Chapter 48 - Dino's Proposal

In the end, all of them left Kuala Lumpur and headed for Jakarta. Bara and Dila have reconciled and resolved their problems. Dino, Lala, and Hanin accompany them to the airport. Rere, Tia, Leon, and Daniel also come back with them. Dino's heart feels empty from parting with Leon. They had only been together a few days but they have to part now.

"Leon, don't forget about Grandma, okay? If Grandma goes to Jakarta, we would go for a walk, okay, baby?" Lala rubbed her grandson's head.

"Okay, gramma," Leon said with his unclear pronunciation. The child can't talk properly, yet.

"I will often call you to ask Leon's condition," Dino said while handing his cell phone to Rere. It seems that his playboy instinct starts to take action that makes him acts coquettishly and flirtatiously to his future wife.

"What do you mean?" Rere was looking at Dino with bewilderment. For some reason, Rere felt that Dino acts strangely today.

"Give me your cell phone number," Dino said then winked his eye at Rere.

Rere looked annoyed that Dino was starting to flirt with her. "Why does it have to be my cell phone number?"

"There's no way that I ask Leon's condition to Bara or Dila. Who's Leon's mother? Just give it to me, Re. I just want to know how my son is doing."

"Just give your number, Re. Dino is right. Who else can he asked about Leon's condition besides you?" Bara wanted to help Dino and he glanced at Dila to join the fun.

"How could you tell Dino to call and ask me about Leon? You are the child's mother, Re." Dila even said teasingly while looking at her husband.

At that moment, Dino realized that Bara and Dila were trying to help him. Dino smiled, pleased that he had supporters. The man gave a thumbs up for Dila and Bara.

In the end, Rere typing her number on Dino's cellphone with a dejected face.

"Never call me if it's not important." Rere gave a warning.

"Anything about Leon is a very important matter," Dino said.

"Don't flirt with me.

"Who's flirting with you?" Dino said before shrug off. "Did you afraid that I might make you fall for me?"

"You need to stop doubting a widower's charm. Once you fall into his arms, there is no turning back." Bara keeps provoking Rere.

"What are you talking about, brother? You guys have been talking about a widower's charm. What kind of charm did a widower have? On contrary, a widower is usually an old man."

"Men shine brighter the older they get, Re." Dino smiled happily.

"That is true. They have a power of a bull, not a horse anymore." Bara shows his muscle. He had begun to talk about perverted things.

"Bara," Dila warned her husband.

Rere returns Dino's phone. The man's face was full of a very sweet smile. Rere wrote her name on the number on Dino's phone, but Dino changed her contact name to 'Hanin and Leon's mother'.

Dino was determined to pursue Rere. Although he can't feel any love between them yet, he will try. As a man, he must be responsible for the little angel named Leon.

As a father, Dino wants to give complete love to Hanin and Leon. Marriage is the only way to achieve that and the marriage will also bound the two children in a sibling relationship. Only a complete family can make a child understand the real meaning of a family.

"Baby, you need to be careful, okay? Tell dad when you arrive in Jakarta," Dino said then kissed Leon's cheek but his eyes stared at Rere. "Do you also want me to kiss you, Re?" Dino winked, making Rere uncomfortable.

"You need to marry first before doing that," Bara laughed while nudged Dino's arm.

"What's your problem, brother?" Rere stared angrily at her brother. She doesn't want Dino to flirt with her.

Tia and Dila looked at each other and start teasing Rere. They understood that Dino was in his flirty mode.

"Bye, No, We must be going back now," Dila said then split up with Dino, Lala, and Hanin. When Dino can't see Rere's back anymore, he took his mother and child home.

" No, what is your plan next?" Lala asked directly when they arrived at home. Hanin was sound asleep so they could easily talk about Rere.

"I plan to marry Rere," Dino said sound relaxed.

"Are you serious about marrying Rere? Do you love her?"

"Love isn't there yet, Mom, but I'm sure that love will come after we get married. Isn't the essence of true love the love that comes after the marriage? I can see that from Bara and Dila. They married because of an arranged marriage but they love each other in the end. They protect each other though they were separated for four years. They both preserve their love toward each other even in separation."

"True love indeed comes after marriage, but you've had a child. Your case is totally different from Bara's, No. "

"Leon is not a mistake, Mom. It was our mistake for doing that before marriage. If Rere wasn't there that night I might have fallen into that damn prince's trap." Dino started to get angry when he remember prince Ahmed. That man killed Ananya. He never regrets Leon's existence. Dino is happy to have a son even though the boy is not his and Ananya's son.

"Did Rere agrees to marry you?" Lala asked. For some reason she doubted that Rere would accept Dino's proposal.

"Whether she agreed or not, she had no choice to reject my proposal for Leon's sake."

"That's not how it works, No. Marriage is not something you can force." Lala started to panic seeing Dino's attitude.

"Of course it is. I will just complain to Bara about her rejection and I am sure he can convince his sister to marry me. The only problem is our big age gap. We are 14 years apart. I'm 39 while Rere is 25. Having a very young wife will make me give in to her will after our marriage. I have robbed her of her youth. At least, I want to make her happy as my wife."

"You're overconfident."

"Of course, I have a long history on how to make a woman happy, mom" Dino teases his mother.

"What a flirty widower."

"Am I?"

"When are you going to propose Rere?"

"This weekend, I want to go to Jakarta to meet Rere's parents and propose to her. Please come along with me, mom. I need to convince Rere's parents that I wholeheartedly want to marry their little girl."

"Little girl? are you sure?" Lala teases Dino.

"In her ID card, she is still a girl, an unmarried woman, even though she is actually a single mom with a son."

"You're crazy."

"I am crazy for being a widower for too long, Mom. I need a wife. I need someone who can warm my bed." Dino still talks in childish behavior.

"I think you're right. Being a widower for too long can actually make you crazy."

*****

"We've arrived at the airport, Bar," Dino called Bara as soon as they step inside the building at Soekarno-Hatta airport.

"Have you met my driver, yet?" Bara asked.

"Not yet." Dino looked at Lala and Hanin.

"Wait for a second, I will call my driver," Bara said before hung up the phone.

Not long after, Bara's driver came to fetch them. The driver took them directly to Bara's house. For some reason, Dino started to panic when he realizes that he is going to meet Herman and Ainil. He was also confused about his own reaction. This was not his first time meeting a woman's parents to propose, but strangely he became nervous and his hands were sweating.

"Are you okay, No?" Lala realized her son's nervousness.

"I don't know why, but my heart just can't calm down even though I have done this before." Dino brushed his hair.

"It was normal for you to be nervous. It's been a long time since the last time you've done this."

"Dad, do you want to propose Leon's  mommy?"

"Yes, honey."

"How could little Leon had been born before you marry Leon's mommy?"

Dino was shocked to get this kind of question from Hanin. He doesn't know what is the best way to tell a little girl the truth. Dino is in a dilemma. It was impossible to tell Hanin that Leon was his illegitimate child.

"Why do you asking such a question, baby girl?"

"Hanin once asked the teacher. Why Hanin cannot find Hanin's picture in dad and mother's wedding photo? Then the teacher said that God was creating Hanin at that time so Hanin was not in dad and Mother's wedding photo. The teacher also said that Hanin was born after dad and Mother getting married. Then what about Leon? Why little Leon born first when dad and Leon's mommy aren't married yet?"