Mahabbah Love Khalisa

27

Shindang was surprised not to play when opening the apartment door and found writing on paper on the floor. He looked to the right and left as if looking for the whereabouts of the sender of the strange letter which of course no longer exists.

The days!

Rindang immediately crushed the paper before Jason or Khalisa knew it. He did not know what the motive was for all this terror. But today Rindang will report it to the police, he is not stupid not to report this let alone the person has gone too far to come to his apartment. Rindang used to feel this was the safest place for her but not anymore. It feels like Rindang does not want to live here anymore but Casey Avenue is by far the most strategic apartment because it is close to the campus of Khalisa and himself.

"Master."

Shady gasp at Jason's voice, he stuffed the paper that had been shaped into a blob into his pajama pocket and turned around. Rindang wanted to buy breakfast for Jason and Khalisa downstairs but after seeing the letter he became afraid to go out alone.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked who had just woken up even though his eyes were still half open. He slept in the guest room while Khalisa slept with Rindang.

"Not anywhere." The shady immediately closed the door and pulled Jason's hand to sit on the sofa. "How sleepy are you awake?"

"What time is it?"

"New half 6." Rindang stepped into his room, he saw Khalisa still sitting on his alphabet. Rindang did not know how long Khalisa had been in that position since he just woke up.

Khalisa pressed the digital prayer beads in his hands. Rindang wondered what Khalisa whispered while pressing the prayer beads.

"What breakfast you want, I want Jason out." Shady took the rubber band on her dresser and piggybacked her original hair.

Khalisa turned to Rindang, "yellow rice Bu Dhe Lasmi in front of the market, you know?"

"okay."

"There are a lot of pigtails there why wear rubber bands used rice pecel?" Khalisa was surprised to see Rindang using a rubber band to pigtail his hair when he had a lot of hair straps on the dressing table.

"Love Indonesia."

Khalisa mangosteen, "is the rubber band made in Indonesia?"

"Yes." Yeah." Said Rindang sure. Why should they argue about the rubber band on this sunny morning. "What did you read earlier?"

"Macem-mac-m." Khalisa moved from the top of the prayer mat and folded it. "Read shalawat, tasbih, istighfar."

"Well, if you read that, you must be protected by your God?"

Khalisa nodded, "I prayed like that, why is it?"

"It's okay, I'm leaving first." Leafy grabbed a small bag on her dresser and walked out of the room. "Eh, will Azfan perform?" Rindang remembered something that today the MTQ race will start at the Khalisa campus.

"It looks like that, I haven't asked Azfan exactly what number he got." Khalisa replaced the face with a black headscarf. "Would you like to see?"

"Watch on YouTube." Leafy stepped into the living room to approach Jason who had finished washing his face, thinking Jason would go back to the room and sleep.

Khalisa opened the curtains Rindang room, he immediately presented the view of Mount Merapi which is clearly visible because the sky is bright.

Khalisa decided to go back to his own apartment after remembering that this morning there will be a laundry attendant who takes his clothes. Look, Renata really spoils Khalisa until the clothes he uses the services of others to wash him. Khalisa was only washing underwear and sometimes some hijabs.

Khalisa glanced at his vibrating phone as he set it to silent mode. It says Koko Levin's name on the phone's flat screen. Khalisa grabbed his phone on the nightstand to answer Levin's phone. Khalisa was wondering if Levin would call him this early.

"Assalamualaikum, what's wrong with Koko?" Khalisa opened the curtains of his room, it was an activity that he did every day.

"Waalaikumussalam, happy birthday to Khalisa."

Khalisa turned his back, even he forgot that it was his birthday. Khalisa steps into the kitchen, he arranges the phone into a loud speaker and puts his phone on the dining table so that he can hear Levin's voice while he opens the refrigerator to pick up some fruit.

"Am I the first one to say it?"

"Yes, thank you Ko." Although being the first person did not necessarily make Khalisa happy again he had said that he had never celebrated a birthday. Even Khalisa and Rindang's parents never gave such congratulations.

"What do you want?"

"Would you get a present too?" Khalisa took two apples to make into juice, "do not do Ko, doain aja hope my test score is high."

"No, I have to give you a gift."

Khalisa thought, Is there something he wants now? there aren't. Khalisa doesn't want anything but he must still appreciate Levin who has been kind enough to give him a gift.

"Let's eat together with the members of the converts community next week."

"Can you eat what?"

