The Honorary Owner
122

A week had already passed from the most painful day for Hiko and his family. Passing by does not mean healing, especially for Hiko and Almeer. Even a child as small as that to the sick of the horn was too eager for Ruby to be his mother but he could not get it.

Four days Almeer lay limp on the hospital gurney, and today he can occupy a bed in his own room. Repeatedly he whines to meet Ruby, Hiko repeatedly refuses. He could have been looking for Ruby, but he didn't want to sell the woman grief. He had to force his son to be even stronger, and learned not to look forward to a Tabina Ruby Azzahra.

"Son .., we'll talk for a minute." Pinta Maria on Hiko after seeing Almeer sleeping.

Hiko nodded, he followed Maria who came out first. They were sitting in the living room, Handoko was already sitting there with Genta.

"What what what, Pa, Ma?" ask Hiko.

Seeing those serious faces, Genta was self-conscious and he left the living room.

Hiko sat in front of Handoko and Maria, ready to hear her parents' requests.

"Open your heart to others, son. Your son needs a mother." Handoko.

Exactly as Hiko suspected.

"Take one of the women Ustadz Arsy chose for you. If he obeyed Allah, his religion and his parents, In Shaa Allah he would love Almeer as much as he loved his own flesh and blood." Handoko.

"Almeer needs a mother, son." Added Maria.

"Hiko needs time, Ma." Answer Hiko. "Let Hiko heal this wound."

"Until when?" handoko asked, "Your loneliness will only make you dig up memories with her, making you continue to be comfortable and reluctant to open your heart to others."

"Hiko needs time, Pa." Hiko confirmed his words. "It's not easy for Hiko to accept the presence of another woman. How many years did Hiko stay with Nara, but Hiko couldn't open her heart to her."

"Because you still have hope that Ruby will come back to you." Answer Handoko.

"It's different now, son. Ruby's decided to be with another man." Added Maria.

Hiko kept quiet, it was true what her parents said. The moment was different, there was nothing he was expecting but he hesitated to be able to open the door of his heart to another woman. He was afraid that if he received someone to accompany him, he could not love him and instead made the woman hurt. Thinking of that made Hiko let out a long sigh, trying to rearrange her heart.

**********

Time passed so slowly for Hiko. Although he was more busy to kill his feelings, to divert his mind, but still felt very slow, very slow. Hiko hasn't been out of the house for nearly a month, even to pick up Almeer. He prefers to sit in his studio, staring at all the photos of Ruby on the wall.

Like this afternoon, when he had no appointments with anyone he spent time sitting on the sofa, looking at the image of a hijab woman who was very comfortable to look at. Not to curse or curse the photo, he just continues to dig his love for the woman. He let it go deeper and hoped to find despair there.

"Co! I can't pick up Al today!"

Genta came bowing his body, enduring the pain of his stomach.

"Why, Lo?" ask Hiko.

"Gue ate a level eight roasted macaroni this morning, now my stomach hurts. You pick up Al yourself!" Genta barrari towards the back.

Hiko was forced to stand up from her comfort and approach her reception desk.

"Lan, later if Jimmi sir comes tell you to wait. I'm going to pick up Almeer first." message Hiko to the short-haired girl sitting behind the reception desk.

"Ready, Mas."

"Thanks, yeah. Assalamu'alaikum."

"Wa'alaikumsalam, Mas."

Hiko goes to Almeer's school. Lucky he came on time, not until Almeer had to wait too long.

"Father!!" Almeer ran out of the gate when he saw Hiko just got out of the car.

"Be careful, Al!" Shouted Hiko.

Bruk!!

Almer fell in the middle of the sidewalk. Hiko runs over to Almer, but a woman in shar'i hijab comes over and helps Almeer stand up. He rubbed Almeer's dirty, slightly scratched knee.

"Thank you for helping my son." Hiko.

The woman looked at Hiko who was also crouching to help Almeer. The woman just smiled, holding her hands together in front of her chest. Then he held onto Almeer's cheek for a moment and left without a word.

"The floor is good." Almeer.

Hiko just smiled. "You be careful donk, Al." Said Hiko.

"Finally, Papa picked me up."

Hiko rattles Almeer's head and invites Almeer into the car.

"Pa! Said ma'am Master tomorrow must bring a large crayon, because my crayon at home is already a lot of short. Can we buy it?" ask Almeer before Hiko starts the car engine.

"Yes, we stopped by the ATK store first yes buy crayon for Almeer tomorrow."

"Horeeeee!!"

Hiko starts his car and heads to one of the shopping centers in Jogja. Their main destination is the ATK store, nothing else. Hiko and Almeer are a bit rushed, because the time of Adhan Dhuhur is a while away and Almeer always wants to pray on time.

Hiko queues in front of the cashier, to pay for the crayoon and some toys that Almeer had taken. He spread his gaze to several corners of the place until his view stopped at a cafe opposite the ATK store.

He saw a beautiful woman in a black hood sitting in the cafe with her mother and also a man he recognized. That's Ruby, Nyai Hannah and also, Habibie.

They saw that they were talking about something serious, once in a while he saw Ruby smiling very gently. It turns out to be very painful when she sees Ruby smiling so gently at other men but Hiko has to learn to make love to her.

"Bah, Come!"

Almeer pulls Hiko's hand when the person in front of her is gone.

"Papa see what the hell?" ask Almeer curiously.

"It's okay, baby."

Hiko slashed Almeer's gaze with her body. He put his groceries on the cashier's desk.

"Two hundred and thirteen thousand, sir." Said the cashier after scanning all the barcodes in Hiko's groceries.

