LOVE STRATA 1

CS1 That Afternoon, Meet

Why am I wearing these shoes? batin Anjani while watching her pair of shoes.

Those shoes were Mario's shoes that night. Starry night with rose ornate bench and dancing fountain garden city square. The night is so meaningful, because that night was the night when Mario expressed his love for Anjani. The night when Mario asks Anjani to be his life companion. It was a beautiful night, and the shoes were one of the witnesses.

"Why are these shoes I picked today?" muttered Anjani while still paying attention to her shoes.

The shoes were indeed Mario's gift on the night of the love reveal. But all of this has become a part of the past. The Past of Mario-Anjani. Now, everything has passed and replaced with a new sheet.

"Astaghfirullah" said Anjani.

Anjani closed her eyes for a while, reopened them, then rubbed her face with her right hand. A soft word that reconciles the words is thrown later, namely the reading of the istighfar spoken for a number of times.

Anjani quickly put on her shoes. Anjani tries hard not to get back stuck in her past memories. Smile also expands along with the istighfar that continues to be muttered.

"Sst, how long have you been wearing your shoes? Have to dream about it first, keep wearing shoes?" asked Meli who had been waiting for Anjani.

Still smiling, Anjani shook her head slowly in response to Meli's question. "It has. Yuk, go!" bring Anjani.

Just now Anjani and Meli finished doing ashar fardu at a mushollah near Kak Lisa's flower shop. Actually Anjani and Meli freelance at the flower shop Kak Lisa only until one o'clock at noon. There is enough time to go home first until the afternoon comes. However, Anjani and Meli chose to wait for the afternoon in one of the gazebo area of downtown snacks which is also not far from the flower shop Kak Lisa. Until Azan ashar resounded, Anjani and Meli immediately headed to the nearest mushollah to fulfill their obligations.

Now, the footsteps of Anjani and Meli led them to the motorcycle parking lot. Meli drove the motorbike, with Anjani sitting in the motorbike. Meli motor drove slowly towards an address that a few minutes ago delivered by Mr. Nizar.

"Huft," Anjani urged as he got closer to the destination address.

"Anjani, are you okay?" asked Meli who apparently heard the sigh.

"Yes, I'm fine. Is this really the address? Try pulling over first, Mel!" anjani advises, worried about the wrong way.

The motor stopped too. Anjani got off the motorbike and noticed Meli who was checking the address that was sent by Mr. Nizar. Meli who knew the area several times had time to circulate a glance, then nodded.

"Yes, right around here. Come on, ride again!" tell Meli.

"OKAY. Bismillaah," said Anjani, then sat on the motorbike.

The motor is back slowly. Anjani and Meli focus on paying attention to the number listed in every building there. They're looking for number 21, and.

Meli immediately turned off the engine. Anjani who was sitting on the motorbike immediately went down, then took off his helmet. Meli also took off her helmet.

"Who? Shouldn't it be mushollah? Why home?" Meli.

"Try Mr. Nizar's chat again, Mel." Anjani.

Meli was just about to type a message to ask the correctness of the address sent earlier. However, the message was not sent when Meli and Anjani heard greetings from a very familiar figure.

Greetings from Mr. Nizar. Mr. Nizar came out of the house number 21, then opened the gate wide. Hurriedly Anjani and Meli answered the greetings from Mr. Nizar.

Mr. Nizar ordered that the motorbike driven by Anjani and Meli to be parked in the yard of the house. Immediately Meli guided his motorbike and parked his motorbike neatly there.

"Sorry, Sir. Learning not in mushollah?" ask Meli.

"Actually it is in mushollah, but coincidentally there is currently a mother's study there. So, I just divert here. Sorry, yes. I forgot to tell." Mr. Nizar explained. "God's next thing we learn in mushollah," added Mr. Nizar.

"It's okay, sir." Anjani first responded, followed by Meli who was a beard and then smiled.

Mr. Nizar invited Anjani and Meli into a house that was nothing but a contract. Anjani and Meli stepped towards the entrance. As it neared the doorway, something unexpected happened.

The two pairs of eyes also meet, face to face. A gaze that used to often meet in the warmth of the braid of feelings. A look that has never seen each other for a long time. Now, that gaze was fused in an accident. The eyes of Mario-Anjani.

A few seconds passed, both of them awakened. Mario-Anjani compact switching eyes. Anjani looked at the floor tiles, while Mario looked at the ceiling of the room.

"Sister Mario!" meli exclaimed with a cheerful tone.

