Tidying Up Asa, Inviting Hidayah

34. What a lovely Surprise.

🌹When we feel our life is fine and all our desires are granted, almost without a hitch, beware! It could be that Alloh is preparing a surprise for us. There is no human being who is not tested.🌹

String.

I had just finished accompanying the two sons and daughters of Om Dito on schoolwork. It has become a habit, two children who are still sitting in Junior High School and High School asked for my help if they have learning difficulties. They said they'd rather ask me than a private tutor who comes in every week twice. Maybe because our age distance is not too far away, so we are more comfortable exchanging opinions.

Entering the room, I sat in a chair facing the study table. I leaned my back against the back of the chair while picking up the phone I had left lying on the table.

I opened the phone screen, no private message notification came in. Just a chat in some crowded group, but I was lazy to join. I opened a social media account to kill time because I was not sleepy. Read posts of friends that are usually entertaining.

Some send a status of upset, a long outpouring of heart like a continuous story, there are also those who only send photos without caption. This is the virtual world with all the hustle and bustle.

I took a deep breath, finished my surfing in the virtual world. I put the phone down, but my eyes were fixed on my left hand. The gold pendant in the shape of the letter R hangs on a string bracelet that is coiled around the wrist. A unique and beautiful engraved ring embedded in my ring finger. One word I want to say to praise those two things, sweet.

I played the ring that was a sign of Ghufron's love for me while smiling. My right hand stretched out, wiping the jeweled pendant, the first letter symbol of my first name. Two things that are currently very valuable to me, I will take care as I keep love for the giver.

Just now I was about to remove the hijab, when the phone screen that was originally dark, now lit up brightly. Show signs of incoming messages. I swiped the screen to unlock it immediately, because I knew who was sending the message. None other than him and not he is someone I've been waiting for news of.

I put the phone down after sending a reply to the last message from my fiancee. I remove the hijab, before going into the bathroom to clean myself and take the water. Two important things I always do before I go to sleep.

For two days now Ghufron has been undergoing professional education as a young doctor. He was assigned co-asst at an academic hospital, a foundation with the campus where we studied. I'm glad he was placed in a nearby hospital, so we don't have to stay far away.

I know as a young doctor, Ghufron was too busy. Because he not only got a job from the resident doctor, but from all the doctors in the hospital.

He had to deal directly with patients and practice the theory directly obtained during college. It caused the working hours of young doctors, erratic. Often he had to go home late at night, or leave earlier than his resident doctor.

No wonder if during these two days, the intensity of sending news of Ghufron with me so reduced. Although there was a sense of disappointment when I did not get a chat from him, but I understand. He accidentally ignored me, if ever Ghufron sent a message or called me.

Tonight he sent a photo of himself with a hospital background nurse station. Tired I can be sure to reach the body of Ghufron mas, drawn from the look of a lethargic almost pale face caught by the cellphone camera. It was a great struggle to become a doctor.

A day after Ghufron sent the photo that night, I got word from Nalini that my fiance was catching a cold. However, when Dito and I visited him, Ghufron was preparing to go to the hospital for his pending co-asst duties.

“Alhamdulillah is well, Nduk. Already scraped with mom, nih,” he showed me his neck.

There are red lines scrapings, but what makes my hand outstretched rubbed his neck is there is a very noticeable bruise. Around the scrapings looks dark blue skin, like just hit by a blunt object.

“This is why bruising, Mas?”

“Oh! It usually appears if I'm exhausted, here is also.”

Mr Ghufron rolled up his shirt, revealing bruises on his upper arm. It was not too obvious as I saw at the nape, the purplish blue color had faded a little. He also showed visible bruises near his knee, also near his left elbow.

I looked at the bruise, and then remembered that it was the bruise I had seen a while ago when Ghufron drove me home to Magelang. The bruise I thought was because I pinched it. I don't know why my feelings say it's not a regular bruise that often appears when the body is tired. The bruise was like a hint that Ghufron's body was not doing well.

But I don't want to guess something that isn't clear. After all, Ghufron looked healthy, even though his face was a little pale but he remained energetic, still joking and laughing a lot as usual. I ignored Dito's words after coming home from Ghufron's house at that time.

“Not that Om wants to know, yes, Jen. Om this is not a health worker, but om feel the pain of Ghufron is not a trivial disease due to colds.”