"A lot of expensive food, right?" Khalisa Kanda.

"Gotably, anyways soon I'm not in Jogja."

"If so I should often ask for a treat to eat dong." Khalisa. In a moment Levin will have to follow the koas and his plan is the guy will go far to Banyuwangi to do that.

"Every day is okay."

"Thank you again."

"Yes assalamualaikum." Khalisa disconnected after hearing Levin's reply.

Khalisa washed the apple before cutting it into smaller pieces. He did not know if yellow rice and apple juice were the right combination for breakfast. He just wants to empty the fridge before going shopping to the market tomorrow morning.

******

Azfan's left hand so skillfully scratched the black ink on the canvas, he almost finished the basmal calligraphy he had been working on for a week. It uses a combination of black and gold to make the basmalah reading.

"It's so beautiful." Azfan praised the basmalah reading, he did not intend to praise himself because his skill in making calligraphy was merely a gift from God.

Azfan should be training for the race preparation later tonight but he actually completed this calligraphy to calm down. Imagining himself performing in front of a lot of people alone made Azfan nervous. Moreover, many other participants were much better than him.

Azfan will give the calligraphy to Khalisa. Although it could not repay all of Khalisa's kindness to Azfan but that was all Azfan could give. He could not buy expensive items for Khalisa.

"Mas." The voice of a woman distracts Azfan followed by the sound of a knock several times.

From his voice Azfan could already tell that it was Ayu, he moved from his seat to open the door.

"Why Yu?" Azfan saw Ayu standing at the door of course not empty because every time here Ayu would bring food for him. Whether it's Ayu's mother's cooking or the food that Ayu bought at the market. Many times Azfan said that Ayu did not need to give food like this because it made it unpleasant. But Ayu never heeded it and still gave Azfan food.

"Mas Azfan hasn't had breakfast yet, have I brought you getuk, I made you myself." Ayu thrust a plate of getuk that has been covered with grated coconut.

"Thank you, say thank you to me too." Azfan commented a smile at Ayu, a smile that made Ayu not want to leave immediately.

"Sama-sama Mas, oh yes later Mas join the MTQ race huh?"

"Yes, if you want to see can come to campus."

"I want to go to college at UII let me meet Azfan, uh I mean—" Ayu glanced to the right and left because of his free speech.

"meaning?"

"I mean UII's good anyway so I want to go to college there, but the entrance test is hard huh?"

"If you want to try, you can go to college there."

The sound of Azfan's phone ringtone sounded loud distracting the owner.

"Again thanks for the food, I go in first." Azfan walked in to see someone calling him.

Ayu's face turned disappointed after Azfan entered when he still wanted to chat longer but Azfan never invited him in. They were just chatting for a while at the door. That is the reason why Ayu sometimes visits Mangan Gelato in order to see Azfan longer.

"What's wrong with Assalamualaikum Khalisa?" Azfan put the phone in the ear to answer the phone from Khalisa. Somehow if Khalisa called he always remembered the incident that night where Khalisa and Rindang experienced sexual abuse. Fortunately they were caught the day after the incident, Azfan hopes no more similar events befall anyone.

"Waalaikumussalam, Azfan I'm not bothering you?" Khalisa's voice was welcoming across there.

"Not really." The corner of Azfan's lips lifted by itself forming a sweet smile, he twisted the calligraphy in the middle of the almost finished room.

"I just want to ask you what number you got?"

"Number—" Azfan stepped onto his study table to see the participant number he got yesterday, "78."

"Oh malem huh?"

"If there is no obstruction of God's inshaa around 9 o'clock, will you see?"

"God willing I will come to love you, and when will I hear your fear again if the night does not come."

Azfan laughed, Khalisa is indeed an expert in praising others. Although this was not the first time but Azfan felt his chest rumble and warm when he heard Khalisa's praise.

"I just wanted to ask that."

"Eh Khalisa's." Azfan cried before Khalisa hung up the phone.

"Yes?"

"Let's just love you something."

"What's that?"

"I'm making calligraphy for you."

"Oh yeah? Geez you're so good at making me calligraphy."

"No, you've been good to me all this time."

"Thank you Azfan, it'll be the first wall display in my apartment."

"I hope you like it, see you tonight." Azfan said his greetings and then disconnected after Khalisa answered his greetings.

After getting a call from Khalisa, Azfan felt he had more energy to complete the calligraphy. He had prepared a frame for the calligraphy before it was given to Khalisa.