The End of Hope
84 EPS. It's The Weekend

Naya turned to Ares for a moment she smiled but her smile was aimed at Yoni who was sitting by extending his legs.

"Here I live together, there is one person who costs, so my friend. But now I'm going home. If the place costs Rama, the distance is about only five houses from here. You want to go there?" Naya asked and answered Ares's question.

Asked like that Ares shook his head. While Naya finished arranging the tea glasses between them on the carpet.

"Do you often go together?"

Naya furrowed her brows, digesting where Ares's questions about Rama were headed. She is a mature woman who has ever married, of course she knows the gurgle of her interlocutors that contains jealousy or curiosity.

With a breath he answered,

"Yes, I'm not leaving in the morning, before 6 I have to be in the cafeteria."

"Why is it so early in the morning?" ask Ares again.

"I'll have to help the chef, prepare breakfast, but I'll be home sooner."

"Yes, Raya time here is also about school with Uma, so Raya is not too late. Far away from high school." This time Raya answered. And Naya patted her head gently.

"So if you make a pact with Rama, you have to wait for the old Ramanya dong?"

'Maasyaallah, it turns out that discussing Rama is not finished apparently'

"Oh, if the matter is, it is quite a long time too, indeed I can go home after cleaning up the rest of the lunch so I can do other things while waiting for him," replied Naya calmly.

To avoid Ares's next question about Rama, Naya rushes to pick up his painting tools, as well as some of his pottery objects such as jugs, rips and containers that are still plain, plain, he brought them all before Yoni and Raya.

Naya put all those things down, saying, "You want to help umma, make a good painting here right?"

The children nodded, Naya smiled as she arranged the chat and the container and brush. He poured some color with a little water until it became a thick color mixture. Yoni looked overjoyed and immediately took out a brush, a sizable tear, and took out a container of paint. Naya teaches how to paint some pictures there, Raya follows him while Yoni sprinkles the color as he pleases while chattering.

"Eh, yes. Have you eaten yet?" naya asked as they were drawing. The children answered, "already!"

"Alhamdulillah. But umma has nothing to eat. I'm gonna go to the stall for a second."

Naya rushes out after picking up her purse, intending to buy some snacks for the children.

But when he got to the door, Ares said, "wait!"

Naya turned her head waiting for what the man, who was stepping towards her, would say. Then Ares said,

"don't bother buying food for the kids. Let me." for being lazy to argue Naya finally undo her intentions, and just nodded while shrugging her shoulders.

'Yes it's up'

But Naya had not yet stepped back inside, Ares asked, "where is the stall?"

Naya replied as she gestured with her hand, "there, the right street, there's a food store, just walk, close by."

Ares looks reluctant and confused, until Naya walks towards him and intends to show her the way. As Naya walks, Ares follows her.

The man asked, "don't you bother, are there kids here?"

"Oh no. I'm happy so there was a meeting, my own beat," replied Naya flatly.

"Have you ever known Nindi?" Ares suddenly asked Naya a strange topic.

"Nindi who?"

"She's a child's mother."

The deg! Naya's heart was beating faster.

He was amazed by Ares's question about his wife.

Naya doesn't know him. Ares was married before the friendship between Naya and Dinda was established, when Dinda became Naya's best friend at that time, Ares was busy with her work moving around. Therefore they never knew each other before, although Naya often visited Dinda's house, even staying there.

'What is he really?'

"You know, you have the same habits as Nindy" Ares said as he watched Naya's face from the side.

She knew now that Naya's hospitality and smile only appeared before her children, but when they were together like this, Naya would return cold-faced.

"What kind of habit does it mean?" Naya asked in wonder.

"Good word, you're happy with the smell of ylang ylang, and also happy to keep the flowers as tasty as night."

"Ah, Yes, I do like it, but what does it have to do with Nindi, I don't know. Nindi who?" naya asked without even looking at Ares.

The shop they were heading to was close.

"Maybe you don't have a relationship, you don't even know. But I think that's why Yoni could be so close to you."

Hearing Ares' statement, Naya chuckled, then said, "it's not necessarily, it's probably just a coincidence."

When he was in front of the store, Naya allowed Ares to choose the food her children liked. After Ares picked up some food and felt it was enough, the man turned to Naya and said,

"What do you want to buy? Take it for yourself if you like something. Pay the same for children's food."

Naya glanced at some of the food that had been piled up on the shop's payment table, and then she took two sandwiches for herself as a reward for Ares' kindness. Moreover, there is an advice, so as not to refuse the gift of people who intend to do good to others. It is not a matter of not being good to refuse sustenance, but at the core is that no one should refuse the gift of his neighbor, for it is the same that he prevents others from getting their reward from Allah through what he will give. That's why Naya received Ares' kindness and prayed for him.

"That's it?" ares asked as he looked at the food Naya had chosen for herself.

"This is enough, too, Alhamdulillah. Jazakallah, sir." said Naya as she hurried ahead of Ares to get home first.

How shocked Naya was when she got to her house. He sees the messy state of the house and looks Yoni, whose face and clothes are filled with color paint makes him laugh, because it is funny.

"Nadiaallaah...Yoni, how can it be this way, si?" naya said as she rubbed the little boy's face with tissue. But only a little is lost, because the paint that has been dry so difficult to remove.

"Yes, tuh. Basic spoiled child can not be restrained everything." said Raya while continuing her painting.

"And sister who colet-colet cheeks Yoyo. It's a bad brother!"

"Lied, you. Watch out if you say bad brother again. Later brother scratches his face again!"

"Sister is naughty...! brother colet gambal Yoyo, so delek tuh will have Yoyo delek!"

