Like a Former Nail
Episodes 4.1
“Mbak mad at me?”
Gebri ignored it, keeping himself busy in the bathroom with soap and dirty dishes from the rest of their lunch a few minutes ago.
“Mbak!” yell again.
Gebri still does not serve. His mouth was still silenced a thousand languages, his fingers were still struggling to rinse the dishes.
“I'm not wrong. I will never apologize. He should have gotten those punches,” said Galang who impressed like a nag.
Gebri's hand was rinsing the dishes, immediately stopped and stood in front of the door of the man's room at the. His eyes stared fixedly at the figure of a teenager who was now lying on the bed.
“You shouldn't be, Lang. Everything has passed, should not be taken into account again,” said Gebri, trying to provide understanding.
Galang now stared at Gebri sharply. “But she already got Mbak pregnant out of wedlock, expelled from school exactly three days before UN, and made Mbak—”
“ENOUGH LANG! DON'T FORWARD ANYMORE!” shout Gebri.
“Why Mbak? Why can't I continue? Isn't that reality? And isn't it fitting that he gets those kinds of punches? Even those blows have not been comparable to the suffering that Mbak and our family have been through all this time. He has made us suffer, made us ashamed, made us reviled by people,” Galang said in a row with his chest up and down.
Gebri immediately lowered his head, hiding the already glazed eyeballs. Shortly after, the small body shook. The sound began to sound. “Ap-is this why... Mommy always silences me... always avoids me? Are you and your mother ashamed of me? Feel miserable because of me?”
“Mbak? What are you talking about?” Galang approached Gebri, then his hand held the shoulder of Gebri who was still bowing his head with a trembling body. “Mbak!” call him when Gebri still does not say.
Little by little, sounds were heard. Gebri's shoulders are shaking. During this time the tears rarely came out, a sad look rarely appeared on the surface of his face. As much as possible he hid all the gripping flavors. Do not want to be a burden that increasingly bears the Mother, also Galang.
“Mbak!” Galang let out a voice again, now hoping to get a reply.
“You know why I chose college here rather than in Solo?” Finally Gebri's voice came out even though the sobbing sound was still slightly heard.
Galang did not answer, just let the woman in front of him now let out all the restlessness stored in the heart.
“If I stay with you and Mommy, I am afraid that you will suffer again as when in Jakarta, making you and Mommy feel embarrassed and scorned by the people around you, although we have never experienced it again since moving to Solo. But I'm still scared. I don't want Mommy crying anymore and you are insulted by your friends when my disgrace is exposed.”
Galang was still, but his hand moved caressing Gebri's cheek, erasing the traces of tears flowing there.
“Some times I saw Mother crying in the room at midnight. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid of being rejected,” Gebri said again while wiping away the tears that returned to flow.
Gebri quickly shook his head and said, ”No, and not once did the feeling get stuck in my brain. I just feel like Mother's actions are right. I should have gotten such treatment.”
Gebri's body felt attracted and entered into a warm embrace. A hand stroked her head gently and dearly. Without hesitation, Gebri embraced the teenage boy.
“Me and Mommy never feel pain because of the actions of Mbak. All of this is God's destiny. And believe me, we have always loved Mbak,” said Galang with eyes that joined glazed, had long wanted to say the words of tranquility for Mbaknya.
^_^
Once again Gebri turned his head, looking at Koning's serious-looking face staring at the white laptop that was in front of him. A moment later, Gebri again wrote an accounting introduction book that opened in front of him, featuring descriptions of the history, definition, and distribution of accounting. After a few seconds, Gebri's head again looked up and looked at Koning's face which once raised the slightly sagging glasses. Then Gebri's eyes looked back at the book before him. Keep repeating for a few minutes.
“What's up, Geb?” Koning seemed to start feeling disturbed. His eyes were already out of the laptop screen and were staring at Gebri with a little probing. “But if there is none, you better stop your behavior. I was disturbed,” murmured Koning who once again raised his glasses frame.
“What...” Gebri gave a little pause, there was still doubt in his heart. But if not with Koning, with whom else should he ask for help. He doesn't have many friends who are really familiar. “Do you have the number of Kak Rion, your cousin's friend's sister?”
“No,” Koning replied by shaking his head. “But I can ask with Kharisma if you want,”.
“Really? But don't tell me I asked for it.”
Koning just nodded his head, then took out the phone from the red tote bag model bag on the table. His hands began to play around with the touchscreen of his smartphone.
“For what? said Kak Kharisma?”
“Ehm Gebri just muttered a little. Baffled. Don't know what to say. There was no way he said to apologize for the actions of Galang who had hit Rion to make bruises on his face. “Ehm, i..”.
“I said to my friend who was about to ask if Kak Rion can be a resource person for a seminar on campus, how?” said Koning, trying to give an option when his eyes catch the look of gamam from the girl in front of him.
Without waiting for Gebri's approval, Koning's eyes were again fixed to his branded phone, fingers again swaying to press the qwerty buttons listed on the screen. Shortly thereafter, Koning showed his phone screen towards Gebri, displaying a contact from the Line app.
“Can send to my phone?”
“OK,” reply Koning who once again looked back at his phone screen.
Tttrrrttt.. tttrrrttt. mobile phone in jeans Gebri suddenly vibrate and reflex reached into it, then immediately send a message to Rion, apologize for Galang's attitude yesterday. No need to wait for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the speech must be delivered as soon as possible so as not to cause a new tempest later on.
Before the message was sent, several times Gebri had to type and delete it over and over, especially for the man's call. Do I have to call Rion– considering their age equivalent and ever sekatan– would you call him ‘Kak Rion’ as he said earlier because now he is a senior on campus?