TWELVE DAYS OF LOVE

Family is Medicine

Slowly my eyes opened, following the command of my humming stomach. The aroma of cooking from the kitchen is so tempting. I hungry.

There was no time for a clock to be heard in the middle room, twelve times.

"Have you woken up, Fadil?" Mama emerged from the kitchen.

"Yes, Mom. What cooking is that? It looks so delicious. Fadil's hungry, Mom."

"Gulai jackfruit and fish fried sauce. Eat it, son."

I got up, walked towards the kitchen. A moment to turn the water tap in the dishwasher, wash your hands and face.

"The sisters haven't stepped up yet?" ask me after that.

"Awhile more. Eat first."

"Murray?"

"Yes, Mamak accompany you to eat."

I opened a plate that was cupped to the dinner table. The mama who was already there immediately spooned the rice into it. Soon gulai jackfruit and fish fried sauce have accompanied my nasiku.

"What a delicacy this is, Fadil has not eaten such delicious food for a long time," I said as I fed my mouth with food on my plate.

My mother smiled while accompanying me to eat. Every grain of rice that goes into my stomach feels so delicious. Either because I'm really hungry or I miss Mamak's cooking.

A glass of water has drained my throat. Loving.

Mama was washing the old dishes, I watched her. Look at every stroke on his face. There's a lot of meaning to each stroke, maybe one of them is about me. My mom always thinks of me and my boyfriend.

"Assalamualaikum .. assalamualaikum ...."

Reverie caved. My sisters came home.

Safira, Nadira and Zagi walked together like ducks towards the kitchen.

"Momel ... Mamak ... we go home," cried the youngest Zagi.

They seemed to know where Mamak was so they did not see me who was also on the other side of the kitchen.

One by one they kissed Mamak's hand.

"You guys go home together?" ask Mamak to them.

"Yes, Mom. We all stopped by Cindai's house. This morning he came from the city. Sister Cindai sharing stationery for all of us." Safira my first sister replied. This is the first time I've seen her in a white-gray uniform. He's now first class High School.

"Rubber, Mother. Look at this, Zagi can write books, drawing books, color pencils and rulers." The youngest excitedly showed off the items he called earlier to Mamak. In my shadow, Zagi is still very small. But the logo of the letter V on the shoulder of his uniform indicates that he is now fifth grade SD.

"Nadira's got better, Mom. This pen box is complete with the mirror." This time it was my second sister who spoke.

Nadira the ceriwis. That's how I called her because her little lips never ran out of material to make a sound. In a blue-white uniform, he was second-rate now.

"What's so good about using a mirror?" Zagi interrupted Nadira.

"It can be used to reflect." Nadira.

"Would school want to study or do you like?" Zagi challenged.

"Yes, I like it. Studying in style is okay."

"Heh .. The two of you are still in a fuss. That means a lot was Cindai's house?" Mamak mediated the two boys' quarrel.

"Big, Mom. The kids in the hallway next to all the parts. The one in the hallway here is just the three of us who were told to come. Maybe the three of us are special." Nadira explained.

Cindai? Since then the name has been called. It looks like .. Not long ago I heard that name.

Cindai .. My brain is trying to remember. However, Mamak's voice was breaking.

"Now look there." My mother pointed at me.

The three of them looked in unison. Their mouths opened, gaping.

"Huh?! Bang Fadil?"

Buk .. buk .. buk!!!

They hit me with hugs. I hugged the three of them at the same time.

"Bang ... Zagi misses you too much."

"Nadira too."

"Safira moreover, Bang."

"Abang also misses these sweaty boys," I said as I kissed their heads one by one.

"The smell of sweat is only Nadira and Zagi Bang, if Safira is already fragrant now." Safira said with a laugh.

The two names he called were definitely not accepted. The commotion happened again. That was how the three boys were each time they argued and mocked each other.

But .. I miss seeing that.

And as usual, Mamak who was going to be the referee, stopped the match.

***

First night at home.

We were all in the living room after having dinner together. Dad has been home since afternoon, he is now enjoying his favorite black coffee.

For a moment, my gaze was fixed on my father. It seemed that the look of the aging face was so calm. Yeah, dad's the kind of guy who doesn't talk much.

Sometimes .. when he's sick we don't know.

Dad had some rice fields with some workers helping him. System to produce results. It was the result of my father's paddy field that had supported our family and led me to become a scholar. Sometimes when the harvest is not good, mamak intervened, helping father make a living by selling cakes in the market.

My gaze now turned to the figure beside my father. Mama is folding some clothes. Mamak, a mighty woman to me.

I looked at the other three people in the room.

My sisters are busy with their books. But Safira occasionally plays his game.

"Safira nih, learn or play hape?" Apparently Nadira also observed the Safira polah.

"Emang napa's? Sirik you are Nadira." Safira.

"Ahh ... Just tell me, Brother again WA-an same Bang Randy right?" Nadira chattering.

Safira did not reply, only giving an anxious expression to Nadira.

"Bang Randy was his upperclassman Kak Safira, eleventh grade, head of OSIS, the most handsome and wealthy in school." Nadira explains with an exaggerated expression that looks funny.

"Be quiet Nadira!" Safira did not accept.

"Tau ndak Bang, several times Kak Safira was picked up by Bang Randy, he said he wanted to study together, but Nadira knew." Nadira continued as if he did not care about Safira's ban.

Hearing his sister's last words, Sapphira immediately lunged towards Nadira, with her right hand smothering Nadira's mouth.

Nadira looks trying to thrash.

