FROM THE SKY

ABOUT AIRI

Bandung, July 4, 2018

A hot cup of coffee is placed slowly, positioning it on the table correctly. Thin smoke billowed, white cups contrasted with the color of milk coffee. A small sound was heard every time the cup was stored. The resulting aroma welcomes the nose to return to taste it.

The evening sky seeped past the ventilation of the house, shining on a man sitting among thick books. He hummed, not when the wind made the curtains dance gently. His fingers wrote back, expressing a heart that had bound his soul long enough.

Airi, are you still alone ?

Are you happy? 

How can I meet you again?

Airi, are you okay?

What about the wound on your body? 

Has it improved?

Airi, what about your heart wound?

Is healed?

Or goosebumps without anyone knowing?

Airi, there are a lot of things I want to ask you. There's so much I want to tell you. But my heart is sad when I remember your name. My hands are confused when I write about you. It's heavy when I say it. Especially when I tell others. Airi, I want a soul like you again. Right here. With me. 

The sky heaved a heavy sigh, throwing away the burden of drifting along with the air. He closed his eyes. His body is tired when sitting too long, his long back he rests on the chair. "How can I protect you again?" The pen he held he released. His fingers massaged the base of his nose. It felt better for his slightly dizzy head.

The sky stood up from his seat, he walked towards the row of bookshelves. One slightly faded maroon-red enveloped book became the man's magnet to open it. The book containing the indistinct images reminded Sky of the events of the past. When Sky and Airi were still sitting in Elementary School. When they were ten years old.

At that time Airi was very chatty about asking what color is suitable and what color combination is good. 

"Corn, how about this?" He pointed to a row of fruits in his task book. 

"It's pineapple, it's orange, it's mango, grape, apple." The sky answered him lazily.

"What color should I wear?"

Sky silent. He rolled his eyeballs.

"Corning, what color is good?" 

The little man sighed, Airi was indeed quiet but once asked she got a lot of talk. And the habit of Heaven sighing has been around for a long time. He seemed to think before answering Airi's question. If done, then he will also bother. "Hm." The sky shook his smile, he came up with a brilliant idea. "The color is the same as what you often see in the market."

Airi looks happy with the satisfactory results of her drawings. While Sky, he struggled with his more difficult schoolwork. Sky disciple was smart whereas Airi had damage in her thinking function. Feeling that his work was good, Airi tore the paper and then she stuck it in her diary. Without giving it to the teacher.

At that moment the sky scolded him and told him to redraw, of course with the right color. The color of the fruit that is ripe.

"The sky?"

A woman came out from behind the door, watching what her husband was doing. Without seeing her in person, she immediately turned around when her husband was fine. "I'm in the kitchen" he said before completely vanishing from sight. 

The sky was just staring at him, without the need for him to answer again. A thick book with a hard cover he closed again. He kept the book in the middle of the shelf, close to the books he liked.

"Papa."

The little girl with narrow eyes pushed the door down. He entered his father's private room without permission. The sky greeted him with a smile, he spread his arms to pick up the little girl who was just walking up to him. "Have the bath not been heumm?" The sky kissed her and managed to make her little princess laugh amusedly.

A child becomes a solace whenever his parents are sad. His smile was able to make the spirit of sacrifice back intact. And his little fingers give encouragement to give the best, so that the child always laugh without eliminating his happiness.

"Eh, how many kilos, son. How's his stomach getting so bloated." The sky tickled her, she was happy to see her little daughter laughing. Lintang was overwhelmed by what his father was doing.

The boy came down from his father's lap and ran away leaving him alone. 

The sky took a breath again, he stretched out his hand to take the rest of the energy to work. The man grabbed the coffee that was almost cold, then sipped it full of passion. He sat back down and kept the coffee in its original place. His fingers again grabbed the pen that was about to fall. Then position the pen on a book whose paper has yellowed.

I have a family, Ri. A happy little family. I think so, because so far my wife has never complained about anything. But he was chatty, he would get angry whenever I drank coffee more than 3 times a day. Or get angry when I forget to close the tub water faucet.

We're just as homesick, and my wife knows. But he never disputed this. I'm quite happy because he's not jealous. Even so, he would get angry whenever I spent too long here.

Ri, I have a little princess too. His name is Lintang Laras Sakti. How, good no? If only you had been there when he was born. I'll let you name it. With the name you told me about.

Ri, don't go a second time too soon. I'm still—.

The sound of footsteps approaching, a woman still wearing a black apron peered back from the doorway. "Not finished?" tanyakanya.

The sky stopped his writing activity, he turned around and looked at his wife softly. "It's done."

"Eat yuk, long latitude."

The man nodded his head. He took off the pen and closed the book. A package of stationery that never lost one part of another long ago, he neatly stored in a drawer. "Let's tell me again." 

The sky passed and followed his wife. Leave the cold coffee that he left alone. Close the door tightly and lock it from the outside. Leave an empty space filled with bookshelves and a study table and an old chair that is still good. 

The sunlight slowly disappeared, leaving behind a yellow vacuum with wind that shook the curtains from earlier. There was no sound, only one vacuum that contained many stories.