Tidying Up Asa, Inviting Hidayah

63. Playing with Heart.

💕 Do not try to play with the heart, if not ready to fall in love. Whether it is done or not, it will hurt just as much.💕

String.

The rustling sound of bamboo leaves being blown by the wind, drove away the desolate ones that were swarming. The creaking of bamboo stems clashing against each other, sounding pained as if piercing the heart. The cloud cloud is cloudy up there, just like I feel right now.

I sat on the edge of the gazebo, staring at the wide-open gate. Jeep car wheel tracks on dry land, seen fading due to swept wind. I exhaled a rough breath, smiling wryly at the large black plastic bag and the group of ornamental plants in the pot which were all good.

Whys? Why is this feeling coming back now? A feeling I had to get used to since childhood, for being the number two child. How does it feel to be compared to a brother and is often considered to have the same favorite with a sister.

Brother Neesha who has white skin, narrow eyes and straight hair. While I was brown-skinned, round eyes and wavy hair, tended to be curly. A lot of people say, Aneesha is prettier than me. Even the neighbors call Mother by the call of her Mother Aneesha, not the Mother Jenar.

Humanly, is it not that I am envious? Although it does not mean hate my brother, because I love him very much, like he also loves me very much. However, the treatment of the people who often compare between me and Brother Neesha, of course makes me feel uncomfortable.

Like Brother Lion who brought my brother's favorite items as souvenirs for me. To be honest, this hurts my feelings. It is the same that he thinks of me as Brother Neesha, even though we are two different humans who happen to have a blood relationship. Our faces, traits, attitudes and favorites are almost nothing in common. Wrong if Brother Lion thinks I can replace the position of brother in his heart. I don't want to just be made an outlet for love not until.

You Lion! STTS, pretentious but wrong. I should have asked him to bring back all these things. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage to do that. It doesn't feel good to hurt someone nice to me. After all, it can still be given to others, to be more useful.

I cut my eyes off from staring at the gate, then looked down. In my heart I feel sorry for myself. Is it too tragic the fate I am experiencing? Left gone prospective husband for good, until Brother Lion thinks I need a replacement backrest? Even if that's what he thinks, why not try to get to know me, rather than think I'm the same as Neesha's sister?

A gust of wind hit the body, waving the headscarf and the tip of the skirt I was wearing. The air feels cold and humid, surely because the cloudy gets more concentrated. I lowered my head even deeper, the atmosphere supporting me to ponder for a moment.

“An overcast afternoon girl is sitting pensively alone.” A sound made me look up, “Be careful. Weduse pa’e wingi dead (his goat father died yesterday).” said Mbak Nanda complete with a mocking smile. I don't know when he's been standing in front of me.

“Because bengong, yes, Mbak?” aska I want to know.

“Not, anyway. Indeed slaughtered the same pa’e,” replied Mbak Nanda with a small laugh, reflex I also laughed to hear his joke.

“When to come, Ma'am?”

“Tuh, right? Until I don't know her brother came.” replied Mbak Nanda while sitting next to me.

“Whose name, Ma'am?” I asked to take over the cute baby from Nanda's mother's arms. I couldn't help but hold the baby girl in my arms, every time she came.

“Sama mas Faiz and pa’e too. Ew! Immediately check the renovator, nyari Hara may.” replied Mbak Nanda after handing over her little daughter.

“Pak Hara just got home,” I explained.

“oya? How, the car is still here?” Nanda didn't seem to believe me.

“He went home with Brother Lion, he said told Kak Reyfan his car was left,” I explained again

Nanda's mother frowned, as if she wasn't sure of my explanation. Reasonable, anyway. I'm not sure Reyfan asked Mr. Hara to leave the car.

I told Mbak Nanda about the arrival of Brother Lion and Pak Hara who suddenly behaved strangely. Ma'am Nanda laughed after hearing my story, even to the point of being uproar.

“This Lion his friend Aneesha who often comes here that, right?” I nodded in response to Nanda's question.

“Babangin face him when invited to go with Hara, definitely be te bang.” Mbak Nanda said in between laughter.

“But I didn't think, yes, Ma'am. The things he loves me, they're all Neesha's favorite. Kan, I was so upset, Mbak.” I grumbled, spilling the frustration that I had been harboring since. But Nanda laughed even more.

“Eh! You should be thanking Hara, you know. If there is no him, maybe Lion is still here until now and you must be confused how to drive him out.” said Mbak Nanda made me realize something.

With one hand, I immediately took the phone out of my pocket. Lucky little princess Mbak Nanda is always comfortable and calm on the lap, so I can freely send messages. Not waiting long after the message I sent was read, one reply notification came.

Thank you is not enough, you owe me twice.

I exhaled a rough breath after reading a message from Mr. Hara. I hope he doesn't ask for expensive treatment, my money won't be enough later. Imagining Mr. Hara asking to be treated to a meal at a starry restaurant makes my head suddenly dizzy.

“Why are you dumb again, Jen?” mbak Nanda asked, surely he could read my sudden lethargic face.

“Nothing, Ma'am. Just think of something.” replied me origin.

“Something or someone, hayo?” I smiled a little in response to Nanda's clumsiness.

What Nanda said was right, I was thinking about something and someone. About how tomorrow if Brother Lion comes again, also about the contract debt to Pak Hara. It's more dizzy than thinking about the exam.

***

Hara

It's not the first time I've seen an interaction between a man and a woman. It is also common to meet a pair of humans who are making an approach. However, when Lion spoke to Jenar, somehow the concentration on work became split. One side wants to focus on completing the report, while the other side wants to listen to their conversation in full.

Not just like me, since when do I want to interfere in other people's affairs? Was it because of seeing Jenar respond to Lion's chat reluctantly? Or because all the items brought by Lion were Aneesha's favorite, not Jenar's? The man was indeed strange, approaching his sister but who remembered the memory of his brother, miris.