Anjani quickly elbowed Meli and gave Meli an eye code.

"Sst. Keep your attitude, Mel!" anjani's orders were half whispered.

"Oops, yeah-yes." Meli's hand reflexes silenced her own mouth.

Not long after, Mr. Nizar approached and briefly returned to his contract to take some Quran for them to study.

"Well, who's the contract, dong?" asked Meli spontaneously when she heard that Mr. Nizar was going to her contract.

"This is Mario's contract. Wait here for a minute, yeah. My friend is coming soon, too." Mr. Nizar was also pleased.

Meli nodded, then smiled towards Mario. While Anjani is confused as to how and what to do. Anjani only knows that he should act as normal as possible in front of Mario.

"Please sit down" said Mario.

Anjani just nodded without daring to look at Mario. Just a step of the foot was swung, another sound was heard from inside Mario's contract.

"Mas Mario, the water's boiling, huh!" exclamation Juno. "Well?" Juno is surprised to see Anjani and Meli.

"Youtdoor?" Anjani is also surprised to see Juno there.

Be, now there are Anjani, Mario, and Juno. All three were silent in his position, no one was speechless. Anjani looked down again, not daring to look at Mario or Juno. Meanwhile, Juno glanced at Mario. However, Mario did not want to take a headache with that glance.

"Ehem!" Meli deliberately cleared his throat a bit loudly, until success made Anjani, Mario, and Juno look at him. "Hey, Jun. What's in here?" ask Meli later.

"It was just going to stop by to share with Mas Mario, but it looks like I will be here long enough to get you home" Juno explained in a flat tone.

"Don't you just say you want to go with Alenna?" ask Meli.

"When say? No, tuh!" Juno denies.

"Well, that was what you said." Meli stays on her prejudices.

"No!" Juno again denied.

Meli and Juno already looked like two people who were about to fight. Quickly Anjani told them to stop.

"Easy-after. We better sit down, first." Anjani.

Anjani and Meli quickly sat on the sofa. Mario was about to sit down anyway, but his seat was dragged by Juno, because the seat was directly opposite to Anjani. Mario relented, and chose to sit on a plastic chair near Meli's seat.

Again after the four of them sat down, no chatter immediately occurred. All speechless. Meli who realized the clumsiness was immediately plucking any word.

"Juno, you're just going home, huh." Meli suddenly said so.

"What's? Ngusir, here. Who has a contract is not upset, no." Juno.

"You two make a fuss, anyway. Mending you two go home," said Mario.

"Heeee?" the words Meli and Juno together.

Anjani just bobbing his head against it all. Although Anjani responded to the situation there, but Anjani still did not dare to look at Mario.

"Assalamu'alaikum," said Mr. Nizar followed by the voice of a woman who also gave her greetings.

Mr. Nizar invited a woman in. There was a beautiful woman with a long veil. The woman smiled kindly at everyone in the room.

"Anjani and Meli are going to study with this friend of mine. Name's Nuriati. Just call ustaza Nuri." Mr. Nizar introduced his friend.

Anjani, Mario, and Juno compactly smiled towards the ustaza Nuri. Not so with Meli. Meli immediately asked, without further ado, as is usually typical of a Meli.

"Is this Ustaza Nuri Pak Nizar's bluff?" ask Meli.

"Astaghfirullah, Meli." Anjani reflex says so.

Anjani immediately approached Meli. While half whispering, Anjani again reminded Meli to keep her attitude and not ask a no-no.

"I'm kepo, here." Meli is insistent, but in a soft tone because she whispers to Anjani.

"Ah, you are." Anjani resigned, and finally gave up with the attitude of his best friend.

Juno clapped his eyes at Meli's attitude that seemed to be nothing to hesitate. Meanwhile, Mario and Mr. Nizar just smile to react to it. However, Ustaza Nuri apparently kindly answered Meli's question.

"I am a friend of Nizar's. I am also the wife of a husband I love very much" said Ustaza Nuri.

"Alhamdulillaah is married, hehe." Meli girang's.

Anjani just glanced at her excited best friend.

"Alhamdulillaah" said Juno.

"Easy-after. We better start teaching her." Mario gave me advice.

"Good idea. Anjani and Meli will study with ustaza Nuri in this living room. Mario and Juno will be with me in the living room" said Mr. Nizar.

"Loh, I'm not going to be with Mario, anyway." Meli protests were again aired without hesitation.

Before Meli protested even further, Anjani immediately pulled Meli's arm to shift the seat to get closer to the seat ustaza Nuri.

