CUTS
Walking In The Dark...

We walked very far, passing through a river that divides one hill with another hill. Don't ask me where this is? Because it's definitely in the woods. After passing through the creek, they suddenly stopped and looked at us. One of them gave the code with the chin to the other. Then we walked back. My parents and I were walking in the dark.

They closed our eyes, aiming to hide the path we were going through. This trip is so far away, I don't even know what time it is. My feet hurt and hurt by twigs.

In my closed eyes I also felt that the road we were going through was not flat. We climb then downhill although not too steep but if not careful can roll freely down.

How many hours have we taken but there are no signs of stopping. "Mom, Umi, are you all right?" My toot.

My parents are old, though not old. But a trip like this must be very tiring for them. "Well, can we stop for a second? I'm thirsty." I'm welding.

I don't know what they're talking about, which I can clearly feel if they're negotiating. "Can't, we gotta hurry up." They then led me back. My hand was held by one of them. With eyes closed it is very difficult to follow if not guided.

After a long tiring journey, we finally reached a hill that was not too high. Our eyes were already opened, I saw the atmosphere of the small village there. In addition to the rebels complete with bedil, there are also women and some of them even have babies and children who are toddlers.

We were placed in a cottage. "Assalamualaikum, Abu, Umi and Dek." Said a young man we knew very well. With her trademark smile she approached Abu and Umi then kissed the hands of the two. I kissed her hand as usual and we were again surprised by the presence of a woman with two children, one was a toddler and the other was a baby.

"Rahmah, this is Abu, Umi and Cut, his brother Brother." That woman turned out to be my sister-in-law. Abu's words the other day turned out to be true. My brother is married and has two children.

The woman named Rahmah approached my parents and kissed the back of her hand for the first time.

Abu and Umi did not react. I just gave her a smile as she shook hands with me. I noticed my two nieces who were very handsome. Yeah, I guessed it from the clothes they were wearing as well as the hairstyle.

Abu's ragged face looked at Bang Ilham. I saw Umi gently rubbing Abu's back. And...

Plakkkk

A slap landed on Bang Ilham's face. The slap I first saw while I was alive. Ash is not a light-handed man. Even his bandits Bang Ilham never once once Abu hit him. Angry or the worst is to tell him to work in the rice field if he is stubborn.

My sister-in-law and her toddler son saw this with their eyes. "Sir, take the kids out!" Pinta my brother while holding his face which was slapped by Abu.

"What's your purpose in bringing us here, huh? Desperate son, take us back to the road to the village!" Abu yelled at Bang Ilham loudly until some of his friends took a glance at the cottage we occupied.

"Mother, Ilam apologizes. Inspiration did not want Abu to return to the village. If Abu does not want to stay here, Abu can move to the sub-district. Later Ilham find a house that Abu can occupy."

"No need, now get us out of here!"

"It's better to meet a tiger than to have an ungodly child like you." Ash was apparently really angry this time.

After a long debate between Abu and Bang Ilham stopped, a young man came in carrying some food for us. "Assalamualaik."

"Getishalam." Our speech is flat.

He placed a tray filled with some food and water for us. "Cut, introduce! He's Muhammad Khalid who proposed to you through his family yesterday."

I was shocked and then stared at the man. Abu's face turned red with emotion. "I haven't given anyone the right to find a mate for Cut. No one has the right to find a mate for him other than his father." The very sharp words of Abu made my brother fall silent again. "I'm sorry if the presence of my family has made Abu and his family uncomfortable." Said the man.

"It is not you who are wrong but this ungodly child who has acted as guardian. Cut still has parents unless you kill me then please marry your sister to the man you want. But my prayer will never accompany your intentions until the afterlife. Like you already did, get married and tell us. It turns out we only had one child."

"Mother, our house is often visited by the authorities, Ilham just does not want Abu to be in trouble if they continue to live there especially they have long sought Inspiration."

"It is precisely now that you are putting this old man in trouble. You'd rather kill us now than you'd kill us secretly." Abu was still stirred with emotion and the man finally came out of the cabin.

I didn't care about it at all because I didn't want to re-inspire the disappointment in my parents' hearts. It's enough what Bang Ilham made, I won't do the same.

The night was getting late, we slept with a makeshift mat. The night wind was enough to make our bodies cold. There is no fire to warm because it will cause smoke that can make the authorities find their location.

Umi was still holding back tears after a long debate between father and son. "The patient one!" That's the only word I can say.

"How are you doing in my village? Is anyone looking for us?" My mind was staring at the stars in the night sky.

The more dawn the air gets colder, Abu has woken up from sleep and approached me who was sitting staring at the ceiling. I fell asleep only for a short while because the very cold air kept me awake. There was no thick blanket, just a long piece of cloth given by my sister-in-law.

"Yes, Abu. Cut understood." A question came to my mind. "Mom, can Cut ask you something? Cut just wants to hear Abu's opinion." Abu nodded.

"It's hard how do their wives live that soldiers?" Abu looked at me for a moment and then sighed.

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