SCHNUCKY
A CHALLENGE TO HOPE

"It's enough." said Arya tightly and pushed the dishes into the middle of the table and then looked at the three men sitting in front of her.

"Before I want to make sure first." said Arya took a paper tissue from the place and then wiped her lips and put the tissue on the plate.

"The woman's name is Muzdalifah, right?" todong Arya squinted her eyes.

The three men looked at each other. The Tole*) then nodded. "Iyo, the name depe is indeed Muzdalifah. Kong kiyapa?"

Tole \= is a common name or call used to call boys among North Sulawesi people (Excluding Gorontalo). It was a rough call. As for his polite call is Nyong, Ungke, or Uyong.

Arya nodded, "Alhamdulillah, if that is the name" Arya said to the Si Tole. "As I told you guys in the hoard that he was my former junior in public high school. It's just that he stopped in the middle of the semester."

"Why did he stop?" ask Si Tole.

Arya sneered for a moment, then replied, "I can't say it."

"You got it wrong with him?" search for the other man armed with a sabele. "Given his behavior earlier, of course you must have done something bad to him at that time. Is my estimate correct?!"

Arya sneered again but did not answer. Si Tole immediately snorted. "Why does this include the handlebars of ye? The cuki deng ngana horse indeed!" as the Minahasa man said.

Arya squinted her eyes at Si Tole with a displeased look. "I don't care what you say to me. But, I currently only want one thing."

"What's that?" ask the gunman sabele.

"I want to meet Muzdalifah" replied Arya. "I have to meet him."

"Why did you meet him, if his business was only to hurt him again?!" said the Madurese man with a shoving look.

"To clean up the past." replied Arya.

"It turns out this sampeyan really is korang ajher! You made a mistake that traumatized others. Pate'!!!" curse the Madurese man while standing and holding his clurit again.

"Support a little of your language, sir!" reprimand Arya with a flat tone and a cold gaze also towards the Madurese man. "Is that me in your eyes?!"

"Coloknah jereyah!!! Sampeyan who has to be fluent in language! Jancouk!!!" the reply of the Madurese man cursed again.

"Sakera!" send the local man over to the table.

Sakera, the name of the Madurese man fell silent as well with the table buzz. The local man then sighed to ease his emotions. He looked back at Arya.

"I'm sorry, my friend. He does make short. But he was angry for the right reason. If he swears at you, it means you deserve it." said the local man.

Arya just snorted and upheld her seat. "I, Arya Datau. Introduce yourself so we can be more familiar to talk."

The local man smiled. "My name is Saifulhadi Koniyo. But you can call me Apulu, or Pulu." she introduced herself and looked at Tole on her left side. "If this one, his name..."

"We can case our canal self-sandiri." interrupted Si Tole tightly and reached out. "Ngana bakudapa with the champion from Manguni, Koni Kumaat" he said with a flat tone and a sharp gaze.

Arya did not dare. He shook the hand of the Minahasa man. While Apulu just smiled and nodded towards the Madurese man.

"If it were him, you would already know his name" Apulu said.

Arya smile. "Sakera.." he said spelling.

"Sakera Imron." said the Madurese man loudly and then pointed his clurit at Arya. "And I do not hesitate to look the same until the sake of Muzdalifah!"

"You like her?" todong Arya then with a squeaking look.

"Sampeyan don't ask me why!" sergeant Sakera with a beaver.

Arya again snorted and looked at Apulu. "Frankly, my intention was to meet Muzdalifah, or Ifah, as soon as we called him when he was in school."

"Where's the address?" ask Arya. "Did he live in this shop?"

"He has a family that lives some distance from here." replied Apulu.

"Find me with her." asked Arya expectantly. "I won't forget your help, man."

"We are not your friends" Apulu said innocently making Arya speechless while Koni and Sakera actually laughed happily to see the man in front of them speechless with their best friend.

"Fine, ngana pi bale go home jo, kong pi ba poro pa ngana pe home." koni burleshed and laughed again accompanied by Sakera.

"It seems that what my friend from Minahasa said, there is a point also Bro." continued Apulu with a smile. "Go home and rethink your desire to meet Ifah."

"I've thought about it carefully." said Arya back with a smile. "I won't be back until I see Ifah."

Instantly both Sakera and Koni's eyes immediately glared with anger.

"Want to be in carok?!" sergeant Sakera bluffs.

"Do you want that feeling of kabasar? Later we mo manari will pa ngana pe face. Kong get ready jo kase then head pa us heh?!" connect Koni.

Arya laughed softly. Apulu furrowed his brows. "Do you think these two friends of mine don't dare to do it?" apulu Fishing.

Arya shook her head while laughing softly.

"Jancho!!!!" sergeant Sakera with a rage that he can barely control. Both of his eyes had indeed been flushed and veins were popping from his neck and temples.

Arya stand. "If you are not satisfied to knock me down, I allow you to gang up on me out there." he said, pointing at the shoulder of the road. "When you use a gun or not, I don't care. The four of us have guns. So, come if you want to."

Arya stepped about to leave when Apulu's call sounded. The man paused for a moment and looked at Apulu who was still sitting quietly in her place.

"Why? You changed your mind?" arya asked with a mocking smile.

Apulu smiled then got up and stepped closer to Arya until the distance between them was facing each other.

"You put it this way." proposes Apulu. "If you insist, then the problem will not be resolved and it is getting worse. So how about you go back first and come back a week later?"

"What's your guarantee?" challenge Arya.

"God willing, Ifah will meet you" said Apulu.

Arya squinted her eyes again. "Aren't you going to break your promise?"

"God willing." That's the only answer that Apulu gave.

Arya also long considering the proposal of men in front of him. Finally Arya nodded then stepped away from the place.

Suddenly Koni remembered something and immediately interrupted. "Eh, he's not yet paid for food kong so directly pigi, pemai!!!" gerutu with loud.

Apulu just smiled and then stepped towards the cashier's desk while taking out his salary and pressing someone's number and then contacted him.

📲 "Yes, what's up?" said someone in the voice of the device.

📲 "Mission accomplished.." Apulu said in a flat tone. "How next?"

📲 "Stay at first." replied the man.

Apulu nodded then ended the conversation and saved his gawai. []