Mahabbah Love Khalisa

173

"This year's moon feels really lonely." Aisyah looked blankly at the dining table full of Chinese specialties. Peking duck, yu sheng, siu noodles, sumpling, spring rolls, black egg boiled with soy sauce and tea. Cake baskets, cupcakes and various fruit sweets also filled the dining table.

All of the food was made by the home chef who was assisted by Aisyah, Ica, Khalisa and Mahira. But nothing can match the delicious peking duck made by Renata. These few years peking duck on the table feels different after Renata is gone. This year feels more empty because Jaya is leaving.

"Don't put on a sour face, the kids will be sad." Lirih Umar's.

Aisyah exhaled heavily, she thought that busying herself cleaning the house and cooking would make her not sad anymore. Aisyah tried to shift her mind by working but when she was silent like this, she again remembered her papa and mama. Every corner of the house reminded him of them.

"This year everyone can go home, Kafa and Mahira and our grandson Zulaikha are there too, smile at my wife."

Aisyah turned her head to look at Umar and then reviewed the smile behind her veil. But Umar knew that Aisyah was smiling because her eyes would appear narrowed.

"Drink tea first Ma'am, Mas." Ica placed the warm tea in front of Aisyah and Umar. "Mbak Aisyah should take care of her health, Mbak looks thinner."

"Thank you, yeah." Say Aisha to Ica. "You too."

Ica brought two more glasses of tea to the back garden to Daniel who was watching the children play.

"Bi, please bring ice cream to the back garden huh." Pinta Ica on one of the ART. Last night he and Aisyah made ice cream for the kids.

Azka and Zulaikha play in a pool full of balls with Zunaira. Fatah and Fatimah watch movies on their laptop. Azmal read the book in the corner of the park by himself.

"Drink Pa tea." Ica sat down beside Daniel and gave tea to her husband.

"Thank you dear." Daniel sipped the warm tea slowly.

"Papa also felt Lunar this year deserted?" Ica received the half-living Daniel tea and placed it on the table.

Daniel nodded, "there was still Papa last year."

"But Pa, we're going to have another grandchild." Ica tried to comfort Daniel, Khalisa content has entered the age of 7 months. Soon their second grandson will be born.

"Mama's right." Daniel smiled, in the midst of the sadness that struck he remained grateful for the togetherness of this family.

Meanwhile, there was a noise from Kafa's room adjacent to Khalisa's room. There is no day without a commotion between Kafa and Mahira.

"You don't have to eat if you don't want to wear socks."

"Geez, right in the house of the lifetime of socks as well?"

"In the house there is Mas Azfan too and he is not your mahram."

"Yes-yes!" Mahira pursed her lips.

"I'm a jeweler if you don't want to massage!" Kafa was anxious to see Mahira's expression.

"Ummi!" Mahira shouted out of the room running down the stairs and called out to Aisyah. "Ummi help me Umm!" Mahira hides behind Aisha's body before Kafa catches her.

"What's Mahira?" Aisyah was confused to see Kafa also running from the direction of the stairs.

"Kafa wants my ear jewer Ummi." Mahira complained to Aisha.

"Astagfirullah Kafa, what the hell are you?" Aisyah nagged, she could not stop thinking to Kafa and Mahira who still often fight like a child even though they had become parents.

Kafa tries to catch Mahira who is hiding behind his ummi. Mahira cheated because it involved Aisha and Umar in this matter.

"Kafa quit." Aisyah.

"Kafa, don't be like that to your wife." Tukas Umar held Kafa's hand to stop chasing Mahira.

"Ummi, Abi, Mahira doesn't want to wear socks so Kafa wants jewer now." Kafa is still trying to catch Mahira.

"Stop stop, talk good dong Kafa."

"Mahira." Aisyah looked at Mahira who was still hiding behind her back like a chick sheltering under her mother's body, "come on here." He asked Mahira to sit in front of him.

Kafa smiled satisfied to see Mahira's face frightened because soon Aisyah would advise Mahira.

"Actually wearing socks is not mandatory."

"How is it not obligatory for Ummi?" Cafa Protest.

"Kafa, Ummi you haven't finished talking." Umar told Kafa not to cut off Aisha's talk.

