DESTINED WITH YOU

Kring!!! The morning alarm on the nightstand rang loudly. A hand came out from under the blanket, beckoning the nightstand to look for the source of the sound.

Struck by intense sleepiness, the hand had difficulty finding the off button for the alarm.

Brak!!! The ringing of the alarm finally stopped when it hit the wall.

A beautiful woman chuckled at her husband's childish behavior, which remained the same year after year even though he was almost four.

"Arka!"

The mound of blankets was torn away to reveal the slacker who had been rolled up in the blanket.

"Morning, darling!"

Still the same sweet smile. Arkana Kenjiro Wijaya. The man still looks handsome at 39 years old.

His slanted eyes looked mischievously at his wife who stood not far from the bed. Lizzya Pinkan is the woman who is still loyal to him until the tenth year of marriage.

"After work, don't forget to buy a new alarm clock!" Lisa annoyed.

Arka laughed, then sat down after pulling up the covers. His wife even forgot to put down the spatula in her haste to get to the room.

"You want to wake me up with a spatula, don't you?" Arka grumbled.

"Your alarm sounay to the kitchen, you know! Uh, what time is it?"

"You know I'm working late, you shouldn't have set the alarm. Come here for a moment!"

When Arka called her to bed at a time like this, he must have wanted a little pampering. Lisa placed the spatula on the corner table and walked over.

"Hurry up. Afraid of being bitten? I'm used to this!"

Arka tugged on Lisa's arm and twisted around her waist, then tucked his chin between her tiny shoulders.

With her hair rolled up, Arka could freely inhale the scent of perfume emanating from Lisa's nape.

"It's already the 1st."

"Why, Ka? Did you get paid?"

"You only know about money. It's been two weeks, right?"

"What? You're not talking clearly, darling."

Arka pulls the drawer latch to open it. He picked up a light rectangular object on top of a stack of books. A test pack.

"What if it's negative?" she asked.

Arka smiled slightly. He brought his lips closer to the side of Lisa's ear.

"Yeah then, I'm good."

Lisa chuckled. That was Arka's way of persuading Lisa not to be afraid of whatever lines came out of that thing.

Just as she was about to welcome Arka's sweet kiss, a noise was heard approaching. More precisely, the clatter of footsteps that sounded hunting.

"Mama! Papa!"

Arka grunted in annoyance. He abandoned his pampering and collapsed on the bed. Lisa chuckled, burying her husband's head in the dark blue blanket.

"Don't do anything."

Lisa smiled, patting Arka on the back.

"Whatever!"

A handsome boy appeared from behind the door. He was already very neat in his blue school uniform. His skin color contrasted slightly with the color of the uniform.

The ebony-black hair was very neat with the typical combing of young people. He was very handsome despite being 9 years old.

"Mom, where's my lunchbox? I'll be late," Farrell whined.

Lisa got up and reached for the spatula on the table. She took the boy named Farrel by the hand.

"Sorry, Farrel, I have to wake up your little brother."

"Papa's not up yet?"

"Let it go. Come on, let's go downstairs! You can have breakfast first! I made a special lunch for you."

After Lisa and Farrel left the room, Arka came out of hiding. He glanced at the wall clock which showed half past seven.

"There's still time until the scheduled surgery at noon. I'm sleepy!"

Arka pulled the blanket back over his body. Ten years had passed, these were the days. Everything changed so quickly, passed with love and patience.

*

There were many breakfast items on the menu, but only two people were enjoying it.

"Did Grandpa have breakfast, Grandma?" asked Farrell.

His grandmother - Wendi - tried to smile to fade her handsome grandson's sad expression. Although she had been following Farrel's gaze, she turned back to her grandson.

"Grandpa will have breakfast later. He's reading the newspaper, so breakfast will be later. You just eat with me. It's already this hour, hurry up!"

Farrel rubbed his eyes. His chubby, puffy cheeks began to thin as he managed to crush the bread more finely.

"Grandpa's mad at me."

Wendi was stunned. His innocent face looked very sad. Something bad happened and fate took control of everything.