Hiko took out a few pieces of money and gave them to the cashier. Soon he got his change and groceries. Hiko immediately invites Almeer away quickly, he does not want Almeer to meet with Ruby and return sad. Everything is better now, Almeer has rarely mentioned the name Ruby.

Adhan Dzuhur resounded when Hiko and Almeer almost reached home. Therefore, Hiko stopped his car in the mosque parking lot and immediately performed dzuhur prayer there.

After the prayer he met with Ustadz Arsy who he had not met for a long time because Ustadz Arsy and his family were performing the Hajj, he let go of a little talk and told what had happened to him.

While Almeer was playing under a shady tree in the courtyard of the mosque with several children his age who live around the mosque.

Hiko and Ustadz Arsy who were talking until they stopped the conversation saw Almeer approaching the woman. Apparently she's the woman who helped Almeer when she fell.

Almeer is seen thanking and talking to the woman, but the woman speaks to Almeer using sign language.

"His name is Husna, he is a good believer but he has shortcomings, he is a speechless man." Ustadz Arsy answers the question Hiko had in mind.

Hiko looked at Ustadz Arsy and nodded and then looked at Almeer who was replying to Husna in sign language to say thank you. Almeer's innocent manner invited a wide smile on Husna's lips.

Almeer waved at Husna then continued to play with her friends while waiting for Hiko to finish conversing with Ustadz Arsy. Husna continued his steps out of the courtyard of the mosque.

***********

Almeer was already wearing her nightgown, the room lights were dark and Hiko was already beside her son to accompany her before Almeer fell asleep.

"Bah!" Call Almeer.

"Yes?"

"Why not aunty who nolongin Al when fell in front of the school earlier?"

Hiko nodded.

"So Al met again at the mosque, but apparently the tantenya can't talk, Pa." Almeer.

"Because God created man, no one is perfect, dear." Said Hiko.

"Like Almeer doesn't have a Mama, Pa?"

Hiko silently looked at her sleeping son hugging his chest.

"Al still wants Mama Ruby could be Mama Al, but if Allah does not kabulin Al will not be angry with Allah. The important thing is that Al can have Mama who loves Al, dear Papa, dear Opa and Oma." Almeer.

Hiko just smiled, unable to answer Almeer's request. Perhaps Almeer's request was the answer to his question all along. When can he step into his life. Because right now his life is not for himself, but for Almeer as well.

Hiko rubbed Almeer's head until the little boy fell asleep. After making sure her son was asleep, Hiko left Almeer's room and went to his desk downstairs.

As always, in this hour Genta always plays PES in the middle room while cursing the ball players.

Hiko was silent for a long time at her desk, her hand took out some of the ta'aruf CV sheets that came at her and read them one by one. Still the same, nothing drew his heart there.

"Yes!"

"Hm ..." Genta replied without distracting her from Hiko's wide TV screen.

"Gue wants to start Almeer's mom."

"Huh!!" Genta immediately looked at Hiko with his surprised face. "Seriously, lo?"

Hiko shook her head, "Gue hesitated. But until when am I selfish gini. Almeer needs a mother figure." Said Hiko.

"Have you been with Ruby? He's still ta'aruf, Ko."

Hiko just fell silent, he opened his laptop and typed something there. The curious clerk immediately looked at Hiko's laptop screen.

"Seriously, Ko!" Pekik Genta when he saw Hiko typing a CV ta'aruf.

"Nr ..."

"Gue blush, Ta!" Sent Hiko, he looked at Genta. "Gue doesn't want to sacrifice my son's feelings. Ruby could've gotten another guy, but I still live here the same feeling."

"Where do you know Ruby can accept other guys?" ask Genta.

"Last day I saw him, umminya and the guy who would be her future husband. He can smile at all guys, or I'm angry, Ta. I don't sincerely see her smile as gentle as that to another guy." Hiko.

Genta was just silent, in fact he really expected Hiko and Ruby to be able to refer. But what does he mean in this life, the owner of this story is only God while he is just a piece of flesh that lives. Genta left, turned off the TV and returned to his room.

Hiko stared blankly at her laptop screen. He refuses to want to continue his intention or stay deep in his feelings for Ruby until it really disappears by itself and he is ready to accept another heart.

O God, I love one of your servants. He is the very definition of your goodness. If he is my soul mate, lead us to be lawful. If it isn't, don't make me wait any longer, hope and think about it more.

"Bismillahirahmanirrahim...,"

Hiko moved her fingers back on the keyboard. Typing everything about her up into a few sheets of paper. He slipped a photo of himself and Almeer in the CV, after in print Hiko styled it then put it in a brown envelope, the next morning the envelope was ready to be given to ustadz Arsy.

**********

This morning Hiko and Almeer go to the mosque, a brown map sandwiched between Hiko's fingers and palms. That map he will prepare to pick up his soul mate later.

After dawn prayers, Hiko and Almeer waited for Ustadz Arsy until the mosque was deserted.

"Ustadz Arsy!" Call Hiko when Ustadz Arsy comes out the door.

"Eeh, is Hiko still here? what's up?"

Hiko approaches Ustadz Arsy. "I want to leave this to Ustadz." Hiko gives a brown envelope to ustadz Arsy.

Ustadz Arsy received and was able to guess what was inside the envelope.

"Ustadz knew more about me, I asked for help to find a woman who Ustadz thought was suitable for me and Almeer. I have explained every detail of myself, including my life. I leave it all to Ustadz. I've only applied for one condition for Ustadz, he can love Almeer."

Ustadz Arsy nodded, "In shaa Allah I will find women according to Nak Hiko's wishes."

"Thank you Ustadz, thank you."

- Connected

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Thanks though.