Lutfi Gilang's

7. A Child

i

I opened my eyes slowly after feeling that someone was shaking my body. I looked at him, and I was wide-eyed, silently staring.

Oval face is somewhat round, nose slightly poking out, mole on the right cheek, and seyum on the thin lips. That's a face I know so well, I can't be wrong. That's....

"Lutfi" I said in shock.

"Yes" he replied, still throwing a smile.

I was still wide-eyed, completely unable to believe what the two balls of my eyes were seeing.

"Why, anyway? I think I saw a ghost again." he said.

I'm shaking. Grabbing both hands. Feels warm! This can't be a dream. Perhaps dreams can be this real. I mean, I can still feel the high and low temperature of Lutfi's body. If it's a dream, how could I feel it, right?

"You, you, how come there?"

"What do you mean, anyway?" He nodded and patted me on the shoulder.

It hurts! It's the feeling I used to receive when he patted me on the shoulder. Ja. Sure, this is not a dream. And the disappearance of him for the last two days, that's the new dream. Ja. I must be too good at sleeping. Definitely the five chapters before this are also definitely dreams. Sure. Must've been dreams. I beg!

"Why diem?" tanyakanya.

I'm shaking. "Ga papa," Then threw a smile at him and did not feel my tears flowing.

"Well, why cry?" He rubbed my face.

I was surprised that the touch felt so real. "I'm happy,"

His face was confused. "Why, anyway? You're weird,"

"From a moment," I replied.

"He he he," Lutfi laughed.

"He," I did too.

"Ih," He patted me on the shoulder again. "answer koh!"

"What answer?" I'm nanya.

"Jawab, why are you happy?"

"Because you're here,"

"Well, shouldn't exist, should it?!" He's nanya. His tone sounded a little upset.

"Yes, that's it, too,"

"Keep, what's real?"

"I dream, I guess."

"Dreams?" ask Lutfi.

"Yes, dream if you say," I replied.

"Can I say?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Ga tau,"

"No idea, anyway? How did you become a husband, anyway?!" yelled while patting my right shoulder.

"Su-husband?" many surprised.

"Yes! Did you forget we were married?"

I still silently looked at him with confused eyes.

"Wheel!" Lutfi showed a ring that was coiled on her ring finger. "This is the couple you're wearing" he said, pointing at my left hand.

I was surprised to see a white ring on my ring finger. Staring at him, then turning to Lutfi's ring. And repeated it a few times.

"You really forgot, what?!" Lutfi returned nanya, this time a little exclaiming.

I'm nagging. I feel so foreign to the story I've been working with him all this time. Maybe I am amnesiac?

My inner question came out just as Lutfi's question was about the same: "Are you probably amnesiac?"

I scratched my head while laughing. "I guess,"

"Let's go to the doctor" he asked worriedly.

"Ah.. i-iya," I replied confusedly.

Of course I still find it very difficult to believe the things I'm going through right now. I mean, the events of the previous two days of how I struggled to find her presence were also very imprinted in my heart and brain.

Is it possible that it was really a dream? Is it possible that Lutfi's existence is really a reality now?

Lutfi waved her hand in front of my face while throwing a question: "Ngalamun. Think what, anyway?"

I took a deep breath. Facing towards him. "Sorry,"

"Make what?"

"Because I don't want to at all if we're married. I really don't want anything." I said explaining. Hoping that she would forgive my mistakes, the loss of memory of how our marriage was going.

Lutfi smiled, though her eyes looked teary. "Ga papa's. Maybe, for the four years of our marriage, I haven't given you anything special, so I can make a mark on your heart and brain."

"Four years?!" I exclaimed.

He nodded slowly. Showing sadness on her pretty face.

Is it true that my memory was lost during that time? But how can my memory be lost?

I grabbed Lutfi's hand. Grasping tightly. "Sorry," I asked.

He tried to smile, though the tears could no longer be held back.

Suddenly the voice of a boy called out, making us have to turn to him. "Moment,"

I looked at a child who was less than four years old tugging at the light brown tunic Lutfi was wearing.

I looked at Lutfi who was looking at me. "That-that's...."

