Chapter 28

The next morning we left Echo Beach and headed to Hotel Suarga in Padang Padang Beach. I am still not sure where I'll be putting a night since I have already checked out from Alila Villa. I switched on my internet data and search for a place to stay. Don't want to inconvenient Imran but knowing him I am pretty sure he would want me to stay in Padang Padang Beach.

"Updating your journal?" Imran asked. Aku tersenyum.

"Kind of....", I replied. "What should I get for your mother?", I asked innocently.

"What do you mean....", he wasn't sure what I meant.

"What I mean....since I am meeting your mother for the first time....should I get a nice gift for her? I am not sure of the local customs here......maybe you care to enlightened me......", I explained.

Imran laughed....."Enlighten you...? You ni cute la.....nak ambil hati future mother in-law lah ni ya....?", he responded. "Don't worry.....and it is very thoughtful of you Q......you know what, how about we'll stop on the way to Ubud and get some local desserts?" he suggested.

"I like that idea....", I answered. "What type of dessert are we getting?" I asked again.

"Well, there's Klepon which is very similar to kueh buah melaka or ondeh-ondeh. And then there is Kue Jaje Bantal macam chinese kueh 'chang' which is also wrapped in daun palas. Kadang-kadang intinya kacang merah or it can also contain cooked beef rendang or whatever is available. The oblong shape is why it is call bantal. We could also get some Laklak, which is my favorite. They are smaller version of pancakes and you eat with grated coconut and palm sugar....". Imran explained dengan panjang lebar.

 I kept quiet as I listen him describing the local dessert. Jari jemari aku pantas mengapai kekunci tekan Ipad.

"Did you manage to get all.....", Imran bertanya. Aku memaling kepala ke kanan....."You perli I ye.....?" I said and smiled at him......

Imran giggled....."Tak ...I tak perli you....I cuma bergurau.....losen up a little....you nervous ke?", he replied.

Aku mecebek muka aku dan mengeleng kepala dan menjawab...,"Nope. I am fine."

Then he asked, "What's your favourite kueh?"

I left the question unanswered. 


"So why is that you don't stay with your mother when you come back to Bali?", I bluntly asked him.

"Hmmmmm......., it's a long story....", he replied. His voice sounds heavy.

"I'm sorry.....I didn't mean to pry into your private life...anyway, let's change the subject....", I responded as I was making him rather uncomfortable with that conversation.

"No....nothing to be sorry about....I will tell you when we leave Ubud...., I promise...", he said and I just kept quiet. I am starting to get anxious they way he reacted. Kenapa agaknya? Apa misteri sebenar?

We had a change of clothes and on the way to Ubud, we stopped by a shop selling many local pastries and delicacies. They were so colorful and obviously sweet. Thinking about it make my tooth ache....I smiled to myself. Imran was selecting the best piece for his mom. He popped in a few hundred rupiah in to the lady's hand. She didn't want to accept except the exact amount but Imran insisted. Instead, the lady added 5 pieces of Klepon. Imran bring his palm together, graciously thanked and bow slightly out of respect. "Sopannya", bisik hati aku.

We arrived in Ubud to an open sight location. I was a little confused. It looks like a majestic palace since there are guards standing at two entrances. Adjacent to the palace somewhat looks like a temple as people come and go, making offerings. Palm leaves made into square mini basket contains food and flowers...placed all over the walkway.....

Imran introduce ourselves to the guard and that we are here to meet Ibu Dewi Kusuma. "Sbentar ya pak....permisi....", said the guard as he left us standing under the sun. I find it quite odd as I see lots of tourist a like walking on the premise. Is this a public place? And why are we meeting his mother here?

The guard who was wearing a sarong, short sleeve shirt and a head gear came back. "Silakan.....", he said and guided us to a garden with a gazebo. "Puteri Jero Ayu...., ini tetamunya...", said the guard and Imran quickly passed the sweet dessert to the guard.The guard took 3 steps behind, bowed and left. Later I found out that he is not a guard. He is a palace servant!

We stood standing facing Puteri Jero Ayu. She was perhaps in her late fifties but still looks beautiful. She does not need make-up. Her smiles brings out the natural beauty in her. Sekali pandang she looks like the Bond girl, Barbara Carrera especially with her tanned skin. Imran doesn't look anything like his mother. Maybe he gets his looks from his father.....

