The River House

2. Teacher BK

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Bayu drove his motor matic to cut through the fog that somehow seemed so thick it covered the streets. The uneven road with a few holes and occasional puddles makes Bayu cuss in the heart.

Cold air also felt pierced into the bone even though Bayu was currently wearing a leather jacket that was quite thick. The finger of his hand that gripped the motor handlebar looked slightly bluish. Bayu tried to ignore it, he kept driving his bike at high speed.

The next thirty minutes arrived Bayu in a house located in a residential area that looks gloomy. A house with a large enough yard. Turi trees with flowers blooming pale white, appear lined up as a fence.

The house is quite large, but looks old. Many cracks in the walls are painted ash ash and peeling in some parts. Also dry leaf litter as if allowed to accumulate in the yard and terrace of the house. At a glance everyone will suspect that the house is not inhabited by humans.

Bayu got off his motorbike, shaking his slightly numb hand. His breath seemed to emit a puff of white water vapor nan thin. Bayu looked at the house before him, he sighed softly.

Bayu walked over while putting his hand in his pants pocket. He headed for the porch and stood right on an old, dull-looking door with a chipped, slightly rusty iron doorknob.

Tok tok tok tok

He knocked on the door slowly. The next second heard the sound of footsteps being dragged from inside the house.

Click. .kriieettt

The door opens from the inside. An old grandmother with gray hair opened the door. Seeing the arrival of Bayu, the grandmother looked a little surprised. His eyes were trembling at the police officer in front of him.

"How are you doing, Ami?" Bayu smiled wryly.

"Well," The grandmother named Bu Ami answered briefly.

"Come on, come on in, please," 

Bayu nodded, walking after the host. 

The inside of Bu Ami's house looks similar to the outside. Unmanaged. Nests of profit stick to every corner of the house. The air also feels stuffy because the house has less ventilation and lighting, and is more often closed throughout the day.

"Please sit down" Ami invited Bayu to sit on a rattan chair that looked worn. Bayu nodded, obeying the orders of the host.

"Do you want to drink what Nak Bayu?"

"No Ma'am. Don't bother. I'll just take a minute to do this later," replied Bayu preventing the old grandmother from walking into the kitchen.

"What is the need for Nak Bayu to come here?"

Bayu sighed for a while, then reached into his pants pocket.

"I want Bu Ami to read this" Bayu handed a piece of paper to Ms. Ami.

A piece of paper, which was a letter from Zainul that Bayu received this morning from a courier. Ma'am read it, her hands were trembling. While his eyeballs look a little glared.

"Did Ms Ami get a similar letter?" Bayu asked, looking intently at Bu Ami.

"No," Ami shook her head slowly.

"So, what do you think of Mom?" Bayu changed his sitting position. His body is leaning forward. Now he was closer to observing the grandmother in front of him.

"What do you mean by that question, son?" 

Ami just kept quiet. His mouth was tightly clenched.

"Why did Zainul invite his former classmates to come to his house? For the money anyway. I thought you'd know what purpose this letter was for. I think I can understand Zainul's feelings right now," Bayu stood up from his seat. He felt vain to have come to the place of Bu Ami, because he did not get any information and answers.

"Maybe you better not come, son. I fear that with his success now, with his influence now, Zainul will do evil, to avenge his heartache in the past. My feeling is not good," Ms. Ami looks glassy.

"If so, then I should come. First, because I'm a cop now. Second, maybe I need to make amends to Zainul in the past," Bayu sighed again.

"Did Ms Ami not feel compelled to make amends as well?" Bayu again stared intently at his former high school teacher.

"Error?" Asked Bu Ami, his voice sounded trembling.

"I don't think you need to pretend you don't know or forget. The incident that happened thirteen years ago had a share of Mother in it," Bayu stepped away.

Bayu came out of the house of Ami. The cold air again ambushed, as if embracing it to make his body shiver again. Bayu turned his head for a moment into the house, Bu Ami was seen still silent in his seat. 

Bayu walked back to his bike. With a slight rush, he turned on his motor and shot back through the increasingly dense fog.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ami still did not move from her seat. The front door was left open, so cold air burst into the house. Ms. Ami did not care, she was drowning in daydreams.

Bayu's words greatly influenced his feelings. He recalled the events of a dozen years ago that he had tried his hardest to forget. The guilt is so great. He had failed to protect a disciple who was bullied.

Bu Ami sighed, he got up from his seat. He was about to close the front door, unable to bear the cold that added to the pain in his heart. 

At first glance, in the front yard, among the dense fog, someone wearing a white uniform of ash sat on the ground. Bu Ami was stunned, his heart was riled up. Sweat began to wet his forehead in the middle of the air that felt very cold.

The figure in the high school uniform sounded crying, softly. There was also the sound of the figure raving indistinctly. Bu Ami tried to listen, what words came from the mysterious figure in his yard.

"Mom, why Mom? Why don't you help me?"

A sentence that sounded as if from a distant place, but now caught clearly in the sense of hearing Bu Ami.

Ms. Ami was still unmoved, still glued to where she stood. The figure in his yard was still down and crying. Until suddenly, the figure turned towards Bu Ami. How surprised the retired teacher BK was when he saw the face of the figure who was crying earlier. A charred face burns, with flaky and blistered skin.

"Ahhh," Ami's mom was suffocating. Instantly he slammed the door of his house, closing it tightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Ami said. He looks so scared.

Ms. Ami walked gontai towards the kitchen. His gaze was empty, looking like a dazed person. Ms. Ami picked up the plastic chair next to the stove. He climbed up the chair, grabbing the rope firmly fixed on the sky of the kitchen sky.

Before Bayu came to visit earlier, Bu Ami had indeed prepared everything. Bayu's arrival further convinced him to end the pain in his heart. Ms. Ami is no longer able to survive the shadow of past mistakes.

Glodaakk

Bu Ami's seat fell. The old woman groaned for a moment, then her body started to turn stiff. On the kitchen table lay a red-coated book. A book with the author in bold on the front. Zaynul Rikhman.

Connect . . .