SYAHDU (Contract Sleep Friends)
Glimmer of Hope

"Congratulations, next week you're engaged, right?"

Arga can't answer. He also did not like the words that came out of Syahdu's mouth.

"I want to see you engaged."

Arga put the plate on the nightstand. He held Syahdu's hand.

"I'm focused on getting you excited and healed. So, let's not talk about anything else, yeah."

"I'm glad you finally got married. I can't wait to see you"

"I'm forced. I'm not happy about this engagement so stop talking about it. Okay?" Arga with an annoyed face took another plate and began to feed Syahdu to eat.

Syahdu is not that happy. He was well aware that his fate was very sad. The people close to him, all left. Arga will also leave and he can't stand in the way of that.

But there is one question Syahdu asked Arga. About Wicak.

"That time, Brother Wicak found you, right." Syahdu pointed at the rest of the bruise at the corner of Arga's eye. "That's. You fought with Brother Wicak?"

Arga sighed. Finally Syahdu asked about that night, where Wicak beat him and he accident not far from the location.

"I'm not angry at all, because I know, I was wrong. At that time, I was beaten up. I thought he wouldn't accept you. Apparently he came to say that he loves you very much. He accepts you with all his heart."

The tears of Syahdu melted again. But Wicak proved it. At the end of his life, he had indeed shown that incredible feeling.

"I'm sorry about last night."

"Trus he said what else.." Ask Syahdu. Longing rules over him. Hearing Wicak's story seems to make it better.

"He's..." Arga looked at Syahdu. The girl smiled waiting for Arga's story with tears on her cheeks.

Arga's memory immediately leads to that night, where he and Wicak sit each other because of tired of fighting.

'Gue ain't gonna leave Syahdu, that's what you gotta know!' Said a lizard in the middle of his hunting breath.

'Good, deh. You should be able to pinpoint your words.'

Tortured silently, with a sigh he tried to get up. 'Don't ever bother Syahdu again. I'm not afraid to kill you!' Threatened Tweet.

'yes. I won't bother you unless you hurt him.'

'Sampe died too, I won't hurt him. You need to know, it's just me that he loves.' press Wicak on Arga who he knows, the man also loves his lover.

'yes. I believe.' Reply Arga lazily. But he did believe, because he saw for himself how much Syahdu loved the man.

But I'm peringatin. Kalo lo sampe nyakin Syahdu, do not cry if I snatch. You think, I can't make him switch from lo?'

Furious, the lizard immediately beat him again until the people came and broke them.

Syahdu covered his face with both hands, sobbing at what Wicak told Arga. Arga did convey what he remembered. But he did not tell the details of what makes Wicak angry, which is because he continues to provoke him.

Syahdu sobbed because the guilt was so great in him. If only he hadn't told her that, Wicak probably wouldn't have met Arga and the accident wouldn't have happened. Is that so? Or indeed it has become a line of hands Wicak. No matter how hard Syahdu tries to change destiny, Wicak's death will come.

But Wicak shouldn't have died. He should be happy with another woman.

Again Syahdu sniffled. The guilt is now coming back. He could not make up for it, only regret remained in him.

Arga let Syahdu cry. The girl was indeed devastated and Arga had to be patient, waiting for Syahdu's heart to open to receive someone in her life again.

The afternoon passed with Syahdu sleeping until the afternoon, the girl woke up and immediately sat down. His view leads to Arga who is working on a task with his laptop.

"Why?" Ask Arga who saw Syahdu dumbstruck with puffy eyes.

"Mranny's dream."

Arga rises to Shahdu. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Grandmother sits in the hallway of the campus. Wait for me to finish studying, I was rich in first grade. But when I walked in, he smiled and left."

Arga stroked Syahdu's head with a small smile. "That means, grandma wants you to go to college."

"Arga."

"Hm?"

"Come on, to the oma's house."

"What?" The man stared fixedly at Syahdu. Is Syahdu conscious or still dreaming.

"So the phone but I didn't pick up. He asked me to come."

"You don't feel calm yet, mending delay until tomorrow."

"I'm okay, really." Quickly answer.

"Yes already. Ready, gih. I'm waiting here."

Syahdu tied his hair, then rushed to the bathroom to prepare for Margaret's house.

...🍁...

Syahdu got out of the car, greeted by Margaret. The old woman smiled warmly welcoming the girl whose face was tangled with still puffy eyes, but tried to return a smile.

Margaret hugged him tightly. "I'm really sorry to hear that. May he gets a beautiful place up there."

"Thank you, oma."

Syahdu tightened his embrace. I don't know why Margaret made him comfortable.

