“LUUUPUUUSSS, Puuuss…!” Lulu shouted from the living room. Lupus, who was busy listening to Queen’s “Pain’s so Close to Pleasure” in his pillow-filled room, sighed. Oh man, what’s up with Lulu? She just arrived and already yelling like Tarzan. Doesn’t she know that Lupus is exhausted?
“I’m sleeping. Soundly!” Lupus replied from his room. Lulu, who was squawking like a myna bird, was taken aback. She stormed into Lupus’ room.
“Don’t be so clueless! Mas Beni is here. He said there’s a meeting tonight,” she scolded, throwing the magazine she had been reading at Lupus. It was kind of funny to see Lupus pretending to sleep, but his eyes peeking out from behind the pillow.
Lupus reluctantly got up. They must be discussing the preparations for the August 17th celebration. Lupus hated it because he was forced to participate in every competition. Because in his school, there weren’t many teenage boys. But there were quite a few competitions being held. There was sack race, volleyball, basketball, badminton, and so on. So, in order to form teams, they had to include people like Lupus who weren’t good at sports. As a result, Lupus had suddenly become diligent in exercising. Morning runs, lifting weights, push-ups. Like Rocky. But the next day, his body would feel hot and cold. He would get sick.
That’s why he kept grumbling.
And Lulu, his little sister who was growing up, would talk about her friends every day. Whether they were boys or girls. She seemed so proud just for becoming a teenager. Like now, when Lupus was really annoyed because he got a laughable grade of eight (which is actually a three) on his chemistry test, Lulu didn’t care about the situation and just kept joking around.
“Hey Pus, I’ve got a problem here. It’s kinda weird. Can you help me figure it out?” she pouted, sounding a bit needy. Lupus was already fed up even before anything happened. It must be about boys again, Lupus grumbled. Lulu had just started high school and already had a bunch of guy friends. So Lupus acted like he didn’t hear her. He put on his best aristocratic style. Looking straight ahead, stiff, with his hands tightly clasped.
But when Lulu’s mischievous side kicked in, with a quick move, her tiny fingers pressed hard on Lupus’ ribs. Instantly, Lupus let out a hysterical scream. He couldn’t stand being tickled.
“Come on, hurricane, don’t do that!” Lupus protested, stepping back. He was annoyed by the sudden attack. But how could he retaliate when Lulu was grinning like a horse? Lulu continued to giggle until her eyes disappeared. She loved making Lupus laugh until he was knocked out. But before her laughter could die down, a strange object with a foul smell suddenly invaded her nostrils. Lulu was stunned. What is this smell? She had never smelled anything like it before. When she realized, she immediately rebelled and started sneezing like crazy.
Now it was Lupus’ turn to laugh. “That’s what you get for acting tough. The score is now tied. You should be grateful, Lu. Those socks were only washed three days ago. Usually, they last for a week.”
But Lulu got really mad. She refused to talk to Lupus. One day, two days… Lupus remained calm. He could sleep peacefully. But on the third day, he started feeling uneasy. Because according to the religious teacher, if siblings don’t talk to each other for three days, something bad might happen. But luckily, on the fourth day, she was willing to talk. That was after she received her “tribute” from Lupus in the form of a four-flavored Toblerone chocolate, as compensation for Lulu suddenly losing her appetite since her socks were stuffed in her mouth a few days ago. Lupus was also sad because his pocket money was gone, as Toblerone was expensive. For the past few days, he couldn’t buy snacks at school. He couldn’t chew gum anymore. But what could he do? The bilateral relationship had to continue and the sibling war had to stop.
And after making up, Lulu started with her jokes again. “Listen, Pus, you know I just started high school, right? Well, the seniors, just like you, are looking for ways to impress the new girls. Especially someone as cool as me…”
“Wait, am I hearing this right?”
“No, seriously. But of course, I don’t just accept anyone,” Lulu continued. “There’s one person who has caught my attention. But it seems like he’s shy. Or maybe just playing hard to get, I don’t know. At first, I didn’t care about him, but then he started to seem pretty cool. His behavior is likable. But unfortunately, he hasn’t had the guts to talk to me first. And I really want to get to know him.” Lupus straightened his leg.
“Oh, do I have to keep giving you advice? Am I your grandpa or something? Just write your problem to Mbak Retno. She’ll answer it later,” Lupus replied lazily.
“Ugh… waiting takes forever. What if that guy gets hooked on another girl? It’s a disaster!”
