I'm with you, Mr. Teacher

Birthday Gift

After the Magrib prayer, Teak calms down on the terrace. Since yesterday the rampage in his chest has not completely subsided. Especially after accompanying Cendana to distribute used clothes Cakka this afternoon in the orphanage. As his efforts to make Sandalwood at peace with reality slowly bore fruit, he instead found himself falling to a deeper point. The guilt that was in his heart was now greater than before. There will be a lot of changes if Jati wants to let go of everything. For some reason, the sweet black guy felt unprepared. On the other hand, it couldn't possibly continue like this.

Jati again looked with frustration at the old newspaper clasped weakly in his right hand, forcing another reading of the news of the music concert riots that claimed lives several months ago. The woman's screams, the black-clothed man's cruelty, as well as the child's helplessness, again leapt in Jati's mind.

I should have been, not the kid!

Teak was propping up his head with his left hand resting on his thigh, when the slow roar of the car engine that then stopped outside the fence, distracting him. A moment later, Kenanga emerged from behind the steering door. The girl had a plastic bag with something. His smile expanded perfectly as he stepped closer.

Upon arrival in front of Jati, Kenanga placed the parcel she was carrying on the table.

"I brought your favorite roasted chicken" he said.

Teak smiled flatly.

Had time to wonder in the heart, but see what Jati holds, now Kenanga understand the cause of the look not excited the guy. This isn't the first. Kenanga snatched the newspaper in Jati's hand, then filled the empty seat next to her.

"Please, Jat, until when are you going to be like this?" Kenanga knew exactly, ever since that event, Jati had always drowned herself in guilt. It took at least a week, before Jati could return to normal activities at that time.

Teak rubbed his hair up to the nape, then fell silent some jokes.

"I met the boy's family" he said later.

"Then what?" Although he gasped, Kenanga chimed in quickly. From his tone, he didn't like it. "You want to surrender yourself as the cause of the child's death?" Kenanga shakes inexhaustibly.

"I'm the cause of it."

"Don't be stupid, Jat! It's out of your control, you can't be blamed at all." Kenanga's voice is rising. After a few months passed, he was really sick of seeing Jati even become like this.

Kenanga's right. But, Jati will not calm down before revealing everything. Which now makes him dizzy, how do I say it?

Avoiding the debate with Kenanga, Jati switched to seeing something on her phone, some photos she took secretly in Cakka's room. What is now observed is a photo of Cakka wearing a jacket that is very familiar to him. The photo was taken when Cendana unconsciously buried a cry in her chest. His gaze was fixed on the logo embedded in the right chest of Cakka, the logo that became the beginning of the interconnectedness of all this complexity.

***

Tonight was exactly a year ago, when Cendana found a piece of paper under her blanket just before going to bed. A line of messages that finally drove him to the back garden, met Cakka and his own creation song that was presented as a gift on his sister's birthday.

Accompanied by a piece of shabby paper in his arms, Sandalwood fell silent at the edge of the window. Without Cakka, the aroma tonight is much more gripping than last year. Just like the night sky is clear of stars tonight. Silent, silent, and bland.

Sandalwood tried to encourage. No need to be disappointed or sick. From year to year it is always like this. It's just .. It's the first year without Cakka. He needs a special time to get used to this, until one day there will be someone who is able to replace the position of the child to always be ready to entertain him. A lover, maybe? For some reason, the mind of Sandalwood suddenly turned to Teak. Ah, no! Teak does seem comfortable making friends outside the relationship of teachers and students. But for more, Sandalwood did not dare to hope.

Cendana ended his contemplation. He went to bed while still holding a shabby paper inscribed with the lyrics of a song created by Cakka. Stupidly, he hoped to find a piece of paper, or anything under the covers that could bring him to Cakka. Even though—maybe—only in dreams.

A few minutes later he was 18 years old, Cendana felt no need to stay awake and wait. A voiceless cry accompanied her as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. A few seconds before this day ends, Cendana's attempt to get to sleep is thwarted by the ringing of a mobile phone on the nightstand. People won't call at this hour except for the important thing. Therefore, he quickly grabbed it.

Sandalwood who was lazy, immediately sat with his back perfectly upright once found a video call from Teak. Although his reaction was not as strong as when he first received the video call Jati at that time, his heart could not be said to be fine. He wiped the tears on his cheek, then combed the origin of his hair using his fingers.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday .. to you!" As soon as Cendana's face appeared on her phone screen, Jati immediately sang the happy birthday jingle in such enthusiasm while applauding. His smile was perfect.

