"Dind, it's okay. No need to be sad anymore," Adil said.
"Sure! I just still remember my father's kindness," Dinda complained.
"Dinda, being sad will not change the situation. Your father can't come back to life? We pray that Allah will forgive his mistakes," Adil said.
"Of course. Thank you for the advice," Dinda said.
"It's nothing. How about we make a pilgrimage together on Sunday? I'll take Sir Cipto too," Adil said.
"Hmm. Good idea. If that's the case, I'll take my mom too. Later when she comes home from work, I will talk to her," Dinda responded.
"Okay, Dinda. I'm waiting for your call. By the way, it's almost evening. I'm going home," Adil said.
"Why the rush, Adil?" Dinda asked.
"If it's too late, I will be scolded by my father. As for gifts, I'll give them to you at school tomorrow," Adil said.
"Take it easy, Adil. How will you get home?" Dinda asked.
"I'll just take a cab, Dind," Adil said.
"If that's the case, I'll call a taxi for you so you don't need to look for a taxi out there," Dinda said.
Dinda went to the telephone near the television in the room.
He pressed the 6-digit number on it to connect to the Siger City Taxi.
"Good afternoon. I want to order a taxi, please," Dinda said.
"Good afternoon. Can you tell me your address, please?" the driver asked.
"It is Garuntang Permai Block A Number 21," Dinda answered.
"Good. I'll be heading there immediately," the driver said.
"Okay, Sir," Dinda answered.
Dinda told Adil that soon, the taxi would go to Dinda's house to pick him up.
Adil was getting ready to wait for the taxi to arrive, while he paid his goodbye to Dinda and her brother.
Ten minutes later, the taxi had arrived in front of her house. The sound of the horn made Adil rush towards the gate and into the taxi.
"Where should I take you?"
"Sultan Badarudin Street, near SMPN 7 Bandar Lampung, please," Adil said.
"Good," the driver said, then started the car engine.
The taxi which Adil was riding in began to move towards his house. Six-thirty, he thought.
One thing that still stuck in his mind was his father's phone number which could not be contacted, even though he intended to inform his father that he was coming home late.
Exactly at 6 pm 15 minutes, Adil arrived in front of his house. He got off the taxi after giving the driver a five-thousand-rupiah bill.
After entering the gate of the house, the father was already standing in front of the entrance.
"Where have you been up to this late?" his father said.
"A..Dad," Adil said who was surprised.
"Where are you from? Dad and Mom were worried because you couldn't be contacted," his father explained.
"I called you earlier, I wanted to tell you that I was coming home late because of Dinda's birthday. But, your number couldn't be reached," Adil regretted.
"Do you think it's evening or night? The Maghrib Adhan has already rung. How will you explain that?" his father asked.
"Nothing, Dad. I'm sorry," Adil said.
"Do you want to graduate from elementary school with satisfactory grades or not? Please stop playing games out there! Remember, you must graduate from elementary school and be accepted as a student at a state junior high school!" his father's ultimatum.
"Yes, Dad. But, if I fail in a public junior high school, what can I do?" Adil tried to bargain.
"No buts and else," his father said.
Hearing that there was a heated debate on the terrace of the house, Maryam, Adil's mother approached the two and asked what was being discussed.
"What's wrong? It's late at night, how come it's so noisy?" Mary asked.
"It's Adil. He came home late but he didn't tell us," Bambang answered.
"I was trying to tell you at first. But your number is out of," Adil replied.
"It's done. It's already Maghrib. Come in first," Maryam asked.
Adil immediately rushed to take a shower and change his clothes, then get the prayer. His parents educated him with discipline but were still full of love.
Not a single physical abuse Adil ever received from his parents. Living in an affluent condition, even more so, materially, made him rarely lack pocket money or in arrears in paying school fees.
The same as his brother, Dewa, who was in the second grade of high school. Computer facilities along with the latest machines and devices were available in the rooms to support school assignments.
There was no exception for snacks, which were always enough.
While Adil was doing his homework from school, there was a knock on his door. Adil went to the door and opened it.
"May I come in?" Dewa asked.
"Sure," Adil replied.
Adil closed the door and back to focus on his homework. Now and then, his brother would talk to him.
"Do you have a lot of homework?" Dewa asked.
"Yeah. This was an assignment from Mrs Ines two days ago, Indonesian course," Adil replied.
"When are the assignments collected?" Dewa asked.
"Tomorrow," Adil said, smiling shyly.
"Well. How come you're just doing it now?" the brother asked.
"Hahaha. It's better to do your homework near the due," Adil said, jokingly.
"Who taught you that? But if you have homework from school, you keep working on it, right?"
"Of course. When you were still in elementary school, when you were doing your homework, don't you used to make it right when you need to submit it?" Adil said.
"Of course not. I'm sure if I'm given an assignment that day, I'll work on it at night," Dewa said.
"Really? I bet you ask mom for help. Hahahaha," Adil said, trying to intimidate his brother.
"I'm sorry but I'm diligent," Dewa said.
"I'll ask mom for that," Adil challenged.
"Sure, go ahead," Dewa said, answering Adil's challenge.
Adil resumed his duties, while Dewa took a headset to listen to the radio from his cell phone.
Half an hour later, at 8 pm, Mrs Maryam called the two of them to the dining room.
"Yey. Time for dinner," Adil muttered to himself because his stomach was already hungry.
Adil and Dewa came out of the room, joining his father and mother who had sat down at the dining table first.
Adil sat beside his mother, while Dewa sat beside his father. They took turns taking rice, stir-fried Kale, and fried eggs.
"Adil, is your homework done?"
"There are still 2 out of 20 questions," Adil said.
"Good. After finishing doing your homework, take a break. You have to take care of your condition. The Final Exam Practices will be held soon," his father ordered.
"That's right, son. Focus on studying," his mother said.
"Okay," Adil said, curtly.
"By the way, how was your 3rd Math Daily Exam score? I got information from Mrs Lisna, your homeroom teacher, that the test results were announced two days ago in the class. How come you haven't reported the results to Mom and Dad?"
His father's question was like a whip that rattled the surface of his once smooth skin.