***

Teaching activities began. A little Anjani still remember the lesson about tajwid, because when he was in elementary school Anjani had learned to teach with some friends in his village. Apparently it helped Anjani a lot. Although the recitation of the Anjani Quran is still much that needs to be justified, but Anjani did not abstain from retreat. With great attention, Anjani listened to the lessons of ustaza Nuri.

Anjani and Meli are very happy to get a friendly teacher like ustaza Nuri. That afternoon not only learned about how to read the Koran. Ustaza Nuri also a little tucked into the story of tauladan prophet, as well as some friends stories that really inspire.

O Allah. Thank you for all the opportunities you gave me this afternoon. This cold heart can seek to return near to You, the mind of Anjani.

Obviously Anjani's happy face that afternoon. The picture of a happy face was increasingly visible when the study session closed by reading a few short letters.

"Alhamdulillaah, this afternoon is enough to get here first, yes. We will continue at the next meeting. Anjani, Meli, is there anything you want to ask again?" ask ustaza Nuri.

"God does not exist. Thank you so much for your time and knowledge this afternoon, ustaza." Anjani thanked me.

"Sama-sama," said Ustaza Nuri kindly.

Meli suddenly raised his hand, about to ask. Anjani already thought that Meli's questions would be about things outside of teaching lessons. Anjani's conjecture was correct, answered after Meli threw her question.

"This Ustaza Nuri is actually married? It's not Mr. Nizar's bluff, is it?" ask Meli.

This time Anjani no longer reminded Meli. Anjani allows her best friend to ask her anything she wants.

"Yes. Nizar is my friend, and I am married. This is again filling," said Ustaza Nuri while stroking his stomach.

"Ustaza, forgive this friend of mine. The question does like that" Anjani said.

"It's okay," replied Ustaza Nuri kindly.

"Ustaza, why hasn't Mr Nizar been looking for a bustle? I mean looking for a wife." Meli asked back what was on her mind.

"I know less myself. That's his privacy" replied Ustaza Nuri.

"Even though Mr. Nizar puts his heart on someone, you don't have to make the same announcement as you, Mel. Hehe," Anjani's tease.

"Yes too, anyway. I myself have caught Mr. Nizar wearing a headset, listening to audio recordings while smiling to himself. Is that maybe the voice recording of the woman Mr. Nizar likes, huh?" matahari Meli.

"Hus, that's it." Anjani reminded Meli.

"Recorded?" ustaza Nuri lirih said, like remembering something.

Afterwards, Mario, Juno, and Mr. Nizar rejoined the living room. Ustaza Nuri immediately decided to go home first because she had been picked up by her husband. Shortly after, Mr. Nizar who paid back to the contract.

Seeing the lecturer and his ustazanya coming home, Anjani immediately invited Meli to come home as well.

"Get me anterin home, will you?" Juno.

"Eit, don't fuck around. Anjani came home with me. Mode, this is!" firmly Meli.

"Ah, Meli is not cool!" Juno protest.

Apparently Juno and Meli's protests continued, making the two like two people in a fight. Anjani kept silent to see his friends, because it had been repeatedly advised but still repeated again.

Mario was initially silent while smiling to see Juno and Meli being childish. However, after that Mario walked closer towards Anjani standing up.

Realizing that Mario is walking closer, Anjani is a little awkward, clumsy, and confused about how to behave. Finally, Anjani pretends to focus on seeing Meli and Juno who are still clashing.

"Anjani," call Mario.

"Yes?" anjani.

Anjani turned briefly towards Mario. Again the unintentional look was repeated. Mario-Anjani compact down this time after waking up.

For a few seconds, the atmosphere around Anjani suddenly differed. There was obviously a clumsy relationship between him and Mario there.

"Anjanin. No need for us both to avoid each other. Let everything go without much to worry about. There is no need to say hello, chat, or meditate, as we have been doing. As long as our intentions are good, God willing, our hearts remain awake" said softly Mario without seeing Anjani.

Anjani spontaneously turned. Anjani really doesn't believe Mario will say that. It felt like a sudden sense of relief had penetrated his chest. The wall of awkwardness shook violently and collapsed instantly. Slowly, Anjani's smile expanded.

"Thank you" Anjani said later.

Hearing Anjani's thanks, Mario turned to Anjani. However, Anjani quickly returned to face forward.

Mario smiled, then replied. "Together."

***

Connect ....

Thank you for reading Strata 1. Look forward to the story. Chrysanthemums for authors are awaited, yes. See You 😊