with Ruby, but she refused to spare me. She pretended to be friendly and grabbed my arm as if she did not see me avoiding her. “Liana, look at the pai
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