Rhonda

"What the hell did you doing?"

Nino, Rhonda's father whose also Mike's best friend, ask her angrily, while they arrive at home.

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"When we were eat, why did you mention Leo's name? Poor that kid, confused because of that."

"He did look alike Leo, Dad, especially his eyes, really resemble him."

"Yes, but the person with eyes like that are many. Did you remember one time, when there was another boy who has cross-eyed too?"

"Yes."

"That time, you also hug him immediately, but he wasn't Leo, also, he wasn't the boy who sells this porridge, right?"

Rhonda nods sadly.

"Okay, right, I'll go work, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy."

Rhonda answer him while the tears start to stream down her cheek.

Nino sigh sadly before walk to her and hugs her while caress her hair.

Rhonda's silent cry change to an anguish sobs.

"Ssh...it's okay, honey, it's okay, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. I just...didn't want you to have a high hope for finding Leo. Leo's lost happen years ago, and I myself already lost hope too."

Nino continue to caress her hair.

"I know, I just feels really regret and guilty because I always mock him back then."

"You're not the only one who feel the regret and the guilt, honey, me too."

"What do you mean? You never mock him, why did you feel guilty?"

"Because that time I couldn't stop M-...I mean, couldn't stop you to mock him."

Nino answer her while trying to look everywhere nervously, Rhonda knows that look.

"Dad, are you hiding something?"

"No, no, of course not, well it's time to go work."

Nino kiss Rhonda's forehead before walk away hurriedly.

"Dad-..."

"Bye, honey! See you later!"

Nino keep walking before get into the car and immediately drive to his work, the regret and the guilt keep follows him everywhere, but seems like he couldn't evade it.

Rhonda furrows her eyebrows.

What had her father hide from her? But then she shrug it off, maybe it's nothing.

Her thought back to that boy. Was he really Leo?

Rhonda and Lily tried to find Leo for decades, but they still cannot found him.

She felt disappointed, even then regret still fills her heart, cause what she did to Leo, although that time Leo still a baby and still not understood about that things for sure, but still.

And because of that, her friendship with Lily worsen. For years Lily ignore her and almost never talk to her, even tough she said that she already forgive her.

Since then, their friendship is not the same like usual, it full of awkwardness.

But the awkwardness lessen while Tiara, Lily's mother, fallen ill, depression because the lost of Leo and Mike.

That time Rhonda still tried to help Lily nursing her, even sometimes sleep in her bedroom to accompany her while Lily still working at the library.

As for Tiara, the depression cause her to lost her job, but Lily tried to support their life by selling her home made food, like burger, hotdog, french fries and so on, even now she sells drinks too, that's beside her job at the library.

Rhonda also help her sometimes while she's not teaching the kindergarten kids.

Rhonda's tears flow unconsciously. She miss Lily and her mother. It's been about months since she talk to them.

She cannot imagine how their feels for never see Leo and Mike since the kidnap.

Whereas she? She have seen Leo...well, she thought it's him, but she wasn't sure, either that boy was Leo or not.

But deep down in her heart, she knows that was him.

What will she do? Should she calls Lily or not?

Okay, maybe she should calls her, then after that, she and Lily will try to meet him again in the place where that boy sells the porridge.

Lily must be really happy to meet him.

Yes, she will calls Lily.

~~~~~

Nino drives the car with tears flowing his cheek.

He wish that he can stop him that time. He wish that time he just warned her about his best friend-was best friend's plan.

But even if he warned her, he doubt that she will believe him.

And about that boy who sells porridge, he also believe that he was Leo, but he didn't want to have a high hope.

What should he do? Should he visit her, and talk about that boy? But with her condition now, seems like she couldn't accept that problem.

While Nino still considering about him visiting her, he sees a man walking at a side street meters ahead.

It's like he knows him somewhere, but who?

Nino try to faster his drive until his car arrive next to the man, and his eyes wide in surprise, and shock.

"Mike???"

Nino drive his car to the edge of the street in front of the man, not too far and not too close from him, stop immediately, and get out from the car before calls the man.

"Mike?"

The man look out, and his eyes immediately widen in surprise, before turn around and run.

"Mike!"

Nino chase him, but the man runs faster.

"Mike! Wait!"

The man runs faster until he reachs an alley that curve to the left before he too turn to the left.

Nino also turn to that alley, but the man already disappear.

He stops his run to catch his breaths and looks everywhere, searching that man frantically.

The man was really really fast!

Where did he go? Was he really Mike? He knows he was Mike, if he wasn't, surely the man wouldn't run from him, right?

Nino just stunned there for seconds before calming his breath.

Okay, maybe he was not Mike, maybe it was just his imagination.

Finally he turn around, take a deep breath before shakes his head, and walk back to his car.

Not far behind him a pair of wet eyes peeks from one of the big garbage.

'I'm so sorry, Nino, I'm too ashame to be back.'

And the tears flows continuously from the man's eyes.