Chapter 9 - These Boots Are Made For Walking

Part 1.

“Good morning…..abang!  Why are you sleeping here on the sofa…..”

“What? Hana? …what are you doing here…….sshhhhhh….she is still sleeping…..”, Hans berbisik pada Hana.

“Who? Who is still sleeping?”, whispered Hana. Sambil berbisik, “Come…….” , Hans bangun dan meletakkan jari telunjuknya ke bibir.  Dia memimpin adiknya ke bilik tidur utama. They picked through the ajar door and saw Tika still sleeping. “Siapa tu abang?”

“Shhhhh…..I really hope there is a better way to introduce you to Tika but she is going to be your future sister in-law…”, kata Hans dengan senyuman lebarnya.

“Wahhh….you’re getting married abang? “, dan mencubit manja di lengan Hans. “Bila?”

“Shhh….”, sambil menarik tangan Hana ke living room…., “Soon.” Hans duduk semula di sofa dan membetul-betulkan rambutnya. 

“So, you slept on the sofa the whole night? Wah abang you are such a gentleman. You mean tak terlintas langsung nak ‘you know what’ with her…….” Usik Hana sambil duduk disebelah Hans.

“What? No…….is that what you think of me. Hana you know me better…if I want I could but not this way…..hmmm….(sambil memerhatikan bilik tidurnya) all I want to is hold her in my arms and never let go……she is so special and I adore her so much.” Then Hans looked at his sister. He smiled.

“Yeah..... you are acting strange and..….really surprise me…..so now I kena compete basement parking spot la…I presume it's her car parked down there.” Hana bertanya.

“Well how am I supposed to know you are coming back this early morning. Anyway, what are you doing here?” Hans replied.

“Tak de apa-apa. Saja…rindu your cooking….abang masak gulai asam pedas ikan terubuk for lunch ya…Hana lapar.” , pujuk Hana.

"Alaaa.....kita pergi keluar makan saja lah.....nelayan mana nak cari pagi-pagi buta ni.....ikan terubuk? susahlah Hana nak cari terubuk we have to go dekat pasar borong and its a bit far…kalau ada ikan parang or tenggiri boleh la…Taman sebelah highway sana banyak kedai yang jual."explained Hans.

"Tak nak keluar makan. Nak yang abang masak jugak....Hana tahu, abang tak nak tinggal girlfriend abang lama-lama ye....", perli Hana sambil menolak bahu Hans.

"So abang buat apa semalam dengan girlfriend abang?",  Hana sibuk bertanya. Hans bangun ke dapur dan untuk membuat kopi.

"Eeee......(mencubit pipi Hana) sibuknye dia…tak ada apa-apalah…I cooked dinner and we talked. It’s her birthday today so I thought I'd surprised her with an early celebration…..so after heart to heart talk we decided we want to build a life together,......get married lah. Hana, I am so happy. Dulu, for two years I cuma boleh tengok dia dari jauh saja, now I am going to marry her and I am never letting her go. Since it was quite late I asked her to sleep in my room and I bunked in here." Hans menundukkan muka seakan segan sambil membelek-belek jarinya. Senyum di bibirnya tidak putus-putus.

"Aaawwww....abang …..sweetnya, you have to tell me from the beginning tau…org yang dah tua macam abang ni kalau cinta sure romantic.", Usik Hana.

Hans memicit hidung macung Hana…."Oh orang tua.....menyibuk…hmmmm, hows classes?"

"Ouch…abang sakitla (Hana mengurut hidung nya).....classes’ semua okay je. What’s her name again? Tika?", Hana asked.

"Aha…Atikah." Hans jawab.

"La....sengih-sengih je bila sebut nama girlfriend dia.....so you are sure she is the ‘one’?" Hans bertanya.

"Yes, I am positive. My life is complete now. She complete me. But still need to deal dengan Marianne. You heard she’s going to the court nak get full custody of my boys…"

"Yup I heard from mom and she is not happy about it. Maybe you should talk it over dengan mom and dad. Perhaps they can help. Hire lawyer ke....and at the same time abang bawalah Kak Tika jumpa mereka. About time abang kahwin dah lama sangat menduda."