Aku memerhatikan Imran yang dari tadi menundukkan kepala dan memberi salam hormat seperti yang dia lakukan pada penjual kueh. Aku pun ikut sama apa yang Imran buat.

Imran greeted his mother, "Om suastiastu, Bunda...punapi gatra?", and he lifted his head.

"Imran, kemari.....aku ini Bunda kamu...tak perlu protokol...aku orang Sunda...", she insisted Imran sat next to her. Imran obliged and invited me to sit next to him. "Bunda merindui kamu. Kapan tiba di Bali?", as she caresses Imran's hand. I was so fascinated how soft and gentle her spoken words.

"Udah 5 hari dan Imran akan berangkat pulang ke Malaysia esok. By the way, I missed you very much, Bunda.". He hugged his mother.

"Bunda, Imran kemari mahu Bunda ketemu teman istimewa. Ini, Quxandria." Imran introduce me to his mother. I stood up, salam dan mencium tangan Ibu Imran.

I looked up and saw she smiled, "Cocok sekali buat kamu....kemari....", she said to me and I slowly sat next to her. Imran's mother took my hand and saw the ring. "Lumayan....Sira wastan jerone....ah! maaf Bunda ya....apa nama ya, lupa Bunda".


"Quxandria, or Q...for short.", I replied. Imran memerhatikan aku sambil tersenyum.

 
"I'm sensing that both of you are in a relationship? Quxandria sukak sama Imran?", his mother asked in an Australian accent.

"Ya Bunda.....", aku menjawab pendek.

Then the servant arrived and served us the desserts we brought earlier. "Rahajeng semeng." said the servant and place the dessert in front of us.

"Mari teman Bunda ngajeng....", she said. I guess she is inviting us to eat with us. Then she place each dessert on to a plate and placed in front of me. I thanked her.

"Bunda, Imran kemari untuk ask for your blessing. I want to marry Q....", Imran explained.

His mother turned to me. "Apa Quxandrian setujuk?, his mother asked. I wasn't sure if she was asking the question because Imran immediately replied, "Yes she has accepted my proposal.", and nodded at the same time.

"Baik buat anak Bunda, baik juga buat Bunda. Bunda restu pilihan Imran. Harus jadi suami yang baik dan bertimbang rasa. Inggih, Bunda senang sekali pilihan kamu." She kissed Imran on the forehead. Imran again held his hands close together and slightly bow, "Matur suksma." His mom bowed back in return.

I don't quite understand with the mixed language between them. Must be Balinese. The 'protocol' mentioned earlier made me more confused. All in all it was a fruitful visit.

Chapter 27

"How I envy you..........perancangan Tuhan kan?", aku bersuara semasa kami duduk bersantai di lower deck. Aku memerhati Imran.....hidungnya yang mancung.....rambutnya.......lighter shade of brown......his strong jawline....I am not dreaming......Aku memandang semula ke arah lautan yang terbentang luas......I pinched myself.....ouch! yes it hurts.....

"Alhamdulillah.....I can't complained. God has been kind to me.", Imran answered.

We remained quiet.....until Captain Ian called," Imran and his beautiful guest, please.....this way....." and he walked us thru the dining area.  Dinner is served."

"What a beautiful setting, Captain.", aku memuji. Imran memimpin aku ke meja makan. Selesai aku melabuhkan punggungku di atas kerusi, Captain Ian menjumput makan, "Please enjoyed our dinner."

Captain Ian tersenyum dan berlalu pergi leaving us some privacy. Later he and Budi joined us for desserts and coffee.


"We will dock in about an hour time.", said Captain Ian as he sipped his coffee.

"Fantastic. We need to pack up soon as we arrived to the villa. We're leaving for Malaysia on Tuesday.", Imran explained to Captain Ian. Aku hanya tersenyum dan menganggukkan kepala.

" I hope both of you had a great time in Bali. Whenever you are in town do give me a ring and we can plan for a scuba diving trip." replied the Captain as he excuse himself. We shook hands and continued with our dessert while the Captain left for an unfinished business.

We continued our conversation into the living area while await the yacht to dock.

Imran yang dari tadi senyap tiba-tiba bersuara, "Q...., I would like you to meet my mother....here in Bali....", he said and it caught me off guard.

"Segan pulak I rasa. Are you sure?", I asked him back sambil menunduk malu.

"Yes....I am sure. I want to introduce to her the woman I am marrying. I want to ask for her blessings...". He explained and smiled sheepishly.