Lion does talk a lot and always has the sense to provoke a chat with Jenar. Although it was responded with laziness, but Lion did not give up. The longer Lion who does not understand the attitude of Jenar, makes me careless. Men are synonymous with indifference, but that does not mean they cannot read the body language of the other person. Then the fall is shameless.

A silly idea suddenly flashed in his head. Immediately I finish the job, then take Lion away on the grounds of wanting to ride his car. About Reyfan's alibi asking for the car to be left behind, appearing unplanned. Really, this is the first time I've been such an absurd person and meddled in other people's business. If Reyfan and Hamzah found out, they would've laughed at me.

I managed to take Lion away, even though he continued to grumble along the way. I chose to be busy with the ipad, ignoring it. However, the question he asked while showing a photo on the phone screen managed to attract attention.

I glanced at the photo on the screen, then turned to look at the face of Lion who was focusing on driving. His hand was still holding the phone while looking to the left side for a while.

“That was a photo last year, some time after Aneesha and Reyfan got married. I often go to Yogya, keep stopping by the campus Jenar.” Lion explained, even though I did not ask.

“Truely sweet, yes?” Lion asked with the phone screen constantly facing me.

I looked at a picture of a man and a woman sitting on a park bench. In the photo, Jenar and Lion sit at a distance, but look at each other like they are talking fun.

“I was desperate when Jenar dikhitbah others, but now I feel the opportunity comes again. Maybe Alloh took the future husband of Jenar, because he wanted to match us. Ghufron died, because in fact his soul mate Jenar is me,” Lion said confidently.

I brushed off the hand of Lion holding the phone while smiling cynically. The words Lion spoke made me want to laugh, but of course I held back from offending him.

He could talk confidently like that, even though his approach strategy had been wrong from the beginning. I don't think God would be so joking as to match a pair of humans.

“Pak Hara knows no, a fitting gift for a girl like Jenar?” I was thinking, but Lion has already answered his own question, “Ah! Mr. Hara would not know. You see I have never seen Mr. Hara have a relationship with women.”

Like this if so people have a level of confidence above average. Likes to count things that are not really known, the short term pretentious which is often wrong.

I did not take Lion's words seriously. It doesn't really matter what his assessment of me is. He just wanted to take me home was enough, because we were not so familiar.

Mbak Nabila was standing on the porch of the house, when I got off Lion's car, it seemed like he had just returned home from traveling. He looked at Lion's departure with a curious look.

“Award whom are you?” asked Mbak Nabila by not taking his eyes off the Lion car that was getting away.

“Friends, Ma'am,” my answer is short.

“So morning didn't you bring your own car? How, home delivered by a friend?” ask Mbak Nabila again. It may have been the nature of women, always curious to the smallest detail.

“I stay at Jenar's house, Mbak.” I replied as I stepped into the house.

Mbak Nabila tailed behind, apparently he was not satisfied with my answer. Because, he asked again, “why left? Broken, huh? Strike, can't walk?”

“Not, Ma'am. Yes, I just stay there.” answered me origin, because can hardly find the right answer. How could I possibly say that I wanted to take Lion away on the grounds that Reyfan asked for the car to be left? Mbak Nabila will not understand the situation that happened earlier, right?

I was just about to step back, when the phone in my pocket vibrated a sign there was a message coming in. Soon I took it, saw that the message was important and had to be answered immediately.

I squinted my eyes as I read a few lines of messages from Jenar.

Mr. Hara, I want to say thank you to my father for taking Brother Lion away. If there was no father, maybe now Brother Lion is still here and I do not feel good to throw him out.

Got a naughty idea to prank the girl. I type a reply message, without lingering immediately send it. Unknowingly the two corners of my lips lifted up, while rereading the message I sent. Maybe now the girl is grumbling at my request.

“Chat from whom? The reading, really, those smiles?” The soft sound surprised me and reflexively turned to the side. Mbak Nabila was extending his neck, about to peek at the contents of the message on my phone.

Without exiting the roomchat, I immediately turned off the screen and put the phone back in my pants pocket. Then I hurried away while answering briefly, “not from anyone, Ma'am.”

“Ah! A timing? Rarely do you read a chat with that smile. Must be a special chat from a special person. Yes, right?” mama asked Nabila before I went into the bathroom.

“No special person, Ma'am.” I replied.

“There's no mistake either. You, right, are single.”

I shook my head, undoing the intention of going into the bathroom. Mbak Nabila will not stop asking if he has not received the answer as desired. Lookie! He was still chasing with seduction-styled questions.

“Not really want to tell Mbak?”

“Why are you curious? You know no? If you have a curiosity that is too high, it can lead to disappointment, you.” said me with an intimidating tone so that Mbak Nabila stopped wanting to know.

“That's if you're too curious. Ma'am, right, just want to know, not really want to know.” It's not Mbak Nabila if I don't have a million ways to unlock secrets. But this time I won't falter. Because, there is no special person let alone special chat.

“Hara?”

I took a rough breath before replying, “There is nothing special, Ma'am. Just a chat from a friend, not anyone.”

“Oh, girl friend?”

Yeah, God! How can you send an older sister whose curiosity is so great? Worse, I can barely hide anything from Mbak Nabila. Luckily Naufal came, managed to interrupt the kepo attack from Mbak Nabila. I never thought I would have this funny life.

Of all the events of today, tucked a question in the mind. A responsive attitude that tends to be strange, involuntarily carried away by feelings. What the hell am I doing? Am I playing with my heart?

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Hi friends ....

Permission to leave until Saturday, yes. Let it be for the same time there, hehe. Curious, right? About in the next chapter there is already sparkling love yet? Wait, yeah. 😊