LOVE YOU, UNCLE

Ghea thought that by surprising Randy, she could bathe peacefully without any obstacles. Just as she hung her bathrobe and began to enjoy the pouring water soaking her head and entire body, the room’s lights suddenly went out without permission.

Darkness.

Instantly, Ghea panicked.

While fumbling around, she screamed as loud as she could, hoping that Randy would hear and immediately turn the lights back on.

“Uncle, why is it dark? Did you turn off the lights?”

“Let it be. You’re so tricky!”

“Uncle, please turn it on. I can’t see. I can’t breathe either.”

“No. Just let you bathe in the dark.”

Ghea looked even more panicked. Fear had begun to haunt her. After a while, her body became weaker, and she eventually fell powerless to the floor.

Meanwhile, Randy, who heard nothing from inside the bathroom, began to wonder. Was his wife done bathing, or was she intentionally waiting for him to turn the lights on again? There were no more sounds of Ghea protesting, and the sound of splashing water was also gone.

“Ghea? Are you done or not?”

The first call received no response. Randy thought Ghea was deliberately doing it to make him feel sorry and quickly turn the lights on.

However, a minute passed without any sign. Randy, who was usually calm, suddenly became anxious. Especially when repeatedly banging on the door, his wife didn’t respond at all.

“Ghe… open the door.”

“Ghe, not funny, huh!”

Because he was genuinely afraid that something might happen, Randy tried to open the door right away. Realizing it was locked from the inside, the only way to open it was to break it.

“Ghea!”

Randy was startled when the door opened successfully, finding Ghea lying on the floor, right in front of the sink, completely undressed. Immediately, Randy approached, grabbed the bathrobe to cover Ghea’s body, and then carried her upstairs to the bed.

Hastily, Randy walked to the wardrobe. He took a dry towel and sleepwear to put on Ghea, who was currently naked.

“Ghea, what happened?”

While monologuing, Randy slowly put on the sleepwear he brought. After it was perfectly fitted, he pulled the blanket to cover Ghea’s entire body to prevent her from getting cold.

While waiting for Ghea to regain consciousness, Randy asked Sandra to prepare hot soup for her to eat when she woke up. After that, he grabbed his phone and tried to contact Mario from outside the room.

Earlier, during his visit to Mario’s office, the man had given him his phone number to make it easier for Randy if he ever needed help. He used that opportunity right away. Intentionally calling to clarify something.

“Hello?”

“Sorry if I’m bothering you. There’s something important I want to ask,” Randy said to the point when Mario answered his call.

“Ok, no prob. What do you want to ask? Or could it be something happened to Ghea?” the man on the other end inquired, as if sensing that something was wrong.

“Ghea suddenly fainted in the bathroom.”

“How is that possible?!”

From his tone alone, Mario seemed genuinely surprised. The man was undoubtedly worried that something bad had happened to his sister. This was evident in the next barrage of questions he threw at Randy.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Is she not feeling well? Exhausted? Or are you two fighting again, causing her to stress out? It’s impossible for Ghea to faint for no reason.”

Randy wanted to interject, but because Mario kept talking, he was also confused about where to start the story.

“Calm down… calm down… because I don’t know anything, that’s why I called you and asked. Earlier, when she was bathing, I playfully turned off the lights. I just wanted to joke. But shortly after, Ghea didn’t make a sound. When I opened the door, she was already lying on the floor.”

“Oh my God.” Mario exclaimed again after hearing Randy’s brief, concise, and very clear explanation. He could deduce what had caused his sister to lose consciousness. “Ghea is genuinely afraid of complete darkness. She would immediately have trouble breathing if trapped in complete darkness.”

Oh no!

Randy reflexively massaged his forehead at that moment. He had just made a big mistake. But, what could he do? He genuinely didn’t know that his wife had a trauma or a personal history that made her afraid of complete darkness.

“And now, is Ghea awake or not?” Mario asked next.

“Not yet. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s just a normal fainting spell. I sincerely apologize. I didn’t mean to endanger her.”

“It’s okay,” Mario replied. “I also forgot to tell you. If you don’t mind and agree, I can help you make a list of Ghea’s likes and dislikes, and what should be avoided. Maybe it can help you.”

Although he was sure the man on the other side couldn’t see, while holding his phone, Randy nodded. He agreed completely with Mario’s offer. After all, the other day, his father-in-law only gave a general overview of Ghea’s habits. Maybe if he knew more about what his wife liked and didn’t like, their relationship could slowly improve.

“That would be great. I think it will help a lot in our future relationship.”

“Okay, then. Make sure Ghea is okay. If anything happens, or something bad occurs, please let me know immediately.”

Right after ending the call, Sandra, who had just finished delivering food to the room, approached Randy. She addressed him, redirecting his focus.

“Why, San?”

“Sir, um, Mrs. Ghea is awake. But strangely, Mr. Randy’s wife is crying.”

Randy immediately ran to enter the room. Finding Ghea crying, he hurriedly approached and sat right in front of her.

“Hey… what’s wrong with you?”

“Uncle is mean!” Ghea exclaimed with tears streaming down her face.

