Beloved Girl

            Let me introduce myself, my name is Ahmad Azka Aditya, my friends used to call me Ais. I am just an ordinary girl who dreamed to have a peaceful life, but having a beautiful and noisy sister makes it impossible for me to get what I dreamed about. Anyways, my mom is a different person compared to other’s mom in general. Both my mom and sister are beautiful, noisy, and crotchety. It makes my life far from the word ‘peace’, because of my crotchety sister.

            I thought my life would be peaceful after she got married, even though there is still my mom who often overwhelmed me with her behavior. I don’t know why my mom adopting a girl to become her daughter even she does not adopt that girl formally.

            Nadin Yuli Saputri, a girl who has a beautiful and cheerful look. She is a smart person and her intellect is beyond average compared to others who have the same age as her, but she hides it with her ridiculousness. She has the same characteristic as my sister, Dinda. I think the only reason why my mom adopting her is that she has the same characteristic as them.

            “Hi, my brother Azka”, she called me with the cutest face that she could make.

            “What? Why are you calling me”, I respond her fiercely.

“Oh, come on, I just need a ride to school. My mom only gives me some, and these are not enough for me”. She answered ridiculously.

“Really? Those are enough for me when I was your age back then. Ahh.. okay. just get in or I’ll leave you.

“Umm.. wait. I have something for you.” She pretends to take something in her bag.

“What’s that? Don’t be so long” I’m getting annoyed.

“This.” She bent her fingers to shape a heart as she gets into the car.

            That’s the first time I met her, I often become awkward and embarrassed with what she’s doing. She’s so random and she makes me shake my head, but I started to feel my role as a brother and it’s bothered me. After her flirting finished, we arrived at the school gate.

****

            This morning, Nadin wake up late because she has difficulty sleeping yesterday and she ended up watching a Korean drama at the midnight. She is running from her room to the front of the house. I’ve been waiting for her and keep honked the horn many times to make her come. She comes in a hurry carrying a couple of shoes on the right hand and a school bag on another hand. She pissed out and suddenly hit me with her bag. “Bro, don’t be noisy!” She said.

            I’m complaining about what she did even though it’s not really hurt since Nadin hit me slowly. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time and this is what I got?” I’m complaining her while holding my left arm that was hit by Nadin’s bag.

            “Don’t be so dramatic, that was a slow hit.” She said with a jeering face.

            “Just get in or I’ll leave you”

            “Hey, I got something for you.” She said while holding laughter

            “Okay, I’m leaving.” I pretend to leave her by driving my car for a few meters forward.

            “No no no no.. wait!” She is panic and get into the car once it stops.

            We both enjoy the trip along with jokes from Nadin. I stop my car on the front of Cak Lontong’s stall, a stall that I used to frequent when I was in school. I ask Nadin to tidy up her uniform and use her shoes properly.

            While entering the stall, Cak Lontong is greeting me and offering me some drinks “Oh hello, Azka. Do you want coffee or tea?”

            I answered him politely “Hi Cak. No, thank you. I just need water because I won't be long, I just waiting for Nadin to tidy up her uniform, Cak.” I took water in the fridge next to Cak Lontong.

            While Nadin busy with her uniform, Cak Lontong's wife is teasing me. “Ah... youngster nowadays, it's still in the morning and you guys are messy already. What you have done with your girlfriend, Azka?” She said and smiling at me. I laugh when I heard what she said. Once Nadin finished with her uniform, she runs to the school gate carrying my water with her. “Nadiiiin, that’s my water!”

****

            Today is Sunday, the day that always been waited by everyone, especially for students. A lot of people are enjoying their weekend with family or beloved person. It’s different with this brother and step-sister. I’m still sleeping and covering my body with the blanket. In the middle of my dream, Nadin pushed me until I fell down from my bed.

            “Awww” I felt down from my bed. When my soul is not fully gathered, I saw Nadin standing by me, showing her ridiculous face while she asked me to get up. “Come on, bro. Mom invites us to go to our sister’s house. Anyway, you are sleeping as if you were a dead man”.

            I shocked when I heard what Nadin was said. I bet she doesn’t want to lose a handsome brother like me because it’s difficult to find a brother like me out there. “Move away, I want back to sleep. Just tell mom, Dinda doesn’t want to be visited by anyone” I go back to my bed and sleep. Unfortunately, my plan didn’t work and she begins to threaten me. “I will count till 3, if you aren’t get up I’ll call mom.”

            After I heard her threat, I decided to go to the bathroom and getting prepared to go to my sister’s house. This time Nadin won arguing with me because when she said “Mom”, I can’t do much and obey her instead.

****

            Once we arrived at Dinda’s house, I went in without waiting for mom and Nadin. Right after I went in, I got my ear pinched by mom’s beloved witch, Dinda. “So impolite, huh... bro? You think this is a forest and you can just come in without any greets?” Dinda who is in late pregnancy was grumbled at me. When I’m about to answer her question, my left ear was pinched by mom. “So, you want to be a Malin Kundang, huh?”

