The Fortitude of a Mother
late to come home

Adzan dzuhur roared, the school bell was clanging, the school sign was over, all the students scattered out of the class not least a little girl who came out of the classroom by running and jumping jovially.

"Ratna, wait!"

"Eh,neneng.Why neng?" ask nana to her friend.

"Go home together 'yuk," take neneng.

"Hm,ayuk.., but wait a minute 'yes, nana want to meet first with brother soni.So we have made a deal," said nana.

"Yes, I'll wait by the tree there 'yes," point the bell at the shade tree across the school.

"okay!

Nana runs to her appointment with soni, near the school gate.

"Sister!" nana shouted loudly from a distance.

"Decond, don't yell, yell, I'm not deaf,"

"So, that's aja sewot, he said to meet nana, what's the matter?" nana asked ketus, as soon as her mood changed.

"Don't sulk dong, soni kak want to see you, soon enough will be a class hike.And my sister will soon graduate from this elementary school, I don't want us to meet more often." there was a gurat of sadness on soni's face, and then his hands stretched out rubbing nana's fine hair.

Since Mirah worked in bandung, ratna and soni rarely met.Most met at school, even sometimes, due to a busy schedule of soni lessons.Normally he met nana when the break time arrived, and even then only briefly.

"Dec, you're a hawker 'no?" tawar soni's.

Nana nodded happily, "Yes, nana mau.Emang kak soni still have money?" ask the little girl plain.

"Eh, nana don't know 'yes, now soni's brother has his own income.Money big brother, if only jajannin nana the little guy," soni pretend.

"Diiih, boasting.." chirps nana.

"Yuk, what do you want? meatballs? chicken noodles? or what?" ask soni.

"Now yes, nana want meatballs that guedee same drink lemonade cold.Eh, but pity long wait, if nana snack meatballs first." nana suddenly remembered the neneng who was waiting for her under the catapult tree.

"Yes already, take all neneng gih.Tenak aja, kakaktir also your friend." said the brother.

"Really brother?" soni nodded. "Yeayy, wait a minute, sis, nana pick up neneng first there," nana ran and jumped jovially,soni just bobbing head just look at the behavior of the sister.

"Neng,neen! why just shut up, man?" nana shouted to call neneng, but the one being shouted at just silently did not reply.

Nana approached, and it turned out that she fell asleep under a catapult tree with a gentle caress of wind blowing.

"Well, pantes aja neneng no nyahut.I work ah," nana smiled ignorantly.

Nana dyed looking for something around her, and she found it.

"Hacccuhh..hacccuhh...ahh, what's the trouble?" neneng sneezed, automatically he woke up from his delicious sleep.

Seeing that nana laughed giggling, she felt successful in pranking neneng.The chicken feather she picked up successfully made neneng sneeze.

"Wake up,neneng.Can you usually sleep here, you want meatballs?" nana immediately shook her shoulders looking like she was going to connect her sleep again.

Hearing meatballs, when his eyes brightened.

"Where's no lie, nawarin neneng meatballs?' neneng stared at nana.

"yes, nana is not lying.Suerr deh," nana brandished her two fingers.

"Makanya let's get up, soni's brother is waiting for you," nana almost dragged neneng.

"Ih nana, don't be dragged dong.Neneng can walk alone."

"Yes ayoookkk," nana ran towards where soni was waiting, followed by the bell behind her.

"Nana, your habit 'yes, I'm not saying do not like running away.Fear of falling," soni reprimanded his sister.

"Hehe,iya nana apologizes.Ayuk, her meatball agent sis," apparently she was impatient.

The three of them immediately headed for the usual meatball cart near the school.

"Sir, nana want meatballs guede 'yes, in clear.The meat is just, not mix anything.Punya neneng is also the same as 'yes," he asked.

Soni immediately ordered three servings of meatballs, and the cold lemonade that nana wanted.

Finished eating nana and neneng immediately went back to soni.

"Thank you her meatballs, nana is full," she said cheerfully as she patted her belly.

"Nana now wants to go home with neneng, fear of being sought after by mother.Mom definitely is worried, because it is not usually too late, nana,"

"Why don't you want to come home with my sister?" asked soni sadu.He still misses his sister and hopes nana will come home with him to their old house.

"Nana can't, my mother's love is the same father.They can't separate from nana," replied the sister.

"Absolutely, Soni's brother has no pity? even brother soni lonely at home alone," soni's eyes glass.Seeing that nana so sad, she immediately hugged the sister.

"Sister don't cry, nana becomes sad, nana goes cry nih," nana sobbed in soni's arms. "Kak soni just come yuk, to the mother's house," he persuaded her to come to the waterfall taneuh.

"Sorry nana, I can't go along.Not much work now, the responsibility of the late father, now brother soni who holds," soni refused subtly, and tried to explain it to his sister

"Yeah" the little girl was gloomy. "Yes, then .Nana same neneng pamit go home yes brother,assalmu'alaikum," after saying greetings nana was passed leaving soni who stared at the back of the sister who was getting away.

"If you hadn't died, we would still be a whole family, 'daddy, I would still have a mother who would always love me, who always made food for me,I can still play and laugh with my sister, not like now.Life a kara, and fight alone for my life.Although all my work goes well and there are bambang sir who accompany, my heart still feels empty," soni sobbed, he bent his knees and drowned his face between his knees, no doubt he was lonely.

......................

At two o'clock in the afternoon and moses was still working in the fields, after performing the dzuhur prayer in the saung, they resumed their work, and usually until the ashar time they just stopped.

"I'm worried sir, why nana hasn't come home from school.Now it's almost afternoon." disah very worried about her favorite child.

"Wait a minute 'mak, maybe invited to play first with his brother," musa calmed the wife

"Well, let's just say so." cheered, his net scanned the usual streets through nana when he came home from school.

Because it is the location of the rice fields owned near the public road that is usually passed by residents.

Arriving from a distance he saw what he was worried about.

"Ohoooo!!" yelled nana.He ran away to meet the mother who was full of mud.With his panhandle he hugged disah who was smashed with mud paddy fields, spoiled as if not disturbed by the mud stuck here,even his uniform is dirty.

"Nana, your clothes are dirty 'son," reprimanded moses.But the one that is reprimanded as ignoring, he was even engrossed in smearing cheeks smeared.Separah just laughed and kissed behind the cheeks of padlocked nana while tickling her, until nana laughed laughs.

Seeing such a thing moses was no stranger, he simply smiled and shook his head.

"Neneng go home first, and she wants to go home with her mother,"

Neneng shook his head, "neneng want to wait for the father, then just go home," neneng refused to go home, he wanted to go home with the father, namely mang karja.

Nana nodded "Oh.iya deh," he said short.

"Why it's late 'hem, hari gini just got home. Don't like to make parents worry.Come the same story mom," disah menoel nana's nose is anxious.

Then Nana told her mother, she came home late.

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