Dusk At the End Please
Ibu

The agreement with the father ended on the terms proposed by Akhtar. She is willing to accept her engagement to Raina if she is allowed to see her real mother and take her with her at the engagement.

There was no choice for the middle-aged man. In his twilight years there were actually so many regrets in his heart that only he and God knew.

Without delaying again, after his conversation with Ahsan in a cafe that led to a reality that was quite complicated according to him. Akhtar rushed towards Garut. He left alone without caring about anything else. Company and foundation affairs he gave completely to Ghifar the assistant and his best friend.

No one knew of Akhtar's whereabouts during these two weeks. Ahsan who was worried about her cousin's condition was also worried about it.

Akhtar arrived in Garut early in the morning, because he did not want to disturb and worry grandma and grandpa because of his arrival Akhtar chose to sleep in a mushala not far from his grandfather's house.

Bedug in mushala sounds electrifying nature that still feels silent. Adhan was reverberating unpretentious with chicken cock kokokan signifies the dawn has arrived.

His eyes, which had just closed a few minutes ago, opened again because he heard the sound of a bedug being shot. Slowly Akhtar got up from his sleep, he blinked his eyes as if collecting his life which was still scattered.

Akhtar got up from his seat, went to the toilet to take ablution and performed congregational dawn prayers. After praying he immediately approached his grandfather who looked solemn dhikr.

"Assalamu'alaikum, Cake" said.

"wa'alaikumsalam", the Grandfather turned his head and stopped his activities.

"Akhtar?" the Grandfather looked surprised to find his grandson in front of him.

Finished with his ba'da prayer ritual, Akhtar and his Grandfather returned home.

Akhtar's warm conversation with Grandpa and Grandma became a morning activity that filled the modest house. How happy they were when they met Akhtar. They talk in a kitchen that is quite spacious because it serves as a dining room at once. Aini the granddaughter of their second daughter is currently returning home to her parents.

The grandmother who repeatedly said that she missed Akhtar so much made Akhtar feel guilty because so far it was very rare to visit them.

Their warm conversation ended when a meal for breakfast was available. They enjoyed breakfast quietly and occasionally the Grandma offered Akhtar to add to her meal.

After breakfast Akhtar and Grandpa went to the back door. They sit on a terrace with a patch (woven mat) facing the fish pond. Around the fish pond there are plants that not only refresh the eyes but are beneficial for health and can also be used for cooking spices.

They talked with various topics, until finally Akhtar ventured to convey the main purpose of his arrival to Garut.

Akhtar told me everything he had experienced these few days, not a single one was missed. He also tells about himself with Shanum and Raina. Until starting from that Akhtar also knew the harsh reality about the reason for the separation of his parents.

The Grandfather sighed, he had actually already thought that this would happen. During this time his grandson never knew the reason his parents separated, his eldest daughter who is the mother of Akhtar always forbid anyone to tell Akhtar about the reason for his separation with the husband. Akhtar's mother still wants to make Akhtar know his father's figure as a good man to be too perfect for him.

Akhtar painstakingly persuaded Grandfather to tell him where the mother was. Likewise with the Grandmother, he was silent a thousand languages when Akhtar asked the whereabouts of his biological mother. They did not want to make their eldest daughter again hurt, because Akhtar would definitely remind her of the most painful event that befell her eldest daughter. But they did not really have the heart to see the persistence of the grandson to meet his mother.

Akhtar assured his grandmother and grandfather that he was now an adult and it was appropriate to know exactly what the reason his parents had decided to separate in the midst of a family atmosphere that always seemed harmonious.

"Sorry, Son. Grandfather cannot tell you the reason, let your mother tell you the reason because she is more entitled. And you should know, son, your mother must have had a reason to cover up this matter especially from you. I hope you can be wise when you meet your mother." Grandfather advised Akhtar at length.