He's nodding. "Your son,"

I went back to the boy with a very sad feeling. It was unexpected that my memory of him simply vanished. She, a child we always had my and Lutfi look forward to her presence, which we even made a novel about her, about how a husband and wife struggled to get a child.

He, a child we always imagined had both the ridiculous traits of both of us. She, a child we always imagined would be able to divorce when we quarreled. He, a child that we always imagined would be more coloring in every day of our lives.

He was a boy whom we prayed for very soon. He was the boy we always waited for. He's a kid I don't remember at all.

Why am I like this? What the hell happened to me? What's the matter with me?

I lifted the boy up with both hands, holding him back as much as I could not cry in front of him.

"Dad," he called.

I smiled, so happy to hear it. "My son" I answered.

"Dad" he called again.

"My son" I replied again.

"Dad," repeated.

"My son," I said.

The incident took place almost ten times until then Lutfi got up and reached my ear while whispering: "Udah is enough! People are seeing us."

"He," I laughed.

"He," The boy too.

I gasped at her laughter which was exactly the same way I laughed. I looked towards Lutfi.

"Your return,"

Then the three of us laughed happily. Feeling that this is the real reality. There was still Lutfi by my side, had a perfect family, had a wife and children, although the memories of 4 years vanished without cause. I don't care, Lutfi doesn't mind either. This is much better than living a life without Lutfi.

Aye! This must be the real truth.

We sat down to tell a lot of things. Sometimes we feed each other boiled sweet potatoes. Sometimes play "ABCD how much" with the names of animals or plants in a free language.

Every now and then in order not to lose my son made a new kind of animal such as: "Banker, the son of the Bull is the Buffalo."; there is also: "Bbit, the son of the Rabbit is the same as Rabit." there is more: "Mahar, there is also, tiger Child with Tiger."

Every game, if any player loses, has to be drawn his nose. I asked that let my son grow because he diligently pulled his nose. Although in fact during the game my son has never lost even though. Yeah, well, that's the mainstay, making a new species of animal.

And, there are times when I lose when the count shows the letter "i".

"Fish!" My son called out quickly ahead of me and Lutfi.

A few seconds later, Lutfi said: "Iguana."

I was silent, confused as to what to guess. There's no way I'm mentioning "shark fish" because it's already included in the type of fish my son mentioned first.

And in fact when I mentioned "shark fish" Lutfi and my son protested loudly while laughing mockingly.

I was still silent until the count of ten. Until my punishment finally came. Nose retracted. First by Lutfi, and then by my son.

Slow, tight, and gradually harder.

I sat down, whimpered, and exclaimed: "Oh!"

Then my outlook all changed completely.

I woke up from my beautiful dream.

I exhale. "So it's a dream?" Staring at a boy about two to three years old who was pulling my nose.

"Whose child is this?"

Shift my eyes to the left and right. There were no other passengers around. Then it moved to the opposite side where there was a woman who was fast asleep. "Maybe, this is his son."

I looked back at the boy who was busy playing my face while saying: "Dad, dad!"

"Huh?" I'm appalled.

"Dad!" yells.

"I'm not your father" I deny.

"Dad!" yell again.

"I'm not your father, you bad boy!" sebal.

Suddenly the toddler was crying and some people got up to peek at me, find out what was going on.

I let out a breath. Feel free against children. So I obeyed her wishes and took the bad boy to play around the hallway after writing on a piece of paper I put on my chair, so that when she woke up, she wouldn't panic because her son was missing. The letter says:

"Your son goes out with me again. You go to sleep first."

🌹🌹🌹

ii

I entered the attendant room after hearing the announcement: "Notice, news of the missing child, the son of Mother Risma the owner of seat B ten has been lost. He was a three-year-old boy, wearing red shirts, blue pants, and black shoes. To visitors who see children with these characteristics are requested to immediately go to car one. Again, that's,...."

"When I have given him a clear message in front of him exactly." I grumbled. "Is your mother always so careless?!" I asked the toddler I was carrying.

He didn't answer, just laughed while tugging at my ears.

In the first carriage, precisely in the train attendant's room, I saw two officers and a woman who wore an anxious expression. They looked at us right when the door was opened, and Risma—The mother of the boy I carried—had grabbed her son with an angry face. "Basic kidnapper!" the accusation.

