[~~~] Arabic Dialogue
"~~~" Indonesian Dialogue
HALIM'S POV
IN FRONT OF KHADIJAH'S HOUSE
"…So, this is your house, Khadijah?"
"Yes."
We finally arrived in front of Khadijah's house.
And right at that moment, all of us went completely silent and shocked.
My eyes locked onto her house, and I realized something that totally caught me off guard. Even Latifah, Karim, and Ali didn't see this coming.
Meanwhile, Khadijah looked at us, confused by our reactions.
With an innocent face, Khadijah asks...
"What's wrong? Why do you all look so surprised?"
No one answered her right away.
But a few seconds later, Karim and Ali suddenly walked up to me…
"Hey, Halim. Can you come here for a sec?"
"We need to talk."
Karim and Ali grabbed my arm and pulled me aside—just a few steps away from Khadijah and Latifah.
Then, both of them lowered their voices, almost whispering.
"Hey, Halim. Why didn't you tell us?"
"Tell you what?"
"That you're neighbors with Khadijah now."
"I swear, I had no idea."
"Seriously? Halim's my neighbor?"
"—What?!"
The three of us turned around instantly when we heard Khadijah's voice.
Khadijah was standing right behind us, her tone clear as day.
We froze, shocked, confused, and kind of terrified. I was sure we were whispering just now. How on earth did Khadijah hear that…?
"…Were we talking too loud?"
"Hm?"
"Could you actually hear us talking like this, Khadijah?"
"Of course. It's really quiet here, so I can hear you guys clearly. Even from that distance."
"…You're kidding, right?"
"Nope."
I turned to Latifah, just to confirm.
"Latifah, did you hear what we were talking about?"
"No. I didn't catch a thing."
"My mom once told me I've had sharp hearing since I was born."
"Seriously?"
"That's what she said."
"So that means… you heard what we were whispering earlier?"
"Yeah. I heard that Halim's my neighbor now."
We all went silent again after she said that.
I am honestly stunned because this Middle Eastern girl had incredible hearing. Way sharper than any of us.
From now on, I'd have to be more careful whenever Khadijah's around. If she ever overheard me saying something weird… it wouldn't end well.
*The sound of the adzan…*
The call to Maghrib prayer echoed from a nearby mosque. The voice rang clearly through the darkening sky.
It's time to go home.
"Alright, we'll meet again tomorrow morning at school, okay?"
"Okay. Once again, thank you so much for helping me and Abdullah."
"No problem."
"If you ever need help again, don't hesitate to ask."
"Got it."
Khadijah smiled and nodded as she said that.
"…We should get going."
"Yeah. My parents are probably waiting for me."
"You guys aren't gonna tell anyone about this, right?"
"No one will know, except your closest friends, Halim."
"I already swore, so I don't need to say it again."
"Just do what you have to do. Don't worry about those students, alright?"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Alright then, we're off. Assalamualaikum…"
"Waalaikumsalam…"
Ali, Karim, and Latifah walked home together, leaving me alone with Khadijah and Abdullah.
The evening air hung still, quiet and heavy. The echo of the adzan faded slowly into the night breeze.
And as silence took over, I suddenly remembered something important.
"Khadijah."
"Yes?"
"Are brother Abbas and your mom still not home?"
"…Yeah. They told me earlier they'd be home tonight."
"Oh…"
"Do you want to meet my brother Abbas and my mom?"
"I need to—I have to get their permission."
"Oh…"
"If I can't meet them tonight, then I'll just meet them tomorrow morning."
"Alright, I'll let them know later. But before that, we should exchange phone numbers, so we can stay in touch."
"Good idea."
I agreed.
Khadijah and I both took out our phones and exchanged numbers. It's simple, but important. Because communication means everything in times like this.
"Done?"
"Done."
"Then I guess I should head home now."
"Yeah. Once again, thank you so much for helping us. I don't know what would've happened to Abdullah if you weren't there."
"You're welcome. I'll see you again tomorrow morning, okay? Assalamualaikum—"
Just as I was about to walk away, a small tug stopped me.
The edge of my shirt was being pulled… by Abdullah's tiny hand.
Abdullah looked straight at me, his eyes saying more than any words could. He held onto my shirt like someone afraid of losing something precious.
Khadijah looked puzzled and spoke to Abdullah in Arabic.
[…Abdullah, what are you doing?]