"That's just how you feel. When you finish breakfast, ask Didit to take you to school."

Wendi avoided the conversation. She couldn't bear to see Farrel's sad face. Only Farrel was left at the dining table alone. After finishing, he got up from his chair and poured tea into a cup on the table.

"I'm sure Grandpa won't get angry again."

His small feet stepped slowly to maintain the balance of the cup of tea he was carrying. Finally, he was able to carry the cup to the side of the sofa where his grandfather, Frans, was reading the newspaper.

"Grandpa, this is your tea. Grandma said you can't drink coffee anymore."

"Put it on the table," said Frans, coldly.

"Don't forget to drink it!"

Farrell lowered the cup slowly. Startled by the splash of hot water hitting his hand, Farrell accidentally put the cup in an unbalanced position and spilled it on the table.

Frans was shocked when the hot tea stream hit the side of his thigh.

"Farrel!"

Farrel was afraid. Increasingly, the anger could no longer be hidden. The innocent boy could only look down when he was used as an outlet for his grandfather's anger.

"Don't you see this, huh? Did I tell you to get me some tea?! Shit!"

Arka was stunned on the second step when he saw his son's face downcast with scolding. Farrel couldn't lift his trembling hand to wipe away the tears.

"Dad! Stop it!"

Arka screeched in a high-pitched voice. Lisa heard and followed the commotion created in the living room.

"Papa...," Farrel sobbed.

Arka prepared to challenge his father's selfishness. Lisa also tried to pull Arka's arm after Farrel collapsed in her arms.

"Why does it have to be Farrel, Dad? I was wrong. You've been angry with me ever since that incident. Why do you have to put everything on Farrel?" Arka was upset.

"What are you talking about? I'm angry with him because he made a mistake. Can't you reprimand him?"

"No! You reprimanded him out of anger, not out of love. I've noticed since that day. You can hate me like you used to, but don't hurt my son!"

"He's not your son!"

Lisa couldn't help but cry, hoping that her embrace would drown out the sound of Frans' screeching that might have reached Farrell's ears.

The old man refused to care, leaving the living room. There was a sob in the middle of the silence.

When Lisa touched Arka's cheek, her husband realized that Farrel was with them. He immediately embraced Farrel and kissed the top of his son's head.

"Grandpa always said that I'm not your son," Farrel said.

Arka raised his chin to stop the tears from falling. Lisa also rubbed Farrel's head so that their son would stop crying.

"Hey, what time is it? You'll be late, honey."

Lisa looked back and gave a beckoning order to the house-sitter aunt to approach with Farrel's schoolbag.

Farrel just obeyed being held by Siti, the servant. He waved, but Arka preferred to turn around because he had not been able to ease his sadness. After being sure that Farrel was out of the house, Arka could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Shit!"

Arka returned to the room. Lisa followed to calm Arka down this time. Arriving at the room, Arka sat slumped with his hands clenched into fists.

"Why did Dad do this again, Lisa? He's angry with us, why did he hurt Farrel? He loved Farrel before, so why did things turn out this way?"

Lisa approached Arka, pulling her husband's nape to sink into her embrace. A gentle rub on Arka's shoulder seemed unable to fade the sadness so quickly.

"Dad has always considered Farrel like his own grandson. But after knowing everything, why does he hate Farrel? He can hate me like he used to, why should he hate my son? He's my son, I raised him till now."

"Yes, dear. You must be patient. Don't get carried away with your emotions. Dad has his reasons. It's our fault for hiding my condition from them."

Arka released his embrace, raising his face to freely gaze into Lisa's watery eyes.

"Pull yourself together, darling."

Meanwhile, Farrel had not stopped crying. Despite starting the engine, he was reluctant to get into his car.

"You can't do that. Don't cry!" comforted a young waitress named Siti.

Farrel looked annoyed. He removed his arm from Siti when she asked him to get into the car.

"I don't want to go to school!"

Farrel ran and quickly climbed up to the second floor. From behind the open door, he saw that his parents were sad. Especially his father.

"Grandpa is angry because of me. Papa also cried because of me."

