the little eyes that spark when the tiny lips smile (1)
4.2.05
office, four days before Christmas
marking exams on my desk,
I saw a mother and a daughter passed the open door
the mother, a lecturer at Unsyiah1, was a classmate in grad school
her husband, the father, another former classmate,
is a PhD student working in an office just across mine
the mother stepped in and told the daughter
“salam dulu tante, dek, kan besok kita pulang ke Aceh”2
the tiny hand extended which I took into mine
as I watched those little eyes sparked when the tiny lips smiled
“selamat jalan”3 I said “kapan balik ke Bandung?”4
no words said,
but the little eyes kept on sparkling as the tiny lips smiled
1 University of Syah Kuala, a state university in Banda Aceh
2 “give aunty a hand, girl, we’re going back to Aceh tomorrow”
3 “have a nice trip”
4 “when are you coming back to Bandung?”