"Good cake, I understand. For now I just want to meet with Mom, for that matter let Mother decide whether to tell me or not." Akhtar spoke with a pure heart, feeling an ever-increasing longing for the Mother.

"All right....Grandpa can only pray for you. May your journey be good and Allah make all your affairs easy." Said Grandpa sincerely.

The atmosphere that had been warm turned into haru. Both parents who were already dusk shed tears when releasing the departure of his grandson. It is their hope that the grandchildren can become solace for their eldest daughter. They hope that Akhtar can bring home the princess who has been traveling for too long, not only to meet the needs of family life but also to treat her wounded heart.

Akhtar drove his car at mid-speed towards Jakarta. The state of the road is dense enough to make the trip can not be accelerated. Akhtar repeatedly took a deep breath because he had to hold back when the traffic jam hit.

The journey of approximately seven hours finally brought Akhtar to the yard of an agency office that specifically dispatched female workers abroad, such as Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other countries.

Akhtar asked to meet directly with the owner of the agency. After doing diplomacy, with some conditions that Akhtar must fulfill he managed to meet the owner of the agency.

Various ways Akhtar traveled to be able to repatriate the mother from the country where he was looking for rupiah. Some of the connections Akhtar has finally he uses to make his way easier. Not a little money he had to spend to take various procedures that could accelerate the return of the mother to the homeland, but he did not care. He also did not care about the calls that had entered his net since yesterday. Right now he just wants to focus on his mother.

It took me a long time to get her mother back home. The procedure to be pursued is not as simple as imagined. It has been a week since Akhtar was in Jakarta. He decided to stay at a hotel not too far from the office of his mother's agency. Every day he came to the office to ask about the progress of his mother's repatriation process.

**

A bright morning encourages everyone to start their day. Many hopes were carved at the beginning of that new day. I hope that every step is filled with the pleasure of the Creator. So that whatever is done becomes a blessing and whatever is sought today bears wonderful fruit.

Dreett....Dreetts...Dreeett....

The vibration of the device stored on the nightstand by his bedside blew away the focus of Akhtar who was staring at the laptop monitoring the work he had left for one week.

Ghifar the assistant always faithfully reports on the state of the foundation and the company every day and Akhtar painstakingly checks every report sent via email. Akhtar even knows if his future fiance is always looking for his whereabouts. He went to the company and the foundation office many times. Akhtar also knew that in the foundation Ahsan and Shanum was busy preparing his engagement with Raina.

"Assalamu'alaikum", said Akhtar when receiving a call from someone.

"..."

"really?"

"..."

"What time does the plane expect to land?"

"Alright, I'll be there soon" he concluded, ending the call.

Akhtar immediately turned off his laptop, he rushed from the hotel bed to the toilet to clean himself up. It didn't take long for him to be ready for the agency office.

According to the information he had received over the phone earlier, the good news that he had been waiting for the past few days had already arrived. The mother who missed him was successfully repatriated and is currently on a plane and will be landing soon.

An hour passed, Akhtar was still waiting for the arrival of someone who was being picked up from the airport. His heart was beating very fast. This meeting he always hoped for, but when he was in the eyes really his feelings were not good.

"Assalamu'alaikum", a man's speech disperse his daydream.

His eyes stared at the open door, someone with a stout stature opened the door and smiled at him. Behind him was a woman familiar to Akhtar.

The views of Akhtar and the woman who was no longer young met, long enough locked to look at each other as if probing the look of each other's faces and minds. Akhtar's memory drifted to a few years ago. The eyes he was currently staring at were still the same, his gaze was always reassuring. His lips are still the same, lips are always smiling, a smile filled with warmth that makes Akhtar always eager to live his days.

Akhtar's tongue is clumsy, unable to speak. His voice seemed to disappear, stuck in the throat with a narrowed breath. Only the eyes are able to express what it feels like, with the swiftness of the tears just flowing. He was no longer able to withstand the novelty and longing that was seeping in his chest.

"Mother......."