“But Ghufron looks fine, Om.”

“If you are tired, usually only appear one or two bruises, Jen. What Ghufron showed was more than three bruises and everything was clear. Ghufron's face was also slightly pale, not as fresh as usual. Try chatting, there is no harm in checking with a doctor sometime. If there is a problem let it be immediately handled.”

I let day after day pass without talking about the bruise with Ghufron. Even though I have been searching in search engines for information. I was too busy with a lot of college assignments and my online sales activities were getting crowded. So did not have time to ask about the current condition of my fiancee.

Plus shocking news about Om Dito who will be transferred to Ternate. Makes me have to be ready to move residence because Om Dito will invite his entire family to move to the city where he is on duty.

My communication with Ghufron was fine, though not as often as before. I am often late to reply to messages, or miss a video call from her. But it doesn't matter for our relationship, because we understand each other.

If there is free time, Ghufron invited me to lunch outside. Instead, if we were both busy, I would send food to her via an inter-messaging app. Today there are many ways to show attention to your loved one if you are not able to meet face to face.

This afternoon I was sitting in the cafeteria with my three best friends. Filling the stomach while talking to release fatigue because since the morning after class. It is a law of nature if women must be crowded when gathered, anything can be a conversation that invites laughter.

Instantly our laughter stopped when someone arrived without permission, sitting on an empty chair next to me. We looked at the man wearing the hat from top to bottom. I couldn't hold the corner of my lips pulled up.

“Assalamu’alaikum everything ..”.

“Wa’alaikum salam ..” Answer the three of us almost simultaneously.

“Mas, really, here?” my mouth almost gaped in surprise. Suddenly Ghufron came and sat down next to me, without giving any news first.

“Can't you come here? Yeah, that's it. Mas go, nih!”

“Eh!” I pulled the sleeve of his shirt because he was about to move. Make Ghufron mas sit back, “kok can, anyway? Is there a shift schedule today?”

“There, Nduk. But it's tonight. It's also running out of administration, so you can stop by here.”

“Kok can know me here?”

“Take a guess, anyway, earlier. Coincidentally fitting, surprise, right?”

I shook my head, the arrival of Ghufron really surprised me. A surprise that made me happy, because my longing was finally treated.

“There is still class?”

I nodded while looking at the clock that was coiled around the wrist, “still about 40 minutes away, anyway, Mas.”

“Alhamdulillah no time to chat.”

I smiled at a glance when I realized Ghufron was looking at me, making me bow my head in shame. Three of my best friends were elbowing each other while whispering, they must be itching to tease me but hesitating because there is a Ghufron mas.

Ghufron and I talked like we were alone in the cafeteria. Ignoring the existence of Aina, Addis and Ratri who seemed only as a loyal listener and audience.

Like a pair of people who let go of each other long because they did not meet for a long time, Ghufron and I were busy chatting. This fiancee of mine has always been a great interlocutor. However, I realized something else in him, but Ghufron looked pale despite being excited and laughing a lot.

Makes me moved to find out, “mas tired, huh? Looks like lemes?”

“Yes, nih. Lately I am tired easily and often sleepy. Blood sugar mas rose times, huh?”

“Udah checked yet?”

“Mas never check blood sugar, Nduk.”

“Try sometime checked, Mas! If you know, right, can be anticipated since the beginning.”

“When Mas check, deh. Inget.”

“Do not inget, Mas. But it must be a real intention, for the sake of health, you know.”

“Yes, how, Nduk? Sometimes it's intent, but it's completely forgotten. You, don't you, know yourself. But I will not forget how to love you, Nduk.”

I slapped Ghufron's shaken shoulders with laughter. That is, he always has a gap to joke when we talk very seriously though. Success made me cover my face with both palms in shame. All three of my best friends were cheering in teasing me and Ghufron.

That afternoon I was very happy, but Ghufron and three of my best friends also looked happy. Maybe this is called a happy feeling can be contagious. Close to people who emit a happy hue, it will also be happy.

However, I forgot that nothing is eternal in this mortal world. Even the happiness I feel does not last forever. For God has arranged when we are tested with pleasure, when we will be tested with sadness. Likes will surely turn sad, and vice versa, because the wheels of the world will continue to spin.

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Seriate....

Hanging, huh? Intentionally, hehe