FLOWER WARS

Chapter 21. Applicable.

"Why do you always joke like that?" ask the Peculiar Flower. He was alone with Jacob's jokes.

"Who said I was kidding? I'm telling the truth." Jacob answered lightly.

Flowers growling. For a moment the girl noticed the handsome face beside her. His eyes scanned Jacob from head to waist because the young man was sitting and his feet were under the table.

"Hows it? Am I handsome enough for you, Bunga?"

Sizzling flowers. "Not at all. Your skin is too white."

"Then we go to the beach every day."

"Why?"

Jacob chuckles. "For sunbathing. To make my skin a little brown."

Flowers rotate both of his eyes. "Don't be weird."

"You said I wasn't handsome enough for you because my skin was too white. So, I'm gonna make my skin browner."

Flowers pat her forehead. Lately Jacob has been a little weird. Her jokes made the Flower not very comfortable. For some reason, it made him a little awkward and weird.

Jacob is Jacob, his best friend. Flowers will throw out strange thoughts that suddenly perched in his mind.

"Flower," call Jacob.

"What?" sahut Bunga without looking at Jacob. The girl is back with her book.

"May I ask you something?"

"Just ask. Why ask permission first?"

Jacob scowled his nape while grimacing. For a while, he hesitated about what he was going to say to Bunga.

"What do you want to ask, Jacob?" ask Bunga while closing the book. He waited for Jacob to say something, but did not come out of the young man's mouth.

"Hoe denk je over mij (How do you feel about me)?" ask Jacob carefully.

"What do you mean by how I feel?" Flowers frown.

"Mmm .. yes, your feelings, to me."

Flowers seemed confused by Jacob's question. "My feelings for you, I love you. Why are you still questioning it?"

"For what?"

"As friends, as brothers. We're like brothers, Jacob."

"About that I know."

"Then?"

Jacob breathed heavily. "As a woman against a man."

"You mean ...."

Jacob nodded. Although Bunga did not continue his words, he knew what the girl was going to say.

Flowers were silent for a moment. He was digesting everything Jacob said. But he failed to understand. Or, he doesn't want to understand.

Jacob's face turned grim. There was disappointment there. "You sure?" tanyanya.

Flowers are steady. The girl was really uncomfortable with the chat. He tried to eliminate his worries. The sudden worry made his body cold hot.

***

While getting off the horse-drawn carriage that picked her up from school, Bunga was greeted by her mother, Ratih, who was tidying up her flower plants in their beautiful courtyard. That woman is so cramped. He stopped his activities and took Bunga into the house.

"Sir, I want to talk to you," said Ratih while sitting flowers in the amben in the middle room.

"What's up, Mom?" ask the flower of astonishment.

Trained to smile her. "Do you remember Kanjeng Kyai Salih Husain?"

The person who had just been called by the mother, known as Bunga Kyai the Great from the boarding school Mungkur. As a child, every weekend his parents took Bunga there to learn to read verses of the Qur'an and also religious knowledge.

"Do you remember his son Raden Yusuf Husain?"

The flower turned his memory on a man named Raden Yusuf Husain. Or Mas Yusuf, he used to call him. He's the son of a boarding house owner who used to love flirting with him while he was studying. At that time, when Bunga was eight years old, Joseph was a teenager.

But the flower did not touch him too much at that time. He felt uncomfortable with Joseph's overt attitude to show his liking for him. As time went on, the news of the young man was never heard again, until today the mother mentioned his name.

"Raden Yusuf Husain has just returned from Cairo. He just finished his education at Al-Azhar University" explained Ratih.

"Then?" ask Flowers.

"So the morning Kanjeng Kyai and Raden Yusuf came here." Patih touched the back of the princess' hand. "Raden Yusuf intends to propose to you, Bunga. He has spoken to my father."

"What's? Apply Flowers?" The girl jumped out of her seat.

"Yes, Nduk," replied Ratih while holding back the overflow of happiness.

"But, Mom. Flowers still want to finish school." Throat Flowers choked. He never imagined something like this would happen to him. Indeed, many girls his age around are married and have children. But, the Flower did not want to follow in their footsteps.

Ratih chuckles. "Raden Yusuf is willing to wait until you finish your school."

"But, Madam ... Bunga wants to continue his education to college."

"Morea ...." The mother tried to calm her tense-looking daughter down. "Mother and Father would really like you to continue to college. But, you have to remember, the cost is very expensive especially for us natives."

Flowers shudder. "The invaders are making college expensive, ma'am. So that we natives are not able to continue education to a higher level."

"You understand that" said Ratih.

"But, Flowers won't give up, ma'am. Flowers can afford to go to college. Flowers can look for scholarships, ma'am," said Bunga energetically.

Ratih sighed. "As long as we're still being undermined by invaders, you don't expect too much."

Flowers come out of her seat. "Then from that, Mom. We must fight to drive them from our land."

Ratih frowned. His daughter looks so fiery. It made his heart a little worried. During this time, her husband-Tumenggung Wirya, never wanted to involve his wife and child in his struggle against the Dutch East Indies government. For, Tumenggung Wirya, his son and wife must be safe from all dangers that someday will surely come.

However, looking at the Flower that looked like a warrior, Ratih tried to throw away the bad thoughts that approached. Indeed, marrying Bunga to Kyai Salih Husain's son is the only way for the princess to be protected if something bad happens someday.

***