After refreshing his face with cold water, Aliff walked sluggishly to the dining table. His eyes were still a bit pale from the dream he had earlier. He sat next to Razak, who had already started taking toast from in front of him.
"What's wrong, Aliff?" his mother asked with concern, observing her son's face, which was not cheerful as usual. "You look like you've just been crying, dear. Tell me what happened!"
Before Aliff could answer, Sarah, who had just joined them at the table, explained, "Mom, Aliff said he had a bad dream. He even cried while sleeping."
"Oh, poor thing," their mother shook her head, reaching out gently to stroke Aliff's hair. "Why did that happen? This is the first time I'm hearing you had a bad dream and cried. What happened?"
Aliff lowered his head, playing with the spoon in his hand listlessly. "I don't know, Mom..." he replied quietly, his voice still hoarse; he couldn't remember anything after waking up.
"Maybe it's because you went to bed without washing your feet first!" Razak commented. "That's why you had a bad dream."
"Oh?" their mother raised an eyebrow, looking at Razak with a playful smile. "Aren't you also the one who went to bed without washing your feet last night, Razak?"
"What?!" Razak's face turned bright red. "That... that's because..."
"Alright, alright," their mother interrupted with a small laugh. "Let's eat first. Sarah helped me make fried rice this morning."
On the table, there was steaming hot fried rice, fried eggs with tempting yolks, and several slices of toast with Aliff's favorite chocolate spread.
"Sounds like someone is hungry," Sarah laughed, hearing Aliff's stomach growl.
"Eat a lot," their mother said as she served fried rice on Aliff's plate. "Maybe your bad dream was because you were too tired after the long journey yesterday."
"But did Aliff eat before sleeping?"
"Hmm... You're right, let's forget about all that, now let's eat."
Aliff nodded slowly and started eating his fried rice. It tasted delicious, warm, and comforting—just like his mother's usual cooking. Gradually, the memory of his bad dream began to fade.
"Oh, by the way, how about we go for a walk around Klang this afternoon? Do you want to go?"
Aliff's eyes sparkled, momentarily forgetting his bad dream. "Really? Are we going for a walk?"
"Yes," Sarah nodded, happy to see her little brother's change in mood. "But you have to finish your breakfast first. You need a lot of energy to explore the city later."
"Okay," Aliff replied.
Their mother, observing them, raised an eyebrow with concern. "Are you sure you're okay with that, Sarah? Don't you have class today?"
Sarah shook her head slightly, a sweet smile appearing on her lips. "I don't have class today, Mom. So, it's fine." She paused as if remembering something important. "Oh, by the way, what about Aliff's and Razak's school? Which school are you planning to enroll them in?"
That question made their mother sigh. "I'm still confused about that. They just arrived in this city, and I haven't had the chance to gather information about schools here."
"Oh!" Sarah suddenly sat up straight, her eyes shining with a new idea. "How about I become their teacher?"
"What?" Aliff and Razak immediately turned to their sister.
"Isn't that going to be a burden for you, Sarah?" their mother asked doubtfully. "I don't want to overburden you. You have your own activities." And you're still in school; it's better for you to focus on your studies first!
Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, Mom. Besides, after school, I have no activities. Rather than being bored at home, I'd prefer to teach my younger siblings."
"Can you really teach, Sarah?" Razak asked curiously, his spoonful of fried rice paused in mid-air.
"Of course!" Sarah replied proudly.
"Wow, cool!" Aliff cheered excitedly. "Does that mean Aliff can learn from Sister Sarah?"
Sarah laughed at her little brother's enthusiasm. "Yes, but..." she pretended to be serious, "...you both have to promise to be diligent students, okay?"
"Yes, Teacher!" Aliff and Razak replied in unison, making their mother at the table laugh. "Those three are so funny."
Their mother looked at her children with a feeling of warmth. Even though they had just met, the bond between them was forming naturally.
"Alright," their mother finally agreed. "For now, Sarah can teach them until I find a suitable school for them."
"Yay!" Aliff cheered again, almost spilling his milk in his glass.
"But remember," Sarah warned jokingly, "your teacher can be very strict, you know..."
"That's fine!" Razak replied confidently. "We will be the best students for Sister Sarah!"
***
At 3 PM, Aliff wore his favorite light black shirt with black pants, his black hair neatly combed by Sarah. Razak looked handsome in a checkered shirt and jeans, while Sarah opted for a sweet pastel casual dress. Their mother looked elegant in a white blouse and a long floral-patterned skirt.
"Oh my goodness!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Razak from head to toe. "Look at this brother of mine! Razak, you look so handsome! How did you become this handsome?"
Razak was taken aback, scratching his head shyly. "Hehehe..." he laughed awkwardly, clearly pleased with his sister's compliment.
"And then..." Sarah turned to Aliff, who was just standing there with his lips pressed together.
"Oh, look at his face!" Sarah laughed, gently ruffling Aliff's hair. "It seems someone is jealous because his brother is being praised."
"Aliff isn't jealous!" Aliff quickly defended himself, even though his sulky face clearly showed otherwise. Aliff's cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish, making Sarah feel very affectionate toward him.
"Oh, you're so cute when you pout," Sarah pinched Aliff's cheek gently. "Don't worry, you're handsome too."
In the corner of the room, their mother observed her three children interacting with a warm smile. "Hm... they are so cute," she thought.
"Alright, kids," their mother finally said, grabbing her bag from the sofa. "Let's go down and start our walk!"
"Yay!" Aliff jumped up enthusiastically, his earlier annoyance fading away. "Where are we going first, Sis?"
"Hmm..." Sarah pretended to think hard. "How about we go to the Botanical Garden first? There are lots of beautiful flowers and trees there."
"Wow, that sounds fun!" Razak chimed in excitedly. "Are there other places we can visit too?"
"Of course!" Sarah winked. "I've prepared a special route for you. This will be a tour you won't forget!"
The four of them left their room with enthusiasm. Aliff and Razak walked ahead, occasionally racing to see who could reach the stairs first. Sarah followed behind them, laughing, while their mother locked the door to their room with a smile that never faded from her face.
"Hehehe, I won, Razak," Aliff said smugly.
"Hmph! You just got lucky," Razak replied.
"Hey you two! Don't run on the stairs; you might fall!"
"Okay," they both replied, and soon they reached the ground floor.