[Don't go…]
Abdullah said that while still looking right at me. For some reason, something inside me felt tight. I couldn't say a word.
[Abdullah, brother Halim has to go home.]
[Brother Halim…]
Like I've said before, I'm not used to being called 'Brother.' And this time, Khadijah said it too. So… it felt kind of strange.
Abdullah's little hand was still gripping my shirt, and for a few seconds, time just stopped.
I crouched down so I could look at him at eye level.
[Abdullah, we'll see each other again tomorrow, okay?]
[But…]
Tears started rolling down his cheeks. This kid really didn't want me to leave. It made my chest feel heavy.
I kept my eyes on him, and suddenly, an idea popped into my head.
[Tomorrow afternoon, do you want to play football with me around here?]
[Play football…?]
[Yeah. I've got nothing to do tomorrow afternoon, so how about we play then?]
Abdullah went silent. Tears still streaked down his face.
But after a few seconds, Abdullah slowly raised his pinky finger.
[Promise…?]
He wants me to promise that I'll play with him tomorrow. That's why he held out his little pinky. I couldn't help but smile, honestly.
I looked at his small hand, then linked my pinky with his pinky.
[Promise.]
Abdullah smiled after I said that in Arabic.
Khadijah looked at her little brother.
[Abdullah, let's go home.]
Khadijah said that in Arabic, and Abdullah didn't say anything. He just nodded slowly.
Then, Khadijah turned to me and switched back to Indonesian.
"Halim, we're going. Assalamualaikum…"
"Waalaikumsalam."
Khadijah and Abdullah walked back toward their house.
I stayed where I was, watching the two of them go back into their house.
The sky is already dark. I should head back too.
I don't want to stay outside for too long.
THE NEXT MORNING – AT KHADIJAH'S HOUSE
It's 6:20 in the morning. The air outside still felt fresh and cool. The sun had just risen, and its golden light was shining brightly across the blue sky.
I am already in my school uniform, getting ready for class. But right now, I am not at school. I am at Khadijah's house, sitting in the living room, talking with her mom and brother Abbas.
The reason I came here wasn't just to meet them, and I also needed to get their permission before I could continue teaching Khadijah and Abdullah.
So here we are… Khadijah, Abdullah, brother Abbas, their mom, and me. All sitting on the couch, having a calm morning conversation.
"Halim, we're really grateful that you're willing to help us. You have our permission."
"Also, we should apologize for suddenly asking for your help."
"There's no need to apologize…"
Mrs. Zainab, Khadijah's mother. She looked so much like her daughter. Her face, her skin tone, even her gentle smile… they were almost identical. But of course, that made perfect sense. She's Khadijah's mother after all.
"Do Khadijah and Abdullah need to come over to your house later, Halim?"
"No need. I can come here around six in the evening."
"Six in the evening?"
"Are you sure you're free around that time, Halim? We don't want to disturb you."
"I don't have anything else to do at that hour, so there's nothing to worry about."
Usually around six, I'm just relaxing on my bed or playing games on my phone. My activities rarely go past that time anyway.
"Halim."
"Yes?"
"Have you had breakfast yet?"
"Not yet."
"Really? Perfect timing then. We were just about to prepare breakfast. How about eating with us?"
With a kind smile, Mrs. Zainab invited me to have breakfast with them. Honestly, I was curious about what Middle Eastern food tastes like. But still… I had to turn her offer down.
"Thank you so much for the offer, but I already promised my friends to have breakfast together at the school cafeteria. So I'm afraid I'll have to pass."
"Are you sure you don't want to try some Middle Eastern dishes, Halim?"
"I really just came here to meet Mrs. Zainab and brother Abbas, that's all. Besides, I have to head to school now. My friends are probably waiting for me."
"Oh, I see…"
I didn't want to trouble Khadijah's family. They had already been through enough, and I didn't want to add to their burden.
The only reason I came here was to help, not to ask for help.
Without staying any longer, I politely said my goodbyes to Khadijah's family and headed off to school.
AT SCHOOL
On my way there, my mind kept replaying everything I'd talked about with Khadijah's family. I knew this responsibility wasn't a small thing—but for some reason, I felt kind of happy. It's like something inside me had just found a new purpose.
I finally arrived in class. The room was filled with quiet chatter and soft laughter. The teacher hadn't come yet—she usually arrived around 7:30 a.m. Right now, it's 7:05.
