Paradigm

Braaaakkk......!!!! as the door from Sky’s bedroom being slam as hard as it could with anger, “I hate him! I hate him so much! God, why Sky got a father that’s different from everyone else!”. This word that come out from Sky’s mouth as anger wash over her. Sky hated her father, this is the cause of her father that have physical change on his body. His right face that been injured from fire accident. His skin that grown into a black and thick skin, almost his while right eyes are covered with the black skin. Since Sky was little, she was being bullied by her classmates until high school. Sometimes Sky cry on her own as she listen to her friend that bullied her, but she never tell anyone even to her mother and father. When she’s in university, she was treated the same, when her friend saw her father picking her up at the campus. They talk and insult her from the back, and one by one her friend dissapear, they said, “Sky’s father is a monster”. She swalloed her friends word, and yes Sky felt hurt, but she cannot do anything to the people that insult her.

            When Sky started to have a serious relationship, some of the men that had become her boyfriend distance and even some of them immidietly break up with Sky when they see her father face. Sky always get angry with her that because of that. Her dad reaction always silent with a hint of saddness on his face, sometimes her dad’s eyes get teary and stream down as he look at his reflection on the mirror. On one side he wants to get mad and scolded Sky but he knows that it’s not entirely her fault, Sky was to young to understand something this deep. Sky avoid conversation with her dad, only just to say goodbyes.

            Sky get her Diploma degree with a high score even on her graduation for her bachelor degree, in International law. She then get internship in a office in South Jakarta as a lawyer. Sky increadibly good in handeling her cases that been entrust to her. One day, a guy offered a job in the same place as her to be a lawyer. Sky got a task to guide this guy, because she’s more experience rather then the others. Freedom is his name. They grew closer and one day Freedom and Sky finally decided to be in a commitment relationship. Yes, they got together, that’s how they said it. One or two years when by, they didnt realise that they had been in a relationship for over 5 years. One night, in a fancy restaurant in Jakarta, Freedom handed out a small shinning object that being place in a small, elegant box. The shine of that object reflected on Sky’s teary eyes. That object is a ring, diamond ring that going to be used on their wedding at the right time. Sky nod her head as cover with her both hand as she hold her joyful tears as Freedom purposed to her.

            Freedom and Sky started to plan their wedding, from food, wedding dress, decoration and the building of the even. But there’s something that Freedom felt uncomfortable, is that he never get to meet Sky’s dad. Sky always ask Freedom to come to her house when her father is on work or he’s gone to somewwhere. “Sky, I want to meet your father. I want to say to him that I’m marrying his baby girl”, Freedom said. “hmm, are you sure? I’m afraid taht you’ll be like everyone else” Sky said to him. “the important thing is that, I want to meet your dad” Freedom reassure Sky. Short story, Freedom meet Sky’s dad,  of course Freedom was a little bit shock as he saw Sky’s dad but he doesnt really mind about it. Sky felt really glad to have a fiancé that understanding about her the problem and her family, Freedom is the type of guy that nice to everyone, smart, responsible, goes to church and polite.

            One of their conversation, Sky ask Freedom about his name, “why is your name Freedom”. “at first that’s not my name, but when I was one year old I was traped in a fire. But theres one neighbor that same me, when that neighbor was saving me, he got on fire on his right face. Then I move to Surabaya to live in my other house because my house that in Jakarta was turned to ashes do to the fire. Since then I cahnge my name into Freedom, because I was being saved from the fire and death”, Freedom explain his name. Sky’s father came into her mind breifly. But she immidietly wash that thoughts away.

            When she come home, she gather her courage to ask to her father about what happen to his face. Her hand that start to covered in sweat and her heart beat increasing. She then exhale and inhale slowly, as she tries to ask the question to her dad, “dad, Sky want to ask something”. “what is it my daughter? I’m happy that you want to talk to me”, her dad replied full of love and joy, because he got to alk to his lovely daughter. “what happen to your face?” Sky ask nervously. “hmmm... I help a boy from a fire, he was the neighbor kid. He was around your age that time Sky. When I tried to go out from the house that already half burn by the fire, the fire blow the gas tank in the kitchen. I was badly injured, the doctor did what they can do since the technology was different from now. The neighbor pay all the fee for the treatment, but then the family move to another country, to Surabaya if I wasnt mistaken and they change the kid name into..... oh my, I forget”, her dad tell the story as he trying to remember what had happen twenty five years ago.

            Sky confess that deep down in her heart, her heatreat for her dad lessen because she started to understand that what happen to her dad was because he wanted to save the life of a little boy that already cornered. But she still think about the kid that her dad save, what happen to him. She remember Freedom’s stories from how he got his name, she felt weird that somehow the stories is incredibly same.

            Knock.. knock.. knock.., the sound of the door from Sky’s house. That day was the day of Sky’s enggagement, that being held in Sky’s house. Sky open the door with a happy face and invited Freedom parents and friends. When Freedom’s parents and his friends in the living room, where they held the event, Freedom’s parents schol, when they saw Sky’s parents. Freedom’s dad immidietly hug Sky’s dad. Sky and Freedom freeze in place. Sky’s parents and Freedom’s parents never meet before. “it’s been a long time, sir” Freedom’s dad said as he hug Sky’s dad. “twenty five years, we havent seen each other hahaha...”, Sky’s dad said as he return Freedom’s dad hug. Freedom’s dad finally explain that Sky’s dad is the one that save Freedom from the fire. Sky shock, without realising it tears fall out of her eyes. She couldnt talk anymore. Freedom heard this and thankful to Sky’s dad, and ask permision to continue the ceremony. The Enggagement when well.

After a few months after the enggagement, they got married in Jakarta Cathedral Church. Infront of the altar, where at the back a pastor that leading the ceremony Sky set her eyes on the cross where she pray to God, “God, now I know why You let bad thing happen to my dad, now I understand that my dad is different from the other dad but he have a generous heart. God here I kneel and thank You, that now You gather me with the one that I love and the people that You set for me from the beggining, that You protect through my dad, You save the person that You made for me that said a holy speech in front of Your kingdom. Now I undestand that You give me a kind and wonderful dad in the whole world becuase I never going to have a dad that had the heart to save others and I know that I never going to have a husband that I had like Freedom now, Thank you, Lord.” After that Freedom and Sky declare as husband and wife. The relationship between Sky and her dad getting better like a dad and daughter should have. Sky apologize to her dad and she always said that she’s lucky to have a dad like him. She also realize that she had a falls paradigm towards her dad.

THE END

Copyright. Vania Somali