A Letter from the Other Side

Some longings don't need to be explained. They only need to be accepted with a smile.

“Jamilah, I think he still reads my status updates from over there,” Hayati said, gazing at the sky with an utterly serious expression.

Jamilah cut straight in. “Weh, don't talk nonsense. You think the internet data on the other side is enough to load your Facebook page?”

Hayati shot her a look. “You have no sense of romance. I was having a moment, and you went and ruined it.”

“I didn't ruin it. I saved you from embarrassing yourself. Your status was three paragraphs long, complete with #endlesslonging. People probably thought you were selling tissues,” Jamilah replied, roaring with laughter.

Hayati pulled a face. “I miss him, you know. I didn't write it for sympathy. I just wanted him to know I still remember.”

“Remember what? Has he moved on, or moved up?” Jamilah teased, raising an eyebrow.

Hayati gave a hollow smile. “He didn't get to move anywhere, Milah. He went first.”

The air fell silent. The song Warkah Dari Alam Sana was still playing softly from the phone.

Jamilah lowered her head. “Eh… I was only joking. Sorry, weh.”

Hayati gave a quiet laugh. “It's all right. If he were alive, he'd be laughing too. He loved watching me lose my temper.”

“He was the patient type, then?” Jamilah asked softly.

“Patient, and he loved curry puffs. Like you, except he wasn't stingy with the filling,” Hayati said with a grin.

Jamilah laughed so hard that tears sprang to her eyes. “Weh, even when you're crying, you still find room for a punchline.”

Hayati smiled gently. “Because if I don't laugh, I'll drown, Milah. Sometimes longing turns up without even giving salam. But once I accept it, I feel at peace.”

Jamilah gently rubbed her shoulder. “Longing is a prayer, Ti. Not a burden. Just pray that he's at peace over there.”

Hayati nodded slowly. “I know. But if he could see me now, he'd definitely say, eh, you've got prettier since I left.”

“Now that's more like it. Love may never die, but your face can still glow.”

They laughed together. Amid the laughter, tears still slipped quietly down their cheeks.

The song came to an end. A moment of silence passed before Hayati whispered, “My prayer for you will never die. May you be at peace there.”

That night, longing no longer hurt. Only tender memories remained. And a friend who knew how to make you laugh whenever your heart was close to breaking.