Farrell skipped class today. He locked the door from the inside to avoid being disturbed. His grandfather's anger surprised him, not to mention his harsh words about him.

"He's not your son!"

"So this is what you're hiding? You want me to love this child? I'm not his grandfather!"

It wasn't until Farrell heard that condemnation that he realized he was only his father's adopted son.

*

Hi, Sis. I'm an Indonesian Writer. I'm sorry my English is bad. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

In the afternoon, Lisa brought lunch to the hospital to make sure her husband had something to eat at lunchtime. When she arrived at her husband's office, Lisa was asked to wait.

Arka didn't want his concentration to be disturbed to analyze a patient's medical report.

"So I was told to just wait, huh?" complained Lisa.

"Hold on, it's already done."

After taking off his glasses, Arka got up from his seat with some files. Lisa was annoyed that her husband really couldn't get away from work.

"Eat first! I don't want you to keep working!"

Arka didn't want to argue and just nodded in agreement for Lisa to start preparing the lunch that should be eaten that afternoon.

"I have a lot to do."

Lisa had to feed her husband directly from her hands. She didn't mind.

She is very happy to be able to serve a husband who is still faithful beside her with all the shortcomings that exist.

"More later."

Only a few mouthfuls were given.

Lisa leaned her head against the back of the sofa. Throughout, she only saw Arka busy again with the file in her hand.

A mischievous smile appeared on Lisa's lips. Her fingers gave Arka's neck a small pinch.

"Baby!"

Arka raises his shoulders slightly, an amused gesture. She couldn't be bothered. Lisa wanted to get Arka's attention by taking the file in her husband's hand.

"I'm more important than that file?"

Arka made a serious face. He bent down slightly to reach the file on the sofa beside Lisa.

"Of course, the file is more important."

Lisa was surprised to hear Arka's serious answer. Her husband returned to opening the file while glancing at Lisa.

"Because this will help us to give Farrel a sibling."

Arka opened the file and placed it on the table. He took the small body into his arms. His eyes gestured to each medical report in front of him.

"Tomorrow morning when you wake up, you will do the test right away! Or do you want to take the test now to Dr. Grace?" Arka asked.

"It will be negative again. Even if I'm not sick, I'm getting old. I don't even expect to be a mom anymore."

Arka tried to smile despite his heartbreak. After brushing Lisa's wet cheeks, his lips gently kissed the narrow forehead. He wanted to reassure Lisa that everything would be fine.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be a good husband. My father has been a burden to you, huh?"

"No, your father is right. Don't blame him. He's just a lonely grandfather in his old age. He wants to hold his grandchildren. But I ..."

"If the result is negative too, we'll have to do IVF again, or maybe surrogacy," said Arka.

Arka took the file and showed it to Lisa. He skimmed it and didn't fully understand.

"The IVF process can be done again. But now the problem is with your uterus. If in fact, you can get pregnant later, you will be inconvenienced by all the medicines and all the treatments. Are you willing?"

"I'll do whatever it takes. I'll take good care of my pregnancy. Do it quickly, dear."

"Alright, read through this file first. I'm going to the toilet for a while."

While Arka was in the toilet, Lisa was still studying the files and stages of the IVF process. She was grateful that Arka was still patient and loyal until this moment.

Bruk!

Lisa was surprised to hear a noise coming from the toilet. She rushed over and banged on the door.

"Honey, what's wrong?" worried Lisa.

"Nope, just slipped!!!"

Not long after, Arka appeared while rubbing his forehead, which was slightly red from hitting something.

"Aih, so be careful. Where's your eyes, anyway, until you slipped like that?" complained Lisa.

"Even after falling, I still get nagged. Wicked!"

Lisa smiled and pulled Arka's arm so she could quickly treat him. Arka sat on the sofa as Lisa took ice for the compress.

"That's why, be careful!"

"What a nag! It hurts."

Lisa chuckled slightly. She treated the bruise on Arka's forehead with a smile. When she was done, she left the room to go to the cafeteria.

*

"So when are you going to give me a biological grandchild?"

