To Mutia

A thread of thin thread

"The coffee is cold. Make a new one."

Along with that Ghifar put a ceramic cup on the bar table, attracting the attention of Mutia who was busy with a frying pan and to prepare breakfast.

Mutia stared at Ghifar for a moment, before lingering over the ceramic cup that the man had just placed. The coffee is cold, he said? Obviously it was cold, considering Ghifar asked —or rather told— Mutia to make the coffee, after the dawn prayer, then after he served coffee, then after he served coffee, the man walked away for a jog and returned an hour later.

"Hey! You didn't hear? Quickly make a new one. I can't start the day without a cup of coffee." said Ghifar, complete with his annoying tone. "Remember, don't instant coffee. You gotta..."

"Destroying the seeds with a coffee machine and brewing them with cooked hot water, not water from the dispenser." cut Mutia, making Ghifar glare. "Master's been saying it for the past two weeks."

Without saying another word Ghifar left Mutia. Although Azril had told her everything that had happened to Mutia, she was still unable to make peace with the past.

While the abandoned Mutia let out a long sigh. His black bead continued to stare fixedly at Ghifar's back which was getting away. Despite repeated reminders, he deserves to be mistreated by Ghifar because of what he did to the man in the past, still, his heart felt claustrophobic when the man who once claimed to love him, now treated him like an enemy.

It is true that love and hate are only separated by a thin thread. At times the thread may break off and the feeling will quickly change.

"Don't expect you to be able to work quietly, Mutia. You have to pay for every pain and disappointment you've given me." is the sentence Ghifar said after getting out of the hospital and coming home.

Mutia thought, Ghifar can't be that cruel to her. But it turned out that the man really treated her badly. Although he tried his best, in Ghifar's eyes he was always wrong. Ghifar will search for his mistakes, and if he does not find them, Ghifar will make them.

Like this morning, Mutia had to make coffee twice for Ghifar.

"Mut, is the breakfast over?"

"Eh?" jolted in shock, Mutia turned to Lamia who had been standing next to her since when. "In a moment, Tea."

Mutia turned off the stove, then moved the fried rice shrimp from the pan to the serving plate, after which she switched to the coffee machine.

"Who else do you want to make coffee for, Mut?" Lamia asked, making Mutia turn her head.

"Mr Ghifar, Tea."

"The coffee was cold, so I asked for a new one." suddenly Ghifar's voice interjected. Attract the attention of two pairs of eyes that were talking about it.

"You've only been jogging for an hour, obviously the coffee's cooling off. You should have asked Mutia after coming home from jogging, would have pity Mutia so have to work twice." Lamia approached her sister who was sitting in the bar stool.

"That's my goal. Make him bother, not feel at home and finally leave this house." then Ghifar breezed away, not caring for the brother who shook his head to see his behavior.

"Mutia," Lamia turned to look at the pregnant woman who had just turned off the coffee machine. "Did you and Ghifar know each other before I introduced you?"

Mutia's movement that would brew coffee stopped for a few seconds. If Ghifar's brother acts like he doesn't know me, it means he doesn't want anyone to know about our past. Then he responded with a head.

"Why can a god think like that?"

"Eitherway. I noticed Ghifar always looked at you as if you had made a mistake that was hard to forgive." Lamia's words felt like a sharp knife piercing Mutia's heart. "But at one time, I once accidentally caught a look of longing and love in Ghifar's eyes, when he saw you."

Instead of missing me, Ghifar would have wanted to break my heart for what hurt him to such an extent. No more love for me, all that's left is hate.

"Teh, instead of Mr. Ghifar having lived and studied in the city of Prabumulih, but why did Teteh not know about the city?" rather than discuss Ghifar's feelings further, Mutia chose to shift the subject.

Lamia looked at Mutia who was picking up the cupcases in the cabinet, with her eyebrows knitted. "Do you know where Ghifar lived and attended school in Prabumulih?"

Mutia wavered, but then she managed to find the right answer. "A few days ago I cleaned Mr. Ghifar's room and saw his pictures set in several places in my hometown, I also saw Mr. Ghifar's diploma hanging in figura. Mr. Ghifar is a vocational high school graduate."

Lamia nodded slowly while smiling. "Papa was assigned to help the branch office in the city when Mama became pregnant. Because Papa's work there took quite a long time, Papa took Mama with him, while I was entrusted to Eyang. Ghifar was born in that city. After Papa's task was completed, they invited Ghifar to return to Bandung. But Ghifar, who was already comfortable in the city, refused to join Mama and Papa. For several years they settled in the city, occasionally visiting me who lived with Eyang. As far as I know, Prabumulih it, yes Palembang. You see, both my parents more often say the city of Palembang. Then two and a half years ago, for some reason Ghifar suddenly decided to stay with me, while our parents returned to Bandung."

Suara deheman memecah keheningan. Ghifar sang pelaku tengah berkacak pinggang di ambang pintu pembatas antara dapur dan ruang makan. "Jika kalian terus berbincang, kapan sarapannya. Dan kopiku pasti akan kembali mendingin. Mutia, cepat bawa sarapan ke meja makan!"

As Ghifar's figure had disappeared, Lamia approached Mutia and lightly rubbed the woman's arm. "Don't take care of all Ghifar's attitude and words. He's hard to get along with someone."

But I used to know him as a friendly and warm person. Has the attitude of Ghifar changed, also because of me?