LOVE SONGS OF LOLOBATA

KINFOLK

I asked Andi to stay a while waiting for Bray who might be with his entourage of assistants and bodyguards to come to our house. No need to persuade because he claimed to be happy to get a chance to know more closely with the company's boss. The offer of dinner with the family who only bermenu rice, tempeh, lalapan and smoked fish sauce is enough to make him happy not kepalang.

"Sa already told me I have mama piara going home late and tara needs to prepare dinner. The mama is very happy." said Andi began to practice our village style of speech while smiling at the rancid in front of mama and Fifi. He scoops a full plate of rice and takes a considerable amount of sambal. The portion of the meal is plenty.

"Sir Andi can't get a service house?"

"Where can the lowly staff official house. The facilities of the official house are only heads only. I'm just the tail, Mama." she replied lowly while still smiling.

Mama replied with a blush. Not for what, but remembering baba. "Ngana looked like a baby Fifa when she was young." commented Mama.

"What cooking?"

"Sir Andi is also a Bugis, Ma." I explained.

"Ohya?"

Mama was stunned like finding a treasure that is very valuable once I said Andi descendants of the Bugis tribe.

"The father of Fifa is also a descendant of Bugis."

"Fifa told me about that. It's a pity he doesn't know the paternal family tree. If you know, it can be traced. Who knows if we're blood-related."

"His grandfather's name was Fifa Andi Baharuddin Syam. His grandmother Andi Arifah Bintun. Mama met once about thirty years ago when we were just getting married. Since then, we have not had the opportunity to meet or just be in the news. Understand that our residence is only a remote village away from communication facilities and we do not have enough money for the cost of visiting Makassar."

Andi was stunned. He swallowed the rice in his mouth and then drank clear water so as not to choke.

"It turns out we're completely blood-related. Grandma Arifah Bintun is the sister of my grandfather, Andi Yusuf Bintun. He now lives in Makassar with his son Andi Hasanuddin Syam. If Baharuddin's grandfather had died a long time ago." Andi explained smoothly without the slightest hesitation.

Mama smiled broadly. We didn't expect to meet any of our father's relatives. "O Allah, alhamdulillah can be reunited with the relatives of the baba. Mama recalled, Hasanuddin Syam is the name of one of the baba sisters who used to meet when we were still studying in the Islamic religious education department."

"Uncle Hasan is now the principal of a famous Islamic elementary school in Makassar" Andi explained.

Mama and I looked at each other, both amazed by the unexpected encounter of relatives. Let alone think to find relatives baba in Makassar, the address of the mother does not know. We think our relationship with the baba family will be cut off forever. Today, destiny says something else.

"Next month I'll take a week off. Go home to Makassar to attend my cousin's wedding. If I want Fifa, I can take it along. I'll take you to visit Arifa's grandmother and your relatives in Makassar."

I smiled cheerfully. Meeting my extended family had never occurred to me before. It was like a grace that seemed to suddenly fall from the sky. Of course I wouldn't waste that chance.

Mama embraces Andi while smiling. "Of course I can. We need to connect the friendship with the extended family of the late baby Fifa. Fifa needs a guardian when she gets married. Previously we did not know how to connect the relationship, considering that we had broken off communication with the family of the late baba Syarif. Allah has sent you to make our way, brother Andi. We will start saving specifically to prepare the fare to Makassar. Don't you, Fifa?"

I'm nodding. Being too happy makes me speechless. My heart can only repeat itself alhamdulillah without a sound.

"Then I asked Uncle Hasan's phone number to my father. It just so happens that tara kept Hasan's uncle's number."

"Assalamu'alaikum." I heard people say hello to breaking our conversation.

Shortly thereafter came the voice of Aga who repeated the word greeting many times. The bird is always acting like that when it sees a guest entering the yard. He won't stop blabbering before we answer his greetings and meet the guests who come. He's a pretty good guard animal.

I immediately went to the veranda, while Mama and Fifi hurried to clean up our messy eating marks on the living room mat.

"Wa'alaikumsalam's chat. Please enter Hisham and Bray!" I greeted them with a smile followed by Andi on the right.

"That's the bird I let go of yesterday why it's in the Fifa aviary." protested Bray after shining with his saw flashlight towards Aga. He looked at me suspiciously and his face was full of disappointment.

"The bird came back here yesterday afternoon. Looks like she's already in love with her keeper." Andi answered while laughing.

Bray immediately turned to look at him. The man turned to shine his stolen gaze at Andi with a much sharper highlight. I chose to look down, but still glanced with the tail of my eyes.

"Fifa has reported. We are in the process of taking his permission back. It seems that because Aga is the result of breeding, the bird has already been tamed. It is not easy for captive breeding birds to adjust to forest conditions. It takes more time to get used to the forest ecosystem. Like humans who used to live with all the luxuries of facilities in the city, it must be difficult to adjust if suddenly forced to survive living in the forest." explained Andi later.

I stroked the chest. Fortunately there was Andi who could be the spokesperson who protected me from that suspicious look. He really played a good old brother to me.

"Ehm, who are you? Why is it here?" Bray looked at Andi with his cold face. Either he feels shunned or there are other things he does not like.

"I'm a BKSDA staff. This afternoon I delivered the wake wake as the new occupant of the aviary." Andi pointed towards the cage of wake wake or halmahera angel located at the bottom of the aviary.

"Why not go home?"

Oops. This guy is too pampered. Who is he. My house security? It's not worth asking that. He's not the host here. Obviously he wants to show an arrogant and pretentious attitude in a place that is not really his territory.

"Fifa offers dinner with the family. It's an honor for me. My name is Andi Ahmad Syarifuddin. In addition to the conservation of wake, I am also a close relative of his father Fifa."

Bray pursed his lips. His face looked brighter but not completely normal. He greeted Andi with a friendly.

"Firdaus Sanjaya." He introduced himself firmly and very confidently. His hand looks very firm.

"It's nice to get acquainted and shake hands with you, Mr. Firdaus. All this time I could only see you from a distance." Andi quickly welcomed a helping hand with a bare face.

"Don't call me father, I don't have any children yet."

"Hahaha, then what can I call? Brother, brother or sister?" Andi responds to Bray's stiff joking with her cherry style.

Bray didn't answer. Maybe he's awkward. Called father kok sounds old but he knows in fact the call was addressed Andi as a form of respect.

Apparently Bray is still a little doubtful Andi's testimony. "Are you Fifa's relatives?" ask again with a firm tone.

"Yes. I also found out after talking to Mama Fifa. Fifa's grandmother was my grandfather's sister. We are both descendants of the Bugis, the great explorers of the archipelago." Andi still responded with her cheerful style. His last sentence was a bit hyperbolic, but the choice of words matched his cheerful attitude to melt the stiff atmosphere between us.

Bray develops a smile. His gaze had already begun to fade.

"You are so proud of your ancestors."

"certain. Our tribe is renowned for being excellent sailors and brave explorers. Do you know Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razzaq? He was one of the Bugis children who were successful overseas."

Andi's talk contains a very strong primodialism. I actually don't like that kind of tribalism. But because the talk is carried in a cheerful style, the atmosphere can actually melt and the interlocutor considers it not a serious thing. At least the atmosphere has been conducive before the mother appeared to welcome back his guests to sit on the porch. Bray's face looked brighter.

"Let's sit down all the brothers. It's not good to talk standing up." greet mom before greeting the guests.

I saw Bray watching my mom very closely. Maybe because my mom has an unusual look.