AM I NOT IMPORTANT TO HER?

Novi chose a western restaurant. Since yesterday she wanted to eat pasta and beef steak, that's why she took Ziona there. Novi called the waiter and once again she looked at Ziona.

"You will pay for all the food I ordered, right?" Novi made sure.

"Hmmm, I will pay it all."

Novi smiled, then she ordered what she wanted to eat. Ziona also did the same.

"Are you having problems with Zepha?" Before the order came, Novi wanted to know what happened between her friend and Zephaniah..

"Yes,"

"Wow! In the past few weeks both of you have been very close. What really happened? You often ignore me because of him. Thank God I am such a good friend because I can understand if my friend is falling in love."

"I am too lazy to talk about him. Do you still want another order?" Ziona asked to change the topic.

"Do you think my stomach is a balloon? My stomach will burst if I eat too much. I have ordered two kinds of food. That's enough."

"Thank God you realize it. Sometimes you are like a monkey who can store food supplies in the neck," Ziona answered, laughing. In fact, she ate more than her friend.

Novi wanted to reply but Ziona's cell phone rang. A call from Alana. "Yes, Mom," Ziona answered in a low voice after putting the headset on her ear and connecting to the cell phone she had placed on the table.

"Honey, you have to come home tomorrow. I will buy the earliest ticket. Your sister is in the hospital and she wants to see you," Alana said in panic.

"Abira is in the hospital?"

"Yes, dear. You can't fly tomorrow morning. I will send your ticket by email."

"Ok-okay, Mom. I will be home tomorrow morning."

"Don't stay up late so you won't be late tomorrow. NowI want to see a doctor." Alana disconnected their conversation without hearing an answer from Ziona.

"What's wrong, Zi?" Novi, who saw the change in Ziona's facial expression asked.

"My sister is in the hospital. Tomorrow morning I have to fly to Jakarta."

"Calm down, first. You definitely have to be prepared. Better I ask the waiter to wrap our food."

***

The next morning, Ziona was already at the airport. Her mother bought a ticket at seven in the morning. Inside her backpack there was her sister's favorite chocolate. Even though they often fought and envied each other, they still loved each other. The proof was, Abira always missed her.

***

As usual, when Zephaniah's business on campus was over, he returned to the restaurant to help Riko. Zephaniah changed his clothes into a restaurant uniform, then the man returned to the front. He waited for a customer to call him.

"Did she come here today?" Zepha asked himself. His eyes saw the chair that Ziona used to sit on. "Maybe she won't come. Yesterday she asked permission to not study because she had to accompany her best friend.

***

From Soekarno Hatta airport, Ziona went straight to the hospital. She was very afraid and worried about her sister who was always sick. What if God wills otherwise? The taxi driver managed to take her to the front of the hospital. Ziona's feet immediately took her to the room Alana had told her.

"Mom!" Ziona called when she saw the woman who gave birth to her was feeding Abira.

"Come here. What have you brought for me?" Abira asked with a pale face.

"Why are you in the hospital again? Aren't you bored?" Ziona immediately sat next to her sister. Her mouth kept babbling incessantly.

"You will come home when I go to the hospital." Abira invited her sister to joke.

"Mom, why is she sick again?" Ziona turned to Alana's face who was still busy stabbing apples with a fork and was ready to give it to Abira.

"Yesterday your sister fainted. That's why she was immediately taken to the hospital."

"Aish! Why do you really like fainting?" Ziona pursed her lips and squinted at her sister.

"I already told you. If I get sick, you will come home. Don't you miss home?"

For a moment Abira's question made Ziona silent. She was confused, whether she missed home or not.

"Mom, let me feed Abira." Ziona took over the bowl that Alana was holding.

"Okay. Take care of your sister. I will go out first." Alana came out from the room, letting her two daughters miss each other.

That night Ziona did not come home. She would stay at the hospital to accompany her sister. Since noon Abira did not want to be separated from Ziona. The cause of Abira's fainting was her new boyfriend who asked to break up. The man did not accept when Alana asked for a little understanding not to make video calls at night.

Seeing her sister sleeping, Ziona came out from the room. She wanted to get some fresh air outside while thinking about something. The woman thought hard. She wanted to stop being Zephaniah's student but she did not know how because Mandala had already paid Zephaniah.

"Should I inform him that in the next few days I won't be able to study?"

***

It's been two days, but Zephaniah had not received a single message from Ziona. "Is she still angry? I have texted her a lot but she was not answering. I phoned her but she wouldn't answer. Am I going too far to hurt her? I was wrong. I shouldn't have misunderstood. I lacked confidence and I hurt her. I am a very bad man," Zephaniah kept talking to himself, and a second later he saw someone waving at him.

"She is Novi. I'd better ask her. Surely she knows where Ziona is ." Zephaniah found a glimmer of hope. He walked to Novi's table with the menu book in his hand.

"Hi, Ze," Novi greeted Zephaniah.

"Where's Ziona? isn't she coming to eat with you?" without further ado Zephaniah immediately asked.

"Did Zio not say anything? Two days ago she returned to Jakarta. Her sister is sick."

"Are you lying? She didn't say anything. When will she come back?"

"She left without telling me. Am I not important to her?" Zephaniah asked himself.