The mask.

56.

Rama rests at the hotel, the plan is tomorrow he will look for something to buy. Whatever it is, the important thing can be used as an excuse to cover his trip this time.

The next day, Rama came back with some bags of groceries he bought as souvenirs. There was also a book that he bought, which was used as the reason for the young man's trip this time.

"I'm home" said Rama, telling him he had arrived.

"Welcome, young master!" a servant greeted Rama.

Rama stretched out his hand, handing over a bag of groceries to the servant. "Share it to others" he said flatly.

The waiter smiled happily to receive the parcel from his master. "Thank you, young master. I'll share it right now," he said in a jovial tone. Rama nodded, then walked up the stairs.

Rama went into his room, then took a bath and changed his clothes. After taking a shower, she saw Andi sitting on her bed. "Yo" said Andi raising her hand into the air.

Rama did not answer, he walked and took the bag of groceries he was carrying. "Take it!" Rama threw the bag at his friend.

Andi caught on quickly, afraid that he could not catch her and fell to the floor. Well, who knows if it will break. "Can give him no use thrown, Ram," said Andi protested. However, his face was smiling brightly from getting the reward.

"If you want to protest, save the smile first?!" beat Rama with a look of ridicule.

"Where are you going these two days?" ask Andi.

"From the book" answered Rama, throwing his body into the bed. He lay down undisturbed by the presence of his comrade, it was common for Andi to invade his room like that. "Where's grandma? A break?" rama asked, closing his eyes.

"Yup, Nek Lidya seems to be too excessive to take care of the garden, so the grandmother immediately entered the room, the face of the grandmother also looks paler," explained Andi as if to report to her friend. "Ram, Uncle Beno quit his job," the young man continued to tell him about the Poncho.

"Maybe he's tired" said Rama as if he didn't know.

"Uncle Beno left a note, on the note he wrote that there is a family affair," Andi quickly replied.

Rama nodded casually. "Yes" she replied briefly.

"Is Uncle Beno coming back?" andi asked with her head down.

"Maybe," said Rama casually.

"Ram, are you sleeping?" andi asked after a while his friend only replied briefly, maybe his friend was exhausted after traveling somewhere. There was no answer, Andi also lay down. "Then I went to bed too, ah," he said, closing his eyes.

Fifteen minutes without a sound, Rama opened his eyes. Looked at the face of his friend who was sleeping next to him. "Sorry, just an apology won't be enough for everything!" rama whispered softly, after which the young man closed his eyes again. The two share the same mattress, asleep as they were when they were little kids. They look peaceful and love each other.

...ೋ❀❀ೋ═══ • ═══ೋ❀❀ೋ...

That afternoon, the black sky that spewed out cries with a rush, became the witness that accompanied the last journey of an old woman. Andi cried sobbing, her tears as if she did not want to stop. Nek Lidya was gone for good, the old woman died in her sleep. The wrinkled old face here and there smiled softly, as if he had been sincere about everything, as if he had lived all the happiness in his life. Rama stands tall, letting go of the only woman he cares about most in his life. The woman who taught him the meaning of the warmth of a family, tears dripped from both cheeks. However, it was immediately erased by the drops of rain water that was quite heavy.

The condolence was not heard by Rama, the young man was as if deaf to the circumstances around. His eyes just stared straight, staring at the burrow that became the final resting place of the grandmother.

"Patient, yes Ram, hyks, hix," Andi said in her tears.

"You are weeping from earlier, Loh An," said Rama whispering softly.

"I'll represent you who don't know how to cry, Ram," Andi wiped her tears quickly.

"Young master, you should go back. You will get sick if you continue to be in the rain, young master!" the driver approached his two masters with an umbrella in his hand.

"Bring Andi first, I still want to be here a little longer," Rama replied without turning his head. There were only the three of them left on the red earth mound.

Andi shook her head stubbornly. "I want to be here too, I'll accompany you, Ram!" said the young man quickly.

"You must go home, young master. There are several guests waiting for you at home, not to mention the family lawyer. You have to finish everything," said the courteous driver, recalling the butler who forced him to tell their young master to return home immediately. He could make any excuses or do everything needed to get his employer home.

"Hear that? At least you're the only one I can trust to take care of matters at home. I still need time to say goodbye to my grandmother, An," said Rama smiling forcefully.

Andi nodded in understanding, he could not add to the burden of his friend. He must be reliable and help Rama to overcome small things like this. "But just for a minute! I can't possibly take care of everything?!" andi hopes his friends do not spend more time in the rain like now. Rama nodded slowly, looking straight back at the grave of the grandmother.

Andi took the umbrella that the driver had brought, and gave the umbrella to Rama. "At least wear this so you don't get rained on!" andi handed the umbrella to her friend. If usually Rama would respond with a joke, this time the young man nodded without energy. "Come, we're going!" continued Andi turned around while clenching her hands tightly.

"You two should go home, sir. Not just yourself," said the driver, who was soaking wet because his umbrella was taken.

Andi stopped her steps, speaking without looking over. "Return now, or will the three of us be here until Rama chooses to go home?" hiss Andi was half-riled. He knew he wasn't the real young master, he was just a temporary replacement until his comrade was ready to step up. But does this driver not understand that his friend needs time to grieve, why he is too pushy.

"I'm sorry, young master!" the driver said following Andi's steps.

The sound of the footsteps drifting away, Rama fell to his knees helplessly, the umbrella in his hand lying just like that, the young man as if helpless, staring blankly straight ahead. "You're too fast to go, madam," Rama chuckled like a man out of his way. "You made my cunning and evil-hearted feel the meaning of warmth, then you left me unannounced to prepare? For the first time I cried this much, madam," the young man continued softly, sounding very bitter even to his own ears.