Randy took a deep breath. It was certain that his wife was angry with what he had done before.

“I’m sorry, Ghe. For God’s sake, I didn’t know you were afraid of the dark.”

“Just so you know, Uncle went too far!”

Randy tried to calm her down. Extending his hand, intending to wipe away Ghea’s tears. However, instead of accepting his good intention, Ghea immediately pushed it away, as if she didn’t want to be touched.

“I really apologize, Ghe. Seriously, I didn’t know.”

“Then, who moved me from the bathroom to the bed?” Ghea asked with a probing expression. Her eyes squinted as if waiting for Randy to provide a more detailed explanation.

“Well, it was me. Who else could it be? I wouldn’t ask someone else to lift you.”

“Who put on the pajamas?”

“Me too,” Randy confidently replied. He thought that by admitting this, Ghea’s heart would be moved. However, it didn’t go as he thought.

“Arrghhhh!”

Ghea could be heard screaming hysterically. Randy, who was sitting right in front of her, was shocked and intentionally moved backward.

“Ghe? Wake up… hey! Are you possessed? Why are you acting like this?”

At that moment, Ghea grabbed the pillow next to her. Without mercy, she ruthlessly struck it towards Randy until her husband groaned in pain.

“Ghe, please. Are you seriously possessed by a lion demon or something? I’ve apologized so many times,” Randy muttered while trying to withstand the continuous blows from Ghea.

“Yesterday was our first kiss, and now you’ve seen every part of my body. You’ve really crossed the line! You’re a pervert!”

“Hey, don’t just say anything. I’m your husband, not someone else,” retorted Randy, sounding displeased. “It shouldn’t be a problem if I see your body, touch it, or whatever. Besides, it’s just Ghe who saw it. Nothing happened. Even if you want to retaliate by seeing mine, I don’t mind at all. What do you say? Do you want to see?”

“Eww, I’m not interested! Anyway, you’ve gone too far, Uncle. I hate you, Randy.”

Randy sighed deeply. He was exhausted from apologizing and dealing with Ghea’s unpredictable behavior.

“Oh God, Ghea. What else do I have to do to make you understand that everything I did was spontaneous? What other way should I use for you to forgive me?”

Ghea remained silent. Once again, she grabbed the pillow and threw it at Randy.

“Get out! I don’t want to sleep in the same room as you, Uncle.”

“No way. I don’t want to sleep on the sofa again.”

Seeing Randy standing firm in his decision, Ghea then got up from her seat. She inched down from the bed and took steps, intending to leave the room.

“Where are you going?” Randy asked, grabbing Ghea’s arm to make her stop.

“I want to sleep outside.”

“No, don’t… don’t,” Randy insisted once again. “Fine, I’ll leave. You stay here and don’t go anywhere. Again, I apologize.”

With resignation, Randy finally obeyed Ghea’s command to leave the room. What else could he do? He also had his share of fault here. Consider this as payback for the mischievous act he had done earlier.

***

Randy and Ghea had breakfast in silence. Normally, in the dining room on previous days, Ghea was always chatty like a parrot. She would talk about random things or express herself freely.

However, this morning seemed quite different. Maybe because she was still filled with anger, not once did she speak. Initially, Randy wanted to let it be. But, to make sure if his wife had forgiven him, he deliberately spoke up.

“Still angry?” Randy asked while spooning chicken porridge into his bowl. Ghea remained silent, deliberately turning a deaf ear to him. Pretending not to hear what Randy was saying.

“Don’t stay angry like this, Ghe. Don’t be so cold. You might be mistaken for a fruit salad later.”

Ghea chuckled slightly, trying her best not to respond to every word Randy threw at her. Even when she finished her breakfast, Ghea glanced briefly at her phone screen, then hastily got up. She grabbed her brown sling bag hanging on the side of the chair and headed outside, as if getting ready for college.

“Ghe… Are you going to class? Let me take you,” Randy shouted a bit because Ghea was already quite far from the dining area.

“Lazy!”

Randy really wanted to scold her. However, not wanting to prolong the ongoing war, he chose to stay silent until Ghea’s shadow completely disappeared from his sight.

Five minutes later, after Randy had finished his breakfast, he prepared to leave for work. Until Sandra’s remarks and questions diverted his focus.

“Sir, is it really okay for Miss Ghea to go to college with her friend?”

Randy turned. Clearly hearing what Sandra was asking, he nodded.

“Yeah, it’s fine if Ghea wants to go to college with her friend. Why should I forbid it? She needs to socialize too.”

Sandra nodded.

“Yeah, true. But, Mr. Randy, are you sure it’s okay to let Miss Ghea go with her male friend?”

Randy was taken aback. He was confident about what he had just heard from Sandra.

“W-what did you say just now?”

“Earlier, the guy who picked up Miss Ghea for college was a guy, Sir.”

“A guy?” Randy repeated, seeking confirmation.

“Yes. I even saw that guy clearly helping her open the car door.”

Randy pursed his lips tightly. For some reason, he felt irritated after hearing what Sandra had just told him.