Sunday. Biyya has finished her final semester exams. Now the semester holiday has arrived. Her heart can no longer wait to return to Surabaya, spending holidays with her mother and her sister for a month. Biyya starts packing things that need to be carried. Not to forget, she also told the owner of boarding house. Biyya asked her to make pempek to take home as souvenirs. While she still thinking about Dafi.
A car has parked at the airport. A familiar car, a black Avanza car driven by Mr. Sutoyo to home. Now it is not her father who drives or picks her up on way home or away to the airport, but her family's personal driver.
"Good afternoon. Biyya's home."
"Yes, my daughter is here," the two hugged each other.
"Where's Audi, Mom?"
"She said she had a group work at her friend's house. All right, let's clean up your body and take a shower. I'll make you your favorite food."
"Okay."
Tonight feels very different than the previous dinner when her father was alive. No one else knocked on her room's door to remind them to eat. Now everything feels quiet without Dad's jokes. Even so, as long as there's mother by her side, her life still has a purpose, she thought.
"You're finally home."
"Do you miss me so much?" Biyya pulls up a chair for her sister to sit on.
"Yes, I do. I really miss going shopping together. Oh, how's the mall there?"
"Nice! It is such a good mall."
"Okay. Maybe it's different, I think."
"Same thing."
"You'll talk later in the room. Now we eat first," their mother said.
***
A car stopped across at the coffee shop. Dafi drove off his car to see his empty-looking coffee shop. After a month in Jakarta, the thick-breasted man returned to his hometown. Now Dafi has slowly begun to accept Biyya's decision, until the man dares to step back on the city again. The shop he's been closing for a long time will be reopening. So did Dafi who never saw the woman he loved so much.
"Well, how are you, Daf? You're fine, aren't you?" Akbar embraces Dafi's shoulder.
"What does it look like?" Dafi raised both eyebrows thick.
"Fine, anyway. You didn't change anymore, you are getting stronger of smoking," Akbar said.
Akbar looking at two empty packs of cigarettes and an ashtray filled with cigarette smoke.
"Normally, only cigarettes can heal me," he replied.
"By the way, what's wrong you calling me to your house?"
"Have you got a new job?"
"What do you think? I've been unemployed since you decided to close your coffee shop. What the hell! Did you suddenly broke up your relationship? Is it?" Akbar asked.
"Yup."
"How could it be? At that time I saw her accidentally standing long across at coffee shop. I think so."
"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me?"
"How's it going? You're in Jakarta. Where your mobile phone is inactive."
"Bar, I think I'll reopen the coffee shop."
"Seriously???"
"Yup!"
Dafi has began a new chapter of his life. The reason he opened his coffee shop again was that he wanted to prove to parents that he wasn't a man who can work because of his father's legacy. The second reason is that at least Dafi has learned to let Biyya go, although he has not fully moved on. He still remembered her tiny face and her teeth when smiling straight away clearly.
One month Dafi has reopened his coffee shop. The atmosphere in there does not change in the slightest. The faces of old customers are still visible and remain faithful to spend their time enjoying coffee. The thing that reminds Dafi is the sofa with cream color opposite the bar. That sofa became their favorite seat when dating while enjoying a cup of latte. By moving the sofa, at least his could move on from Biyya.
The night sky was getting thicker. All that remains Dafi and Akbar who will close the coffee shop soon.
"Okay, it's done," said Akbar, who had cleaned up everything at the bar.
"Hold on. Cigarettes please," Dafi patted Akbar's shoulder while igniting the fire into a cigarette that was already on his lips.
"You didn't see the phrase on your cigarette? It is clearly if cigarettes can kill you, right?"
"Just relax, I'm not going to die" he replied indifferently.
Dafi asked Bi Ijah to make black coffee after returning from the shop. From morning until night, Dafi spent three packs of cigarettes in one day. Suddenly, Dafi felt his chest tighten and hard to breathe. There is only Bi Ijah at his home. No one heard his voice asking for help. The liquid of blood dropped from his mouth.
"Bi Ijah," he said in a vague voice.
"Dafi, this is the coffee I made," said Bi Ijah.
"The coffee... Oh, my God. Please!" she dropped a cup of black coffee to the floor.
***
The semester holiday was over. A month feels long enough to spend days with family. Today Biyya must return to Palembang.
"Nom, Where were you yesterday? I knocked your house out," asked someone.
"Sorry. Well, yesterday I hung out with my friends for discussing about my project at Df Coffee Shop," said one of students in the class.
Biyya immediately stopped reading. It was only recently that she accidentally overheard a conversation with his friend who was talking about Dafi coffee shop. She closed her book and randomly stuffed her laptop into the backpack. Biyya grabs her phone in the pocket of the jeans she is wearing and searches for Akbar's contact. He called Akbar repeatedly, hoping for an answer from Akbar. It's no answer from him.
From a distance it is clear that the coffee shop had reopened. Precisely from the glass door, some customers are sitting enjoying their coffee. Biyya's eyes are only focused on the bar in search of Dafi. Biyya stepped up very quickly.
"Aw. Ouch!" She saw her bloody elbow.
"That's why if you want to cross, please be carefully. Good safe you so I didn't hit you," said an unknown man who riding a motorcycle.
Biyya wondered what other calamities had befallen her. Shee just only take it with airiness. Biyya grabbed her bag which has loose on the street and continued walking towards the coffee shop.
"Biyya, right?" said Akbar.
"Yes, I do. Is the coffee shop just open?" she asked curiously.
"It's been a month."
"One month?" her eyeballs grow to hear it has been open for a month.
"Yup."
"Where's Dafi?"
"Don't you know? I forgot, you've been his ex. Dafi was treating for coughing up blood, his housemaid said."
"What? In which hospital? How long has it been?"
"Siloam Hospital. About a week."
Since breaking up, for two months Biyya has never known how Dafi is. Biyya only found out about Dafi that day at the coffee shop. Her tears were shed all over her face. It gets word that the simple man she meets, the man who always calms down, and the man who makes her dare to fall in love again was getting sick.