But something felt off the moment I stepped in. Among all the students in class… I didn't see Ali, Arif, Rizky, Dzaky, or even Karim.
I started wondering, where did they all go? They should've been here by now.
I sat down at my desk, dropped my bag, and leaned back for a bit. But the next second—
"Halim!"
"—Allahu Akbar!"
A voice behind me almost made my heart jump out of my chest.
I turned around immediately and saw Dzaky standing right behind me. Of course. That's just how Dzaky is.
Dzaky always shows up out of nowhere, even in the most unexpected places.
"Can you not appear like that? I almost had a heart attack, you know that?!"
"We can talk later. Come with me."
"Huh? Where?"
"Just follow me."
Before I could even protest again, Dzaky grabbed my arm and started pulling me out of class.
No explanation, no warning, just that serious look of his that told me. I had no choice but to follow.
Usually, when Dzaky talked like that, it meant something important was going on.
Dzaky led me through the back corridor of the school, walking fast and steady, like a soldier who knew exactly what battlefield he was heading into.
All I could do was follow him, wondering why I had to be dragged out of class this early in the morning.
We ended up behind the school—a quiet place surrounded by tall trees and shadows. And there, I saw four very familiar faces.
Karim. Arif. Ali. And Rizky.
"…Why are you guys all here?"
"We just wanted to talk."
"Why not in class?"
"You don't want the other students to know that Khadijah's your neighbor now, do you?"
That question hit me right in the chest.
The air went silent for a few seconds.
"…You already know?"
"Ali and Karim explained everything."
I looked over at Ali and Karim. Both of them gave small nods.
Honestly, I didn't really mind if it was just my close friends who knew. They were smart enough not to spread something that should stay private.
But still—if the rest of the students found out, it would be a whole different story… and a lot of trouble.
"Listen. I don't mind that you guys know about it. But if the other students find out, you know what's going to happen to me after that."
"Things that have been said don't need to be said again, Halim."
"Exactly."
"Also, since I'll be helping Abdullah and Khadijah with their studies, I probably won't have much time to hang out with you guys."
"Don't worry about that."
"Yeah, just focus on your job."
"We won't bother you. Not even when you're alone… with Khadijah."
As usual, Rizky just had to say something that completely changed the atmosphere. Karim and the others smiled, but not for me.
"…I don't have any weird intentions, okay? So, stop thinking like that."
"Relax, Halim. We get it."
"—Why are you all still here? Shouldn't you be in class by now?"
Oh no… I knew that voice.
I slowly turned toward the source of the sound—and yep. It's her.
The last teacher you'd ever want to see when you're somewhere you're not supposed to be… Mrs. Salamah.
Mrs. Salamah stood there with her sharp eyes and firm expression—no smile, no warmth, just pure authority.
My heart felt like it dropped to the floor. My whole body froze, like I'd just been hit by a spell.
Even Karim, Rizky, Dzaky, Arif, and Ali couldn't say a word. We're all just standing there, frozen like statues caught in the act.
"Rizky, Dzaky, Ali, Arif, and Karim… go back to your class. And Halim... you stay here."
"What?"
"But what are you—"
"Three…"
"—ASTAGHFIRULLAH!"
"RUN!"
"HEY! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
They all bolted like terrified chickens running from a giant angry hen. And just like that, I was left alone… with this teacher.
Mrs. Salamah stood silently, looking at me with that unreadable face. She didn't look angry, or happy, or even amused—just… blank. Which somehow made it even scarier.
"Halim…"
Mrs. Salamah said my name in such a calm tone, but I was too nervous to even answer. This woman had an aura that could make anyone sweat.
I just swallowed hard.
"Don't look so scared, Halim. I just came here to give you something."
"…Punishment?"
"Do you want punishment?"
"No, I mean—"
Before I could finish, she reached out her hand and showed me something.
"Take these cards. I'm sure you'll need them later."
I looked at what she was holding—small and colorful flashcards. Each one had big and small letters with cute, bright illustrations.
Like the letter A with a red apple. B with a boy playing football. And C with a piece of sweet chocolate.
"Why are you giving these to me, Mrs. Salamah?"
"Brother Abbas called me earlier. He said you'll be teaching Khadijah and Abdullah around six in the evening. And he also mentioned that Abdullah can't really focus just by reading books. So, I thought you could teach him in a fun way—like using these cards. I'm sure he'll love it."
