MU'ADZ
FIFTY ONE

Happy Reading

Since Shahla is alone, Khusnul his friend invites together to enter the house. Already many invited guests were present but the tent for akhwat and ikhwan was separate. Sitting at the furthest part of the stage, next to Khusnul who was huddling with other cabin friends. While he himself looked straight ahead. Where the throne place a pair of kings and queens a day who are happy.

"Look ae! want yo?" Khusnul nudged his arm, making himself turn his head with a slight smile.

"You're nyapo boyong?" ask it while eating the snacks available. He did not respond to Khusnul's remarks just now.

"I go to college, karo Mas ku kon lecture," replied the same Khusnul, snacking on snacks.

"Neng ndi, the opo major?" tanyanya.

"Ndek Malang, njupuk Pai I. Yours?" Khusnul turned to tanya.

"Podo is poor at my gravestone."

"Bagoss! I'll meet you sometime. Are you writing opo piye?"

Shahla. "I'm ndek omahe my mother" he said, weighing something. "Take me opo piye? weigh yourself to pay," he continued. From what he knows, Khusnul his person cool, who knows could be a remedy for his loneliness when at home Malang.

Since Mommy knows about her going to college in Malang. Mother suggested her home for herself to live in. Because no one's been living there all along. Only the Mother's man who every day comes to take care of the Mother's house, even then he knows from Mama.

Father and Mama agreed, because the access to the campus was not too far away. And for several months there, he alone occupied the house. Mother's man came early in the morning to clean up. Even though he once told Mother if only he would clean the house. But Mother said, "Mboten nopo-nopo Nduk, share the sustenance of ndek uwong."

"Seriously?" Khusnul enthusiast.

He nodded incantation. "Let's weigh me down, dewean."

"OKay kanko didn't tell neh. Your number's calling, isn't it zinc ndek grub?"

"Right, but call me right away, I rarely open a chat."

"Okay okay, you know ape neng endi?" tanya Khusnul saw some of his friends moving.

"Ape njupuk maem, come on!" said one of Khusnul's friends who was not very familiar with him.

"Let's go!" take Khusnul to him, make him move. It's not really in the mood to eat.

Shahla who was choosing the side dish was gently nudged by Khusnul. "What about Ning Ameera?" khusnul asked with his chin pointed in that direction. Shahla followed that direction.

There, he saw Ameera and Mas Mu'adz taking pictures with Ning Bahiyyah and Gus Salman. He smiled wryly. "No. Shame on," answered.

"Hmm, iyo seh. I'm ape nyopo sung pisan. Masio toh mbiyen never sak room, but piye ngunu yo La, lek wes niggeti Ning." Shahla nodded in agreement to Khusnul's words.

*****

Khusnul had since invited him to take pictures with Ning Bahiyyah, but he always refused. "No Nul, ndang wes photo o karo arek-arek I don't ndek kene," he replied.

"Come on La. Guse ora enek. Ko deloken arek-arek podo poto-poto," pinta Khusnul while continuing to tug at his arm. "You udzur to, lemes men. Come on gawe memento," Khusnul added.

He let out a rough breath with great force he nodded. Let Khusnul wriggle his arm up in front of the stage. All his friends one by one greeted Ning Bahiyyah, and he was the last.

"Barakallah ngggeh Ning!" he said while playing.

"Kok ora teng ndalem mawon Mba La, wong enten Ning Ameera kaleh Kang- uh Gus Mu'adz," said Ning Bahiyyah, who wore an ivory white syar'i kebaya.

With a little smile he nodded. "Mboten Ning."

After they took pictures, each of them went home. While he accepted Khusnul's invitation to be a little longer in the pesantren. Khusnul said all nostalgic, although only a few months.

There was a distinct advantage to Shahla when she accepted Khusnul's invitation. He seemed to have forgotten his strange heart problem. Khusnul the rame makes any story connect with him. A sense of kangen infiltrated his heart. He misses the story with Ameera. Kangen as before.

Until the dhuhur time was already passed. Dad called him when after dhuhur his father would pick him up. Khusnul also accompanied him, waiting for Dad.

