Sense of Sense

The Two Heroes of Safira

“Dead me. Yes, yes, Bo.” Rafa buzzed, and would say something when Ranee said again, “Assalamu’alaikum.” Then turn off the phone.

While Rafa grumbled because the connection was cut off just like that, Ranee was panicking. He was worried that Safira had heard his words just now and could have caused another problem.

However, far from being expected, Safira entered her room with a puzzled expression and no signs of being about to explode.

“Mbak Ve, why sit down?” tanyakanya.

Ranee blinked. Then he looked around and his brain immediately processed quickly. She sat on the carpet, resting her right side of the bed while Harsha, who should have been under her supervision, was still chattering with cute baby language.

“A-ah. That was ... I was tired because Harsha's carrier kept on, so take a break for a while. Selonjoran.”

Sapphira noticed Ranee standing awkwardly, her frown becoming deeper and deeper looking at her sister-in-law's strange gurgle. Safira already knew Ranee quite well, making friends for years made him memorize the woman's habits and behavior. So when Ranee is suspicious, Safira is convinced that something her sister-in-law is trying to cover up.

“Mbak Ve again lied, huh? What's up, anyway?” safira asked curiously and it was a success to make Ranee ketar-ketir.

Secretly the woman tried to control herself, but unfortunately did not immediately succeed. “What lie?”

Sapphira stepped closer, her body she leaned forward until her face was so close to Ranee's face. Safira pinches and Ranee avoids her. “Tuh, ‘kan! The proof is Mbak Vera does not dare to look back at me.”

Ranee clucked and took one step back, pretending to be annoyed. “What are you doing, anyway? Not very clear.” Ranee then sat on the bedside and took Harsha for him to take his seat. “You're here to bring Harsha back?”

“Iya,” Safira replied quickly. Ranee's question made her realize about the reason she was in Ranee's room. Sapphira reached out and took Harsha and carried her. “Papanya nyariin.”

Ranee scowling. He stared unwillingly at Harsha who was in Sapphira's arms. “Padahal just for a moment, loh. Ashqar disrupt, nih.”

Safira smears a smile. “Yes, how is Ma'am. His father's favorite son. Ma'am Ve will ask for the same Kak Rafa,” Safira said as she turned away, leaving Ranee as red as a tomato.

Although amused still tickles the corner of his lips, but Sapphira's mind is disturbed by Ranee's strange gurgle. He believed something had happened and he wondered if Ashqar and Rafa were having trouble in Jakarta? And the three of them hid it from him .. again?

“Maa!”

Safira begged and bowed his face, immediately his bead collided with the round bead belonging to the youngest brother Alvin and Zain. “Dalem, can it be?”¹ said Safira, lifting Harsha's body as high as the face.

“Maa! Maa!” harsha exclaimed, both hands outstretched patting Sapphira's cheeks.

With her sweet voice and adorable demeanor, it was impossible for Safira to turn away from Harsha just like that. While continuing to walk towards the living room on the second floor, Safira continued to tease her tiny baby and momentarily forgot the curiosity towards Ranee.

And yet Safira had not reached the living room, Zain had already called out to her loudly. The boy ran towards her while holding a cell phone in his hand.

“Old friend, anyway? Papah waited from earlier,” he said, thrusting a mobile phone screen that showed Ashqar's face.

Safira put Harsha staring at the mobile screen until her husband could see the beautiful face of Harsha who immediately saw the face of her father. “Assalamu’alaikum, papah,” said Safira. He raised Harsha's hand and waved it.

As soon as Harsha's laughter grew, Ashqar did not refrain from teasing his beloved daughter. The man of three children covered his face with both palms and opened it, showing a face that was made funny until Harsha was folded.

However, Ashqar's excitement must stop when Zain turns the phone towards him. “Papah kidding later. Poor mamah must be hunchbacked while fat,” Zain's tirade which is rewarded with Ashqar praise.

“The attention of this papah child, now you can take care of mamah.”

Zain smiled broadly. Holding a mobile phone in his left hand and his right hand holding Safira's hand, the boy walked to the sofa where Alvin was busy watching cartoon broadcasts on television.

“Zain is, ‘loh.” A proud smile had not escaped the sweet face of the boy until he sat in the middle between Alvin and Sapphira. Then Zain handed the phone to Safira and joined the video call.

“Papah thinks Harsha has not slept,” said Ashqar.

“Why, Mah?”

“Nothing, Pah. Papah business is done?”

Ashqar was silent for a while then his handsome face was adorned with a thin smile, a peach like Zain's. “Udah, Mah.” Ashqar was astonished when Safira only answered him with a murmur and a nod of the head. However, instead of asking directly, Ashqar actually made Zain their intermediary. “Zain, what is Zain's anther shuttle with Mas Alvin?”

Zain shook his head. “Ngak, Pah. Who picked up Zain with Mas Alvin was Uti Sari,”

“Ngak? Then why do you look tired, yes?”

Ashqar's question drew Zain and Alvin to turn to Sapphira. Zain was the first to draw his face to Safira's face and watch his mother's face closely, followed by Alvin who slowly approached. The two boys seemed to be seeking the truth from their father's words.

“Mamah tired?” alvin asked, rubbing Safira's forehead.

“Mas Alvin's. Mas Alvin was born Harsha.” Zain quickly got off the sofa and tried to carry Harsha, but Sapphira swiftly got in the way.

“Mamah is not tired Mas Zain, Mas Alvin,” said, calming his possessive sons. Then Sapphira stared intently at Ashqar who had giggled. “Fuck! Intentionally, huh?”

Ashqar had trouble holding back his almost exploding laughter. The man even had to slightly bite the tongue so that the tingling sensation that tickled his stomach immediately subsided. “So mamah asked the answer is not satisfactory.”

Safira immediately pouted. “Papah nyebelin.”

“Papah naughty, yes?” zain shouted, snatching the phone from Safira's hands. “That papah can't be naughty with mamah.”

“Papah is not naughty, yes. Now his HP please love mamah again yes, Mas Zain.

Reluctantly, Zain gives the phone back into Safira's hands. He sat down beside his mother, flanking Safira between himself and Alvin.

“Mah,” call Ashqar in a soft voice as the phone camera returns to take a visual of Safira. “What's up? If you want to talk in private ask the kids to make it to the room.”

Safira. “Gelagat Mbak Vera looks strange, I'm so curious what happened something. Your business is going well, ‘kan?”

“Aalhamdulillah's. Everything's smooth, Mah.” Ashqar's smile was painted wide. “Besok malem me and Rafa have arrived in Solo.”

“Yey! Papah tomorrow home!” zain exclaimed in excitement to make Harsha surprised. While Alvin calmly reminded Ashqar to bring a lot of souvenirs.

.

.

.

✄................................................

Diction Corner :

¹“Dalem, is it ayu? ” \= “Dalem, pretty boy?”

Dalem is usually a word that is used when called by an older person. According to KBBI, it means me, but the practice is often used as a word of sahutan. If in my family, from a small teaching use the word dalem or nun, when called parents.

It might be different in every area. So please share also adab in your area or habits taught. Itung-itung be my reference too. 😁