It's For Love # 94 (Bilingual)

Laila memeluk tubuhnya dengan kedua tangan. Sekujur tubuhnya gemetar. Laki-laki setengah tua yang selalu membantu memuluskan jalannya, memang masuk rumah sakit dua hari lalu. Dia tidak tahu, hal itu ada hubungannya dengan Hoshi.

Dia benar-benar terpojok sekarang. Tubuhnya bergidik, membayangkan anak cucunya keluar masuk rumah sakit. Senjata rahasianya sudah terpegang Hoshi. Yang membuatnya bisa bertahan melewati semuanya selama ini, adalah mengetahui kapan dia harus berhenti.

“Sudah selesai?” tanya Yo, ketika Hoshi masuk mobil.

“Sudah,” sahut Hoshi singkat.

“Kau benar-benar membuat laki-laki itu masuk rumah sakit?” tanya Yo penasaran.

“Berapa tahun kamu kenal aku, Yo?” Hoshi memejamkan mata.

“Kirain kamu kalap karena ini berhubungan dengan Afra.” Yo mendesah lega.

Kepala Hoshi yang bersandar ke sandaran bangku depan mobil, menoleh ke arah luar. Tatapannya menyapu gedung-gedung tinggi yang berdiri megah berjajar.

“Tentu saja aku kalap. Tapi tak akan membuatku berbuat rendah seperti mereka … dia masuk rumah sakit, karena terlalu banyak orang yang sudah disakitinya. Segala sesuatu punya tenggang waktu … santet dan semua hal sejenisnya, tidak terkecuali.”

Yo terdiam sesaat. “Sahammu di perusahaan agribisnis mereka sudah sah.”

“Kasih ke Rafka. Pindahkan dengan cara yang halus. Hadiah perkawinan mereka.”

“Hosh, jumlahnya luar—“ Kalimat Yo berhenti di tengah jalan, ketika Hoshi melihat ke arahnya, dengan alis terangkat tinggi.

“Siap, Bos.” Yo mengarahkan pandangannya ke depan. Hoshi tidak mengatakan sepatah kata pun. Tapi berhubungan intens sembilan tahun dalam pasang surut bisnis Hoshi, membuatnya mengenal laki-laki itu luar dalam.

Hoshi mengubah ruang kerjanya menjadi reading room pribadi. Semua hal yang ada hubungannya dengan Afra di ruangan itu, disingkirkannya. Tempat persembunyian dari dunia luar. Rumahnya kembali sepi. Orangtuanya memutuskan kembali ke rumah. Kata Mama, kondisi Papa sudah mulai membaik.

Suara Jon McLaughlin mengalun.

You’re in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two
So close together
And when I’m with you
So close to feeling alive
A life goes by
Romantic dreams will stop
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew
So close was waiting, waiting here with you
And now forever I know
All that I wanted to hold you
So close
So close to reaching that famous happy end
Almost believing this was not pretend
And now you’re beside me and look how far we’ve come
So far we are so close
How could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?
We’re so close
To reaching that famous happy end
And almost believing this was not pretend
Let’s go on dreaming for we know we are
So close
So close
And still so far

Mata Hoshi terpejam. Semuanya seperti mimpi. Baru kemarin Afra jadi miliknya. Mereka berdua sudah merencanakan bulan madu. Di mana mereka akan tinggal. Bahkan jumlah anak dan sekolah mereka.

Dadanya semakin sesak, mengingat mereka berdua, berselisih tentang jumlah anak yang akan mereka miliki. Dia ingin punya sebanyak mungkin anak. Tapi Afra maksimal hanya ingin memiliki tiga anak.

Kita bisa memiliki anak asuh sebanyak mungkin. Banyak anak-anak yang membutuhkan orang dewasa yang mampu melindungi mereka. Alasan Afra saat itu. Dia mengikuti kemauan Afra. Mereka berdua mencari yayasan-yayasan yang menaungi anak-anak dan orang-orang kurang beruntung.

Hoshi menarik nafas panjang. Kedua tangannya menjambak rambut. Mimpinya belasan tahun, yang sudah di depan mata buyar. Dia membiarkan airmatanya mengalir. Apa artinya hidup tanpa Afra di sisinya? Dia kehilangan passion melakukan apa pun. Tubuhnya bergidik, menghabiskan sisa hidupnya seperti ini.

Mempertahankan Afra di sisinya, akan menghancurkan mereka berdua. Walaupun dia yakin, Rafka tidak akan mengambil kesempatan dari musibah ini. Rasa bersalah Afra, akan menggerogoti jiwanya dari dalam.
Afra yang tidak bahagia. Bukan itu kehidupan yang diimpikannya bersama Afra. Ingatannya melayang ke pagi terakhir sebelum kecelakaan naas itu terjadi.

“Semuanya akan baik-baik saja, Ra.”

Afra mengangguk. “Ya … semuanya akan baik-baik saja.”

“Kamu masih ingat pembicaraan kita tentang kiriman?”

Afra tersenyum lemah. “Santet?”

“Aku tidak akan menggunakan kata itu … sangat tidak elegan. Tidak intelek..”

Afra terpaksa tertawa. “Mana ada hal yang elegan tentang hal seperti itu Hosh.”