"Come, in. You had dinner here, right? Oma is ready." Margaret brought Syahdu in, while Arga followed behind.

"You're a strong woman, oma sure you can get through this."

Syahdu nodded with teary eyes.

"Shahdu.." the woman tilted her body to hold the hand of the girl next to her. "If you want, you can stay here. Oma will pay for all your needs. You want to go to college, I'll go to college. Oma knows this is a tough request. Oma just wants you to have a friend here."

"Thank you, oma. Syahdu will think later. You see. now Syahdu does not know how to."

"Yes, oma knows, really. Oma wait for the answer, yes." said the woman.

Syahdu nodded, then his gaze shifted to a stack of invitation paper on the table. "Oma, that.."

"Oh, that's Arga's invitation to Soraya."

Syahdu took a sheet. He saw Arga and Soraya's name in it.

"Shahdu, you persuade dong, Arga. So that he would marry. He's so loud. Who knows if you said it, he nodded. He is, he doesn't care about any of this. Fortunately, the women's families did not protest much. Otherwise, oma could be embarrassed."

Syahdu. "Yes, oma. Syahdu will help me say that."

"Yes. Say, gih."

Syahdu looked up, he was moved towards there. "Shahdu up first, oma."

Margaret nodded, letting Syahdu climb into her grandson's room.

Margaret looked at Syahdu's back. He felt sorry for the girl. His life must have been hard. Moreover, her lover, Margaret had heard, that the girl was soon to be married but dear, her lover died.

Margaret knew the girl had no feelings for her grandson. That's why he deliberately told Syahdu to intervene about Arga's engagement.

Syahdu opened the room door, Arga sat on the bed while strumming the guitar.

"I can come in, Ga?"

Arga stopped the quote. "When did you ask permission?"

Syahdu was silent for a moment. Since then though Arga has started to gently call with me-you. Now it's changing again.

He entered without closing the door, worried that people were suspicious.

"Close the door."

"But-"

"Closed." His touch and Syahdu finally closed the door. Then sit down near Arga. He handed the invitation card to Arga.

"Waste it, can't it?" The face of the jutek signifies that he does not like the paper nearby.

"Where, yes, Soraya's feelings, if you know you are gini ogah-ogahan."

"From the beginning I didn't want a fiancee. I have said many times that I do not want to get married. People don't understand, wonder." Gerrymandering annoyed. He put the guitar on the bed. Grabbing the invitation card and ripping it into pieces.

"Actually there's no harm in it, try."

"Emang you think marriage is a try."

Syahdu raised his eyebrows. A class of Arga apparently understood that as well.

"Yes, anyway. But Ga, in my opinion, it is not better if we marry the same person whose feelings are far above us. More loved, more loved. Aye, right?" Syahdu began to stare blankly ahead. Again he remembered Wicak.

Arga also looked at the dreamy Syahdu. Something he should ask Syahdu.

"Emang lo want, marry the same man you love, but he loves the same lo?" Arga asked back, making Syahdu look at him. Now Syahdu knows what Arga means.

"I'm.." Syahdu. "Yes, anyway. The power can't."

Arga was a little disappointed to hear that. Even if Syahdu wanted to, he might have taken Syahdu away with him.

"Tu lo tau. Trus you tell people to do me that??"

"But you never said I should see you engaged. Look at you getting married. That's right, what you said?"

Arga's memory drifted to a time when he said it was to persuade Syahdu not to jump from the building. It turned out that sentence now backfired for him.

"That-that's.."

"Don't tell me you lied so I wouldn't jump out of that building."

"Engga, really. I ain't lying."

"When.I undo the intention because I want to see you married." Syahdu smiled faintly. He lies to get Arga married and she is no longer bothered by Arga's father's threats.

Syahdu was silent, struggling with his thoughts. So is Arga. Is that really what that girl said just now? Did he deliberately cancel his intention to see himself engaged?

"Shahdu."

The girl looked.

"When I get married, what are you?" The question came out of Arga's mouth. He wanted to see the look on Syahdu's face. He wanted to see if Syahdu was sad and he had hope or vice versa.

Syahdu stared at Arga's eyes for a long time until he finally smiled, then turned his eyes forward.

"I'll carry on with my life. I'm going to college. The presence of my grandmother in my sleep makes me want to continue the dream that he once said. He wants me to wear a toga." The answer then stood up.

"I want to help you in the kitchen." Go ahead and get out of Arga's room.

"You're feeling lost, aren't you, Syahdu. I can read that." Arga smiled slightly, he felt that he had a glimmer of hope from Syahdu.

TB