When Hamzah Met Alifa
Offers

"When do you want to pay the contract?"

Before the jolting pitched question made Hamzah, a twenty-one-year-old young man, jump and wave. His eyeballs moved erratically as his mind composed words to answer.

However, the silence of Hamzah makes Wati, the owner of the rented property know that Hamzah does not have the money to pay the contract. 

So Wati also grinned while looking away. "Don't tell me you're gonna have to wait again this month!"

Hamzah bowed limp. He took a deep breath to neutralize his feelings.

"Sorry, Mrs Wati. Love me in two weeks, will you? I beg. I will definitely try to pay this contract."

Wati let out a breath of air. He had to answer, "Yes already. But promise huh? Two more weeks. Just be careful, if you wait again, I have to throw you out!"

"Yes, God willing, I will work on it" Hamzah told a middle-aged woman wearing a tinkling bracelet on her arm.

Wati then turned around, leaving the rented house she had rented to Hamzah, a student from the village.

After Wati's departure, Hamzah also closed the door because it was time for him to go to college. 

Actually Hamzah's course will start in two hours. However, because Hamzah did not have the money to pay for transportation, he had to walk, although it took a long time.

Along the way, Hamzah bowed his head while thinking hard how he would pay the rent. The reason, just last night Hamzah got a message from the village that his father failed the harvest.

As a result, both of Hamzah's parents could not transfer tuition for this month. 

Hamzah took a deep breath, the urban hot air made the sweat on his forehead pour out. He wiped the sweat with the back of his hand.

Then not far from Hamzah stood, he saw the mosque across the street. Then Hamzah smiled looking at the big mosque.

"Why am I complaining? If you don't have money, ask Alloh" Hamzah muttered as he looked at the mosque across the street.

Instantly Hamzah's memory flew to his childhood and taught in his grandfather's surau. Hamzah's grandfather was a kyai in the village.

Hamzah still remembers, his grandfather told him when Hamzah was seven years old.

"Whoever reads al Waqiah's letter every night, Allah will not bring poverty."

The words of the grandfather at this time were like roaring in Hamzah's ears. Continue to roar until Hamzah smiles widely and his feet step across the road.

Hamzah went inside the mosque, took ablution and looked at the wall clock installed on one of the mosque walls.

There is still time for dhuha prayers, Hamzah thought.

So Hamzah also performed dhuha prayers in advance four rakaats, after which he took the prayer of the Quran and read the letter of Al Waqiah as his grandfather had taught him first.

After completion, Hamzah rushed to resume his trip to campus. Just as Hamzah was wearing shoes in front of the mosque, an elderly woman walked up to him.

"Excuse me, Mas. Could you just have a minute."

Hamzah flinched and immediately turned on the elderly woman. 

"Yes, Mom. What's up?" ask Hamzah politely.

The grandmother seemed to be looking around. Then he appointed a seat not far from the courtyard of the mosque.

"Can we sit there first, Mas. Let it be nice to talk."

Although hesitant and do not know the wishes of the grandmother, but Hamzah still complies. He followed the grandmother sitting on the bench made of iron.

The grandmother seemed to smile while observing Hamzah's appearance from top to bottom. 

"Sorry, Mom. What's up, huh?" ask Hamzah again. 

But the grandmother kept looking at Hamzah for a while. Very clear if the grandmother was weighing something.

After the grandmother's expression looked steady, then she said, "Include me, Mas, I am Haida. Just call Oma Haida. What's the name of what?"

"I'm Hamzah, Mom."

"Oh, Hamzah," said Oma Haida nodding her head. "Look, Mas Hamzah, I'm looking for a teacher for my two grandchildren. And I happened to be accidentally horrified Mas Hamzah read the Quran is very good. So, Mas Hamzah would not be my granddaughter's teacher?"

For a moment Hamzah fell silent. He still did not believe the words of Oma Haida that he had just known.

"Why are you laughing?" ask Haida to Hamzah.

Hamzah shook his head and said, "It's okay, Oma Haida. I'm just surprised. Oma Haida does not know me. But I've trusted him as a teacher."

Hearing that, Haida also laughed off even to the point of patting her thigh.

"I believe Mas Hamzah is a good man. It's been seen from his face and Mas Hamzah is a student, right?"

"Don't Oma Haida know?" Hamza asked back.

"That's the alma mater's jacket worn by Mas Hamzah" Haida said, pointing to the alma mater jacket that Hamzah was not aware of.

Hamzah patted his head and laughed. "Yes too?"

"So what, Mas Hamzah? Want to be my grandchild's teacher? We tried it a month, if it turns out Mas Hamzah does not want, or feels not suitable with my grandson, Mas Hamzah can stop. I won't make it." 

Haida took her breath and released her eyes onto the street. "The problem is Mas Hamzah, my grandson is very stubborn. Especially the first grandson. So I had a hard time finding a suitable teacher for my grandson."

It did not take long and did not need a long consideration, Hamzah nodded his head in approval to Oma Haida's request.

Of course Hamzah wants to. Who does not want to fulfill a practice that can bring the reward of that one finger.

"I want to, Oma Haida. But at most I have the afternoon. Because by noon, I'm busy with college."

Haida turned her face to Hamzah and her lips flashed a big smile. It was clear from Haida's eyes that the woman was very happy to have Hamzah accept her offer.

"Okay, no problem. Mas Hamzah will come to my house? I give you the address."

Haida immediately reached into the bag she was carrying. He took a piece of paper and a pencil. Then write down a home address.

Hamzah gave the address a glance and he nodded his head because it turned out that the address was not too far from the campus.

"We can start from today, right, Mas Hamzah?"

Hamzah nodded, "Can, Oma Haida."

Then, it was unexpected that Haida also took out a few pieces of money from her wallet. He handed the money to Hamzah who frowned in confusion.

"What's this, Oma Haida?"

"This is money to transport Mas Hamzah to my house later" Haida said as he crammed the money into Hamzah's hands.

Hamzah counted the red sheet money. Then looked up with a surprised expression.

"But, Oma Haida, this is five hundred thousand a lot."

"Thank you. Let's just say it's alms from me."

Hamzah smiled broadly at Haida. She was so happy and so lucky to have met Haida.

After chatting for a while, Hamzah said goodbye to leave, because he was afraid of being late for college.

Hamzah walked with a carefree pace and a faded smile on his face. Since he now has the money, Hamzah intends to take the bus alone. 

It is not possible for Hamzah to force himself on foot. Because the time has gone down a lot to talk to Haida.

However, before that, Hamzah first bought a canned drink to quench his thirst. Only then did Hamzah sit at the stop to wait for the arrival of the bus to his campus.

At the stop there were many people, and Hamzah sat next to a woman who had been busy playing gadet. Hamzah did not care about the woman, he just wanted to drink the canned drink he had just bought.

But the woman sitting beside Hamzah even glanced at him with a dislike gaze. 

Feeling strangely stared at, Hamzah asked, "What's wrong, Mba?"

"You said, what's wrong?" the woman asked back loudly. "That's my drink, Mas. Don't just drink dong."

Then suddenly the woman snatched the canned drink that was in Hamzah's hands. Simultaneously, a bus came and the woman immediately darted into the bus.

While Hamzah was just amazed on the spot while looking at the passing of the woman earlier. "Freak woman."