LEAFY LONGS FLOWERING SILENT
CHAPTER 35: I AM NOT RICH

"Fakih" wait for dong!" dian shouted following Fakih who was walking to lead Rosa to the cafeteria during the first break. They both stopped and looked.

"What's up, Dian?" ask Fakih after close.

"Tomorrow I have a mathematical repetition again. Last time I got ugly. Please dong, Fakih?" whinek Dian spoiled.

"Have twice repeated this math elo can be ugly, Dian. I don't want to help, but what's the point of my help if you still get bad grades?" ask Fakih.

"Gue doesn't have anyone else to help me. Please?" Pinta Dian is still with her pot.

"Dian, the purpose of elo asked me for help is not to get good, right? I have tried everything I can to teach elo, but in fact there is no result koq. It may be my fault that I can't teach you, Dian." replied Fakih.

"Come, dong. I promise to concentrate more. How's it?" Reply Dian again.

"Elo ask for help, Miss Ernawati, math teacher. Maybe he has a better solution for you. Who knows if he'll even take the time to teach you?" fakih Suggestions.

"No. Miss Ernawati is fierce and hates me. He keeps giving bad grades. Help me, dong Fakih?" whine Dian again.

"Please him, Iah, Kih." replied Rosa who became embarrassed to see Dian whining only. "Gue's not going to help, Cha. But I feel the effort to help him during this time there is no result." complained Fakih.

After a moment of silence, Fakih said again, "Gue there is another way. Rosa is also good at math. What event are you having this afternoon, Cha?" ask Fakih.

"Huh?" Rosa surprised. "Gue's? what show is it? I have extra badminton on the indoor court at three in the afternoon. Why why?" rosa asked suspiciously.

"Well, I also have three o'clock basketball on the outside court. We gather at my house, all lunch, half three o'clock everything should be gone. Elo home, I'm the same Rosa back to school. How's it?" Tawar Fakih's.

"Ide ugly" said Rosa.

"Lho! How ugly?" ask Fakih.

"Gue has to go home first" Rosa said. "Gue can't practice badminton with this shirt. Anyway, my racket is also at home. Want to play badminton with your bare hands?" ask Rosa geli.

"Tuh, right? Rosa could not. Just you, Kih. Yaah?" persuade Dian.

"wait. Cha, elo abis badminton what is it?" ask Fakih.

"Go home." answered Rosa briefly.

"Yes, go home. I mean what's the show?" Ask Fakih.

"There's no show." Reply Rosa.

"Sama dong's. Want to date me, Neng?" ask Fakih becanda.

Rosa laughed a little. Fakih Fakih Nosy.

Fakih continued, "Look, I mean, Dian can go to school or to my house, it's up to him, after half-six. You finished badminton at five, didn't you, Cha?" Ask Fakih again.

Rosa nodded. "Yes." Yeah."

"Agreed, Dian?" fakih Tawal.

"alright. I don't have a choice, do I?" ask Dian.

Fakih nodded. "Mrs Ernawati." Fakih then laughed. How not to laugh seeing Dian's face like biting cayenne pepper.

"So it will be the afternoon at half-six I go to elo home. Thanks Fakih?" dian said spoiled while gawking away.

After Dian passed, Rosa hit Fakih's shoulder.

"What the hell, Kih, is taking me along to teach that crybaby?" ask Rosa. "Gue's tired of teaching him, Cha. I had to constantly repeat what I taught the previous weeks. So continues. It's good if he gets good grades, so, at least I will feel meritorious. This isn't. So I feel like a waste of time." Fakih.

"Had known so koq even take me." Rosa whining.

"Elo not jealous about Dian coming to my house once a week? The frequency is more certain and more frequent than elo to my house?" fakih Goda.

"No doubt." answered Rosa as she picked up a glass of sweet iced tea at the cafeteria table, then handed the two hundred silver to the canteen mother with a smile.

"No, anyway? What if you don't have to come to my house later, I'll go to the bookstore, buy a math book, and then go home for ice cream?" god Fakih again. Still not satisfied he seems.

"Brave"!" threaten Rosa while glaring.