That afternoon, a commotion broke out as Frans talked to Arka about the demands of having children.

"Dad, please."

"Until I get some good news, don't expect me to be nice and accept that obscure boy!"

Arka went over and held his father's hand. He loved him, but he couldn't ignore Farrel's tears that fell because of his father.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I just couldn't watch you do that to Farrel. He's my son, Dad. I raised him. I'm sorry if this has hurt you. What do you want now? Please understand my position. I am a father," Arka pleaded.

Frans sat back on the sofa when he could control Arka's anger. His son pleaded hopefully.

"What do you want?" Arka asked.

"This is the last year of the tempo I've given, right? I won't be so kind this time. Arka, you're a doctor. Of course, you can do anything for your wife. Within this year, I received news of Lisa's pregnancy. If not, please leave this house. I won't even think of you as a child anymore. Understand?"

Arka was surprised to hear his father's criticism.

Silence. Frans left followed by his wife. Lisa was confused by this situation. Getting offspring, apart from effort, but it is God who wills. What can they do?

"Honey, what's going to happen?" Lisa asked.

Arka didn't respond, stumbling away from Lisa to go to her room.

*

Arka deliberately went home early to calm Lisa down. A few days since the ultimatum given by Frans, his wife had looked moody. Arka hasn't even dared to mention the IVF program for fear of disappointing Lisa.

"Ehm!"

Arka's voice woke Lisa up. As Arka walked into the room, the woman got up carrying a pile of folds that she was about to put in the closet.

"Back yet? It's still eleven," Lisa said without turning around.

"I don't have anything to do. I was planning to have lunch with you."

Arka sat on the bed and didn't force Lisa to sit beside her. His wife looked busy with her task, then took a glass of water to give to her husband.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Arka asked.

Lisa nodded and sat next to Arka.

"You still don't want to see a doctor, you don't want to use a test pack either," Arka said.

Lisa looked down. Her hands tightened and rubbed the tips of her nails together to kill her nerves.

"We have to do something. This is all for Farrel's sake. If we succeed, Dad will surely be able to accept Farrel," Arka said seriously.

Lisa came closer and leaned against her husband's warm arm. Her biggest fear right now was that the people beside her might get tired one day.

"I'm not ready yet. Sorry, I'm scared of all that."

"Scared of what? IVF is still possible, right? The success rate is also high and there's no doubt about it. We'll try one more time."

"What if my womb isn't strong enough to carry a baby after that time?"

Lisa released her embrace and looked at Arka. Her husband's face was stern.

"There's too much you're afraid of. You haven't even tried it yet, you're already thinking about this and that. This isn't the first time you've said that to me. I'm also tired, Lisa, like I'm struggling alone. Why are you so pessimistic?"

Lisa was stunned to hear Arka's assertiveness. Her husband left the room and went to the toilet.

What Arka said was true. Ten years had passed and Lisa was beginning to fear losing everything while she had nothing to give. She reached for the small figurine on the nightstand and looked at her small family photo. Farrel's smile was so sweet. Tears fell from her eyes at the happiness embedded there.

"Your papa brought you here, and I have been taking care of you since you were a baby, Farrel. But apparently, your presence wasn't enough for your papa and grandfather. They wanted real Wijaya blood, and I couldn't make that happen. I'm sorry if you're being difficult, Farrel."

Lisa lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. The pain brought back memories of when Farrel had first come between them.

Nine years ago...

The sound of a car engine could be heard from outside. The diners' attention was drawn to the sound. Frans, Wendi, and Lisa stopped their lunch just like that.

"That's the sound of Arka's car. Did Ujang come out with Arka's car earlier?" exclaimed Wendi.

"Yes, Ma. Earlier Ujang asked permission to take Arka's car. Something needs to be serviced, he said. Besides, Arka will be back from Taipei in the evening," continued Frans.

"I've missed him for two months. Later in the afternoon, I want to pick up Arka at the airport. Mom and Dad are coming, right?" Lisa exclaimed.

"If you want to pick her up, just go. You're his wife, right? Arka would rather have you pick him up than his dad," said Frans, nonchalantly.