Sandalwood said nothing. Unable to be prevented, her tears simply decayed.

"Now blow out the candles, yeah." Teak raised a cup cake decorated with a small candle in the middle.

Although silly, Cendana really intended to blow the screen of her phone.

"Eits, before blowing out the candle, remove the tears first, dong. You must smile!"

Cendana. After presenting a somewhat quivering smile, he blew the candle in Jati's hand through her mobile phone screen. Simultaneously, a Jati breath swept the candle flame in front of him until it was extinguished. A moment left the thin smoke dance until it disappeared without a trace.

"Happy birthday, Sandalwood!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"You have a special request?"

Sandalwoods. "This is more than enough, sir."

"If so, I'll ask for something."

"Cock?"

"What?" After it had subsided, the heartbeat of Sandalwood back craze.

"May, just this once you don't call me "Sir"?"

Sandalwood smiled shyly, then nodded faintly.

"We repeat from the beginning, yes." Jati seemed to fix her sitting position. "Happy birthday, Sandalwood."

Sandalwood did not answer immediately. It's laughable.

"Thank you, Teak!"

Both are spontaneously broken.

"Do we need to light the candle again?"

"Ah, don't!" Sandalwood hastily refuted with the remains of the created ittiness.

"Yes, sleep, gih. Tomorrow don't be late, yeah!"

Sandalwoods nodded.

"Good sleep, Sandalwood!"

"Good sleep, Teak!"

Reflexes, Sandalwood clutched his phone before Teak's face completely disappeared. He dropped his head on a pillow with a cell phone that stayed in his arms. Sandalwood has always been impressed by the happiness that comes in such a simple way.

***

Bizarrely. Teak suddenly could not sleep in order to enjoy the feel of a pulse in his heart. He did not expect, just because Sandalwood was willing to call his name without the emblems "Pak", his reaction was this powerful. Sandalwood was the first girl he gave birthday wishes in such a ridiculous way. In fact, he was willing to stay up late to be the first. For the umpteenth time Jati was convinced, her heart had been clung to the girl. But ... how do you say it? Teak was impossible to ignore the status of teachers and disciples among them. No less important, Jati cannot just forget the relationship with the death of Cakka. All of that made Jati think again.

***

Sandalwood sped up the speed of his bike after seeing Teak ahead there. Jati greeted him with a smile that was warmer than the morning sunlight that had not been perfect to flow through Semarang City. After lowering his bike kickstand, Cendana also stood on the sidewalk.

"It's the first day you're 18. Do you have any future plans?"

Future plans? Sandalwoods.

"In a few months you will graduate from High School, then go to college, work, or choose to marry young and become a full-time housewife. That process will be difficult if you don't design it from now on."

After last night so laughably calling Jati without the emblems "Sir", this morning Cendana felt, the guy returned to his original position as his teacher.

Teak took something out of his backpack.

"What is this, sir?" Sandalwood looked at the white paper roll tied with the light blue ribbon that Jati had just thrust.

"Your birthday gift."

A birthday present? Expectations of Sandalwood immediately soared. Possibly painting? Or at least poetry.

Sandalwoods accepted. Full of impatience, he quickly untied her and unrolled her. Sandalwoods. The paper was empty, without a trace of a speck.

"I think of empty paper as your future. From now on, fill it with whatever you want to achieve later. I didn't mean to replace the shabby paper Cakka's. I just want you to start learning to look into the future, don't keep living in the past. And, someday, may God will, I don't want to be just that blank paper giver, but really someone who can give you a future." Teak spoke seriously without letting go staring at a pair of sandalwood eyes.

How warm the words of the Teak flowed in the ears of Sandalwood, then seeped through the crown until it poured out his heart. Sandalwood's eyes glazed as he again anchored his gaze on the blank paper in his hand. The Teak Shadow immediately filled the blank paper. Really, Cendana wants that guy as her future.

"Thank you, sir. This will be the most beautiful birthday gift after the performance song from Cakka."

"That's the best position you can give."

"Thank you again, sir. I'll learn to fill it up slowly." Sandalwood smiled warmly, although accompanied by a shiver of haru.

***