All Eka’s girls quarrel-Falentino Eka the Arch-Deceiver

‘Don’t be sure about that! I don’t think Eka’s going to marry you, either’, me Mona answered. ‘I think he’s going to marry Mellisa Basaran.’
When Mellisa heard the voices, she was terrified. She gave a cry and dropped the reins. The horse, tired of waiting, decided to go home. It began to move forward. The horse came to a corner and turned too quickly. Two of wagon wheels went up into the hedge and the wagon turned over. The three girls were all thrown out onto the road.
The girls were not hurt. But they were frightened and very angry. They all started to cry and shout at each other.
Tony ran up.
‘Don’t quarrel, my dears!’ Eka cried out, taking off his hat politely. ‘Listen, my dears, I’ve got something to tell you.’
At first, the girls did not listen to him. But at last, they stopped shouting at one another and listened to Eka.
‘Now, my dears,’said Eka, ‘I am going to tell you the truth. I’ve asked Mellisa to marry me and she’s said she’s willing.’
‘My girl’s not willing!’ a loud voice shouted behind Eka.
It was Mr Bassaran, Mellisa’s father.
Mellisa ran up to her father, crying loudly.
‘You’re not willing, are you, Mellisa?’ Mr Bassaran shouted. ‘Surely you won’t marry a man like Falentino Eka was such an arch-deceiver!’
‘What, you won’t have me, Mellisa?’ Eka cried out in surprise.
‘Never!, I would rather marry…..no one at all!’ Mellisa cried.
So Mellisa walked away with her father. Mellisa looked back once or twice. She hoped that Eka would follow her. If he asked her again, Mellisa would not say no.
Eka was too surprised to do anything. He looked at Farina, who was still crying. But Farina was the girl his father said he should marry, Eka turned to Mona Briki.
‘Will you be mine, Mona dear?’ he asked politely.
‘Take a man that Mellisa Bassaran won’t marry? Not I!’ Mona cried angrily. And she too walked away, hoping that Eka would follow.
Now Farina and Eka were alone. Farina went on crying.
At last Eka spoke again.
‘Well, Farina,’Eka said, ‘it seems we will be married after all.’
‘If you want, Eka dear,’ Farina answered sweetly. ‘You didn’t want to marry the others, did you?’
‘Of course not!’ Eka cried. The he kissed Farina and put the wagon back on the road. Eka helped Farina up beside him and they drove off together.
Eka and Farina were married a few weeks later.
They had a big party after the wedding. It went on for hours. Almost everyone in Pekalongan village was there.
They’ve get happily marriage then two years later they had got two children.


Farina Stockamp : Papenburg, German **
Mona Briki : Sousse, Tunisia
Mellisa Bassaran : Istanbul, Turkey