The dining room was suddenly so cold that the sound of tapping shoes was audible. Arka was standing there with a black briefcase by her side. Wendi, Frans, and Lisa got up at the same time.

They couldn't immediately run to greet the arrival of their son who had been away for two months. They left the dining table and stood a few meters away from Arka who came not alone. By his side was a woman holding a baby and carrying a bag of baby gear and clothes.

"Arka?"

Wendi was the first to approach. She was watching the baby.

"This is... my friend's son. He had an accident and died. So, I decided to take care of his son," said Arka.

Frans had not yet spoken. He stepped closer and left Lisa standing still.

"It's even been a year and you haven't given me a grandchild. Why would you bring another baby into this house?"

Lisa couldn't bear Frans' cynical accusations. Arka walked over and tugged on his wife's arm. He returned to Papa Frans while grasping Lisa's fingers, forcing Lisa to raise her gaze to be tough.

"Lisa and I are making an effort, Dad. We don't know fate, maybe in a year or two, God will arrange everything. And also, the myth is, if we take care of another baby, think of it as a lure. We will take care of this baby until it grows up. Don't lose hope, Dad," Arka pleaded.

"But you promised to give me grandchildren, right? I want a little Arka running around the house. Me and your mom are getting old," said Papa Frans.

The old man's smile began to rise when he heard the sound of the tiny baby crying in the nurse's arms. Arka smiled to see his father begin to melt. He looked up at Lisa and gave her a nod to calm down.

"We promised, Dad. I'm sorry if I let you down. But Lisa and I will give Dad a grandchild. We're healthy, really, just waiting for God's answer," Arka exclaimed.

Lisa's eyes were unflinching and crystalline, saying that she believed fate would be kind to them.

The old man approached the nurse, accompanied by his wife. His hand touched the baby's cheek and rubbed it.

"Don't cry, beautiful," said Frans.

"That's a boy, Dad," Arka interrupted with a smile.

Frans took the baby from the nurse's hands to hold it himself. Wendi also felt anxious about the little angel's chubby cheeks.

"Ah, so cute, I thought it was a girl. That's just right, you're going to be your brother's keeper later. You have to be like me!" said Papa Frans.

"No! He'll be fierce like you, I don't want him," added Wendi.

A small laugh accompanied them. Miraculously, the little angel's cry was replaced by a small smile on his lips. A silent laugh that made Frans melt.

"What's the name?" exclaimed Wendi.

"His name is Farrel, Mom!" said Arka.

Arka invited Lisa to get closer to his parents. He wanted to assure Lisa that the woman would be a mother to Farrel.

"It's a good name, isn't it?" Arka exclaims.

After the family had had their fill of jokes and expressions of affection for little Farrel, Arka picked him up with Lisa by his side. She was still standing at the door when Arka laid Farrel down on the bed. She smiled beautifully as she pinched Farrel's cheek.

"This is papa, darling. That's your mom," Arka said, pointing at Lisa.

Starting like that, Lisa began to approach and sit on the bed. She couldn't ignore her husband's happiness. How much Arka loved children, even spending empty hours in the hospital's pediatric ward. A baby was coming into their home now. Lisa didn't resist, only feeling sad if one day only Farrel would be between them.

"Take care of Farrel and raise him like our own son, Lisa. One day we'll have children too. Maybe God will answer our prayers if we take care of this child."

Lisa nodded without speaking. The tiny baby did not whimper as Arka continued to rub his head. He was beginning to adapt to his father's hands.

"His eyes are round, beautiful. He ... looks like his mother, very similar," Arka said.

Lisa looked at Arka without asking any questions. She just needed an explanation and Arka could answer without having to ask.

"Promise me, take care and love Farrel. He will be an angel in this house before our little angel comes!"

Farrel's little laugh brought a smile to Lisa's lips. Arka left Lisa alone with Farrel. Her hands began to gently touch the baby's delicate skin. She lay on Farrel's side with her index finger in the little one's grasp.

"Farrel is mama's boy, right? Farrel is just here from now on," Lisa said.