"Yourselves are Baliko ae Nul, clouded ilo," he told Khusnul. Khusnul left alone on a motorcycle.

"No, you dewean neng kene."

He was lazy. "Ora ora lek I'm kidnapped, weigh yourself. Omahmu lo adoh."

"Tenane La?" He nodded incantation. "Wes ndang balek kono," told him that half to expel.

"Hiyo Khusnul's. Wes balek, hus hus." He was anxious himself to tell Khusnul to go home first.

"Let's go, I'm not being held by yo La. Engko bengi don't call, Assalamualaikum."

"Waalaikumussalam," he answered while looking at Khusnul who started riding a motorcycle.

Still standing under the rambutan tree, Shahla glanced at the watch she was wearing at half-time. The rain starts to fall. He grumbled, His father must be stuck in traffic.

When he was alone like this, his mind always floated everywhere. His hands stretched out against the tiny drops of rainwater. Until a black car stopped in front of him. Slowly his wet hands came down and clenched, neutralizing his nervousness.

I saw two different people get out of the car and go up to him. He was just silent even his gaze was now down to his wet flat shoes.

"Sir, why mriki? ingrent synthetics?" That voice, even to this day, still shook his soul.

Shahla looked up, glanced at Mas Mu'adz and Ameera and threw her gaze in another direction. "Dad," he answered briefly.

"Come with ae. Engken Kersane Mase zinc telfon Dad."

"Mw."

"Udan lo Nduk's. Lek ngunu let's ngenteni daddy teng car ae."

He shook. "Mboten Mas all the udan-udan." It can't be one car, it's not very good on his liver health.

He remembered something that was placed on him earlier, his hand opened his black bag to pick something up there, then his hand stretched out toward Ameera.

"The deposit of the teapot of arek-arek," he said then opened his fist. Iron brooch shaped flower stem. He knows that this brooch is one of Ameera's favorite brooches.

Seeing Ameera just flinch while staring at Mas Mu'adz, making him act to take Ameera's right hand and put the brooch into Ameera's hand.

"Loh! niki is niko's zinc brooch?"

His attentions moved to Mas Mu'adz. Shahla frowned when Mas Mu'adz looked very familiar with the brooch.

"Sepuntene kenton Mase," Ameera's great-grandson, made her stare in disbelief at Ameera.

So all this time?

Shahla smiled. Ameera bought the brooch last year, while Mas Mu'adz and Ameera got married for a few months. That means while in the cottage they are related.

Allah Ya Karim why did he not know all this time?

"Tak kiro sampun ical lo Nduk brose niki. Soale Nduke mboten ever ndamel brooch Mase niki."

Huh huh? He then chuckled a little while shaking his head. Whatwasthat? the brooch was a gift from Mas Mu'adz. Really, Shahla became the speech she made.

"Well! Mangkane in jogo. Mas Mu'adz lek nesu serem," he said and walked away.

"La Shahla."

Ameera held his arm. "Opo neh Mer?" ask her while turning her body.

"Sepurane La."

"Sak iki I just understood, nyapo you until tenan ora ngolehi I nyileh bros iku. But no opo-opo for Mer, I get it. Sepurane iyo Mer lek during iki mripatku closed, I mak mumak think my crew dewe. Sepurane tenan yo Mer," he said and looked up to hide his eyes that began to glaze over. "Sepuntene Mase's. Adek pamit's. Assalamualaikum," he continued, then headed towards the silver car that was behind Mas Mu'adz's car.

With her tears about to drip, Shahla rushed to open the car door. Looking at the father who was looking at her softly, her tears fell. He sobbed full of wounds in Dad's embrace.

He thought that Ameera had never been close to Mas Mu'adz while in the cottage before, but he forgot that they were one ndalem.

He thought, Ameera never interested Mas Mu'adz, because Ameera always told how Ning Bahiyyah like so much with Mas Mu'adz.

Maybe if this incident does not happen, he really intends to mengikhlaskan slowly and forget, considering the words Mother so hit his heart.

But once he heard the facts today, would he easily forget while he grew disappointed?

******

Assalamualaikum!