Ashraf & Suri

Ashraf & Suri 0.8

"Aku nak kau betul-betul terima apa yang aku kata ni, sebab aku rasa mesti dah ramai yang nasihat kau macam ni. Nak berubah tu bagus, tapi bukan untuk manusia. Not for Maya, not for your parents, not for me, but do it for Allah. And He'll help you. Maya tu pemangkin, bukan penyebab. Catalysts deteriorate, reasons won't. So, strengthen your reason. Make it right."
"Yeah."
"Apa yeah-yeah? Kau faham, kau dengar tak ni?"
Dia ketawa. "Yes, teacher!" Sebelah tangan diangkat tabik pada tv kosong di depan.
"Aku tak main-main la!"
"Aku pun tak main-main." Serius dia balas walau senyum masih lebar di muka.
"Betul ni?"
"Ye."
"Move on, Ashraf, but if you've changed for the better, maintain that. And improve more. Prove to Maya, she guided you correctly, but you're strong enough to stand on your own with Allah's help. Not hers."
Stand on my own...
Selama ini dia goyah rupanya. Selama ini dia bergantung pada tempat yang salah.
"Ye." Muka diraup lagi. "Thank you, Amna."
"Kau okey tak ni?"
Dia senyum. "Okey. Sungguh. Thank you." Dia ulang lagi dua patah kata itu. Thank you so, very much.
"Good. Dah, aku dahaga. Habis air dalam badan membebel kat kau ni. Aku nak pergi minum air satu gelen. Bye, sir, chat with you later!" Talian diputuskan oleh gadis itu sebelum sempat dia mengirim salam. Dia ketawa, merenung telefon bimbit yang kini bisu itu, lama.

~ The time has come. And i'm writing this while biting my lips.
In accordance to what i wrote in the last entry of this story, 'Ashraf & Suri's huggable version', this story, re-titled 'Assalamualaikum Amna' will be published, soon.

So soon that my publisher has asked for me to edit a few entries here, since the huggable version won't be so much different from what i wrote here.

I'm sorry, dear kind readers, that i have to cut a few entries short, and turn them into teasers, instead.

I hope the story has been read with your full heart, that even when i've edited them out, you can still remember the meaning behind it.

Thank you so much for your time spent visiting this humble little 'house' of Ashraf and Suri. ☺