“Alright, here’s the deal. It’s actually the guy’s responsibility to make the first move. It’s not cool if you make the first move. People might think you’re easy. So, try giving him more attention than other guys. For example, when he’s looking at you, don’t quickly look away. Give him a smile. Just a little one. Then, wait and see. Maybe he’s just shy or intimidated by your friends. Guys tend to get nervous when approaching a girl who’s with a group. So, try walking alone sometimes. Who knows, maybe he’ll gather the courage to talk to you, or even take you to Blok M for an es teler. Maybe he’s trying to find your address and come to you, or at least send an introduction letter. Yeah, I know, not very manly, but just respond. It might threaten his courage. Just show him your friendly attitude, directly. Eventually, his bravery will emerge… Oops, I’m starting to sound like a grandpa again. Forget it!”
Lupus, who had been thirsty all this time, went straight to the kitchen to get a drink. Leaving Lulu still lost in thought. Whether she was thinking or just slow in understanding.
“But what if that doesn’t work, Pus?” Lulu shouted cautiously, afraid her mother might hear.
“There’s a best and easiest way if there’s no other way!” Lupus replied loudly from the kitchen. Lulu, who was previously feeling hopeless, regained her spirit. She ran to the kitchen as fast as a speedy mouse. She caught Lupus stealing her ice cream from the fridge.
“Caught you! But you can finish it if you tell me the best way!”
“Here’s the thing, you write a short sentence. Something like: ‘Hey… do you have a crush on me? – Lulu’. Then find his house. Once you find it, throw a stone wrapped in a paper with that sentence written on it at his window. Hopefully, he’s the one who reads it, not his maid…”
Lupus walked away again. Lulu was left dumbfounded, for the umpteenth time.
Finally, the climax of the August 17th celebration arrived. It was so much fun. Especially the greased pole climbing competition. The pole was covered in oil to make it more challenging. At the top of the pole, exciting prizes awaited the climbers. Clothes, pants, chewing gum, tens of thousands of rupiah, bras, underwear (warning, censored!), cheap sunglasses (cheap but cool!), and many other exciting prizes.
Lupus, the skinny (but sexy) guy, felt like he was in hell for the past two weeks. It’s because the schedule for the inter-school competitions was so tight. Volleyball, basketball, soccer, table tennis, softball, badminton, and marble battles. You can imagine how chaotic it was for Lupus to go from one game to another. And he’s not even into sports. Especially basketball. Just holding the ball makes him nervous. And don’t even get me started on soccer. Lupus set his own record by scoring seven own goals, without even scoring a single goal for his team.
But whose fault is it? Lupus just doesn’t have a talent for sports. The only sport he enjoys is swimming. And even then, he’s more into showing off than actually swimming.
And now Lupus is thinking about how to climb the greased pole with his four friends without slipping. Two groups from other schools have already failed. Imagine, just three people lined up, and then one of their friends climbs up. Not long after, all four of them slide down. Lupus is just dumbfounded. With his slim body, and considering he lost two kilos in the past two weeks (well, maybe just one or two ounces!), he can’t possibly carry the weight of his four friends on his shoulders.
And the time has come. Lupus and his four friends have a quick briefing, like volleyball players celebrating after a short briefing with their coach. Two big guys are assigned as the first and second foundation, followed by the other two friends. Lady luck seems to be on their side, because all four of Lupus’ friends manage to hold onto the greased pole in a stacked position. The hope now lies with Lupus. Can he climb the pole and reach the prize, which is just a few centimeters away? One person passes, two, three, four. The audience is amazed. Mass hysteria ensues. The support keeps flowing. And Lupus is about to touch the top of the pole when suddenly he hears a familiar shout. Lupus looks down and sees Lulu holding hands with a guy who seems to be carrying a video camera.
“Lupuuuus… this is the guy I threw the stone at his window!” Lulu shouts loudly. Lupus is half scared to death. His grip loosens, and he slides down along with his four friends below. Lupus crash-lands on the ground, with one of his big friends on top of him. Lupus faints.
“Pus, Lupus… do you want to watch a documentary film that won the Citra Award at the ’86 FFI? It’s really good!” Lulu gently asks, while Lupus is taking a total rest in his room.
“Well, okay…,” Lupus weakly replies. Honestly, it’s not that he’s allergic to Indonesian films, but he’s just not feeling well after the unfortunate incident a few days ago. He’s been forced to lie in bed for three days straight.
Lulu quickly puts on the video cassette. Lupus waits on the long chair. And he’s stunned when he reads the title of the film on the TV screen, “Lupus, in the film of ENDLESS STRUGGLE.” And it turns out to be a recording of Lupus falling from the greased pole during the Independence Day celebration yesterday.
For the second time, Lupus faints.
