Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Papa's house, night.
DEEP BREATHS.
I reminded myself before bringing my hand to the door, giving it just three knocks. "Assalamualaikum, Papa? Mawar ni?"
I stood there in silence as I played with the hem of my cardigan. Thank god I was wearing one, it was freezing out here. My eyes looked up as the door opened, revealing a man in his late forty's.
Papa.
"Waalaikumussalam, Mawar. Apa duduk kat luar ni? Masuk la," he offered, standing aside as he allowed me to come in.
I looked around the living room, Papa had taste. It looked cozy. I gently put my backpack on the floor and took a seat on the couch.
Papa locked the door and sat next to me. "Kakak macam mana sekarang? Dah kerja ke masih belajar?" He asked, pouring me a cup of Milo. "Ni Papa buat Milo macam kakak suka minum dulu."
It made me sad realizing how long it was since I last met Papa, I couldn't blame him though. Finding a job was hard nowadays, not to mention that Mama was still fighting for Fakhri's custody. I'm turning nineteen next month so I don't need to worry about Mama. I'm technically an adult now. Mama barely cares about how I'm doing. I spent my whole life taking care of myself, it shouldn't be difficult now, could it?
"Milo?" I questioned, raising a brow at the older man, edges of my lips curving into a smile. I carefully took the mug from Papa and took a small sip.
Milo solves almost everything.
"Sama tak rasa dia macam dulu?" He asked, excitement in his voice. I could tell that Papa was enthusiastic about finally getting to see me.
"Sebijik!" I giggled. Being with Papa means that I could really be myself, no masks. "Mawar dah kerja dah sekarang, tapi ada cita-cita nak sambung belajar tu ada la. Mawar dulu kerja kat restoran dekat dengan apartment Mawar, jadi penghantar makan je. Tapi haritu ada kawan ajak kerja dengan dia kat Kudrat. So sekarang Mawar kerja situ je la."
"Kudrat?" Papa titled his head slightly. "Sekolah Fakhri tu. Kakak ada jumpa ke dengan Fakhri?" Of course, he was going to ask about adik.
But how? How am I going to answer it?
'Yeah, we did see each other but for some unknown reason he hates me now.'
Yeah, no. I was not going to say that.
Instead of saying what was on my mind, I simply nodded. "Ada haritu, akak serve dia makan. Dah besar dah budak tu. Last Mawar jumpa diatime..." I paused.
The last time I saw him was that night.
"Cakap pasal Fakhri, mana budak tu? Dah tidur ke? Awal betul." I quickly changed the topic, looking around in an attempt to find him.