I understood what Mrs. Salamah meant, and I nodded. But I still had one question.
"Wait, is the reason you wanted me to be Khadijah and Abdullah's language tutor… because you knew we live close to each other?"
"Didn't I tell you yesterday? Out of all the students in this school, you're the one with the best foreign language skills. What you just asked has nothing to do with it. Got it?"
"Oh…"
"My advice, you can start by introducing the alphabet to Abdullah. That'll make learning fun for him."
"Alright. But… are you just lending me these cards, or—"
"Nope. I bought them for Abdullah, so you don't have to return them. Just take them."
These cards will be really helpful. I should thank her for thinking about this.
I took the cards from Mrs. Salamah's hand and smiled politely.
"Thank you, Mrs. Salamah. I'll use them later. Uh... may I go back to class now?"
"Stay here, and you'll get my special punishment."
At this school, special punishments from Mrs. Salamah were the most feared by every student. They could be anything. And sometimes, her punishments could be even scarier than those in the 18th century.
Yeah… no thanks. I'd rather not find out what that looks like.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Salamah! Assalamualaikum!"
"Waalaikumsalam…"
I quickly ran back to class, gripping the cards tightly in my hand. The last thing I wanted right now was to see Mrs. Salamah's anger firsthand.
6:00 P.M. – AT KHADIJAH'S HOUSE
Six in the evening. The sun had already disappeared behind the trees, leaving traces of golden orange slowly fading into the sky. The air was warm a while ago, but now it started to feel cool.
This would be the first time I'd help Abdullah and Khadijah study Indonesian together. And now, I am standing in front of Khadijah's house.
I took a small breath, then knocked on the door.
*Knock… knock…*
"Assalamualaikum…"
"Waalaikumsalam."
[Brother Halim…!]
A cheerful little voice shouted my name from inside the house.
When the door opened, Abdullah came rushing toward me and hugged me tight.
"Please, come in, Halim."
"Thank you."
I stepped inside their home. For a moment, my eyes lingered on Khadijah and Abdullah.
Abdullah is wearing a plain red T-shirt and white shorts. The usual casual outfit for kids.
And Khadijah… well, she's impossible to ignore.
Khadijah is wearing a grey long-sleeved top with a few stripes and a small graphic on the front, paired with a navy-blue skirt dotted with tiny white spots, and a soft grey hijab that draped neatly over her shoulders.
I'm not someone who knows much about fashion… but Khadijah looked really cute and beautiful tonight.
"Nice outfit."
"…Thank you."
Khadijah quickly looked away and smiled shyly after I complimented her clothes. That smile almost made me forget why I came here tonight.
[Brother Halim, are we gonna play?]
[Abdullah, you already played football earlier. Tonight we're studying, okay? No more games.]
[Boring!]
[Don't be like that, Abdullah.]
A moment ago, Abdullah was happy to see me. But as soon as Khadijah mentioned 'studying,' his mood completely dropped.
I just watched them for a bit. Khadijah's scolding her little brother while Abdullah pouted. And honestly, I could tell this was going to be a long night if I didn't step in.
[Of course we're going to play tonight.]
[What?]
[Yeay!]
Abdullah's face instantly lit up with excitement, while Khadijah looked totally confused by what I just said.
"But… aren't we supposed to study, Halim?"
Khadijah asked me in Indonesian.
"Fun studying is when you study while playing. That's what Mrs. Salamah said to me before."
"Oh… that makes sense."
"By the way, where are we gonna study?"
"In the kitchen. There are chairs and a dining table there. We can study there."
"Alright."
Without wasting any more time, we headed to the kitchen.
The room was clean and warm. A long wooden table stood at the center, surrounded by several chairs. A small hanging light glowed softly above it, filling the space with a cozy golden hue.
The three of us sat down together around the table. Abdullah sat right across from me, looking so excited, like he's waiting for a surprise. Meanwhile, Khadijah sat beside her younger brother, watching him with gentle eyes full of affection.
[So, what game are we playing?]
[We're gonna play with cards.]
[Cards?]
It seemed Abdullah had never played cards before. Abdullah stared at me with a mix of curiosity and confusion.
[Have you ever played with cards before, Abdullah?]
[…No.]
Abdullah shook his head as he said that.
[That's fine. I'll show you how to play. But before that, you need to know these cards first, okay?]