"Kak Tika ya…..wah pandainya dia….but of course I will see them soon. We want to speed up the wedding date. Benda baik elok disegerakan.."jelas Hans.

"Wah dah tak sabar-sabar ye abang....". Hana tak habis-habis mengusik Hans. 

"Dah jangan fikir yang bukan-bukan....Ok abang mandi dulu then pergi beli groceries…..you jangan bising-bising tau." he reminded Hana.

"Yes, yes,....I know. Eh, excuse me where do you think you are going….", tanya Hana

"Well mandi la....." Hans replied.

"No...no...no…sila mandi bilik adik…..", instruct Hana.

Part 2.

"Good morning….", aku menyapa Hans setelah terkejut dari tidur. Aku membetulkan rambut ku yang agak serabut. "Is everything alright Hans? I hear noises coming from outside of the bedroom.". Aku berjalan keluar dari bilik tidur dengan T-shirt Hans yang labuh hingga paras lutut.

"Good morning kak Tika....". Hans mencuit perempuan yang berada di ruang tamu and walked across to me…."Hi babe did you sleep well?" He hugged me. 

Aku masih terpinga-pinga....siapa perempuan ni....

"Ehemmm…Hi….(sambil melambai) I’m Hana…..his sister (pointing to Hans)."

"Hi Hana.....oh my I feel so awkward …." Tika bersuara. She felt embarrassed.

"Hans, you should have at least told me earlier.....", she tugged Hans arms.

"Hey it’s alright. Yang kecoh and kepoh ni is my sister, Hana. Biasala kalau datang memang tak pernah nak beritahu." Hans introduced aku kepada Hana. Kami bersalaman.

"Babe, I made coffee and omelette for you in the kitchen. I nak mandi and go out for a while. It won’t take long. Ada orang mengidam nak makan asam pedas." Hans menjeling ke arah Hana.

"You...(Hans pointing towards Hana) take care of Tika while I'm gone. Jangan lebih-lebih sangat", Hans memesan pada Hana.

"Yes, sir!", sambil memberi tabik hormat kepada Hans.

Aku tersenyum saja memerhatikan gelagat mereka adik beradik. Hana adalah satu-satunya adik Hans dan seorang penuntut Master program dalam jurusan economics di MMU. Hana berumur 26 tahun and she married at an early age. Dia mempunyai seorang anak yang dijaga oleh suaminya, Jackson di Sarawak. Suaminya seorang taukeh balak. Most of the time she lives in the dorm. Every two weeks Hana will fly back to Kuching to see her family and the next two weeks, Jackson will fly down to KL to meet Hana at her parents. Itu saja yang aku tahu mengenai Hana. Roughly five foot seven or eight....slender, fair and has a light brown hair and eyes. Cantik jugak orangnya. She has a lovely smile just like Hans's. Come to think of it....hmmm....are they both Caucasian?

Sepermergian Hans ke kedai, aku rasa kekok dengan kehadiran Hana. I know she is interested to know why I’m here, why I am sleeping in his brother’s bed and apa hubunganku dengan abangnya.

"So Abang Hans told me you guys are getting married soon? Hana memulakan sesi interrogation. Bila? Abang tu dah lama single. Macam-macam orang my mom cuba jodohkan dari anak dara until janda but semua dia reject. Bila tanya dah ada pilihan ke? Dia senyum saja and said, In time, soon….Itu saja modal dia bila suruh kahwin. So now we know dia memang ada pilihan hati sebenarnya".

She continue on, "Then for the last two years he changed so much….Marianne, ex-wife dia selalu ganggu dia and ugut tak mahu bagi anak-anak jumpa abang kalau abang Hans tak bagi duit. Then kami dapat tahu abang pindah be Cyberjaya. He sold his condo dekat KLCC. Perhaps to get away from his problem. You are staying in Cyberjaya juga ke?"