"Sister Nadira said it was right, Bang." This time it was Zagi who spoke.

Safira immediately turned to look towards Zagi.

"You again, snot-nambokin boy anyway." Safira.

Gaining Safira's sinister gaze, Zagi immediately ran towards me, sat sweetly and held tightly to my arm.

The same thing was done by Nadira. When Safira was caught off guard, he had freed himself and asked for protection by my side.

The two boys are now flanking my seat.

Mom and dad just smiled and shook their heads looking at us. It seems like this has happened.

It turns out that Nadira and Zagi's attack on Safira has not been completed.

"Know ndak Bang, but Bang Damar also likes Kak Safira." Nadira continued.

"The room? Who's that?" my many.

"Kak Safira's classmates, they have been in class since Junior High. Nadira knew from Wulan his younger brother Bang Damar. But wonder why Kak Safira even chose Bang Randy, even though Bang Damar was a very good person. Bang Randy is arrogant. If you pick up Safira just never want to go into the house. Maybe because he's a rich man. But if Bang Damar every play here must always chat with Mamak, sometimes help Mamak if Mamak is working on something."

Nadira's explanation was also lived by Safira. "Yes that. What's called a girl is realistic, it's definitely choose a richer man."

For some reason Sapphira's words made me think of Naura. Has Naura forgotten me? Has Naura lived a realistic life and is now with another man who can fulfill her wishes and her family?

"Bang ... Bang ... Why is your WA profile picture a dry tree like this? Yesterday was a picture of Brother and Sister Naura who were beautiful like that artist." Nadira's voice beside me broke my daydream.

I lyrically towards him who is fiddling with his gawai.

"Isn't he?" Safira was curious and checked in his cave.

"Abang is no longer the same Brother Naura." I replied.

"Well?!" Safira and Nadira were shocked.

"Why can Bang? And we're all so happy to see that brother's girlfriend. Beautiful as an artist on tv." Nadira commented.

"Abang less rich," I said.

"meaning?" Safira asked.

"Abang was unable to meet the request of Nadira's parents to provide the wedding expenses they wanted," I replied.

"Yes, geez. That's so bad of them. Didn't know that Bang Fadil is a good and responsible man. They must have regretted rejecting Bang Fadil just because of the cost of the wedding." Safira.

"What's different about Safira? Prefer the rich Bang Randy over the good Bang Damar?" Nadira interrupted.

All that was there laughed. Safira was only able to blush in embarrassment, realizing she had been trapped by her own words.

Everyone was silent when Mamak spoke.

"Mamak and Dad will never interfere with the soul mate you will choose. Mamak and Dad's job is only to educate you to be a proper soul mate. The boys will be husbands ... the head of the household .. must be responsible, must be able to give a sufficient living, guide his family well. The daughters will be wives. Despite high school and career, still must not forget the nature of a wife, caring for her husband and children. From the childhood of Sapphira and Nadira, Mamak taught to be good at doing household work to become stock when they were married later."

"If Zagi has grown up later, want to find a soul mate like Sister Cindai." The youngest suddenly nodded.

I turned to her, "Son Cindai? Who's she?"

"Sir Cindai is a teacher at Zagi school, so if the school calls her Miss Master Cindai, but if outside call her Kak Cindai. Cindai is a very nice guy, always helps us learn, always gives us the gift of stationery. Mamak only if you have met sister Cindai likes to smile on her own like a person who is in love." Zagi explained.

I glanced at Mamak, "How come it is, Mommy?"

"Is it wrong that Mamak is amazed?" Mama answered with a blush.

"But Scan is a woman, isn't Mak?" ask again.

"Mamak was amazed at Cindai because she was a good woman. Don't you remember him Fadil? Your childhood friend. When you were little you used to play together."

I'm speechless. Then my memory drifted to a few years ago, my childhood. Playing at times and paddy fields is what we often do.

Cindai .. I try to remember her figure.

Hmm .. I think I remembered it. Cindai .. the buluk boy. Our class was three years adrift. Since he was younger, I easily mocked him.

How not ... Scan it very slowly. Not to mention physically he was very laughable. Hair bowl complete with straight line bangs, similar to Boboho's girlfriend.

Remembering that for a moment I laughed.

"Ha .. ha .. ha ...."

They looked at me asking me the meaning of my laughter.

"Fadil remember, Mom. The Cindai hair bowl, right?"

"That was childhood, Fadil!" said Mamak.

"But ... Why did I never see him back home in this village?"

"When you went to town to continue High School, Cindai moved to her grandmother's village, Junior High School, and went there. Then after that he went to the city, if he came home he did not go to this village but to his grandmother's village. It was only after he finished college that he returned here, becoming a contract teacher at Zagi school."

"Know ndak Bang, so much the fan Mamak to Kak Cindai, every time we show a photo of Kak Naura beautiful, Mamak even said that Kak Cindai is still more beautiful, but, though it was clear that Kak Naura was similar to the artists on tv." Nadira interrupted.

"Hushy!" Mamaak is furious with Nadira.

"He .. he .. he .... Sorry, Mak. Your secret?" Nadira meredek Mamak's.

Mamak did not answer just give the symbol with the index finger attached to his lips.

The curiosity of the figure of Cindai, burst into my mind. As for what his form is now to make Mamak amazed at him. Even ... considers him better than Naura.

Wait a minute .. The masked girl! Didn't he say his name at the time? Yes, Scan! And ... The items he carried were stationery.

Means ... Scan what they were referring to was the masked girl I met on that trip.

Which I think ... she's a silly girl!

***