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16 | The Scielhort's
ALL the way home, Julia and I did not talk to each other. Aisha and Ahmed overshadowed me. They seemed to be laughing at me. Meanwhile, with Julia, I did not know what landed on her mind. Maybe, she was still disappointed with my attitude at the campus that never changes.
When I arrived at Julia's house, she then got out of the vehicle, then faced me. Julia's face was still red. I could see Julia holding back her disappointment. I was waiting for Julia to say something. But she said nothing. A gentle breeze then blew, creating dust that fluttered like in the wild wild west.
"I'm sorry," I said softly.
Julia was still silent. She sighed again. I could see her chest puffed out, then deflated. It seemed like Julia felt something that she was previously held back had burst out of her body, but it was not a fart. I could feel the same relief.
"I gotta work," said Julia in motion.
"Need a ride?" I volunteered by my sign.
"No, thanks. I’ll go
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 17 | Kacey Loves Monday
KACEY and I then passed a large swimming pool, which I thought shaped was like a mango leaf. The water was so clear, so it reflected the blue sky, like Kacey's eyes. All around the pool, palm trees were waving by the wind. I could also see several helpers were busy at the back of this giant luxury house.Farther back, there was a building the size of a mini-market franchise that appeared to have been recently built. I could smell the new paint. Up close, I could hear the low sound of the musical instruments inside. I believed this building was a private music studio.When Kacey opened the double doors of the building, there was a booming sound of musical instruments. Knowing people were coming, the sounds suddenly stopped. Inside, there were already three young people who were ready in their respective positions. Kacey introduced me to them.They were Carson the drummer, Andy the guitarist, and Fanny as the keyboardist."Hi," I cupped my palms.The
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 18 | Sincerity
I cleaned up after I got back from Kacey's house earlier. There was still one hour before the recitation program at Aisha's house started. I thought I would have coffee first at Brother Laymisch's stall.When I came out of my room, I saw my mother was seriously watching television in her shop. I thought she was watching her favorite soap opera or something. Just about to say goodbye, I watched the television was broadcasting a news program.I was being curious. I listened to the news about what caught my mother's attention. Apparently, there was news about an underage girl raped to death by eight adult men.Son of a bitch! Coward! I cursed them.Then, I looked at my mother. Her face was flat, and her gaze was blank. Was she really listening to the news or daydreaming? A moment later, she woke up from her emptiness after I turned off the television. She asked where I was going? I told her that I would go to Haji Abdul Rasheed's house for recitation.
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 19 | Incantation
HAJI Abdul Rasheed’s house was like the Nurul Iman Palace of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. There stood firmly high walls with a line of large vents. Apart from the towering main building, the courtyard was also extensive. It was approximately one football field. The yard itself was planted with papyrus and date palms. Anyway, it really looked like the middle east.In this part of the courtyard laid giant carpets and tents. Also, there were standing fans and portable air conditioners that filled every corner of the yard. People flooded from the front of the house to the end of the street. It was very crowded.Located in the Royal Certajava housing complex, Haji Abdul Rasheed’s house was right on the edge of Great Certajava Street bustling with traffic. This street was surrounded by fancy restaurants, like dim sum and pork satay restaurants. There were also fast and junk food outlets, showrooms, car modification workshops, and cafes that were only open
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 20 | Strong Will
THEN, the emcee read out the next schedule. It was the turn of a Muslim scholar who would give a speech. I was surprised when the name of Imam Shahryr was called. I did not see him earlier.Imam Shahryr wore the same clothes he wore when he was present at In-Depth with Aaliyah yesterday. Thawb and guthrah. As he walked towards the pulpit on the stage, the shouts of Allahu Akbar repeatedly resounded.Standing at the pulpit, Imam Shahryr replied to the shout with Allahu Akbar as well. The atmosphere at Abdul Rasheed's house became more crowded. Hundreds of people with turbans suddenly pushed forward before the Imam. It seemed they really intended to listen to his speech.I was sure they are Indonesian Muslim Defender mass.After greeting, Imam Shahryr began his speech by praising the appearance of Aisha, who had just recited Surah At-Tin. I just found out that what Aisha read was apparently Surah At-Tin. But wait a minute. Wasn't Tin is the Arabic for fig t
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 21 | A Ruse
MY cell phone alarm rang. It made me wake up, and it was half-past seven in the morning. As usual, I hurriedly got up and immediately cleaned myself in the bathroom. After that, I rubbed my underarms with deodorant, and I sprayed my body with perfume. Then I put on my shirt and trouser.I swore, at the campus, I would never see Aisha again.I stepped out onto the lawn and heating at my favorite automatic motorbike that I just bought three months ago. But how come there was something odd. Usually, every time I wanted to go to campus, my mother was fussy. But, it was different. I looked at the shop. I saw Jenny was typing on her cell phone. She seemed to be smiling to herself."Don't you go to campus?" I asked while concerned."No," she replied, then smiling."Why?" I was curious."Today is a day off," Jenny burst out laughing.What the hell? I thought aloud."Okay, where is mom?" I asked."At Mother Catherine's house, wor
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 22 | Consent
WHEN Julia opened the package, I could suddenly see that her eyes were sparkling. She tried to cover up her joy by turning her body around. Julia then spread the gown she dreamed of towards the vent. Apparently, she was trying to light up the dress. It was raining. What was she doing?However, Julia looked so happy till she was rolling on the floor. Sorry, I was just exaggerating it."Surprise!" I said with my sign language.Amid Julia admiring the gown she wanted, I shifted to sit on the battered sofa in the living room. She then lowered her dress, turned around again, then looked at me sharply."How much?" she asked by her sign language."200 thousand rupiahs," I answered honestly by my finger alphabets, continuing to dry my body. "And you have to return my money?"I said that on purpose so that Julia felt attached to me for being in debt. I laughed slyly to myself."Impossible?! In online this gown is 500 thousand rupiahs. Where di
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 23 | Law Enforcer(s)
I was curious.Just about to walk towards Julia's house, a woman's voice called out to me. From the tone, I could recognize my mother's voice. She seemed to be walking hurriedly from the direction of the Laymisch's stall. My mother seemed to be holding a file."Lang!" my mother called me."Yes," I answered her."You are awaited in Laymisch's," my mother said as she flicked the file in the air and just passed me.What was making her in such a hurry? Maybe she forgot something while working at Mother Catherine Catering. But, what file was she carrying? It seemed important.Okay, later. Now, there was something more urgent."Lang!" called my mother from inside the shop."Yes," I replied, stopped my intention to go to Julia’s house."Where’s your cell phone," my mother asked. "My phone's credit runs out.""Okay," I turned around and gave her my cell phone.I did not know who she was going to call. B
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 24 | The Tarnished Piety
"Reverence," said Big K.Alright!Mr. P and Matt giggled.They did not know what I just experienced last night at Aisha’s house and this day with Julia. Especially the last name I mentioned--after all disputes--now I even had a cute chat with her older brother.If Julia complained to Big K about what happened in her house earlier, he would cast and throw me in the sea. And my body would never be found.But it seemed Julia did not say anything to Big K.I interrupted in the middle of the song, asking Big K and Cole why they did not work? They replied that they had been overtime the day before. Now they only worked half a day."Where is Santos?" I asked."Dating your lecturer," said Big K."Who?" I was curious."Why should I know? I'm not his mother," he replied.We continued to party while joking. Amid our jokes, the corner of my eye caught something familiar. A black Toyota Avanza was parked across fr
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