"What is obligatory is to close the aurat, actually it does not matter if we do not wear socks from the robe we can close to the feet and it is not a Kafa command, Kafa said, it's Allah's command so Ummi hope you understand." Aisyah said that in a soft tone to be easily accepted by Mahira.

"Yes Ummi, I'm sorry." Mahira looked down deeply, Kafa had told him many times but he was still repeating it again.

Aisyah smiled, she cupped Mahira's cheek and then gave her daughter-in-law a kiss on the forehead while praying that Mahira's heart would be softer to receive advice.

Mahira's eyes widened to get a kiss from her in-laws, she smiled broadly to feel the affection of Aisyah who was like her birth mother.

"Please call Khalisa the same Azfan yes in his room, we are ready to eat." Pinta Aisyah on Mahira while she goes to the back garden. Aisyah asks Azka and Zulaikha to stop playing.

Everyone sat around the dining table. The smell of nose-piercing cooking provokes hunger.

"Khalisa and Azfan weren't here long ago?" Aisyah saw Khalisa.

"The idea is Ai, but a lot of work is left at home." Khalisa still wants to stay longer here but Azfan must finish the calligraphy project at the Ulil Albab mosque soon.

"Ce, don't forget the one in the black bag brought, Mama has entered the cake and food." Ica put the duck pieces on Khalisa's plate.

"Yes Ma."

"Umma, why aren't we here?" Azka looked at her Umma, apparently she also wanted to stay longer in this house. He can play with Zunaira and Zulaikha here.

"Let's come here again, baby, but we have to go back to Sleman, Abi has a job." Khalisa rubbed Azka's thick hair.

"Oh yes there was a noise what Ma?" Azfan heard the scream before Mahira called him and Khalisa to eat.

"It's usually Mahira just as Kafa is like a cat and a mouse, fighting mute."

Kafa chuckles, it seems like he and Mahira have the same hobby of fighting.

"If Mahira recites, I won't do it Auntie." Kafa is evasive.

"Lying Aunt, Kafa is so bad he torments me every day."

"Totally Kafa?" Now Aisyah threw a sharp look at Kafa.

"Astagfirullah Ummi, no." Kafa is surprised, it seems everyone here is cornering him, "actually Ummi, Abi, Aunt Ica and Om Daniel this is my family, I'm not really, why always remember Mahira."

Daniel smiled amusedly, Kafa's hard personality is very similar to Jaya's.

"It's not like Mahira, we just want you to be softer a little bit as your wife is like Om treating Aunt Ica, like your Abi is treating your Ummi." Daniel tries to clear up Kafa's misunderstanding.

"That's horrifying." Mahira Cibir.

"Mahira is also like that, Kafa is telling you for the good of Mahira himself so try to follow." Add Ica.

"Yes Aunt." Mahira grinned, he kicked Kafa's leg because this commotion came from Kafa.

"Tuh Aunty, Om, now Kafa's leg is kicked."

They laughed because no matter how much effort to reconcile Kafa and Mahira, both of them remained a hobby of looking for a commotion.

After eating they do a joint photo session that should not be missed every year. Although they lost a family member who usually always in the middle position.

"Thank you, yeah." Khalisa smiled at Azmal, he sat in the chair replacing Jaya who is usually always in the position.

They took photos many times with various poses that would later be printed and stored in a special album.

*******

Levin's car is parked in the courtyard of Jaya's residence. In the framework of the Chinese new year, Levin and Rindang and Ravina visited the house. Especially after hearing that Khalisa will return to Sleman today, Rindang hastily went here because he had not seen Khalisa for a long time.

Rindang circulates the view once down from the car, the front garden is neatly decorated with various plants. He could finally breathe the air outside. Since pregnant, Rindang rarely went out of the house because he experienced severe morning sickness and became lazy to move.

"Mama, is this Ko Azka's house?" Ravina held Rindang's hand.

"It's Ko Azka's grandfather's house, Koko's house in Sleman's dear."

"What to get on a plane?"

"Yes." Yeah." Rindang rubbed Ravina's head.

Their arrival was immediately welcomed by Khalisa. The two hugged after a long time of not meeting.

"So our stomachs." Khalisa laughed seeing his stomach and Rindang sticking together. Their gestational age is only one month adrift.

Rindang and Levin greeted everyone in the living room. In addition to Eid al-Fitr, the Chinese new year is a long-awaited time because they can get together and have a long holiday.

