Under the Black Umbrella
New Neighbors, Old People

Yesterday's doctor's estimate. After two days in the hospital, Ghavi was finally allowed to go home.

Ms. Yoyon had contacted her husband to pick up the employer's son.

"Mother is happy, finally today you can go home and rest at home" said Ms. Yoyon.

The half-century woman was cleaning clothes and other equipment that she had taken and brought to the hospital yesterday.

"Yes, Mom! I'm also glad I'm finally free of this infusion soon."

Ghavi pointed at the hose in his left hand that was being released by a nurse.

This morning the doctor visited and let him go home after lunch. Now the girl is waiting for the nurse to finish taking off the infusion.

It feels like he is no longer at home lying in a narrow hospital bed so as to limit the movement of his sleep when at home his position is a little messy.

"It's over, Ma'am! Have a good rest at home. Do not forget to take medicine and take care of health, yes," the nurse advised while smiling.

Tidy up equipment used to remove infusion shortly before leaving the room.

"Thank you, Sus! Yes, it feels good to be free from the hose bond once," said Ghavi relieved.

"Together! Come, Ma, Ma! Goodbye and congratulations to your destination!"

The nurse leaves Ghavi and Bu Yoyon.

"Mom, I'm gonna change my clothes first, yeah. If you come, tell me to wait a minute."

Ghavi went to the bathroom after picking up a change of clothes that Bu Yoyon had prepared before the nurse came to take off the infusion.

"It's all done, Mom?" ask Mr. Yoyon who just came.

"Eh, Father! It's already! It's just transported."

Bu Yoyon who knew her husband had arrived immediately pointed to some items that had to be transported.

"Sorry, late! Just stopped by the workshop first, broke the tire," said Mr. Yoyon.

"Yes, it's okay! This too was just allowed to go home with the nurse."

"Oh!"

Mr. Yoyon also counted the items that must be taken home. There were two bags of Ghavi's and his wife's change of clothes, toiletries and blankets brought from home, there is also a box filled with mineral water and food and fruits that were brought by Liana and Ane when they came to visit.

"Where's Ghavi, Mom?!" asked Mr. Yoyon who saw the patient's bed was empty.

"He's in the bathroom changing clothes" Bu Yoyon pointed to the bathroom with his chin.

" Just the nurse took off her infusion hose. Just wait a minute, we go down together," he said.

"Mother has come?! Come on, let's just go home, "gave Ghavi who just came out of the bathroom.

"Come on!"

Mr. Yoyon took a wheelchair for Ghavi.

The bag of Ghavi's lap clothes sat in a wheelchair. Ms. Yoyon was asked to push the wheelchair, while she herself was transporting cardboard boxes and others.

***

Night approaching. Ghavi was lying on a long sofa in the living room watching television while waiting for Bu Yoyon to finish cooking for dinner.

Mr. Yoyon himself sat on the front porch looking for the wind.

The city of Jakarta has been getting hotter lately. Plus, the black cloud that covers the sky of the capital city does not also pour drops of water into rain that makes the air more sultry.

"Good night, Mr. Yoyon!" aslan's pushing the wheelchair.

Handy sat in the wheelchair holding her daughter.

"Good night, Mas Aslan, Mas Handy!" said Mr. Yoyon who was a little surprised to see the arrival of his new neighbor.

"And this is pretty Sunny, right?!" his god pinched the cheek of the child girl's kingpin in Handy's lap.

"Yes, Grandpa!" the boy reached out his tiny hand asking for salim.

"Well, Grandpa's granddaughter's smart!"

Mr. Yoyon also welcomed Sunny's hand.

"Sunny sure wants to see a pretty Aunt, huh?!"

"Yes, Cake! What pretty aunt?"

"There, inside! Come inside!" ask Mr. Yoyon to lower Sunny's body from his father's lap and hold him.

"Let's go in, Mas!"

Aslan immediately encourages Handy to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Yoyon entering the house.

"Vi, there's a little guest here to see you!" mr. Yoyon said as he arrived at the central room.

Finally, Mr. Yoyon wanted to call Ghavi just by his name without the frills of 'Non' according to the request of the girl who had been considered as his daughter.

Only Bu Yoyon would sometimes still like to call him that call.

"Eh, little guest? Who, Sir?!"

Ghavi turned the view from the flat screen in front of him to Mr. Yoyon.

His eyes immediately rounded to see Sunny in the middle-aged man's arms.

"Sunny?!!"

"Beautiful Aunt!!"

Sunny slumped down from Pak Yoyon's arms and ran towards Ghavi.

The girl's hand was then stretched out to hug Ghavi's body which was a little stiff so shocked.

"Who's Sunny here, sir?" tanyanya looked at Mr. Yoyon.

"Papa and Om As, Auntie!"

Sunny answered faster.

"Yes, Vi! Now they're our new neighbors" explains Mr. Yoyon.

