Chapter 3 — The Handsome Uncle
1205 Words
When the school was over and they were going home, Yuki was still sitting next to Yuda in the front seat like she did this morning.
"Take it easy, Uncle, you don't need to be in a hurry like what you did this morning," said Yuki. She put an earphone to her ear. Then leaned her back against the car seat.
Yuda drove the car at normal speed. When they stopped at a traffic light, there were 3 children singing on the street.
Yuda reached for the money from his shirt pocket. He took three bills of two thousand rupiahs, from the five bills he had.
Yuda always kept the two thousand rupiah bill in his shirt pocket. The money was part of the proceeds from his hard work to be porters in the market.
"Excuse me, Miss, could you please give them this money?" Yuda asked Yuki who had taken off her earphone.
Yuki shuddered at the crumpled, dirty two thousand bill in Yuda's hand.
"Just give them by yourself!" she said slightly curtly.
Yuda was forced to lean forward, so he was close to Yuki's body. Yuda's brown-skinned and sturdy looking hand stretched past Yuki's body so that he could hand over the money in his hand.
"For the three of you," said Yuda. He didn't realize that the distance between his face and Yuki's face was so close.
The three children received money from Yuda's hand and expressed their gratitude. A happy smile etched on their lips.
Mwah...
One kiss from Yuki's lips landed on Yuda's cheek, making Yuda gasp in surprise. Spontaneously he pulled his body away from Yuki. Yuda looked at Yuki's face with a huff.
"Miss, what have you done!?" exclaimed Yuda while rubbing his cheek that was kissed by Yuki's lips earlier.
"I just kissed your cheek, Uncle. That's what I just did." Yuki said casually as if it was something normal for her.
"Why did you kiss me? This can't be, Miss," Yuda stared into Yuki's eyes.
"It's your fault, why did you put your handsome face in front of me," Yuki replied very casually. Yuda shook his head.
"But ...."
"Hurry up, Uncle! It's a green light." Yuki cut quickly. With a heavy sigh, Yuda returned back to drove the car.
"I beg you, don't do things like that again, Miss," begged Yuda in a soft voice. Yuki turned her head towards Yuda.
"Why? It was just a kiss on the cheek, Uncle?" She said calmly.
"It is forbidden for a man and a woman who is not their mahrom to touch each other. Even to kiss like what you did earlier," Yuda said firmly.
"Geez, what era did you live in, it's so old school!" Yuki exclaimed, there was a mocking tone to her voice.
"The orders and prohibitions of religion have never changed Miss. There is no ancient term for it. So please don't do that again," begged Yuda.
"Huhhh ...." Yuki gave a face in annoyance. She felt that Yuda had tried to taking control of her.
They arrived home without any further conversation.
"Wait for me to change, I have an appointment at the mall with my friends. Uncle can eat lunch first!" Yuki said curtly. It seemed that she was still angry because of what Yuda said in the car earlier.
Yuda took his food from the hanger on his motorbike.
He sat in a chair near the garage. He had just taken a spoonful to his mouth when one of the household assistants passed in front of him.
"Yuda, if you want to eat, just take it from the kitchen. No need to bring a lunch box. You can eat and drink as much as you like in the kitchen," said the household assistant.
"Thank you, Ma'am, but Mr. Yamata didn't tell me about it. So let me just bring my own lunch from my home. Maybe my salary includes food allowance in it," said Yuda.
"Geez, it's okay if you want to eat in the kitchen, all the employees here eat in the kitchen."
"Sorry, Ma'am, I can’t do that if there is no permission from the owner of the house," said Yuda politely.
"Alright, enjoy your lunch. If you need coffee or tea, or whatever, just ask in the kitchen, okay."
"Thank you, Ma'am." Yuda nodded his head.
After eating his lunch, Yuda took wudhu from the faucet in the garden. Then he spread out his prayer mat on the small gazebo in the corner of the garden next to Mr. Yamata's house.
He had just finished praying when a loud voice called out to him.
"Uncle Yuda!"
"Yes, Miss," Yuda hurried out from the gazebo stage made of bamboo.
"What are you doing there? Sleep, huh?" Yuki asked with a fierce gaze.
"No, I just finished praying." Yuda showed Yuki the prayer mat and kopiah.
"Come on, hurry up, my friends will be waiting at the mall too long!"
"Okay, Miss, I'll save this for a moment." Yuda put the prayer mat and kopiah into the plastic bag, then hung it on his motorbike along with his lunch box.
When he was back, it turned out that Yuki had already gotten into the car.
Yuda entered, and sat behind the steering wheel. He glanced at Yuki briefly.
"Oh my God!" He exclaimed when he saw the clothes Yuki was wearing.
"What's the matter? Do I look like a ghost?" Yuki asked with an angry gaze at Yuda.
"Sorry Miss, but your clothes, I think they are too revealing your body, your parents would not like to see their daughters dressed like this," said Yuda while starting the car engine.
"Don't try to control me, and never mention my parents. Your job is just to take me wherever I want to go!" Then, Yuki put the earphone to her ear, leaned her back, then closed her eyes.
Yuda took a deep breath.
He often saw young girls dressed like Yuki.
Hot pants, thus showing their thighs. An oversized t-shirt with the top only caught on the upper arms, exposing the entire shoulder and part of the chest. That shirt was knotted at the waist, showing a little skin on their stomachs.
But for now, this was the first time for him to see it this close.
Yuda turned his head when he heard a humming hum from Yuki's mouth. Yuki's tiny lips twitched, letting out an indistinct muttering sound.
Yuda thought about Yuki's parents.
Where were the parents?
Why did Yuki look angry when he mentioned her parents?
Didn't her parents teach her manners?
'Hhhh why do I have to bother thinking about it, I should think about my own family matters. What's more this year my two nephews have to go to school. The brother goes to elementary school, the sister goes to kindergarten. I have to work even harder in order to provide the best education for them.
Dear Allah.
Open the door of sustenance for me as wide as possible. Bring sustenance from any path. Halal sustenance for me so that my family can be happy, aamiin.'
Yuda concentrated on driving, headed for the mall where Yuki had an appointment with her friends.
- Writer
