The Beautiful Poisonous Flower

roofs of buildings and turned the city of Moscow all white. The cathedral city seemed to be shrouded in the

nto a stretch of the all-white rug. The frozen fountain creates the beauty of crystal carvings. And, the beautiful charm of young Russian nick-knacks in a tight classy

to God's destiny, all the world cry. He froze silently in the eerie cold. The leaves had fallen off one by one since winter had started wearing

vered her body with thick clothes tightly. Houses and buildings shut their doors and windows tightly. There shouldn't be the slightest bit of cold wind coming in. Because,

ople passing by at Sheremetyevo airport. Three taxis came to drop off passengers. Hurrie

aged man, with a, slightly hunched back a typical Russian face, with a sharp nose slightly bent to the left, looked at the people leaving the airp

cold. Suddenly his legs stopped. His mouth curved into a smile. His eyes sparkled at the two foreign-faced young

ears. You are now much more manly and handsome than Ersyad in m

said Ershad a lit

Now you're tall and quite manly. Didn't expect it. Is it because

resh and still joking? You yourself are getting fatter and whiter.

r, your

re a little longer." Ershad shivered in his dark blue jacket. Warm steam esca

we don't bother lifting things," replied Devin, who seemed calmer and more experienced, a

ant thing is to get to

face, he greeted the two young men in Russian. "Dabro de

head and made

t you speak Russian? It's cold!" Irsyad

Just so you know how this old Russian treats us. He must thi

ry up, I'm abo

ello to the Russi

no?" Devin replied pr

g his chest and shivering. He then pointed at the yo

ft and the young man with glasses. The bespectacled youth took a pen and a piece of paper from his palto pocket. He wrote down the a

cket. He wrote the number two hundred dollars on the slip of paper and showed the young

tered easily. One way from Sheremetyevo to Smolenskaya two hundred dollar

n take the bus,

eeze first. The bus stops everywhere, many times. We can even be

ce couldn't take it anymore. his cheeks were a

to find another taxi." Devin asked for appr

away towards the crowd of other taxi drivers. Immediately the Russian man grabbed his shoulder and scribbled the number fifty dollars. Devin shook his head again and waved the crooked-nosed Russian's hand to the left. His hand gr

with the crooked nose to the left was walking while fiddling with his car keys. He completely ignored Devin and Ershad who were drag

" Irsyad protested while point

take a taxi like this you don't real

afraid instead of arriving at an apartment, he was even going to the hospital. Thinking abou

at I don't," concl

into the trunk. He himself just watched, no preamble helping to load the suitcase. After all the goods were in, he slammed

rk red car made in Japan was moving away from Sheremetyevo airport. Light snow still fell, infrequently. The old driver steered his crimson car past Leningrad

the middle-aged Russian driver half mu

?" Ersyad asked

can speak Ru

s old Russian is talking like he

t said welco

ghtened the lock on his arms across his chest. The old car was not equipped with hot or cold air condition

e head that seems to occasionally shake to the left and right seems to accompany the sound

iddle-aged driver tried to increase the speed o

ed the crooked nose

?" asked Devin. He completely ignored the Russian driver's cursing. For him it is normal and n

ed to the Kajoran Magelang Islamic Boarding Schoo

ate from boarding school

ot

he studied

t IAIN Jakarta, while submitting files to Egypt. Just try it. It tur

easy to stu

rea

I had absolutely no idea, you little band

when Mrs. Dias wrote about PKN on the blackboard I snapped her back with a rubber band. She was reall

be so impudent before, huh?" conti

ty than you did not snap the teacher. You, small, skinny, how did you suddenly do cra

member that i

ur ears until they turned red. After that, she didn't want to teach for a month. And you were punished not to go to school two week. You then apologized t

mester. So, for almost a semester during PKN lessons I stood like a statue in front of the

last lesson. You were so loyal to wait for Mrs. Dias to enter class, then you without being asked to go directly to the front of t

. I was very ignorant at that time. Do

hy

to know if she was really angry or still beautiful. Finally, without thinking much I snapped Mrs. Dias's back with a rubber band as hard as I could. She must be in pain, because I was sitting on the front seat. She was furious. Because of that, I no longer saw Mrs. Dias as

shouldn't be i

wh

tiful. You'll prove it later. Are you sti

kno

. But a real bandit. What you will face later is the temptation of the Moscow woman, Syad. The temptation of

un, let alone looki

o study, do research, or whatever, the temptation of Russian women will contin

the same thing several times. Some of them have shown their family photos. The women are rarely unpretentious. He