"Kidnapper? Where's the kidnapper gonna take his sandra to the officer's room?" I just asked in my heart.

One of the officers rushed to keep the Mother from beating me, while another officer approached me. "Good day," he said.

I answered his greetings, then nodded.

"With whose brother?" tanyakanya.

"Disappear" I replied.

"Where did Gilang's brother find the boy?"

"In my seat,"

"Did someone put it there?" He continued his interrogation.

On the other hand I heard Risma exclaim: "Udah sir, do not ask questions about everything! Catch it, it's the thief! Let's know how he feels! Insolent, huh?! How dare you kidnap my son!"

I'm shaking. "I woke up, and he was already there" I explained.

"Where are the brothers sitting?" ask officer.

I reached into my right pocket, grabbed a train ticket and showed it to the officer, and explained that I had placed a message right in my chair, so that when the Mother woke up she would not panic.

In addition to the Mother's cry, I also heard the boy several times calling me by the same name as before: "Dad!"

And when the toddler exclaimed like that, The Mother denied it with a sentence that made me—and of course the officers— was shocked: "Dad, dad! Dad's dead, why call? It's diem!"

"But it's Dad." replied the toddler as if he understood his mother's words.

"No, it's not your father. That's the bad guy who wants to kidnap you."

"Dad!"

"Your father is dead,"

"Dad!"

"Damn! Ngeyel. Still a child already ngeyel, later if big want to be what?! Want to be a government that likes corruption? Ih, Mommy doesn't want to have a child whose gedenya become corrupt."

"Dad!"

I chuckle at hearing it. Trying to imitate but difficult. The Mother's voice was really loud.

The officer returned my ticket. "It seems like there's a misunderstanding here,"

I agreed with a nod.

"Please, sit down."

I obeyed the officer and sat in front of him. The Mother hurried to take a step back, as if away from a wild animal. His mouth still curses, whispers. My ears can still hear clearly. "Basic thief!" So and so on.

Yeah, I didn't look at him, it was just a picture of how he behaved towards me. After all, all this time, I've been pretty good at guessing people's guts from the sounds they make. Either the way they speak, out of the sound of the things they move. Awesome, huh? I feel like I have a lot of eyes. He's....

"Mother Risma, please sit down." said the officer.

The mother grabbed a chair on my left side and sat on it after adjusting the distance far enough while trying to make her son who kept calling me "Dad" to be quiet.

"Look at Risma's mother,"

"Yes," he said in a friendly tone while throwing a smile. But it glared as it looked towards me while still calling me "The Kidnapper".

Again, I said, I wasn't looking at him. I only give the picture that best suits the conditions at that time, so that those of you who read this book can imagine it exactly.

I don't really care about Mother's words. I consider her treatment to be an act of guarding her cubs, like a mother hen guarding a duck from natural disturbances. Both from humans, predatory animals, fellow chickens, natural disasters, and so forth.

"It seems, when Ibu Risma fell asleep, Mom's son moved to—" Officer tried to explain.

"Huh?" serobot The Mother. "How does that mean, sir?" tanyakanya.

The officer took a breath, then returned. "Because of Mother's negligence, Mother's son went from her seat and moved into this brother's seat" she said, pointing at me.

"Well, my son's time is a long way off, sir?" My mother tried to deny it.

"This brother is sitting right in front of Mom's chair." Officer replied.

"Ma-time? Definitely lying!" deny The Mother.

I quickly showed my ticket in front of him.

"Times, anyway?!" he still couldn't believe it while seizing it. Soon the Mother showed a guilty expression with small smiles. "So, this is not a kidnapper, is it?"

I'm shaking.

"No Miss Risma. This brother actually helps Mother take care of Mother's child." responded the officer.

"Ooh... So, huh? I'm, I'm sorry, am I?" her door. "I didn't intentionally accuse the kidnapper. I really panicked."

I'm nagging. Still facing the officer.

As if I understood what I meant, the officer let me out of the room first. While the Mother still remains in the room to get further advice.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "I can finally be free from that child. I hope his mom doesn't come around to make me bother."

Stepping down a row of passenger seats where the people who sat in them put their eyes to me.

Ah, it seems like this morning I was really unlucky.