Saturday night.
That night the atmosphere in the yard was quite quiet because some residents who usually passed by the road in front of the house were not there to attend the thanksgiving event for the birth of the village head's wife's baby. Likewise, the children who came home from private religious studies who usually passed in front of the house while singing happily were not heard.
From a distance, the sound of young people singing filled the Saturday night. On Saturday nights, usually young people in my village including my school friends like to hang out at the cafe that provides free wifi. Some of them hang out while dating, some bring laptops to do college assignments, and some just hang out to get free internet.
While my friends were busy hanging out at the cafe, after I shopped at the vegetable shop in the afternoon, my mother and I were busy cooking dinner. We cooked my sister's favorite omelet, cooked spinach and stir-fried kale, my and my mother's favorites.
The two of us cooked happily and cheerfully because we were accompanied by Michael Jackson's song: You Are Not Alone. My mother really likes Michael Jackson's songs.
"Imam, instead of daydreaming, you better prepare the plates and spoons for our dinner," said my mother to my younger brother Imam who was seen daydreaming on the chair
Then Imam carried out his mother's order. The dining table was neat with the plates stored in front of the dining chair. Finally the cooking was finished and the three of us started praying before eating.
In the middle of us enjoying our meal, my mother poked my thigh while her eyes glanced at Imam.
"What's wrong with your younger brother? It looks like he's thinking about something?" asked my mother in a whisper
I looked at Imam. With a blank stare, Imam just twirled the spoon and fork on the plate that was already filled with rice and side dishes. Without further ado, I immediately asked.
"Imam, the rice is eaten. It's just been twirled around. What's wrong with you? Have a problem?" I asked in a slightly high tone
"No problem," Imam answered briefly
"It's not good to keep problems to yourself. If you're embarrassed to talk to your older brother, I'm always ready to listen." Mother spoke softly
After a while Imam was silent, he sighed and then spoke, "I'm annoyed with my school friend. Almost every day he borrows money and promises to pay it back soon but for almost a month he makes excuses when asked to pay off his debt. He really bothers me with his fake complaints" Imam said
"How much does your friend owe?" I asked
"Not much, only 200 thousand rupiah. But if he borrows every day, my savings could run out." Imam replied
"200 thousand is not a small amount. You keep asking for it." I said
"Yes but he always makes excuses and ends up talking badly about me to his friends. He's like a parasite." Imam said in an annoyed tone
"My advice, you should limit yourself from friends who behave badly. Remember my message, never hate and hold grudges against people who annoy us, just keep our distance and limit them." Mother said wisely
"I agree. Just like my teacher said, never be a vengeful person. Just limit our closeness to toxic people" I said
After finishing eating while listening to my sister's complaints and listening to mother's advice. The three of us finally finished eating, washed the dishes and then went to sleep in our respective rooms.