[Okay!]
His excitement made me chuckle. It's amazing how easily this kid's mood changed just by hearing the word 'play.'
I picked up one card from the deck. The letter 'A' with a red apple picture in the middle. Then, I showed the card to Abdullah.
[Abdullah, this is the letter 'A'. Do you know what this picture is?]
I asked in Arabic, pronouncing the letter 'A' the Indonesian way.
[Apple!]
[Good job.]
[Nice one, Abdullah.]
[Yeah!]
Abdullah got the first card right and looked super proud of himself. That alone made me smile without even realizing it.
Then I grabbed another card and held it up.
[Next letter. This is the letter—]
[Football…!]
I hadn't even finished talking, but Abdullah cut me off with wide eyes and a burst of excitement. He's staring at the 'B' card—the one with a little boy playing football.
That picture reminded me of earlier, when we played football together outside around five in the afternoon. I remembered how happy Abdullah was, chasing the ball with his tiny steps, and even crying a little when the game ended.
Yeah… that kid truly loved football with all his heart.
30 minutes later…
[...You got it now?]
[Got it!]
It had already been half an hour of me teaching him with the cards. From the Indonesian alphabet, pronunciation, pictures for each letter, to the simple game rules.
Time flew by so fast. Khadijah and I barely talked to each other, since we were both focused on keeping up with Abdullah's excitement.
Now it's time to play the guessing game.
I shuffled the cards and placed two stacks face-down on the table. No pictures visible.
Then, I looked at Abdullah and spoke in Arabic again.
[Okay, you can't see the pictures now. Pick one of these two stacks.]
Abdullah studied both piles carefully, then pointed his finger at the stack in my left hand.
[That one.]
[The left one?]
[Yeah.]
I flipped over the top card from the left stack—a brown chocolate candy wrapped in colorful paper.
[Chocolate candy!]
[And the letter on that card is…]
[Letter C!]
[Correct!]
[Great job, Abdullah! You're awesome!]
[YEAH!]
Abdullah pronounced the letter 'C' perfectly in Indonesian, much clearer than earlier. Khadijah and I both praised Abdullah, which made him even more thrilled.
Then I moved the candy card aside and revealed the next one underneath.
[Alright, next card. The picture is—]
[Football!]
Of course. Football. Again.
Honestly, I didn't expect that card to appear again. But somehow Abdullah had a sixth sense for football-related things. Abdullah wasn't just into football, he's obsessed.
[Brother Halim, can we play football again later?]
[Tomorrow afternoon. We'll play then, okay?]
[Hooray...!]
[Let's get back to the game.]
We continued playing.
Abdullah still struggled to pronounce some Indonesian letters, his tongue sometimes got twisted between unfamiliar sounds. But luckily, his big sister is there beside him.
Khadijah patiently corrected his pronunciation every time Abdullah messed up. And whenever Abdullah got it right, Khadijah and I both gave Abdullah praise. Thanks to her help, Abdullah managed to guess all thirteen cards—every single one of them.
Abdullah really enjoyed playing with those alphabet cards, and honestly… so did Khadijah and I. None of us even noticed the clock had already hit 7:15 P.M.
I let Abdullah keep playing with the cards while I started helping Khadijah study.
I had to admit. Spending time with Abdullah and Khadijah wasn't bad at all. It's actually… really nice.
"Halim, why does Indonesian have so many words that sound the same, but mean different things?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"For example… 'Saya bisa berbicara dalam bahasa Indonesia.' The word 'bisa' means 'can' or 'able to'. But 'bisa' also means… 'poison'. So, if I say, 'I can speak Indonesian' in Indonesian, does that mean I'm also poisonous?"
"No, that depends on the context, Khadijah. If you're talking about ability, 'bisa' means 'able'. But if you're talking about something dangerous, 'bisa' means 'venom'."
"Oh…"
Khadijah nodded slowly, finally understanding.
Sometimes, Khadijah really surprised me with her unexpected questions. She had this unique way of asking things and that made me think deeper every time.
Indonesian could definitely be tricky for foreigners… especially for someone as smart and serious as Khadijah.
"Hey, Halim. In Indonesian, do the words 'Cinta' and 'Sayang' have a difference? And what if you say, 'I love you' in Indonesian?"
See? What did I tell you? Totally unexpected.
TO BE CONTINUED…