The Journalist

Part 49:1001 Mode

Darkened.

Brightest.

Darkened.

Brightest.

My eyelids are moving slowly. In my unfilled consciousness, I felt the sun peek at my face from the window slit. I feel my forehead. There's a little wet towel lying there. I'm trying to get up. The head still feels heavy.

I spread my eyes all over. This is a room that is not too big, where I am in bed on a medium-sized bed. Wait, isn't this the ladies' room? Although this room is devoid of feminine elements, but I can capture some female attributes in this place.

My memory retreated to a moment ago, precisely when I fainted before Ameena. My eyes grew for a moment. Could this be Ameena's room?

Shortly afterwards, there was the sound of a doorknob about to be opened. I lay back down and pretended to sleep unconscious. I purposely didn't close my eyes so I could see who was coming. A woman dressed in all white stepped in while carrying a tray filled with food. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the woman's face.

The woman then put breakfast on the front desk of my bed. I felt the woman approaching me. It's getting closer so I can see his clasped hands crossing over my head. Apparently, he picked up the compress that fell beside my head. As he leaned over, my net caught the soft face that always seemed to be in my memory.

Yes, she's Ameena, the woman who makes my logic blunt every time I meet her. He placed the towel on my forehead very carefully. It seemed like it fell when I tried to get up. In a hurry to lie down, I forgot to put the compress on my forehead.

I turned to the side, as he turned his back to me and was busy copying food from the tray to the small table. A small smile perched on my lips. Does this mean I'm in his room?

I closed my eyes as he suddenly turned his body towards me. He got closer to the bed, and returned to correct the position of my towel. I like this little attention. Slowly, I extended my hand to lower the towel slightly under my eyebrows to be fixed by him again. With my eyes half open, my index finger and thumb worked together to pull this towel down. I immediately lowered my hand and closed my eyes as Ameena turned towards me.

My heart was pounding and both my hands were clenching tightly. However, for a few seconds, Ameena has not improved the position of my compress. I can't wait, I opened my eyes a little just to peek. Turns out he's back behind me. Is it possible that the compress position is less down?

I pulled the compress once more, this time further down to close my eyes. Another bit. More down.

"You awake?"

Ameena's soft voice made my hand freeze instantly. Ah, shit, caught!

Because it was like this, I then acted as if I had just realized. My hand that was caught wet holding the compress, then immediately removed the towel from my forehead.

"Mina-chan, where is this?"

"It's in my room. You fainted. So, the boys in royong pieces lifted you up to my room. They say your body is heavy. They can't take you to a guy's dorm. In addition, the male administrators are not here" Ameena explained as she moved the food to the bedside nightstand.

"Is Mr Ali not there either?" askaku.

"Yes, but they're all on their way home."

Ahmed's car didn't come yesterday.

"Sorry to trouble you. Doesn't it matter that I'm still here?"

"Don't worry, it's not just the two of us."

"Then where did you sleep last night?"

"I slept next door, in Khalila's room."

"Oh, yeah, where's the kid going? I miss him!"

Shortly thereafter, Khalila's voice screamed to my surprise. He came in still wearing a nightgown.

"Born Brother, you really kept your promise to come again!" khalila shouted cheering towards me.

I was surprised that Khalila should not have said that in front of Ameena.

"Ummi, I'm so happy, it turns out Blonde Brother didn't lie to me. She really ...."

"Capilla!" rush me.

Khalila turned towards me. I blinked, trying to give a sign to Khalila so as not to speak further. Especially if until he kebablasan say the camera was intentionally left.

"Born Brother, what's wrong with your eyes? Why flickering like that?" He threw such a question.

"A ... It seems like my forehead is sweating and falling into my eyes" I said as I wiped my forehead.

"Eat first, after that take medicine to heal quickly" said Ameena

I tried to get up and lean on the back of the bed. Ameena offers a bowl of Ful Medames¹, the country's signature food that is quite famous in the Middle East.

"My body is still very weak to move even just holding a spoon. It looks like the bowl will spill as well if I hold it," I said, pretending to show a helpless weak face.

"Then let me bribe, Brother Blonde!" Khalila took the bowl from Ameena's hand.

My eyes were opened for a moment. This doesn't fit my scenario. It should have been Ameena who took the initiative to bribe me, not Khalila.

When Khalila was about to bribe me, I said, "Khalila, I brought sweets and snacks for you and your friends."

"really?" Khalila's eyes twinkled.

