TWENTY EIGHT

You work here?" asked Riri in confusion and disbelief.

  Akbar's eyes saw Riri's expression.

  "I knew you wouldn't expect it. I'm actually embarrassed, Ri." Akbar said with his face down.

  "Embarrassed? Why should I be embarrassed?"

  "I talked to my friends that I wanted to go to college, but I ended up working as a dishwasher," he explained with great embarrassment in front of Riri.

  Riri was speechless at Akbar's explanation. She was shocked by Akbar's current life. She also felt sad seeing Akbar's gloomy face.

  "Mama and Papa are divorced. Now I live with Mama and Bintang in a rented house. Mama is very frustrated with life now," Akbar explained with a broken heart remembering his mother's situation.

  "But Bintang is okay, right?" asked Riri, worried about Akbar's younger brother.

  "He's healthy! Mama still takes care of Bintang sincerely."

  Riri bit her lower lip. She was devastated to hear about Akbar's family. Akbar used to be perfect in every way but everything had turned around.

  "Be patient, Bar. Honestly, I'm sad to hear it. I hope you can be strong," Riri said with compassion.

  "Let's get to work!" said Riri with sparkling eyes and an excited tone of voice.

  "Let bygones be bygones. Life is still spinning. We won't be at the bottom or at the top forever," said Riri, showing off her row of teeth. She stood in front of the faucet. Her hand was already holding a sponge.

  "Do you want to get angry at Mr. Mulyono?" asked Riri as if to scare Akbar who had been standing motionless.

  With a smile Akbar walked over and stood next to Riri. He started holding the sponge and started doing his job.

  "Did your mom wear hijab?" asked Riri curiously. The reason was when she was in the refugee camp first. Her mother really wanted to wear a hijab.

  Akbar shook his head, a look of sadness on his face.

  "That's okay. Humans are a process," said Riri as she scrubbed the plate with a sponge full of foam.

  They were silent at the moment. Only the sound of the dishes clashing with the water from the faucet.

  "No news about your mother yet," Akbar said in a flat tone. He had not received any news from Riri's mother. His efforts at that time to spread Riri's mother's data were fruitless. There was no notification on his cell phone about Riri's mother.

  "Yes, there hasn't been any news," Riri answered with a very sad heart.

  ***

  It was half past eight in the evening. Feet in thin slop shoes walked with their eyes gazing at the street. She was now on the highway and was about to head to her house.

  He saw the people who were busy passing by. They had faces that never seemed tired of continuing their lives. Although sometimes there are many pebbles in life. But everything Riri saw must have its own responsibilities. There are those who are the backbone of the family and those who live alone.

  Riri was grateful that she still had a father who loved her.

  "Assalamu'alaikum?"

"Walikumsalam," replied the man who was sitting on a wooden chair. His hand was holding a cigarette butt. Actually, he wanted to hide it from his son. But it had already been caught by Riri's eyes.

  "You're smoking again? He said he had quit smoking. What if you get sick again?" said Riri with a frown. She felt like talking to a child. She did not want her father to feel hurt. That's why she spoke as softly as possible.

  "Hehehe, yes Ri, if you don't smoke you get a headache. So you went back to smoking. Yes, so I can feel better," he explained carelessly. Although he knew his son would grumble. But he couldn't stop himself from smoking. Even though he was over sixty years old.

  "Ouch, you're talking nonsense. It is precisely cigarettes that make you sick. Instead of nourishing your body," Riri now sat on the wooden chair next to her father. Both hands were on the chair handle. Meanwhile, her legs were stretched out.

  "Work is tiring, but you shouldn't lose hope, right?" said her father and then smoked his cigarette again.

  "You're still young, pursue your dreams. Although there are many twists and turns in life. But you have to be strong and never waste time. Moreover, today's children like to watch their phones all the time," the father said excitedly.

  "Yes, sir, God willing, Riri will pursue her dreams. Eh, but what are Riri's goals?" she said, thinking of so many wish lists in her brain.

  "What about you, just focus on what your talents are. And pursue those goals," the father with a slightly emotional tone saw his son who had just graduated from high school.

  "Talent? mmm what is my talent? Riri likes to write lately. Yes, writing whatever Riri feels," she explained by talking to her heart. Actually, she liked his writing activities or just liked Akbar who liked to write.

  "Well, you just focus on your writing, who knows you can become a writer," said the father now lighting his cigarette which was already short.

