
“How are you little Miss?” My grandmother asked me that afternoon. That afternoon the toebroek was not so crowded. Customers who come also mostly memimlih make their own coffee. Batu City has often rained in – months like this. Eve was already cold, so it was even colder. I don't see anyone leaving the house without an extra jacket or shirt.
Where – where I have seen carrots that are ready to be harvested, broccoli that has grown thick, and apples that have begun to grow. Maybe because this place is not so crowded and beautiful nature, toebroek can survive until now.
“Good – is fine, Nek,” I said to Grandma while cleaning my guitar. I set every string there to make sure it sounds perfect when I wear it later.
“Dede ?” ask Grandma again. Occasionally his hand dropped a few grains of corn to the floor for Fernando.
“Better than before Grandma. She now has a boyfriend,”
“Nando ?”
I looked at Grandma for a while before finally answering, “Iya, now Dede is dating Nando,”
Grandma never asked me – things that are too personal. He prefers me to tell stories. In front of Grandma, I never felt like a 16-year-old girl being interrogated by an adult.
“Ooooh. Fernando, eat slowly – slowly,” joked Grandma when Fernando tried to take corn directly from Grandma's palm. “Birds naughty.” Said Grandma while touching Fernando's beak. Fernando then ran towards me like a child who wanted to complain to his mother.
“Don't be naughty Fernando,” I lift Fernando with my two hands. Facing his face with my face. “A long time ago we did not chat well,” I said as I rubbed my nose on his beak. But I didn't expect before arriving – just arrived Fernando pecked my nose, “Aduh. You are very naughty Fernando,”, I said while putting Fernando on the floor.
“Fernando hungry ... hungry ..” he said then went trying to fly. But of course it didn't work. Fernando is the only – parrots I know can't fly.
I rubbed my nose slowly. No injuries, but a little bit of pain.
“From our whole family, only Grandma can't really play guitar,” Grandma's story without me asking. “Although many – times learn, still Grandma can not. If playing guitar is a simple song, Grandma can still. Music has been in our family for a long time, being a tradition, a part of our blood. Fortunately, Grandma can use harmonica. Otherwise, maybe Grandma has been removed from the family members list,” Grandma chuckles.
“Grandpa used to play guitar too?”
“It is precisely because of his cleverness playing guitar that your great-grandfather accepted him to be Grandma's husband,”
“Oh,” I'm surprised. As if – will I just realized that playing guitar is one of the conditions to become a member of our family. “Sophie doesn't know that,”.
“Grandmother used to be very tomboy Soph.no guy dared to go near Grandma. Until – until, your grandfather thought that this Grandma should have been born as a – male. But no, Grandma is still a girl even though she had fought with a kernau.”
I saw Nek Irma's story the other day. My mind returned to the time – time ago. Like the black and white movie I saw Grandma playing the harmonica and Grandpa playing the guitar. They both manage the toebroek. Very beautiful. I'm terlena.
“Your first star in Toebroek. Just like you Sophie. He was often nervous in the face of many people. But when she sang Sophie, no one could turn her face away. As if – would he absorb all the attention that was around him just for him a. No, he left it to Grandma and Frans who were little. Even your Grandfather can't rival him.”
My mother was a star who was able to create miracles on the tiny stage of Toebroek. There's no way I can match him. From the shadow about Grandpa and Grandma, my shadow turned to Mama, the toebroek star of that time. I can imagine a mama with her long hair, and a bandana embedded in her hair, singing to amaze everyone in the toebroek.
“Every time you sing Sophie, Grandma always remembers your Mama. You can make everyone's eyes not blink looking at you. As if – will, you are a star with too beautiful rays so dear to not be noticed,”
“Sophie is not the same Nek. Sophie was always nervous whenever Sophie would sing,”
“Ahhhh, don't worry. That habit will disappear over time,”
“Singing with Sophie's heart. That's what matters.” Grandma said a moment later.
“Sophie not sure will always be able to do that,”
“You've done it,”
Parents like Grandma sometimes say things that I find difficult to understand. When singing in Toebroek, Grandma and Brother Frans always take me to an atmosphere that makes my heart comfortable. At school the other day, I sang well because of the sacrifice – friends made for me. Without it, I wonder if I can sing with my heart. It doesn't feel possible.
“It looks like Sophie won't be able to Nek,”
Grandma smiled little, “It's already in you Sophie. Don't worry.”
Not once did I think about the meaning of Grandma's words, I saw a shiny blue car entering the Toebroek hall. From inside then out Kak Frans with a guy of Kak Frans' age wearing sunglasses.
“Ah, it just so happens that you are all here,” Frans said cheerfully. The guy who is with – is the same as him opening his glasses so that his cornea is brown, maybe because of the soft lens, is clearly visible. She smiled at Grandma, then at me.
“This is my friend, Stan.” Tukas Kak Frans. The man stuck out his hand to greet Grandma and me. I can smell the oil effectively expensive.
The guy called Stan by Frans is very handsome. He is tall with a balanced posture. Her skin was clean with a few days old sideburns across her chin and over her lips.
“Sit Son,” Grandma says friendly. He took a seat next to Grandma, faced me then looked at me in a strange way.
“Can you make Sophie coffee ?” ask Brother Frans.
“Sure,” I was about to stand up when I heard him say with his soft voice,
“If you can, I want to try that famous toebroek,”
“No one can make a toebroek here as nice as Grandma,” I said.
“Alright,” Grandma standing from her seat. “I'll give you the honor of tasting my toebroek today, son,” Grandma said with a smile.
“Stan is here specifically to meet you Sophie,” Brother Frans removed the hat he was wearing from earlier.
I'm appalled. It's not uncommon for anyone I don't know to want to see me at all. “Ah, correct ?”
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Check out other stories written by Eveningtea81 in Noveltoon
1. Play your guitar, Sophie
2. The Sun Becomes a Star