"Hello Ko, how are you?" Kafa shook Levin's hand.

"God is always amazing every day." Levin widens his smile.

The two handsome doctors hugged each other lightly and patted on the back as if encouraging. Levin is still completing his education as a specialist while Kafa is just about to enroll in a specialist education. Although sometimes it feels tiring and want to give up but they have to keep moving forward.

"God, the stomach of the Shady is very big." Ica rubbed her distended stomach Rindang.

"Such a aunt, it's hard to make a way."

"You and Khalisa were really excited from childhood together, kindergarten, Elementary School and college together now pregnant with him."

"Together pregnant the second child is also Ma." Added Daniel.

"Yes, Pa, we got two grandchildren at once."

Rindang and Khalisa looked at each other. Khalisa's eyes glazed because Rindang struggle during pregnancy is not easy.

"Mama Rindang also has a baby here?" Azka looked up at Rindang.

"Yes, later Koko will play sister." Rindang stroked the reddish cheeks of Azka.

Azka did not reply, she was confused whether she could accompany two sisters at once. Azka's expression made Khalisa and Rindang laugh with anxiety.

Khalisa invites Rindang to the back garden to chat there while Ravina immediately joins Azka and Zulaikha to the living room to play.

"How did you rush back?" Rindang sat on one of the chairs located on the edge of the koi pond.

"Mas Azfan there are dependents of work in the mosque, it is not good if left for a long time." Khalisa put mango juice on the table that he brought from the kitchen just now.

Rindang gulped the juice a little then looked at Khalisa lekat.

"Don't be sad." Khalisa touched the back of Rindang's hand.

"I should have told you that, don't be sad Sa."

Khalisa nodded, "i always pray that I can be sincere about everything that happens."

"This year has been a lot of amazing things." Rindang returned Khalisa's grasp.

"Let's be thankful for having made it through this year with a strong heart and body."

"Not only this year, we must also thank God and ourselves for the extraordinary years before."

As time went on Rindang and Khalisa realized that their chat was no longer just about good clothes that were trending on the market or the food they would eat tomorrow like when they were still living in the current apartment lecture. But their chatter is about life, about gratitude which must always be imprinted in the heart because whatever happens—happiness and sadness come from the creator. They do not deserve to sulk if sadness approaches.

"God is truly wonderful, I've been given the chance to get pregnant." Rindang's voice was stammered, even to the point that her stomach was bulging she did not believe that she could get pregnant.

Since the beginning of marriage Rindang and Levin have agreed not to have children. Until finally Ravina came to give a lot of new colors in their blink. Then the most surprising thing is, Rindang saw a plus sign on the test pack he used. It was completely outside of their plan. God's destiny is still the best regardless of their plans.

"I agree with you." A drop of clear crystal flowed into Khalisa's cheek. If pulled a few years back Khalisa also once desperate because not immediately pregnant. One thing Khalisa got was that he could stay longer and closer to God.

"Cock so melow anyway?" Rindang slammed into Khalisa's arms. This was a happy cry and gratitude for what had happened in their lives. "Honestly I'm afraid to be born."

"You certainly can, you've been through something heavier and more painful than this."

"But I thought again, can you just have a time when I can't?"

"That's why I said you can, you're always superior to me." Khalisa rubbed Rindang's back.

Rindang took off his embrace, "not wrong? I've always been far behind you."

"No, you managed to have a boutique but I didn't."

Rindang shook his hands in front of Khalisa's face, "i have a boutique located inside Alindra Mall, Khalisa realized."

"I'm very grateful to have a friend of a Rindang Anjana who used to like to wear clothes lacking materials but now Masya Allah— I can only see your eyes."

"I am also grateful to have a friend Khalisa Syanin Alindra who can do everything, ngajarin I saw, help inject insulin, peel skin salak, much if written in the book can be this furniture." Leaf raised one of her hands half a meter from the table.

Khalisa laughed, Rindang is very exaggerated.

"Please find me if you don't see me in heaven."

"I'm really hitching a ride on you, Khalisa."

"Just look for me."

"Yes, I will wait for you on the porch of heaven."

The two laughed again, their conversation went everywhere when it was still morning.

Their friendship had reached a stage where they could not always meet but still pray for each other.

Compact guys wear black clothes