Naya held the little body in her lap, then led her to paint, holding her little hand and moving it, with her own. He made some drawings on a pitcher of water containers, which were still plain. He continued to tell me, about the picture he was making, that it was a flower and a bird that was in the beautiful outdoors and poured in batik paintings.

Yoni followed all the moves made by Naya, with his hands and listened to everything Naya said, carefully as if he was bewitched by her. All of that was seen by Ares who had been sitting not far from the three of them.

The man occasionally looks at the screen of his phone, he is seen writing some messages, and sending them to someone. Not long heard the notification of incoming messages on Naya's phone. Then he saw the contents of his phone which turned out to be a message from Ares

Naya looked at the man while frowning.

'Why send a message. Why not just talk?'

Naya reads Ares' message, which makes Naya sigh heavily. He almost shed tears.

Ares

"You didn't answer my question at the time. Do you remember me asking what you are?"

Naya

"I'm sorry I forgot" when he just didn't want to talk about it.

Ares:

"Are you still not able to forget your husband. Do you hate me? Why do you always avoid meeting?"

Naya no longer replies to messages from Ares. He put his phone in his pocket again made Ares smile wryly looking at him, and sighed while opening one of the snacks he bought, and ate it himself. He enjoyed the cup of tea made by Naya without commenting.

"Eh, you guys came here on purpose right, aren't you guys having a go-a-way to someplace else, this weekend?" tanya Naya tries to distract Ares from her phone.

"Yes this is our plan, meet uma, go to the house uma. Papa promised to come back next week. Isn't that right, Pah?" raya is still painting.

"Hmm.." replied Ares muttering.

" Oh, so let's enjoy your time. Don't spend it on HP chats huh?"

"Who's got a cell phone? Papa tuh! Do you like to paint? Though papa likes pictures, designing buildings have people. Can't papa's time?" word Raya. "Let's umma, teach papa too!"

Glug. Naya swallowed her coarse salivary. Actually Naya was reluctant to obey Raya's wishes, but because she wanted to appreciate the child, Naya also brought some of her painting equipment in front of Ares and handed it over so that he could paint as he pleased. Seeing that, Raya smiled, the boy thought differently, there was another hope that shimmered in his heart. They look like a family doing activities together.

"Yoyo, you know that our mother used to love this flower!" the word Raya while showing a small container containing a wedge of ylang flowers in the middle of the carpet.

Yoni saw what Raya had shown at a glance, then he took out a necklace hanging from her neck and saw a pendant tucked under her clothes.

The boy opened the pendant in his hand and said, "It's mama." Then close the locket back before Naya can see the photo inside.

"Yes. Uma also likes this flower" said Raya again.

Yoni looked at Naya, then walked up to her while wrapping his hands around Naya's neck, and said, "Yoyo likes it too, Yoyo likes it too."

"Yes, so we all like it? But no one can replace your mother at any time. Your mother is the one who gave birth to you, no one will be the same as your mother."

Naya says according to her own principles, which acknowledge that at any time the position of a mother will never be replaced in the heart of her child. His mother died and was replaced by someone better than him. A mother is one who gives birth to her child, who cannot be replaced by another who does not give birth to her.

Even if the teachings of religion teach to be devoted to parents, whoever the parents who have raised him, then the good done by the parents is for the parents themselves. So for children who have been devoted to their parents even though they are not their biological parents. His goodness and reward will be with each person. But still the blood relationship between mother and child will never be severed which is what distinguishes it.

Hearing Naya's words, Raya nodded while Ares merely rubbed his face with his palm. He appears to have retyped on a message, which he sent back to Naya.

Ares

"What do you mean?"

Naya

"nothing means anything"

Ares

"When can we talk?"

Naya

"I'll tell you sometime"

Naya hung up her phone and put it back in her pocket. Showing that, he was reluctant to return a message with her.

When it was near lunch time, Ares invited all his children to go home, because they did not want to trouble Naya who did not prepare lunch for them. Although Naya did not mind cooking, Ares remained determined to go home.

" Take care of yourself." Ares said as he closed the car door to his children.

Naya simply nodded in response to his remark, from inside the car the children waved at her while saying their greetings.

-

A few days later.

Naya looks so upset, as she feels bad for Ares who always shows her attention through a few short messages, which she sends her almost every morning or night to him. Although Naya often did not respond to him, but the man did not get tired of doing it, until that day Naya intended to contact Ares through her mobile phone.

As soon as the phone is connected, Naya's call immediately gets a welcome.Heard Ares' voice answering Naya's greeting from behind the phone.

Afterwards Naya said, "Sir, we can talk today right now. Before I change my mind, I'll wait for you at the cafe."

"Have you finished your work?" ares' voice said across the phone.

"Yes, already. Thank you in advance." said Naya briefly. And the phone connection was closed making Ares who was elsewhere, rewind his neck with a frown.

'Did he test my truth?' Ares.

'Let's see how curious you are, sir. What father really meant. I don't take conclusions for granted, or a woman who is easily carried away by other people's attitudes, just that her attitude shows like someone who likes me. Is that really so? I didn't expect you, sir'

Expectations that are too big and out of place are often misleading. If Ares had come today, but Naya had told him suddenly, then she could have made sure that Ares really liked her or expected her to be a surrogate mother for her children, but his own feelings are still gamang whether he will give hope to Ares or decide right now so that the man does not continue to hope for him.

Naya is already sitting on one of the chairs waiting for Ares at the cafe they promised. It was not far from where Naya worked, but the cafe was quite far from Ares' office.

"You been here a long time?" said a voice from behind Naya, surprising her.