"I'll do it after I finish feeding Brother Blonde! Anyway, it's still too early. My friends must be busy cleaning their rooms," he said, returning a spoon to me. "Come, open his mouth! Aaaa ..." pinta Khalila who treated me like a child.

I looked at him with a pair of eyebrows that were downwards. With a resigned face, I opened my mouth to take bribes from Khalila. Unfortunately, the food spilled more into my clothes before it entered my mouth. Even the next mouthful went wrong into my nose.

"Bond Sister, you're very popular here. When I came here, I saw many teenage sisters peering into this room just to see you" Khalila said as she continued to feed me.

"really?" My gaze then turned to Ameena who was about to exit this room. "Mina-chan, where are you going?" many quick.

"I have to keep an eye on the children's breakfast" he replied slowly.

"Can you after that .. You bring me a washcloth? Look, Khalila spilled a lot of this food on my shirt!" I said while showing food splattered on my shirt.

Ameena nodded, then left. Actually, I want him to stay here longer. However, he cares about me like this, it is enough for me. Really more than enough.

"Born Brother, let's eat again!" sahut Khalila's.

I held back the spoon that Khalila was holding, then asked her. "Sister, you're not saying that I left the camera in the room on purpose, are you?"

"No. It's both of us's secrets!"

"Smart!" I patted Khalila's head.

"But ...."

"But what?" many quick.

"At that time, ummi found me in Brother's room. Then he saw your camera too. He then took the camera and ran after you. But it looks like Brother Blonde left first, so ummi kept your camera back."

Hearing that, my eyeballs widened instantly. My memory returned when Ameena called me before I got into the car that was driving me. Back then, he called me in a hurry, but only said goodbye. However, I did see him hiding something under his back.

Not wrong, right, if I conclude we have the same feeling. Let's say .. the feeling of wanting to always meet. Again and again.

Now, I live alone in this room after Khalila leaves to prepare for breakfast and study. Still sitting on the bed, I watched the whole room. This room is neatly arranged, there is a computer desk and also a shelf containing various thick books. I stroked the fur blanket that wrapped around my body. This blanket, this bed, this bed, isn't what Ameena always occupied? I was lucky again! I felt my face flushed.

I turned to the side, there was a notebook and a ballpoint pen on the nightstand. I opened one piece by a piece of paper containing the scratch of the pen. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to read Arabic. Apparently he likes to write. This is our equation among the many differences.

Since I first met, Ameena and I were constrained by many things. Language, culture, principles, and beliefs. We are always limited by distance, time and circumstances. Just counting the days, I'm going back to Japan. Go leave her when my feelings for her are overflowing. Even though farewell was nothing new to us, but somehow I felt hard to leave it.

I'm holding my phone. Can we communicate on our cell phones while I'm back in Tokyo? But, doesn't that mean we should exchange numbers? Can it be like that?

I then cleared my throat, training to talk. "Mina-chan, let's exchange contacts!"

Ah, naw. It's not polite.

"Mina-chan, can I ask for your phone number?" I'm back to practicing talking like a fool.

Ah, no, no! It seems like he will refuse if I have no reason.

I took a breath while thinking about the sentence I was suitable to use when asking for his cell phone contact. Suddenly I heard a door knob open. I threw my phone in the blanket, just under my feet. It was Ameena who came to bring me a washcloth. He came with a boy who chose to stand at the doorpost.

"Mina-chan, I was looking around for my phone from earlier. It should be in my pants pocket. Can you help me call my phone? If you hear the ringtone, you will definitely meet soon!" my spoken.

Ameena nodded, then took her phone out of her shirt pocket.

Yes, succeeded! That way, I can get her phone number without needing to ask. I immediately told my number. As he pressed the call button, I saw his eyes grow instantly.

"What's wrong?" I asked to see his surprised expression.

Shortly after, my phone rang quite fast. I pretended to look for him first in bed, before finding him.

"Ah, I found it!"

I took my phone. However, just like Ameena at the moment, I was jolted when I saw the caller number on my phone screen. He and I stared at each other in silence with their hands holding their phones.

I looked back at my phone still ringing. The number that contacted me at this time, turned out to have been on my contact list.

"Are you ... all this time ... was Nisa?" ask her slowly with a trembling voice.

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footprints 🦶🦶

Ful Medames¹: a typical Syrian and Egyptian breakfast dish made from lava bean stew served with vegetable oil, garlic and lemon water