"My transportation facility is just a bike, so I don't want to have to bother him if I want to go to the bookstore. Buy ice cream because there's an ice cream shop next to the bookstore." Fakih.

Rosa whimpered again. "Do you really want to go to the bookstore?" ask Rosa later.

Fakih could no longer bear to laugh.

"As an apology, later in the afternoon after going home badminton we stopped by for ice cream before going home. I'm boncengin. Wanna?" Rosa smiled broadly.

Of course he wants to...!!!

***

"How was the badminton practice?" fakih asked while guiding his bike.

"Gue single against Febrina, win. Double the same Jukky, narrowly defeated the same Toni and Angel. I have never had success when I told you to play double. Especially if the opponent is fast like Toni. Toni is a double." complains Rosa.

***

All the way from school to the ice cream shop they kept chatting. "Elo still does poetry, Cha?" ask Fakih.

"Yes. Every night before bed." Answer Rosa.

"If you don't write a poem you can't sleep?" Reply Fakih.

"could. Just often not sleepy, so instead of the idle yes make poetry." Answer Rosa.

"Elo koq can make a poem like that. Good poetry again elo. At least one I've read. I used to be in Primary School once asked to make poetry as one of the tasks for Indonesian language lessons. Failed total. I was told to write a poem about the scenery. Because at that time I was at home, and my house was near the market, so the view I saw was the market view.

Like this about." Fakih.

"Markets in the smelly Kotabumi Terminal

Lots of beef and stinky beef

Many fish also smell

Laler perch in places of smell

No wonder my house stinks"

Rosa laughed, it's funny Fakih yelling...!!!

"Gue still remembers the expression of my Indonesian teacher at that time. Miss Rosi Sugita. I was immediately awarded five. Fortunately, that was the only time I was asked to write a poem. It's a real struggle to make a poem like that." Fakih.

"Gue makes the poem just write what comes to the brain. It doesn't have to be beautiful words. The important thing is meaning in." said Rosa.

"Cha, what the hell can't you do? Elo, anything can. I can't write poetry, I can't sew, I can't cook. I think you can do everything." Say Fakih again.

"Hmmm...! what can I not do!? I was born, I can't date. Elo proved that I was wrong. I just don't want to try." Rosa thought for a moment.

"Can you swim?" ask Fakih.

"could. When I was a kid I was swimming. At home there is a swimming pool. Must be swimming, dong. What if you accidentally fall?" Reply Rosa. "Oh. I-I know. But don't be fooled. I can't dance. Can't do it at all. I know the end result has to be like how, but I don't know how to get to that end result. I tried it on a whim, during my birthday party, about two years ago. Wear all kinds of makeup equipment. Coreng moreng is exactly a Chinese opera performer. Desperate, I never tried again. I don't even have my own makeup kit. Even lipstick." Rosa continued to explain.

"Had Mamah elo never taught?" Ask Fakih.

"No. But Mama has a good idea. Every time I go to a party that needs make-up, I go to the salon. Problem solved, right?" Rosa smiled.

"What if you don't have a lot of money, so you can't go to the salon every time you go to a party?" Ask Fakih again.

"Not every party I go to the koq salon. Only if the party is massive. At least once or twice a year. If I had been born into another family, which did not have much money, I would be able to make it now. My fate has to be like this, Kih." Rosa clearly continued.

"Elo koq has the impression of languishing because he has a lot of money. People are usually sad because they have no money. Lah elo who has a lot of money is even sad." Reply Fakih.

"The fact is, I can always find the answer of "but if I'm not rich" every time I find my luck for being the son of a rich man." Answer Rosa.

"For example?" Fakih.

"OKAY. Mention the benefits of being rich. Whatever's going on in Elo's brain now." Ask Rosa.

"Do you have a big house with complete facilities?" Ask Fakih.

"The big house really makes me feel lonely. Complete facilities, it does help me to escape from loneliness. Going back to the original question, if only, I did not

rich, I don't need a big house, let alone complete facilities, because I won't be lonely." Answer Rosa later.

"OK, okay. Elo so sad right" I don't want to make you sad." Fakih.

"Gue is not sad. Because now I have elo, Kih." said Rosa while hugging Fakih's waist from the bonnet of her bicycle.