"I really like that very much.......", I replied without hesitation and I saw a huge beam on the face.

"We'll drive back to Padang Padang tomorrow morning and head straight to Ubud. Aku mengangguk setuju.
 
That night we arrived at the villa around 10:30 p.m. I was very tired and I immediately excused myself to my room. I know Imran would like to sit and talk more but I was just too tired. "Imran, I masuk tidur ya. I had a wonderful time with you today. Thank you so much. You spoil me to bits....", I looked at him as I held his hands.

"Sure, you go ahead. I know you're tired. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast say about 7:30 a.m?", he replied. He walked closer to me and placed both of his hands on the sides of my face. He kissed softly on both cheeks and one on my lips. I closed my eyes as I kissed him back. I fell into his arms and he held me tight. "Come, I'll walk you to your room.".

Soon as we reached my room, he opened the bedroom door....." Assalamualaikum...", he said. I lifted his hand and planted a soft kiss. I looked up and said, " Waalaikum salam....".

Malam tu aku menalipon Khai. I wanna share the good news....

Me : Hello Khai....kau dah tidur ke?

Khai : Eeeerrrrrrr......hello? siapa ni? Kalau aku dah tidor aku tak angkat call kau ni....

Me : Hey....kenapa ni....kau tidur yeee.....bangun, bangun ni aku, Q la.........Bangun la......".

Khai : Mana kau pergi...?....Pukul berapa ni hah....? Ni aku ni penat melayan abang kau yang 24 angau kat kau. Eh! kau tak call dia? Dia asyik call aku then Juan tanya bila kau balik. Aku cakaplah yang kau dah jumpa pakwe Indon and tak nak balik Malaysia.....

Me : (Aku ketawa)....

Khai : Hah....ketawa lah.....he's pretty mad with us. Jangan sampai aku kenan buang kerja sudah........Sometimes he looks miserable pun ada...I seriously think you need to talk with him, fast. Aku tak nak dia masuk mental hospital."

Me : Tahulah aku deal with him nanti. Anyway, aku call ni nak cerita kat kau yang Imran dah melamar aku. He gave me a ring!, I explain excitedly. Nanti aku share gambar dalam whatsapp....and he is taking me to see his mom in Ubud.....

Khai : No way....!? You're serious? Congrats Q, I am so happy for you......!

Me : Thanks Khai. I am falling in love with him everyday. I never felt this way before about another man....

Khai : Macamlah banyak sangat lelaki yang you go out with. Most of them just want a one night stand dengan kau saja.....ingat sikit kalau tak ada abang kau tu.....isyhhhh......kau ni....'dah hisap madu, sepah di buang.....'. Aku tak faham apa yang dibebelkan oleh Khai.

Me : Amboi....,mulut...., laser nya......kau lecture aku ya......

Khai : Aku cakap yang betul. Abang kau tu yang terhegeh-hegeh mengekor kau dari belakang.....mana ada lelaki nak kan kau.....this time you were smart.....frankly speaking, aku pun suka Imram. Aku suka tengok muka kau orang bila berjumpa,......aku yang tengok pun membahang pipi aku....you guys ada chemistry. Jangan lebih-lebih sudah......dia ada cuba nak.....you know....have sex.....?

Me : Imran...? He has been a gentleman. He had every opportunity Khai......

Khai : Kalau dia nak kan kau....kau bagi.....? Jangan tipu.....

Me : Hey....I'm not that cheap......(kami tergelak)

Khai : Tak....aku serious ni....ketawa, ketawa jugak....you take care of yourself. The rest can wait bila dah kahwin nanti....aku nak tidur. Besok aku kerja nanti lambat pulak bangun.....call abang kau tu.........

Me : Okay Khai. Kau jangan cerita dulu hal aku dengan Imran. Tunggu bila aku buat official announcement.

Khai : Yelah...yelah....good night.

Me : Thanks Khai....good night....(aku terus mencari gambar cincin dalam album mobile phone dan forward to Khai.)

Khai : 💞 nice....Sure mahalkan....berapa harga?

Me : I don't know. I kena tanya ke....?

Khai : 😫

Chapter 26

I left my room 5 minutes to 4 p.m. and walked to the terrace. There was a soft music playing in the background and I saw a table for two. I looked around and to my right I saw Imran and he had his back towards me. I guess he must have heard me coming in when he turned and gave me a wide smile.

"I hope I'm not too over dressed...", I said and walked straight to him. He put both of his hands on my hips and kissed me on both cheeks.

