Devotion (A Devotion)
Branching

“Seru yes sheep, Dek?” ask my two children.

“I'm a cracker-eating champion, Mom. Mas marbles race champion.” They showed me the gift that night.

There was guilt in their hearts seeing their excitement. [Children want to take part in the race on the field.] Mas Hadi's message was recorded in memory, making me try to think positively for my children. If they go to the hospital to take care of them, I will not hear their cheerful laughter like this.

“Oh, yes? So great you guys!” I kiss them one by one. The sour smell of sweat on the tops of their heads and their clothes I breathed with shahdu.

“Change first, Dek. Smell!” I said close my nose. Although sour, the aroma is very much missed all morning until the evening before.

Mas Hadi tidied up the luggage. Clothing for children and breakfast food in the form of bread and milk packaging. He arranged it neatly in a closet that was available next to the television rack. I looked at every move, trying to see if something was different.

“Mas, you sleep next to it, not here! This is my place!” Izal arranged the place he had arranged for himself to sleep. A sofa was stacked with several pillows that he brought from home. He did not allow his brother to occupy the place he had tidied up.

“Ngga want, I'm there!” Ivan refers to the place that Izal tidied up.

“Already, already! Adek tetep here, Mas near Mr.” Mas Hadi mediates.

Hearing his father's voice, the two children were silent. Ivan inched closer to Mas Hadi. My second son is more understanding than his brother.

Izal put his mouth out. “Huh!”

“Udah, dong! Mom's sleepy time, just want to fight? Just tell me, how was the lamb? Yes shouting? Who is coming?”

“Tadi almost lost, Mom. But I ate the crackers fast. Trus finally won, deh.” Izal narrated his victory scene with enthusiasm. “The champion of two Alfin. I can beat Alfin,” he exclaimed proudly.

My chest explodes hearing it. “Oh, Alfin is in the race too?” I tried to draw further information to my children. Aren't kids the most trustworthy news source?

“Iya, Mom. His house has moved. How to still come, Mom?” ask Izal curiously. Izal does not understand the meaning of the word divorce. He only knows, his little friend moved house with his sister and his mother, leaving his father.

“Home of his father, right, still on our RT. Maybe because he wants to go to his father's house,” answered me trying to cover up the curiosity that also engulfed himself.

“It didn't exist earlier, Bu.” Ivan passed on his sister's information.

“Oh, yes? Yeah, maybe play with his friends. Kangen the same you guys, kangen the same friends,” I said wisely covered the turmoil in the heart that has been since like hit by hot water when hearing the story of Izal.

“Iya, maybe Bu,” said Ivan slowly.

“Udah, let's go to bed. It's night.”

Mas Hadi turned off the big lights, leaving the sleeping lights on. He is busy changing television channels looking for shows that he likes.

“So how's the USG result?” he opened the conversation.

Izal and Ivan had already fallen asleep in a dream. Feeling tired but happy was on the faces of both of them. I looked at them while taking a deep breath. Hiding the taste that infuriated me all morning until night.

“Nothing,” I replied short.

I don't want to tell my husband what happened. Sharing suffering, to a man who doesn't understand that feeling is like telling a story on a wall. When we tell a story, it will bounce back to myself. Vain. I better keep it to myself.

“Nothing how? Yesterday was a cyst verdict. How come there's no?”

I threw away my face. Huh! Attention-savings. Wasn't he excited to watch dangdut? Now pretend to ask my pain.

“Try to see the results. I was curious about it.” He approached. “Where are the recordings?”

“No need, it's okay. Just pray the list says if I get my period later .” My smile is trying to conquer the turmoil of the heart.

“Ga ah, I'm curious.” He began to search the contents of the drawer located next to my bed.

“Where?” he's still trying to get into my bag, into my wallet. His gaze was fixed on the long envelope tucked between the items in the bag. He immediately grabbed and opened it.

“Which yesterday he said cyst?” he showed me the picture in front of me. The photo of the USG results from Doctor Titin was flipped through it many times. I saw his eyes round watching every inch of the picture on the white paper.

Mas Hadi took a cell phone and photographed the USG results. His flash of light flashed through the edge of my vision. What is it to photograph? Didn't that result prove that there was nothing else in my body.

“Maybe it's taken the same man who last night came to your dream,” he muttered slowly.

“Syirik believe so. Even if it does not exist, it could be that the problem has already broken. Believe me exactly the same dream,” my grunts are upset.

“Lho, you don't know. Didn't I tell you. I know what happened in your dream. I told that man.” He was still observing the results of the USG in his hands.

“Oh, yes. Tomorrow someone will come here.”

“Who?” my eyes glittered, my earlobes stood up.

“Look at tomorrow, you will know who,” he said proudly to see I was curious.

“What do you mean, Mas anyway?” I'm starting to dislike being played.

“I tell you, tomorrow someone will come here to see you.”

“Iya, who?”

“You don't need to know.”

“If you do not want to tell, it would be nice for Mas not to be curious. What to tell?”

“Later if I told you, no surprise his name. Just trust your husband. I have science branching.”

Nah, kan. Started again. Have this science. Can see this and that, admired women, and other skills that I can't understand. “Because of that Pomegranate Mirah Stone ring? Here's to me just the ring, Mas.”

“You won't be strong to wear it,” it looks good.

“The time of the ring alone is not strong make, what is so great cheap ring? Shirk, mas. Shirk his name if we as Muslims believe the same power of the ring.”

“Lho, says the incandescent, this is the King ring.”

“Cockfirms to trust. Everyone can make up any story. I can make up a story that the ring belongs to his Queen, not to his King.”

“Lho, wrong! It belongs to the King, not the Queen.” I saw her serious eyes trying to make me believe.

“Likes me. I told the story. Just like his shaman. Like shamans, he has a story. Is the King's ring cheap? What if the king's ring had many? What is the King of many?” Sebal only saw him believe the shaman.

“Udah, I want to sleep. Tired! But tomorrow don't forget, there are guests coming here. The next morning I go home and get some clean clothes.”

*****

A subtle knock was heard behind the door. The voices whispered, I sharpened my ears to make it clearer.

“Log in!” yells restrained.

Mas Hadi drove the children home to pick up clothes and buy food.

Some faces that I know very well, came out from behind the door. I smiled at who was coming. So this, the guest that Mas Hadi told you about last night.

“Eh, Mrs Nofi. Login, Bu.” Out of nowhere, suddenly Mas Hadi had arrived in front of the room. He came alone without children.