Lisa's tears fell as she closed her eyes. Maybe not now, God would give her another baby and it would be born from her womb.

*

Lisa opened her eyes as a peck woke her up from the memories of nine years ago. Arka was already sitting on the bed, right beside her.

"I'm sorry for being so rude to you earlier. We have to stay together. Don't be afraid, I won't leave you," Arka said.

Lisa immediately hugged Arka's waist. Her head sank into the expanse of her husband's chest, savoring the rhythmic beat of his beating heart. Very warm.

"I'll try. But promise me that if something bad does happen, don't let Farrel go for me. Take care of Farrel and leave me alone. Let Farrel stay here and find someone who can fulfill your father's wish."

Arka released his embrace and looked into his wife's sad eyes. She was sobbing, breaking his heart.

"If that happens, I won't leave you!"

Arka smiled. A look of indifference crossed her face and he got up from his seat. He grabbed a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator and downed it.

Afterward, he approached the file table and grabbed some important sheets there. Examining the files and still seriously talking to his wife.

"You have to keep your spirits up and we'll go to the doctor tomorrow. I'm going to Farrel's school first."

Arka adjusted his tie to make it look neater. Lisa got out of bed and helped her husband get ready.

"Farrel will still be home in two hours," Lisa said.

"It's okay. I'll just go to his school and watch him study."

Arka said no more and left the room. There were still two more hours waiting for Farrel to return from his routine activities at school.

*

It was almost noon when Arka looked at her watch. He was sitting in the school cafeteria and had already finished his glass of warm sweet tea. How he always smiled at the little kids running around during break time. Before long, his cell phone rang because of a call from his colleague.

"Yes, Dr. Grace?" said Arka.

"Doc, why haven't you come here yet? Mrs. Lisa has already had therapy, I think her uterus is in better condition."

"I've persuaded her. We'll be there tomorrow."

"I'll wait!"

Arka put his phone back down. He was lost in reverie before being startled by a pat on the head.

"Mr. Doctor!" the man exclaimed.

Arka made an annoyed face as he looked at the man sitting in front of him. A very sweet smile with a thin mustache. A whistle hanging from his neck and training uniform. Reza, his best friend. He rubbed Arka's head.

"Don't do that! It's not polite! We're old," Arka scolded.

Reza laughed. He took Arka's potato sticks off his plate.

"We? You're the one who's old, already a husband, already a father. I'm still the single handsome and successful one in my mature age," Reza swaggered.

Arka laughed heartily. "Hm, ya. Just say 'weathered old bachelor,' Za!"

"What are you doing here? Don't work?"

"I'm picking up Farrel."

Reza's expression turned serious when he realized his friend's gloomy face. Arka looked at Farrel's class.

"Yeah, this week I've also seen Farrel's lack of enthusiasm during my gym class. Is there something wrong with him, bro?"

Arka nodded. A sigh was released along with a sad smile.

"My dad keeps telling Farrel that I'm not his father. Farrel must be confused."

"Farrel has to know that he's not your son someday."

"But, Za, I don't want to lose him."

The bell after class rang loudly. The class and the cafeteria were not far away. The cheerful laughter of the innocent children began to sound and they scattered outside.

"Papa!"

His face was so happy when his dear papa picked him up.

He ran to get into Arka's arms. The broad shoulders of his father drowned out his longing.

"You pick me up? Not working?" asked Farrell.

"I came home early today. Don't you miss papa?"

"Miss you so much!"

Afterward, Arka called out to Farrel after arriving at the side of his car. The journey became longer when the sound of laughter could be heard.

*

Frans and Wendi had finished lunch, but Lisa was anxiously waiting for Arka and Farrel who had not arrived.

"Are they still coming home yet?" worried Frans.

"Maybe there's traffic, Dad. Mom and Dad eat first. Arka and Farrel will eat with me later."

Lisa moved and sat down on the veranda. There is an incoming message from Arka.

[I'm taking him out for ice cream. Don't be jealous! Just eat first. If I come home and you haven't eaten, I'll eat you!]

Lisa smiled.