Love At the End of Ramadan

Chapters 16. Knocked

A gentle breeze blew the leaves. Make him dance along in rhythm with his blow. Tree branches also seemed to play the tone of nature. Also wrapped the atmosphere filled with martyrdom.

Kirana sits in a gazebo made of bamboo and weighs straw. In front of his eyes was a stretch of grassland that looked green. On the left right side there are also lotus ponds decorated by colorful koi fish.

Kirana closed her eyes, feeling the coolness of the baby that started to enter the body. Rustic nuances that are far from the hustle and bustle of the city. There was nothing he could feel but a sense of calm and peace that was so tightly hugging him. He exhaled slowly and gradually opened his eyelids. But suddenly his body was shocked for a moment.

"Good, Rama!"

Kirana was shocked half-dead at the moment when the body of this young man was suddenly in front of her. Staring with an unusual gaze and with a wide smile developing on his lips. Instead of feeling guilty for making Kirana surprised, Rama was heard laughing.

"I thought you fell asleep, just enjoying the atmosphere in this place?"

Rama also landed his butt next to Kirana, certainly by giving distance to this woman's sitting position. His eyes were straight ahead too. Enjoy the grassland and fish pond.

"I feel like this place is so quiet and peaceful. In addition, the wind is also very cold. Makes me not want to get out of this place."

It was only a while living in the residence of Rama, but Kirana had found a favorite place. A place he accidentally finds when he is confused about what to do in someone else's house. In the end, he found this place.

"Yes, this is a favorite place. Here we can see the creation of God in the form of a vast sky and a stretch of green grassland. Then combined with human creation in the form of fish ponds on the left right side. Being one of the frames of beauty that further magnifies our gratitude as a servant."

Kirana smiled faintly at Rama's words. From this man's words there was something that caught his attention a little.

"A feeling of gratitude as a servant?"

"Yes, our gratitude to God Subhana Wata'alla. Because it is appropriate that we as humans are always grateful for all the gifts of God," said Rama who is still reluctant to shift his eyes.

"If there are only wounds, tears, sadness and destruction, should we be thankful?"  kirana asked with a slightly trembling voice.

Rama's eye bead that previously focused towards the front, now he dribbled towards the beautiful woman sitting next to him. For some reason, he picked up a fragility signal from the look in this woman's eye.

"Before I answer your question. May I ask you?"

Now it was Kirana's turn to herd her bead eyes to look at Rama's face until the second look flashed. "Whatis that? What do you want to ask me?"

"Before wounds, tears, sadness, and destruction greet your life, have you ever felt what perfect happiness is?"

Without hesitation, Kirana nodded her head. A fragment of the memories of the perfect life he had before the tempest ravaged his family.

"Yes, my life is so perfect. Being in a whole family. I had a good career and all my needs were met. Yet it all vanished in the blink of an eye in the moment..."

Kirana slashed her words, when the tightness again squeezed the chest. Like being squeezed by two large boulders, Kirana found it hard to breathe. No doubt, the tightness is what makes dew points start to gather at the corner of the eye and drip slowly.

Rama could only smile bitterly looking at Kirana's sad face. He could feel that this woman was feeling a burden of life that made his heart go rogue. However, Rama feels this is the right time to pull Kirana from the burden of life.

"Did the perfection of life say hello to your life, do you not forget to be grateful? Thankful for all the good that God has given you?"

Kirana. He began to be interested in the topic of Rama's talk. "Do you mean being grateful in what way?"

"By establishing prayer!" rama answered with great emphasis.

Both of Kirana's eyes narrowed. I don't really understand what this guy is saying. "Sheeshalat? Isn't that a ritual of worship? So what does this have to do with one way to be grateful?"

Rama smiled meaningfully. Back he linked his gaze towards the front, staring at the weeds swaying in the strong wind.

Kirana gasps. "Does God need our thanks? Is He not everything?"

Rama smiled knot. "No, God doesn't even need any of that. It is we who need it. By drawing near to God through prayer and other worship, we hope that what we get becomes a blessing."

"Then, what about the test of life itself? Doesn't the test of life make it clear that God does not love us?"

"No, that's not the concept. God gives His servant a test because He loves us. By testing it can increase our faith and can remove our sins if we live it with sincerity," explained Rama.

"Maybe for men who fear, the test can erase sin and as a form of compassion. But what about me who is sinful like this? Will God take away all my sins?" lirih Kirana whose voice was almost inaudible. His head lowered, as if dissolving into his own world.

Rama's smile grew on his lips. His heart warmed up to see Kirana who seemed to want to know about what the real nature of life is.

"It is not by that test that God will take away all your sins, Ran. But in one way."

Kirana looked up at the face. Staring at Rama's netra with a questionable look. "One way? My stacked and mountainous sins can be erased in only one way? What's Ram's way?"

"Nasuha's ornament. True repentance. How many sins and mistakes we have committed, all will be erased if we really repent" Rama said clearly.

"Is that what Ram is? Is it that easy for God to cleanse me from the mud of sin?" kirana said as if she were still in doubt.

Rama moved from his sitting position. He swings his legs to stand under the catapult tree on the side of the gazebo occupied by Kirana. While feeling the baby's gusts that feel more soothing.

"To repent, it might be so easy to do. What is difficult to do is Istiqomah. Where we must remain in that faith and piety."

Kirana stared at Rama's back which looked so firm. I don't know why to hear all this man's words, making the door of his heart that had been closed a little knock. I want him to feel how good it is for the one who repents.

"Ram, if I were to repent, would God open the door of His forgiveness for me?"

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