...ೋ❀❀ೋ═══ • ═══ೋ❀❀ೋ...

Rama took care of everything well, he received many inheritances from the two most meritorious people in his life. Both were people who gave themselves a family, teaching her how to love sincerely. Rama attended college at night and took care of the company during the day, Andi wanted to follow the steps that his friend took. However, Rama forbade it. Rama said Andi can go to college with the usual schedule, let him take care of the company's problems.

One day, during the weekend, Rama who tried to use his break time to chain, was surprised by the arrival of his friend who suddenly entered his room without knocking on the door first. "What's up, An?" asked Rama wonder.

"Watch, Ram! A gawat?!" andi looked panicked.

"Why? What was? Does anyone bother you? Who?" rama asked, a little worried for his best friend.

"I forgot to buy a ticket and now it's running out?!" andi memelas. Rama was silent, not knowing what to respond to. The young man seemed to be at a loss for words to respond to his comrade.

"When I'm in mourning, I want to buy and watch the movie with you" I nibbled his nails looking frustrated. "But the last ticket was bought by someone else!" the young man was emotional because he was late.

Rama took a long breath. "There will be more" the young man relaxed.

"Different counsel, Ram. We have to watch the new pass show, let the thrill dapet?!" andi said.

Seeing his friend pacing back and forth, Rama also smiled faintly. The young man took his cell phone and contacted someone. Soon the call was connected. "Can I get a movie ticket that's currently in hot conversation?" ask Rama who does not know the title of the film. He just guessed that his friend was a hoax, surely the movie he wanted to watch was quite famous.

Across the street was replying to Rama. "Are two enough?" rama looked at Andi. Andi raises her finger while grinning, she shows that she needs four tickets.

"Find me four as soon as possible. Pay whatever it takes!" rama took a long breath. "Thank you" Rama said before ending his phone call.

"So?" andi asked looking expectantly.

"Still wanted, be prepared to watch the premiere, whatever the movie is," Rama replied as if he didn't care.

"You'll love it too, I've done this movie to cheer you up, Ram," Andi believes.

"Yes, yeah, yeah! Now let your friend close his eyes for a moment" said Rama immediately closed his eyes.

Andi took a deep breath. "When I've been mengumpulin money, uh, it turns out you even buy the ticket," Andi's great-grandson complained, his head lowered as if hiding his frustration because he could not afford a ticket.

"It wasn't me who bought it, the company secretary who took care of it, An," Rama replied still with his eyes closed.

"But at least you're better than me. You can rule with one phone call, even though I myself even wait for the ticket to be sold, it can not," complained Andi down deeper.

"An, if this were all yours, what would you do?" rama asked suddenly, the voice sounded quite serious to Andi.

"Hmm, what, yeah?" Andi thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll go to college, the company to take care of uncle first. If I have graduated, then I plunged into the company," continued Andi sound unsure of what he said.

"But fortunately it's not mine, otherwise I'd be dizzy taking care of everything first! Not to mention how many hyenas are out there ready to pounce when I fall. The shadows are horrified, Ram?!" andi said shuddering to imagine that he should occupy the position of Rama.

"Alright, let me sleep now," Rama replied back to comfort himself.

"Because I don't have activities, let me go to bed too!" said Andi jumping next to Rama, the young man lying straight with a big smile.

"Whatever, just don't make a sound!" pinta Rama's. Andi nodded quickly, but she knew her friend would not see. Rama closed his eyes.

...ೋ❀❀ೋ═══ • ═══ೋ❀❀ೋ...

Andi woke up and shouted suddenly, Rama who slept soundly was surprised to make. Can Rama see the sweat flooding his friend's temple, breath gasping to be evidence that Andi must have had a nightmare. "Drink first" said Rama thrusting a glass of water.

Andi accepted and held the glass with both hands, the young man's hands were visibly trembling at this moment. "It's quiet?" rama asked as his friend was able to catch his breath.

Andi nodded her head. "Still, Ram," Andi said in a voice that sounded quite hoarse. It seemed like the young man was screaming in his sleep from having a bad dream.

"Don't think about it, maybe you just forgot to read the do'a!" rama said as if he was entertaining his friend.

"I dreamt I was in an accident, Ram. And I was a kid back then?!" andi told me about the dream she had just had. "Fire is everywhere and many shadows of hands are ready to draw me to swallow the earth!" the young man hugged his own body.

Rama forced a smile, covering his misgivings. "Maybe you watched that horror movie, so dream!" Andi nodded confirming, the young man did like to watch any kind of movie. Horror, comedy, or whatever the genre, will all be watched if he feels the film is exciting.

"Look, how much are you sweating?" kekeh Rama wiped the sweat on Andi's forehead. "This friend of mine has fear, too, eh?!" rama's taunts try to make Andi forget his nightmare just now.

"Solem, Ram. Just a shadow, there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of hands in black like shadows attract you. You are willing to fight, but you have no strength. Finally you are swallowed into the earth with nothing left, not even shouting you can. Uhh, just the serem!" andi explained her dream.

"Just wash your face, let's not have another scary dream! Just watched a few comedy movies today, okay?" timpal Rama broke his friend's hair. Andi nodded following Rama's words.

Rama looked at Andi who came out of his room, he stared fixedly with a sad look. "Is it time for me to leave?" he said it was accompanied by a very long breath.