Climbing Mount Slamet
Chapter 28 The Goods of Giving Lukman
The sound of the dawn Adhan began to roar. The door of the room opened from the outside, along with the disappearance of the figure of the mother in front of me.
"Mama." called me while directly hugging the body of the woman who came straight to me after seeing me sitting hugging my knees at the end of the bed.
"Jenna. You're not sleeping, son?" asked Mama who I answered with a nod of the head. The look of her own eyes was implied from her face. I know, Mama must be worried about my condition like this.
"Jen." Suddenly Robby came with a man while I was relaxing on the porch. From the appearance, it looks like the man brought by Robby is a religious leader. Seen from his shady face and his neat and religious clothes.
"Eh, Rob. Not work?" ask the man who has been my best friend since childhood.
"No, Jen." she answered briefly.
After I invite both of them to sit on the terrace, because at this time Mama is licensed to work for a while and will go home after dhuhur, he said, so I just let Robby and the guy sit on the porch. Although actually, Robby has been in and out of my house freely since long ago. But because this time he invited others, then I prefer to keep it on the porch of the house.
"A little while, I go inside first." I said to both of them. There was a vague chatter of Robby and the man as I was preparing a drink for them. It's just that what they're talking about doesn't sound obvious in my ears because of the porch and kitchen's decent distance. But what I caught, Robby mentioned my name a few times and other friends.
"Assalamu'alaikum." there was a sound of greeting outside the house. It seems like the voice of Mama who has gone home to work. I have the lyrics of the clock displayed on the upper wall of the connecting door between the kitchen and the living room.
"It's still eleven." I muttered.
Sreeeseseett....
I halted my steps as I saw a figure rapidly passing through the middle room. My hand that was holding the tray trembled slightly. Slowly I stepped back to the front. With occasional glances into the living room, I tried to walk faster to get to the front immediately.
"Aarrrggg..."
Almost the tray I was holding fell off if Robby's hand didn't hold both my hands.
"Be careful, Jen" he said without any guilt.
My body trembles. The tray I was holding could have fallen off if Robby hadn't taken over and moved it forward for the male friend he brought home.
"Jen, what's wrong?" it was fun coming back from the front. I am still stuck in place. Tears simply flowed, seeing the apparition that had just passed by next to me.
"Jen." again my best friend's question was nothing I answered. Robby grabbed my body and sat him on the living room couch. Mama's coming in with the guy Robby brought in. Many times Istighfar was heard from the man's mouth.
I looked at the place where I had seen the creepy figure.
The man looked around. Reading prayers in a soft voice but still a little heard by us.
"Mba, does Miss Jenna have anything that her friend Jenna gave her?" ask the man.
I frowned not understanding. But for a moment I remember what happened a few months ago. Where Lukman called me in the afternoon to meet and take me to dinner. Though at that time my body was very tired because my work that day was very much and had to be full in the field. But somehow I just accepted Lukman's request to meet and have dinner together just by myself.
"Jena." Call the man I was dating back then.
I was sucking my drink with a dropper, immediately turned my eyes from the glass to the man.
"Nicely no?" Lukman showed me a ring that I thought was a normal model. Only, the ring had extremely beautiful eyes. The red and shiny gemstone made me instantly fall in love when I saw it. I nodded and my gaze did not turn away from the thing Lukman was holding.
"Beautiful right?" ask him again. And I just nodded to answer her second question.
"Take it" he said, thrusting the ring into my hand. I who was still hesitant to accept the gift just kept holding my hand until finally Lukman grabbed my hand and put the ring in my palm and asked me to keep it immediately.
"Save, yeah. For you." he said with a smile that didn't know what it meant. This time I did not answer. There was only a strange feeling when I received the ring from Lukman, the man I met when we were in college.
"wearable?" many doubt. But Lukman immediately gave the code by hand so I wouldn't wear it.
"Don't, keep it. It's a rare item" he said in a hurry.
I frowned not understanding. Why did he give me rare items, even forbid me to wear them. If it is indeed a rare item, he should keep it himself or sell it to antique collectors at a high price.
"Why indeed?"I who was curious ventured to ask.
"Have, don't ask too many questions. The important thing is that you keep it, yes. Put it where you sleep." The message made me clueless.
"Bu-nothing. It's just that, if you put it in the closet or anywhere, worry will be found someone else and finally taken. It's purposely for you, my good friend." Lukman said to me a little disappointed. He only seems to think of me as his best friend. I even wish for more than that.
I finally got what Lukman said. Once at home I briefly observed the red-eyed ring and immediately kept it under the place where I slept.
"Let's just say, the request is not excessive" I said that time. From that moment until you went for a hike, my feelings for Lukman deepened. I don't know why there's such great love for a guy I don't think is as good as my best friends. Lukman often said rude, even he did not hesitate to give lessons to his friends if he did not follow his will while in college first. Even I know, Lukman often changed girlfriends when I was still seeing first. Many times I saw himself walking with different women, strangely I never hurt. My love for him is getting bigger.
Until I see Dari and Lukman doing anything indecent I can't hate him. I was even disappointed with the Dance that would betray me. But Tari knows that I've liked Lukman since college. While Tari and Lukman met after I introduced them both.
