Our Friendship

21

Balkisa's heart was filled with joy as she anxiously awaited her brother Ayatullah's return from school. His bags had arrived yesterday from Saudi Arabia, and she couldn't wait to see the gift he had brought her. She had stationed herself on the veranda since the bags arrived, her excitement barely contained.

Ayatullah had forgotten about the bags until he returned from school. When he saw Balkisa waiting on the veranda, a grin spread across his face. "Little sis, hope you're not waiting for me?" he teased as he approached her.

In response, Balkisa turned away, a sign that she was annoyed. Ayatullah, familiar with her ways, tapped her shoulder and gently turned her to face him. He took her hand and apologized, "I'm sorry, dear. Now that I'm back, let's go and open the bags."

Balkisa scrunched up her face before speaking, "I am really angry at you. My friends at school keep whispering that I'm a liar. It's so disgraceful."

Ayatullah tried to suppress his laughter, realizing that he needed to be serious. He couldn't understand why Balkisa had told her friends about the bags in the first place. "Okay, sorry, dear. I assure you the things I bought for you are very special."

Her face lit up with a bright smile as she asked, "Are you sure?" She searched his eyes for confirmation.

He smiled warmly and assured her, "Very sure, dear."

Balkisa couldn't contain her happiness and shouted, "Yeyeye! Let's go!" She jumped up, ready to explore the gifts.

As Balkisa eagerly inspected the bags, her facial expressions shifted from joy to confusion. Ayatullah noticed her teary eyes and furrowed brow.

He asked gently, "My dear, why are you quiet? Aren't you happy to see what I brought?"

Balkisa finally let her emotions show as she choked back tears and asked, "But yaya, what are all these?"

Ayatullah realized that Balkisa had misunderstood. He chuckled and said, "Oh, sorry. I thought you wanted to see what I bought for the family first." He playfully left the room but returned a few minutes later with another bag, which he placed in front of her. "This one is yours. I'm sorry I rushed earlier. It's all I got for you."

Overjoyed, Balkisa exclaimed, "Oh, wow!" She hugged him tightly. "This is why I love you, yaya. You're the best brother ever."

Ayatullah's moment with Balkisa was interrupted when Fatahurrahman entered the room. Ayatullah looked at Fatahurrahman suspiciously, who had just come to check the bags.

Fatahurrahman smiled and quipped, "So, the bags arrived, and you decided to hide it from me? Thank God I was informed."

Ayatullah glanced at Balkisa, who was occupied with her gift. She smiled and retorted, "Yaya Fatahurrahman. Did I call you?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Fatahurrahman nodded, "No, you didn't," he admitted with a grin. "Let's discuss who called me later. For now, I have to choose what I want." He teased, joking about the gifts.

Today was the day Ayatullah had set aside to help the girls with their studies. He sat next to Ummi and Khadija, facing the eager students. Surprisingly, neither Khadija nor Ummi had spoken a word to the students. They seemed engrossed in their phones. Ayatullah spent about two hours teaching the girls before ending the session.

As the girls left, they burst into laughter. One of them commented, "His friends must be jealous. Didn't you see their faces?"

Another chimed in, "Yes, they must be out of their minds. How can they love their junior? I'm sure he'll marry someone else, insisting that they are nothing but his teachers."