TWENTY
SEASON TWO ~ Return of the Former

As I promised ninth grade E that the next meeting was a repeat. To reduce the chances of cheating, divide the class into two sessions. Absence is even inside, and absence is odd outside. And whether this was their wits or not, but their seats suddenly changed. Kevin who was originally sitting in the back seat so sitting in the middle. Then Doni sat behind him.

"All the objects on the table can be put in a drawer, leave a pen and a piece of paper."

"Mom!" Doni held up his hand.

"What Don?"

"Can you use a pencil?"

"Can" I replied.

"The paper's two sheets ain't nothing, ma'am?" ask again. He deliberately wanted to prank me, boy.

"Yes can. Any more questions before I share the rest?" I am half patient.

"Hehehe. No Ma'am." Even grinning again.

While going around sharing the matter, I checked if in their drawer there was any cheat. I am a person who holds honest principles. Better the bad value of your own hard work than the good value but the results cheat.

"It's forty-five minutes. It starts now!"

The first ten minutes there was no suspicious movement from them. But my eyes then caught the strangeness when Doni from earlier glanced down continuously. I slowly stepped towards him. Take a look at what he saw below.

"Wah Doni, your tattoo on your leg is good too huh?"

"Eh? Ma!" He immediately glared in surprise at me who was suddenly beside him. Making the atmosphere originally quiet became rowdy because everyone laughed.

"Quick to the toilet! Legs cleared!" Not thinking about the way he cheated. Leave the calf as a place to write cheat.

"Is there anything else here that's cheating?" Everything quiet. See each other. "Listen to everything, I don't have a problem you want to get any value. I'll appreciate it, because it's your hard-earned value. I don't like it the most when someone cheats. Until someone is caught cheating again, I do not hesitate to give zero. Understood?"

"See Ma!" answer them all compact. Not long after that Doni entered the class again, and sat down to do the problem.

Up to two hours of lessons have passed and all the answer sheets are in my hands. "good. I end up here, don't forget to study at home. And the value of mother love tomorrow. The class president don't forget to grab the paper at Mom's desk tomorrow."

"Ready Ma'am!" Doni exclaimed loudly.

"Secian of the Mother, Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!"

"Wa'alaikumsalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!"

The bell for school has rung. All the students excitedly left the classroom and headed for the parking lot. The tired faces on their faces were replaced with bright faces instantly. Indeed, the bell home is a special thing that the students look forward to. Just hearing it all the burden of lessons that they felt all day instantly evaporated instantly.

It is not just the students, the teachers are the same. I also look forward to the bell coming home. Can't wait to get home and rest. Especially for those who are married, immediately the spirit of going home considering there is waiting for him at home. The bell home is a breath of fresh air for all of us.

But this time I didn't go home with the others. I chose to correct the children's grades immediately. I'd rather do it at school than take it home. As expected, some answered seriously because they had learned, answered like a train track to be full of paper when the answer was wrong, there was also a short, dense, and clear. Finished correcting, I put the answer sheet at the very top of my desk, so that Doni could easily take it tomorrow.

I'm out of the school parking lot. But the very hot weather makes me very lazy to drive. I decided to stop at the front of the school. Ordering young coconut ice for thirst conditioning.

"Eh Neng Nala, what message do you want?"

"Regular Buk!" myrag.

"OKAY. Young coconut ice with a little sugar and a lot of lime juice. Right?"

"That's so!" Understand if the mother of the owner of this stall is very sorry with my order. For a year teaching here, almost every day I visit this stall. So yes, I can say that I am a loyal customer.

"This is the young coconut ice Neng" said the mother, putting a young coconut in front of me.

Hmm. It looks so fresh! Without waiting for long, just hit!

"Alhamdulillah!" My originally dry clasp immediately felt relieved after being fed this young coconut water.

In the midst of sipping young coconut ice, I felt something touch my feet. It shocked me and immediately raised my feet. After I checked down, it wasn't something scary.

"You're cing." It turned out to be just a cat rubbing its body at my feet. An orange cat who loves to roam around in school.

"Well to eat?" I took the crackers provided at the table, then opened the wrapper and gave it to this orange cat.

The cat seemed happy to enjoy the mackerel fish crackers I shared. Anxious, I stroked his head. As a cat lover I am not very picky. Want that Angora cat, persia, village, even street cat I still like.

"Loh cing's? Where are you going?" The cat suddenly left and walked towards the highway.

As soon as I saw that, I caught up with him. Given that the highway is very dangerous and could have been hit by a vehicle. I don't want to see him like Jimmy, my favorite cat that used to get hit, too.

"It can!" Finally the cat's body was taken. At the same time I heard the sound of a car horn from behind that sounded very loud. When I looked back, a black sedan rushed towards me.

"Yahoooo!!!" It felt like my feet were stiff to move from the spot, I guess it was also too late for me to dodge. As a result, I could only crouch down and crouch down by holding the orange cat.

Ckiiittt!

The sound of car tires rubbing against the asphalt makes me very afraid. Plus I heard the sound of people on the side of the road shouting at each other. And all of this goes with time as if slowing down.

"Neng Nala!" the stall owner's mother's voice ripped my daydream.

Eh?

Am I still alive?

I was in a hurry to check on my condition. Still squatting, the cat still hugged me, and my body was still intact without forgetting a single bit. "Alhamdulillah!". I am not thankful in my heart.

I saw my distance to the car was very close. If only the brakes were a little late. I don't know what's gonna happen to me. Maybe because it was still in shock, my body became stiff like this. To stand still trembling and difficult.