"So, the next-door neighbor you told me about was them this afternoon?!" Ghavi surprised.

"Yes!" answer someone from the living room.

"Sorry surprised you! Sunny would love to see you in the hospital, but I forbid it. As soon as he heard you were home, he immediately whined to come here."

Handy turned her own wheels to walk closer to the sofa Ghavi occupied.

" Mister Yoyon is right! I bought Mr. Santo's house. More precisely take it because he has a debt to me and intends to pay with the house. Of course I immediately agreed," he added with a meaningful smile.

"Oh!"

Ghavi did not know what to comment. He really did not expect that the new neighbor next door to his house was an old person from his past.

Last afternoon, when Ghavi arrived at the house, he saw the house next door which was the house of Mr. Santo, his neighbor looked crowded. There are some people who look downstream hauling goods.

In fact, for the past month after his return from Ausie, Ghavi usually saw the house looked lonely. According to Ms. Yoyon, the house had been empty for several months.

Bu Yoyon said Mr. Santo moved into his hometown and sold his house to someone.

And this afternoon the house was quite crowded, Ghavi asked Mr. Yoyon.

Mr. Yoyon said, the house was only occupied by its new owner yesterday. So, naturally many people then move things.

"How are you doing now, is it better?!"

Handy broke the silence that was created.

"Already! Uh, sit down Mas Aslan!"

Ghavi only realized that Aslan was still standing.

Handy's assistant, who he used to know as the male office driver, has now been appointed as a personal assistant since Aswan was killed in an accident.

Mr. Yoyon was saying back to his wife to make him drink.

"No, thank you! I have to go home first!" answer Aslan bowed.

"Eh, why?!"

"So there was a handyman coming to the house to install the AC. So, he had to wait for it to finish or just in case the handyman needed something Aslan could look for him" Handy said.

"Aslan, go! Pick me up at nine o'clock" he ordered.

"Good, Boss! Excuse me! Come, Miss!"

Aslan bowed again before he finally came home.

"Pa, where's the honey-baked duck?! Here, let me take it to the back!"

Sunny asked the roasted duck in a paper bag that was still in Handy's lap.

"Oh, yes! Papa forgot. This is! Love it to Grandma to be served at the service, yes."

Handy gave the tent with her daughter who immediately ran towards the back looking for Grandma Yoyon.

"Sorry! Sunny wants to have dinner here with you, can you?!"

Ghavi just nodded.

The silence felt again.

"Vi!"

Handy broke the silence.

"Yes?!"

Ghavi looked at Handy.

There was a sense that he could not express in his heart seeing Handy's condition now. The man who was once gallant and sturdy, cold and firm now looks thinner helpless on his wheelchair. Her hair was currently left unattached without a hair tie adding to the mess of her life.

"Sorry!" handy said later.

"For?!"

"Everything! Everything I've done to you all this time. I feel so guilty about you. I also feel guilty and guilty for your late grandfather and parents. Because I broke my promise to them. In fact, I've dared to hurt you. They must have been so angry with me that I got this karma," he said.

Ghavi can see from the dim light of Handy's eyes that seemed to explain how ruined the man's life was now.

"Alright, Mom! I have forgiven you! The past let it pass. Let's just say this is all the destiny that has been outlined for each of us to live," said Ghavi in the end.

The girl wanted to follow her heart and Harry asked her to make peace with the situation.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you" he added.

"Vi!"

Handy clasped Ghavi's hand.

"Thank you for forgiving me. I was stupid," he said.

"Can we start over?!" hopefully again.

"Mas, I have forgiven you. But ..."

Ghavi tries to get his hands off Handy's.

"If we are friends, let's be friends. But, if you want more than that, I'm sorry! I still need a lot of time to put my heart and feelings in order."

"Is it because my flawed body isn't perfect now, so you rejected me?!" ask Handy a little offended.

"No! That's not what I meant. I just ..."

"All right! I should be aware of myself now," Handy cut off before the girl finished her sentence.

"Mas!"

"Beautiful Aunt! Papa! Grandma said her dinner was ready. Let's eat!" sunny shouted as he ran over to the two.

Ghavi smiled too.

"Come, Honey! Incidentally Auntie was very hungry" Ghavi said as he stood up from his seat.

He took the initiative to push Handy's wheelchair even though the man had prevented it.

At the dinner table, it appears that Mr. Yoyon and Ms. Yoyon are already sitting waiting. Sunny who had arrived first also sat in an empty seat among parents who had been considered as his grandparents.

Ghavi was sitting in the remaining seat next to the vacant seat because his seat had been moved to Sunny. And Handy herself remained in the suspended wheelchair in the empty room of the former chair taken for Sunny.

They also ate dinner together in silence. Only occasionally did the sound of spoons and forks clashing against each other on a plate and the occasional whining of Sunny on Bu Yoyon who painstakingly fed the boy in his own mouthful.