“Kalau hal itu bisa jadi detektor kelemahanmu, bukankah nama yang pantas harus dianugerahkan pada santet?”

“Kenapa kau memilih nama kiriman?”

“Konotasinya di otakku hadiah … sebagai pengingat juga, kita sedang jauh dari Allah.”

“Bagaimana kau bisa mengetahui tentang hal ini, Hosh?”

“Bisnisku bisa sebesar ini, karena melalui banyak hal … hal-hal seperti ini salah satunya.”

Hoshi menarik nafas panjang. Situasi ini luar biasa berat baginya. Dia tahu, Afra juga merasakan hal yang sama. Tapi memaksakan keinginannya, juga bukan solusi terbaik. Berkali-kali ia menarik nafas panjang. Meyakinkan diri sendiri tanpa henti, semua yang telah ditetapkan untuknya, pasti yang terbaik. Menurut Yang Maha Teliti dan Maha Bijaksana.

ENGLISH VERSION

Laila hugged her body with both hands. Her whole body trembled. The elderly man who always helped her smooth her way, was admitted to the hospital two days ago. She does not know, it has something to do with Hoshi.

She's really cornered now. Her body shuddered, imagining her grandchildren out of the hospital. The secret weapon. Hoshi had held. What keeps her going through it all is to know when she should stop.

"Is it over?" Yo asked, as Hoshi got in the car.

"Yes," Hoshi said shortly.

"You really got him into the hospital?" Yo asked curiously.

"How many years do you know me, Yo?" Hoshi closed his eyes.

"Because you're crazy because it's related to Afra." Yo sighed with relief.

Hoshi's head leaned against the back of the car's front seat, looking outward. His gaze swept over the tall buildings that stood majestically in rows. "Of course I'm crazy. But it will not make me do as they are ... he's in the hospital, because there are too many people he has hurt. Everything has a grace period ... witchcraft and all the like, no exception. "

Yo paused for a moment. "Your stock in their agribusiness company is legal."

"Gave it to Rafka. Move it in a subtle way. Their wedding gift. "

"Hosh, an amount is out-" Yo's sentence stopped in the middle of the street, as Hoshi looked at her, his eyebrows raised high.

"It’s done, Boss." Yo pointed her gaze forward. Hoshi did not say a word. But the nine years of intense contact in the ups and downs of Hoshi's business, made her know the man deep inside.

Hoshi changed his workroom into a private reading room. All the things that had anything to do with Afra in the room, he set aside. The hideout of the outside world. His house was quiet again. His parents decided to return home. Mother says father's condition is improving. In his heart he was very grateful, his parents gave him time alone

Jon McLaughlin's voice flowed.

You’re in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two
So close together
And when I’m with you
So close to feeling alive
A life goes by
Romantic dreams will stop
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew
So close was waiting, waiting here with you
And now forever I know
All that I wanted to hold you
So close
So close to reaching that famous happy end
Almost believing this was not pretend
And now you’re beside me and look how far we’ve come
So far we are so close
How could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?
We’re so close
To reaching that famous happy end
And almost believing this was not pretend
Let’s go on dreaming for we know we are
So close
So close
And still so far

Hoshi's eyes closed. Everything is like a dream. Only yesterday Afra became his. They both had planned honeymoon. Where they will stay. Even the number of children and their schools.

His chest was getting congested, remembering the two of them, at odds about the number of children they would have.
He wants to have as many children as possible. But Afra max only wants to have three children.

We can have as many foster children as possible. Many children need adults to protect them. Afra's reason then. He followed Afra's will. They both searched for foundations that overshadowed disadvantaged children.

Hoshi took a deep breath. His hands grabbed his hair. His dream of a dozen years, which is in front of the eye is dispersed. He let his tears flow. What does it mean to live without Afra by his side? He lost his passion to do anything. His body shuddered, spending the rest of his life like this.

But keeping Afra by his side will destroy both of them. Although he was convinced, Rafka would not take the opportunity of this disaster. Afra's guilt will gnaw her soul from within.

An unhappy Afra, that was not the life he dreamed of with Afra. His memory drifted to the last morning before the unfortunate accident happened.

"Everything's going to be all right, Ra."

Afra nodded. "Yes ... everything will be all right."

"Do you remember our conversation about the shipment?"

Afra smiled weakly. "Santet?"

"I will not use that word ... it's not very elegant. No intellect .. "

Afra had to laugh. "Where's the elegant thing about it like that Hosh."

"If it could be a detector of your weakness, should not a proper name be bestowed on witchcraft?"

"Why did you pick a shipment name?"

"The connotation in my brain is a gift ... as a reminder too, we are far from Allah.."

"How do you know about this, Hosh?"

"My business can be this big, because through so many things ... things like this one of them."

Hoshi took a deep breath. The situation is extraordinarily hard for him. He knew, Afra also felt the same way. But imposing his wishes, also not the best solution. Many times he took a deep breath. Convincing himself endlessly, everything Allah has set for him, must be the best. According to the Most Exemplary and All-Wise.

Bandung Barat, Kamis 26 April 2018
Warm Regards

Cici SW

Source:1, 2