  "Amen Ya Allah, but Riri also likes reading. Eh Riri also wants to have a restaurant with books in it, so every customer can eat while reading a book," Riri explained, imagining how exciting it would be if she became a writer and owned a restaurant.

  "Is it possible, Ri, to eat while reading a book? If, for example, you eat ketupat and then spill the ketupat vegetables on the book, how?" said the father thinking hard. He furrowed his brow.

  "Riri doesn't mean that, sir, eating snacks like that, sir." said Riri with a chuckle. She couldn't get over how funny her father's words were.

  "I see," he said with a shady smile.

  "Well, get dressed and go to bed, if you're hungry. Just make some noodles, there are noodles in the kitchen," explained the father as he stood up and entered his room.

  Riri also walked behind her father. Now the father has entered his room. Meanwhile, Riri did the same.

  Riri sat on the side of her bed. She opened the needle that was stuck on her hijab.

  "Why are you sleeping upstairs? Sleep down there!" Riri's ears heard Kartika's high voice. Riri was very shocked to hear the father's wife's words.

  "Oh my God, have you been sleeping on the floor all this time? I can't let that woman have her way with you."

  Riri immediately came out with the hijab that had been pinned to the door of the room. With her shoulder-length hair, she knocked on the door.

  Knock knock knock!

  Kartika opened the door with her wrinkled face.

  "What's wrong? I'm going to bed!" she said wryly.

  "Are you sleeping downstairs, Ma'am?" asked Riri with a sad face and teary eyes. She looked at her father who was curled up on the floor mat below.

  "It's okay, Ri. I'm used to it," he said without moving from his position.

"You can sleep in Riri's room. Let Riri sleep in the living room," Riri explained, going into the room and holding her father's arm.

  "No Ri, let me sleep on the floor," said Riri in her weak, sleepy voice.

  "You can't do that, sir. You'll get sick," Riri immediately pulled the father's arm gently. The father did not struggle at all.

  "Yasudah, hurry up and get out of my room!" It's taking so long! I want to sleep!" Kartika pushed both of their shoulders quickly. Then she locked the door to her room.

  Actually, she really wanted to yell at the father's wife. Kartika had the heart to treat him like that. Riri was very angry in her heart. But she muffled the fire in her chest. Because she didn't want to wake up the little baby in Kartika's room.

  "You go in, sleep in Riri's room." Riri said softly as she led her father to his room.

  "You just sleep well. Riri sleeps in the living room." Riri said with a smile. Mr. who was tired at that time. He was just silent and immediately lay down on the bed.

  Riri closed the bedroom door. She walked to the living room. Only the living room looked a little spacious. She moved all the chairs and tables to the side. Then she took a mat and spread it out. She paused for a moment looking at the mat.

  "Oh God, I feel like I'm in a refugee camp, it's so uncomfortable," she said to herself as a small ball of water trickled down her cheek. Her heart was cut and hot. But she tried to sigh and think positively. She had to be grateful for what was in front of her.

  Riri curled up on the mat. She wanted to take a pillow from her room, but she didn't want her father to wake up to the sound of the door opening.

  "Oh God, how could you, Ms. Kartika, if only I had gotten a salary, I would have left this house. And look for rent. I can't go back to my house that collapsed in the earthquake and stunami. But did my family not get help to renovate the house. Oh God, I just remembered that. Maybe tomorrow I will go to my village and ask for information there." she said silently.

  Now Riri tried to close her eyes so she could fall asleep.

  ***

  Dawn had woken Riri up. She woke up to the sound of the call to prayer. Her body immediately woke up from sleep. She was very grateful for this night. Because her sleep was so deep that she didn't even wake up when the night was quiet.

  Riri stood up and rolled up her mat. She tied her shoulder-length hair with a rubber band. Now Riri's face looked bright. Even though she just woke up. Because the skin on her face was yellow.

  She knocked on her father's room, but there was no sound. She opened the door to the room. He opened his eyes but his face was very weak. Riri put the back of her hand on his forehead.

  "Oh my God, it's hot, sir. Oh my God, just a moment, sir. Riri go to the back first,"

  The father just stood still, because he felt very weak. Now Riri was already in the kitchen. She took a small basin and filled it with water. Then she took a small towel.

  "Riri, compress your forehead," she said hurriedly. She was very worried about her father's condition. Because he was very hot when Riri pressed her skin to his forehead.