"No, you look fantastic. It's me.....I'm under dress...hahaha....did you had a good rest?" he laughed and guided me to the table. I sat and he slightly pushed the chair inside. I nodded," Yes, I did, thank you.....".

"Nice choice of music....dah lama I tak dengar Shakatak....", I started to warm up the afternoon.

"I thought you might like them.....memang dah lama Shakatak ni.....soft and smooth jazz.", he replied as he sat down opposite of me. He stared at me. Aku mula rasa membahang pipi aku apabila Imran bersikap demikian. Aku menundukkan kepala and he was still staring at me when I lifted my head a few seconds later. Then he spoke.

"Q....., you know that I love you. And I hope you feel the same way like I do. Even though we've just met I nak perhubungan kita di satukan secepat mungkin.  In my opinion perkara yang baik elok disegerakan. But before we make it official.....", and he took out something from his pocket and placed it on the table. Mata aku memerhatikan kotak putih yang berbentuk bulat. Is that what I think it is?

Imran membuka kotak tadi and mengeluarkan sebentuk cincin emas bertatah belian. Holding it between his thumb and pointer finger he said,"Sudi tak sekiranya Q berkahwin dengan Imran...?".

I guess I was still in shock that I remained quiet and that made Imran anxious. Tiba-tiba aku bersuara, "I wasn't expecting this Imran. I have fallen in love with you numerous time over the course of time we spent together. I finally found a man who cares so much for me and who loves me for who I am. Imran, I berdoa agar jodoh kita berkekalan hingga ke Jannah. Yes, I am absolutely ready to marry you....".

Tanpa berlenggah lagi, Imran menyarungkan cincin di jari manis ku dan dikucupnya tangan aku. I was touched by his response and my next instinct was to hug him.......I lean closer, hugged him and gave a soft kiss on his lips. He smiled and said, "Thank you, sayang. I love you...".

" Let's have something to eat. I have another surprise waiting for you....", he whispered close to my ears.

"Another surprise? I am still trying to get over the first one....", and I laughed and pushed him away.

"Well, too bad.....when you're with me.....everyday is a surprise....", he lift his fork lalu menyuap aku dengan sedikit cheese cake...Segan rasanya bila diperlakukan sebegitu.

"Hmmm....this is good, no, so good....", I have to admit and nodded my head couple of times. Savoring the cheesy and milky marble cheese cake made me forget who I was with.....He took the napkin and dabbed the sides of my mouth. Aku tergelak. "Comot ke?", as I grabbed the napkin from him.

"Tak..", he said. "I always wanted to do that....kalau dalam drama tv, selalukan ada scene macam ni....".

Aku tergelak lagi. " You ni ada-ada je....", I replied.

After tea we drove to a jetty and parked our pick up truck. Imran was way ahead of me and I was trying to catch with him......I slowed down when I saw him talking to two guys then he spoke on his cell phone and they pointed to the sea. They laughed and looked at me. Then nodded and shook hands. Imran waved at me to come closer. I did as I was told....then he disappeared into the yacht.....

As I walk closer, Imran reappeared and he held his arm to help me on board. Wow....! a boat ride..."When did you changed?", sambil memerhatikan Imran yang sudah berseluar pendek....Dia hanya senyum dan memerhatikan aku...."Careful sayang, watch your steps.....", he uttered.

"Surprised? Remember I said before if I want to impress someone, I would take her sail on a yacht around this island?", he said and I nodded.

"So this is surprise number 2!", he looked delighted. "This yacht belongs to the same owner who owns the villa we are staying. They are in Australia and I've known him since my college years. The Australian couple used to recruit me during summer breaks so that I can earn some cash to continue with my studies. I had a hard live when I was growing up. Things didn't come easy for me. I had to work hard to get what I want and that has been my principal later in life. Now, I get to enjoy life and work at my own pace.", explain Imran. A sight I've never seen before......


I was introduced to Captain Ian and one of his crew, Budi Utama. We were given safety briefing as well as the do and don't being while on the yacht. No shoes on board, do not invade the private crews area without specific instruction, do not take matters in your hands and no illegal activities....

We set sail and I took the steps leading to the lower deck. There were two sundeck chairs on the right side of the yacht, and plush pillows stacked on the deck. I sat down and later lay a bit. That's when I heard Imran calling me from a distance......I looked around and finally  looked up. Imran snapped pictures of me from the upper deck...!