            Gosh! I haven’t been here for an hour and I’m getting blamed already in this family. “Yes, mam, sis. I’m sorry, I just want to pee. You want me to pee outside? I would be ashamed of Nadin if I did that.” I’m looking for a safe excuse to avoid these two tigresses’ anger in front of me. I was allowed to get into the house after they heard my excuse.

            After I’m out of the bathroom, I walked to the garden located behind the house. I saw a noisy girl jumping around to help a kitten on top of the tree. Instead of helping, I’m just watching her from afar and smiling when that small body keeps jumping. After a while, she climbed the tree and fell down when she’s trying to get down.

            “Awww” Nadin said. I’m approaching and mocking her instead of helping. She’s mad at me because I laugh at her without any intentions of helping. “Why don’t you help me? It hurts. You must carry me… big bro” she begs me using her cute face to fulfill her wish to carry her. In the end, I carried her into the house.

            While carrying her into the house, I teased her. “Oh my! You are so heavy… is this because of your sins?” After hearing what I said, she suddenly pinched my arm. I put her in the family room with my mom and Dinda once I arrived at the house.

            I went to take medicines for Nadin. When I’m about to sit and treat Nadin’s leg, my ear is pinched by Dinda. She thought that I caused Nadin to fall. See? This is how my life going, a son but feels like a stepson.

            I took a deep breath before I start to argue with her. “That’s not my fault, you can ask your noisy sister,” I said while treating Nadin’s leg. Nadin grimaced in pain when I treat her leg.

            “What’s happened to you, Nad? What have Azka did to you?” Dinda asked Nadin

            “So you don’t believe me? You know I never lie right, mom?” I replied to Dinda by convincing her through mom, unfortunately, mom ignored me. She is busy watching a short film on tv and crying while. Oh gosh! She’s so mellow.

            Me, Nadin, and Dinda look toward her, and we take a deep breath when I saw her. “Nadin is still a girl… you know, right? She likes to running and jumping around until she fells down, as usual” I replied to Dinda’s earlier question that Nadin hasn’t answered yet.

            Nadin who heard the answer from me is lowered his head, and Dinda is shaking her head hearing to my answer “Why are you running like that? It’s childish you know.” Dinda scolded her and she believed what I said.

            Me, who heard what Dinda was saying feels so happy because my sister believed him for what I said. “The one that I’m chasing about keeps running away, sis. That’s why it’s difficult for me to chase it and I felt down” This noisy girl who being treated by me answered Dinda’s question. Me, who seems to be quipped by her answer lift my head and look at her face using an annoyed face, but I’m back being ignorant to this beautiful and noisy girl’s quip who is sitting in front of me.

            Nadin sighed to face the ignorant and quiet attitude from her brother. Meanwhile, Dinda understood what Nadin mean and looked at her sad face, then Dinda stepped on my feet that were crouched in front of her. I’m complaining about it by seeing her face, but her eyes were stared toward me while glancing at Nadin.

            I took a deep breath then stood up and held Nadin’s hand. “I’m sorry, Nad”. Nadin who heard my apologies that came out from my mouth suddenly melted and back to happy as usual. I don’t believe that her mood would be back this fast. Then I put the medicines back and bring some drinks for Nadin, Dinda, and mom.

            “There you go, drink it to freshen your heart,” I said to Nadin with an absurd face while offering the drink.

            “Hmmm… you’re not as usual as before, are you sure there is no cyanide inside the drink, right? I afraid that I would die, anyway do you want if I died before I could become your wife?” She answered with fear.

            Dinda is smiling when she saw what her stepsister showed her interest in her brother. Indeed, she felt that there is something weird with her brother and stepsister, she knew that we are searching for each other when we were apart, but we are like cat and mouse when we were close to each other. “It means that your brother is responsible to you, he has made you angry and now he has to calm you down” Dinda laughed.

“That’s right, Nad. You become my responsible”. I teasing her when I saw her thinking about what Dinda said.

            “Marry me, Azka. Makes me your responsibility in life and afterlife”. She replied to me while winking her eyes and holding my hand. I was shocked when I heard what she said. “Astaghfirullah, Nad. You’re so aggressive.” I slowly let go of her hand grip.

            Dinda and mom laughed seeing Ahmad Azka Aditya becomes awkward because I am an ignorant person. Me who feels ashamed leaving them, but suddenly Nadin hold my hand. “If you don’t want to marry me, how if we become a couple? I become your girlfriend? Mom, will you allow me to be Azka’s girlfriend?” She is tempting me. I’m shaking my head hearing what she said. “You just entered senior high school and you want to be my wife? Finish your study first” I gave her advice. Unfortunately, she tried hard. “So, let’s become a couple until I finished my study and then we married.” I’m shaking my head and smiling when I heard her attempt to ask me to marry her. “If you finished your study, I’ll take you to your hometown and asking for permission of your parents to marry you”. Nadin who heard my answer is speechless. Then I let go of her hand slowly for the second time and go to the garden. Nadin, who was speechless, shouted loudly “I LOVE YOU, BRO”

 

The End