"No….just closeby…..", aku jawab sambil menghirup kopi.

"Hmmm….I think kan abang Hans sangat suka dengan Kak Tika. Sebelum ni dia tak pernah nak introduce girlfriend dia pada Hana. He’s not the kind of guy yang suka bawak perempuan balik rumah. This is the very first time. Apa lagi tidur serumah….", Hana terus bercerita.

"So he has had partners, I mean other girlfriends before this?", aku cuba mengorek rahsia lagi.

"You feel insecure?...Don't be....I know my brother.....most of women were just friends. Kadang-kadang those women terpikat dengan abang Hans either for his good looks or his money. Abang treated them biasa je, kadang-kadang those women saja yang lebih-lebih.", Hana terus bercerita tentang Hans.

"Hana…I am sorry but I bukan perempuan macam yang you sangkakan. I know this may look bad with me in this clothes and in Hans place but Hans is such a gentleman and dia tak pernah take advantage ke atas saya. Itu yang sangat saya hargai. I really wanted to go back last night but he insisted that I sleep over. I agreed to stay for my own safety reasons.", aku cuba menjelaskan situasi sebenar dan tidak mahu Hana tersalah anggap kehadiranku di apartment Hans.

"Kak Tika….you don't need to explain. I am not judging you. You guys are mature enough to deal with your situations….my brother is very gentle at heart walaupun badan dia muscular macam tu.  You know macam gentle giant. Dia tu kalau suka seseorang tu memang dia pursue sampai dapat.  One time after his marriage collapsed he almost lost his mind. Lama jugak dia nak recover. Kami hantar dia berubat sana sini….alhamdulillah finally dia sihat semula. But he drowns himself in his work. One day out of the blue he told us he found what he was looking for but he cannot grab it. Sebab benda tu milik orang lain….We never understood what he meant. And now it makes sense I think he was referring to you Kak Tika…..", Hana was pointing at me.

Aku terkejut....."Me? Maybe you’re mistaken me with someone else. We just started going out about 3 weeks ago."

"Baru tadi he told me that he was crazy about  you and that it took him two years to have the nerve to  approach you. Any idea why did it took him so long?". Aku terdiam sebab aku tahu mengapa Hans stayed by the side line for two years.....

Macam detective pulak Hana ni...dia yang tanya dan dia yang jawab sendiri.….

"You like my brother a lot?" Hana bertanya. Aku mengangguk. "Kalau you suka dia you have to take care of him just like how he takes care of you. I don't know what you did to him but he is a changed man!....", Hana tersenyum.

"Thank you for loving him, Kak Tika." Hana came over and gave me a hug. Aku terkejut dan terharu.

Part 3.

"Girls?...I’m back…." suara Hans memecahkan kesunyian di dalam apartment.

"We're here in the kitchen", sahut Hana.

"Hmmm.....what's wrong? Why the long faces….Hana, what did you do?" Hans bertanya.

"No…no… we were just talking ….", aku menjawab.

"We were talking about you abang….", Hana pulak menjawab.

"Kalau perempuan jumpa perempuan mesti nak mengumpatlah ni….", Hans serkap jarang. Selesai meletakkan barang yang dibeli ke dalam fridge, Hans membasuh tangan and pour himself some coffee. "So apa yang both of you mengumpat?".

"Hana cerita yang abang tu dulu sakit lepas cerai dengan Marianne." Muka Hans berubah dan memandang ke arahku…..then I have figure out one thing….."

"Yes Scarlet Pimpernel silakan". Hans berkata.

"Abang dulu pernah cakap dengan Mom, Dad and Hana that “I've found what I was looking for but I cannot grabbed it. Sebab benda tu milik orang lain….”. It’s Kak Tika kan?", Hana questioned Hans.

Hans stood up and walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulder. He kissed my head and hugged me from behind. He had a gorgeous smile on his face.

