Owner of Heart #1

Chapter 16

“So you all know each other?” Her voice was spoiled with a smile decorating her beautiful face. Leona, the woman was staring at us full of probing.

“Iya, we met while volunteering at Ciwidey.” Bang Kamal answered the question, while I slowly started to retreat while lowering my hat to cover half my face. I continued to be at the very rear even as we officially entered the inner child tribe territory and were accepted by the elders and their citizens.

Leona, Marsha, Ben, and Dony whose notes are the artists stand at the front with representatives from Dinsos Sumsel and Dinsos Musi Rawas, respectively, and I purposely stood at the very back in order to avoid the Lieutenant standing in the front row.

I don't know what's going on up ahead but at first glance I can hear that essentially the customary chairman and his people welcome us all into the inner child tribe territory. I'd love for this welcome to be over as soon as possible so I can get out of there. And finally after about 10 minutes (which feels very long in my opinion) the event was over.

I quickly carried my bag and walked over to Fadhil to ask where we were staying.

“Dhil, where do we go?” I asked around and behind me was Yuni, Teh Vita, Kak Yoan, Veny and some of my other friends who seemed to be following the escape to just straighten our legs.

“Chick nginep in a building that has just been completed, if the guy is easy yes we can sleep in the tent.”

“Ready!”

We followed Fadhil to the stilt house of zinc roofed wood like the houses of Kubu residents (called for inner child tribes) who were there, he said, but this building has a larger size because it was just completed which will later serve as a traditional hall where residents gather to talk about customary issues and others.

The building was just a los with no bulkhead, no kitchen or bathroom. Residents here use public MCK that is outside the house, but for the purposes of bathing or washing they usually do it in the river.

We put the bag on the wooden floor that still smells of fresh wood. There's nothing in there let's not sleep, there's no mats, but we don't have a problem with that.

“That was Mas Yudha? Pantesan Leona wants to, the guy's handsome.” Veny said as he sat on the wooden floor barefoot followed us all.

The time of the disaster at Ciwidey Veny has returned to Palembang because that is why he did not meet with the Lieutenant.

“Lots huh, Ven? That's why Kekey used to like him,” said Kak Yoan who immediately made everyone tease me.

“Cieee... look out CLBK.”.

“Hahaha I try to look normal by following their temptations.

“But the view was still lope-lope.”

I just laughed when I heard it because it is useless to argue that there will be a language that will get longer.

I took a wet tissue to wipe my face that felt thick with dust, others did too.

“But the original Ben is so cute yes.” I said as I rubbed my neck trying to divert the conversation.

“Iyaaa.. crazy cute.”

“Let's smooth our skin is the same as him.”

“Original turns white yes.”

“But short.”

“Iyaa..try the height of a little surely okay.”

My efforts succeeded, now we eagerly discuss Ben and Dony while applying hands and body parts that can be reached with wet tissue, consider it an important bath body segeran hehehe.

After feeling refreshed we came out of the house, helping to clean up the items we had brought for purposes during our stay there. The room we were sleeping in was finally divided into two parts, the bedroom as well as the storage of equipment and also the food warehouse considering it will be very difficult to find food so we deliberately bring enough food for 5 days we live there.

The men are looking at a more decent MCK construction site and another building that is being built for the needs of the Kubu residents. Beyond our estimates, the Kubu tribe is not as left as it used to be, already much more advanced than the previous year. They even already have a TV (the result of a donation from Dinsos Sumsel) so even though they have to use a very high antenna towering up and the picture is still blurry but they have now recognized Leona, Marsya, Dony and Ben as the people they see on the TV screen.

Oh yes, speaking of the artist team, unlike us who have to sleep on the wooden floor and share a room with the warehouse, they live in the houses of the residents with all the facilities including mattresses, mattresses, and other facilities, pillows and blankets (although the mattress is a floor mattress but much better than a wooden floor?) while the reporters only covered the situation there for a few hours before returning to the city, except for some cameraman who was in charge of covering the daily activities of the artist among the Kubu residents.

“Where? The bathroom was again built.”

“Says on the river.”

“Away, no? It's getting dark now.” I saw my watch showing at 4:30 p.m.

“Don't know, but mending pas dark gini so no one is looking.”

“Ajakin the others aja yuk, if both are afraid.”

Yuni nodded and we finally left with Teh Vita, Kak Yoan, Veny and the two Kubu children who were the directions to the river. We had to walk for 10 minutes on the downhill trail to get to the river with very clear water and lots of boulders. Instantly our tiredness evaporated as soon as we saw the scene before us.

Our children's souls went straight out when they saw the clear flow of river water, without waiting for us to immediately feel the freshness of the spring water that immediately refreshes our bodies.

“Some time, no?” Vita tea looked around afraid that someone might see.

“Bismillah only, hopefully no one will look.” Yuni said but still we hesitated to bathe in the open like this.

“Soak endak bath?” asked Aning one of Kubu's children who drove us with a funny-sounding accent in my ear.

“Iyo, Aning tau dak a safe place to shower?” Veny asked with almost the same accent made the two 9-year-olds nod while smiling excitedly.

We walked back to Aning and Dewi until we finally found a bamboo shower surrounded by a chest-high board, seeing that we smiled with satisfaction and finally with a roll of shower we kept each other around to stay safe.

Because I was the smallest I took the last shower and when I finished the bath, the clock showed at 6 pm with super duper dingiiiin water! I took a shower as fast as I could, my body was fresh but it was cold to the bone, not to mention we forgot to bring a jacket. Arriving at the settlement of Kubu we are still shivering cold not only because the water is as cold as ice water but also supported by the piercing mountain air.

“You took a shower?” asked Bang Kamal who saw us coming while shivering.

“Iya,” replied Brother Yoan with gurgling teeth to make us laugh.

“Nu galelo, tiris kieu bath (on crazy, cold gini bath.)” Agus said while laughing at us who were rustling with cold.

“Biarin from on rich Agus.. odor.”.

“Hahahaha.”

I walked quickly to the house in the other row laughing, I was just about to reach the stairs when someone stood in front of me.

“Excuse me, Mas Yudha.” Tea Vita and the others before me went up to the stage house leaving me still staring at the Lieutenant.

“Excuse.” I walked past him when he called my name.

“Za.”

I stopped without turning my body.

“We have to talk.”

I fell silent while adjusting my hunting breath.

“There's nothing we should talk about,” I replied as I climbed the stairs without turning a head.

My chest was still pounding as I entered the house and pretended as if nothing had happened.

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