"Why isn't he?" Someone got out of the black car.

A tall man wearing a casual dress and a beautiful face. He extended his hand towards me. But wait a minute! I seem to have known this man once, for a moment I kept thinking. And it seems that man thinks the same as me. As if remembering something.

He's not...

"Sister Rio!"

We both spoke together with our hands pointing at each other. I still can't believe what I saw. He's Rio Dewantoro. My upperclassman when High School. And, she's my ex-boyfriend. We separated because at that time Kak Rio had to study abroad, and he said he could not afford to live a long distance relationship. Let us choose to separate. Parting with her back then had no effect on my heart, maybe it was just a normal monkey love. Different story when I had to part with Mas Alif, which is my love.

Then the sound of a horn that sounded simultaneously from the back of the car that almost hit me disperse the action of mutual shock us. Then Brother Rio grabbed my hand and tried to help me stand up, leading me to walk towards the stall earlier and sit on the same bench as before. And he got back in his car, running it to be pulled aside by the side of the road. The orange cat that was originally on my lap went straight down and sat down down there.

"Oh my goodness Neng! You make me deg-degan! I thought you were." The mother then kept silent, unwilling to continue with her words.

"Alhamdulillah you safe tea, next time be careful oruh!" Start out the Sundanese accent Mother.

"Yes, Mom." Mother gave me a glass of water, and I drank it up the toilet.

"Why aren't you Nala?" Rio's done pulling the car over, and now he's sitting next to me.

"Yes, sister, no problem. It's just shaking, look!" point me at my fingers still shaking, not wanting to stop.

"Ck ck. You have not changed, always careless!" he said while rubbing my head. I just lowered my hand from there. "Ah sorry!"

"Yes." Yeah."

"Maybe my words could be kuralat. Some of you have changed." He looked at me from top to bottom. "You're more beautiful wearing that hijab."

"Eh?" I suddenly felt something stuck in my throat. "Ekhem! K-sister Rio can do it." Long time no see, Brother Rio also added handsome.

Istighfar Nala's! Remember your husband!

"No, this is really. No lie."

"Yes, yeah. I believe I'm beautiful." I casually returned to drinking my half-remained young coconut ice.

It appears from the corner of my eyes that Brother Rio is smiling. "Mom! The young coconut ice is one!" he ordered the same drink as me.

Mother came while putting down her drink, Rio. The mother also seemed to be smiling to herself. "Aden who is Neng? Pisan case!"

"Cases?" I repeat again said Mother. In Javanese, the word "kasep" means late. But the mother is from Bogor, it must mean different.

"The handsome means," the mother errs. Making Kak Rio who was beside me cough to hear the praise being thrown for him.

"Oohh!" True, the same word can mean different things in different regions.

"Still Bu," said Kak Rio with a faint smile.

"This is Nala Bu. His name is Rio."

"Ooh, that. Yes, I lived first! Want to serve another order," said the mother, leaving us both.

After the death of the mother, both I and Brother Rio were both silent. If I'm for enjoying my drink, and if he is I don't know what he's thinking. The sound of passing vehicles and also the people on the sidewalk is the background of this silence.

"Over time do not meet ya Na," he said breaking the silence.

"Yes. When will Rio come home?"

"It was a year ago. But not directly here, to Yogyakarta first. Go on with the family business there."

"Ooh that's it." I hear his words.

"Aren't you happy to see me here Na?"

"Eh? It's glad. Why do you think that?"

"Yes because you seem ordinary. Not enthusiastic at all."

He wants me to go salto while rolling on the sidewalk, huh?

"ah! That's probably because of our not-so-rich meeting earlier. Hehe."

"Ooh so." His eyes looked forward. The streets of Malang City that never sleeps.

"I see you have now reached your goal." He definitely knew by looking at the uniform I was wearing. Characteristics of almost all teachers in Indonesia. And also my presence in front of this school.

"Alhamdulillah. What about Rio? Is he a doctor now?"

Hearing my question made him laugh. His fingers were clinging to each other on the table, as if strengthening each other. "No. I buried that dream deep."

"Why?"

"Regular. My family was too dictated to me to continue their culinary business. So yes this is how it is now! Become an entrepreneur."

"I'm so sad to hear that. But Kak Rio is calm, being an entrepreneur is also cool! Can open jobs for others, not bound by working hours, and more new experiences gained." At least since I had already reminded him of his sadness, I should also try to comfort him.

"Thank you, yeah! You're still Nala like before. Always be cheerful and transmit positive energy to others."

"Eh? That huh?"

"Hm." Brother Rio stirred up his drink. "You still remember Na's not talking about our agreement behind the school?"

Why suddenly bring up the past like this? Especially in such a long time. Over the years I have experienced many events and processes in this life. Do I remember that memory six years ago? Must have forgotten. But I want to say that directly why it does not taste good either.

Maybe seeing my silence made Kak Rio already feel like he knew. "You forgot it."

"Sorry Brother."

"Nothing. If you forget, let me remind you. Once after the school breakup, I took you to the back garden. There I told you that I had to go far away, and we were forced to part ways. I remember you crying and tugging at my suit so I wouldn't go,"

Ah, the hell I used to be?

"But at that time I said that our farewell was only about time. I asked you to wait for me, and when the time comes I'll meet you back and propose. I also still remember that you were immediately jumping up and down very happy. We both promised to wait for each other."

Then he looked at me. He put his hand on my hand, holding it. "After six years, the feeling remains the same. I still love you Nala. And now, I want to take that promise."

Deg.