"I knew it….., I knew it!" Hana was satisfied that she uncovered the mystery.

"Hana, whatever we went through is all in the past. We pray that it doesn’t come back to haunt us. Meeting your brother has been the best thing that happened to me. I love him so much." aku terangkan.

"Hana tahu and I can sense both of you are madly in love. Cepat-cepat kahwin tak manis orang pandang both of you macam ni.", Hana mengusik.

"Thank you ustazah….", Hans memerli Hana.

"She’s right you know…..", I said dan aku menoleh memandang Hans.

Part 4.

After lunch aku decided to go back to my place and change. Hans insisted to drive me back and later back to his place. I was a bit hesitant but I relented since he wants to introduce me to his parents. Nak tak nak aku terpaksa turutkan kehendak Hans. I feel I might as well get it over and done with. Aku penat sebenarnya and I need 'my time'. Dulu weekend saja aku akan berada di office menyiapkan kerja yang never ending. But now my weekends are filled with Hans. I enjoy being with him seriously but sometimes I feel suffocated. I guess bercinta dengan mature man berbeza sebab mereka berfikir menggunakan hati, akal dan fikiran whereas dengan bercinta dengan budak mentah seperti Ghazz, fikir menggunakan his pxxxx! Pardon my english.......

As we pull off in front of my house, Hans said he will come back to pick me up.

"What time should I pick you up?" he asked.

"Hmmmm give me 45 minutes then you come and pick me up, alright." I replied.

He kissed me and said, "Alright 45 minutes. If there's anything, call me ya?"

Aku mengangguk and kiss him back.

Setelah Hans berlalu pergi, aku mengunci gate rumah. Aku menangkat muka dan mata ku terpandang ke seberang jalan, Ghazz sedang bersandar di belakang kereta Porsche nya. Aku tiba-tibe kecut perut. Did he see me and Hans just now? I think he might have. Aku perhatikan Ghazz berjalan mendekati gate rumah ku tapi kaki ku semacam berat untuk lari ke dalam rumah.

"So dah berapa lama you date kawan I?" .Ghazz menyoal. Oh dear he knows.... "Semalaman tak balik rumah. Pandai ye sekarang tidur dekat rumah jantan lain".

"It's none of your business....", aku jawab secara mendatar.

"Eh betina,.....kau tak ada jantan lain ke yang kau nak tackle?....He's my friend and we used to work together....." jerit Ghazz. "Tika, you better listen carefully, jangan ingat senang-senag saja I nak lepaskan you.......I can do so many things to you....oh yes I can.....much worse than you can imagine."

" Are you threatening me? Lelaki apa you ni? Sampai begini sekali sikap you. Memaki I like you own me. Ghazz you sendiri yang nak putus tunang. You got what you wanted. I just want to move on with my life...", aku ingin kejutkan Ghazz dari dunia fantasinya.

"But with Hans?", questioned Ghazz.

"There's nothing wrong with Hans. He is gentleman and cares so much about me. Unlike you yang lebih pentingkan wang dan kebendaan.", aku pertahankan Han.

"He's my friend for God's sake. Sejak bila you fxxx around dengan jantan keparat tu? You were unfaithful to me kan Tika?". Muka Ghazz merah padam menahan kemarahannya dan juga panas terik tengahari itu.

"Go back Ghazz....and I was never unfaithful to you. You were!! Put that into your thick skull!", aku kuatkan semangat. Aku pusing dan terus berjalan menuju ke dalam rumah tanpa menoleh ke belakang.

"Sial! Sial! Betina sial, kau tidor dengan jantan tu!" kemarahan Ghazz tidak dapat dibendung. Dia menendang gate rumah aku beberapa kali.

Aku meluru ke luar rumah, "You jaga baik-baik mulut you. I am not like that.....Go back Ghazz, go back just please leave me alone." aku terus masuk ke dalam rumah dan mengunci pintu. I must make a police report. Ghazz is capable of physically hurting people.

Credit to weissebrauen and You Tube