"If only I had told them, things wouldn't be this complicated"
Adil was still standing by the flagpole, near chairs in the schoolyard.
The atmosphere that afternoon at Rawa Laut 2 Elementary School was quiet. The teachers, staff, and students have returned homes.
Seeing Adil sitting alone, Cipto, one of the school security guards, approached him.
"Hey, Adil! How come you haven't come home yet? Are you waiting for someone to pick up?" Cipto asked.
"Eh. Sir Cipto. I was planning to go home with my friends because I wanted to go to Dinda's birthday. But, they had already left for Dinda's house, sir," Adil replied.
"Why are you left alone then?"
"I forgot to tell my friends as I was busy cleaning the school bathrooms," Adil answered quietly.
"You were punished again by the counselling teacher?" Cipto said, smiling sympathetically.
"That's right, Sir," Adil said, shyly.
Cipto patted Adil's right shoulder and his long hair.
"Time to get your hair cut." Cipto tried to advise Adil to be a better student.
"Adil, soon you will graduate from here. Do you still want to be punished by the teacher?"
"No, sir. I want to change into a child who is more diligent in studying," Adil answered firmly.
"Really? You have to promise yourself," Cipto ordered.
"Yes, sir. I promise," Adil said.
"Now, you want to go to Dinda's house, right?"
"Yeah, but I don't know where to go," Adil said.
"Just come with me on my way home," Cipto said.
"Do you know Dinda's house?"
"I'll tell you on the way there. You can wait for me in front of the school gate. I need to take my motorbike to the parking lot," Cipto said.
Adil went straight to the school gate, according to Cipto's directions. Not long after, Cipto came with his favourite motorbike.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride," an offer that was welcomed by Adil.
They went straight to Dinda's house which was 4 kilometres far from the school, in the Garuntang area, near Sukaraja Terminal.
Cipto rides a motorbike slowly, with a speed of no more than 30 km/hour.
"Adil, when you arrive at Dinda's house, please pay my condolence to her not to be sad for the loss of her father 2 months ago," he said.
"Sure, sir. You seem familiar with Dinda's late father" Adil responded.
"Dinda's father was once the Deputy Principal of our school when you and Dinda were in first grade. He is a generous person and often helps students who have difficulty paying school fees," Pak Cipto explained.
"I just get to know that, sir," Adil said innocently.
"Hahahaha," Cipto laughed.
The motorbike continued to drive towards Dinda's house, less than 2 kilometres to arrive at the destination.
However, due to the condition of the road that began to become congested in the Garuntang area, Cipto and Adil had to fight over hot weather, as well as traffic jams on the road.
Cipto looked at the clock on his hand which showed 3 pm.
"What time is Dinda's birthday?" Cipto asked.
"It's written at half past 4 in the afternoon in the invitation, sir," Adil replied.
"Have you brought a present for her?"
"I forgot I didn't buy a gift," Adil regretted.
"Hmm. I think you can give her tomorrow at school. The most important thing is that you come for the invitation." Cipto advised Adil on a solution.
Exactly at 3 pm 20 minutes, the two arrived in front of Dinda's house.
An architectural house mixed with European and Asian cultures. Has a large front yard, wide doors, and high bedroom windows.
Pak Cipto stopped his motorbike, and then Adil get off of the vehicle.
"Do you want to come with me into Dinda's house, Sir?" Adil asked.
"No. I need to go straight home, I have to pick up my wife," Cipto said.
"Thank you for the ride, Sir," Adil said, giving a shake on Cipto's hand.
"It's not a problem. I need to go. Assalamu'alaikum," Cipto said goodbye.
Slowly and hesitantly, Adil walked into Dinda's yard. The guests began to leave Dinda's house as the party ended.
The majority of guests were Dinda's friends who were accompanied by their parents. Meanwhile, Adil who had just arrived, was alone, not accompanied by anyone until he came to the entrance.
"Sorry. Who are you looking for?" asked a 15-year-old boy.
"I'm a friend of Dinda, I'm Adil," he answered.
"A school friend or from the study club?" the teenager asked again.
"A school friend," Adil replied.
"Just a moment. I'll call Dinda first," the teenager said, then entered the house.
Meanwhile, Adil was still standing in front of the terrace of the house, still, in the red and white school uniform, he was wearing.
Adil tries to call his parents at home via cellphone to tell them that he can't go home yet, but can't connect.
Complete with the voice "the number you have dialled is out of range. Please try again in a few moments."
"Dinda, someone is looking for you outside," the teenager said, he was none other than Dinda's older brother, his name was Pras.
"Who is it?" Dinda asked while was busy chatting with her friends.
"His name is Adil. He said he was your school friend," Pras said.
"Oh. Please just tell him to come in," Dinda said to her brother.
"Okay," Pras responded with a thumbs up.
Not long after, Pras invited Adil to go inside, where Dinda was celebrating her birthday with her friends.
Piles of gifts are neatly arranged on the sofa, accompanied by Birthday cakes on the round glass table.
On the ceiling of the rooms, balloons and paper were stuck with the words "Happy 13th Birthday, Dinda Amalina Pertiwi."
Seeing Adil's arrival, Dinda was enthusiastic. Although not long after that, Dinda's friends, in unison, asked for permission to say goodbye to Dinda.
Eventually, only Dinda and Adil are left in the room.
"Dinda. Happy Birthday. Sorry, I'm late and forgot to bring you a gift," Adil said.
"Adil, it's okay. Thank you for coming," Dinda said.
"My pleasure, dinda. By the way, where are Galih and the others?"
"They're back at 3 pm. You're being punished again, right?"
"Yeah. How do you know about that?" Adil was surprised.
" Galih sai cawa lamun niku dihukum gukhu*," Dinda said.
"Nyak sai kelikhu*. I was playing with my cellphones in class," Adil narrated.
"The important thing is that you won't do it again. Earlier, did Galih give you my address?" Dinda said.
"No, I called him at school. I was even reprimanded by him for not telling him that I came home late because I need to clean the school bathroom," Adil said, defending himself.
"What's it with Galih? I told him to tell you the address. So you can still come," Dinda said, a little annoyed.
"It's okay, it's okay. Earlier, it was Sir Cipto who accompanied me here," Adil said.
"Sir Cipto? How come did he not say something to me?" Dinda said curiously.
"He left a message for you so that you ..." Adil said with a bit of a stutter. He was a little hesitant to say it, worried that Dinda would be sad.
"So that…what?" Dinda urged; this time Dinda got carried away.
"Hmm. So that you don't be sad about your father's loss, Dinda. Sorry, I have to deliver this message," Adil explained.
Dinda's eyes began to water, and her small mouth became silent.
Notes :
- The sentence " Iyu. Galih sai cawa lamun niku dihukum gukhu" (in Lampung language) means "Yes. Galih told me that you are punished by the teacher."
The sentence "Nyak sai kelikhu. Main Handphone di kelas" (in Lampung language) means "I was wrong for playing with my cellphone in class"