“Yo, check out these undies, man…”
A sudden greeting from behind startled Lupus, who was busy rummaging through a pile of clothes in the clothing store. Spontaneously, he let go of the “antique item” he was holding and turned towards the source of the voice. There stood Ita, Meta, and Utari, with wide smiles. Lupus felt extremely embarrassed. He had been so careful earlier. He glanced around to make sure there was no one he knew nearby. He really wanted to buy some new underwear to replace his worn-out ones. But of course, his friends had to catch him. And they were girls! These three “mini” girls always went everywhere together. That’s why they were often called the “trio the kids,” although they strongly disagreed with that nickname. Their hobby was crazy: going around the department store just to catch people shopping. If they were lucky, they could get treated. Lupus wondered how they weren’t afraid of being mistaken for lost children.
“What’s up, Pus? Haven’t seen you since last Eid. Looking even slimmer. Oh, and your bangs are still long. Trying to compete with John Taylor, huh? Hopefully, your eyes won’t get irritated every minute. Maybe just a little cross-eyed. Hehehe… it’s okay to be a little cross-eyed. Look at Vina Panduwinata, even though her eyes are a bit cross-eyed, she’s still cool. Right?”
Meta blabbered on while Lupus just nodded. He went along with it.
“Just keep choosing, why are you so quiet? For next Eid?”
“Come on! Eid is already over!”
“Yeah, next year’s Eid… hahaha…”
And the three girls left, looking for new prey. Lupus lost his enthusiasm for shopping. He went straight to the bakery to buy some pastries for his mother’s guests at home.
So, like, it was late afternoon, and the highly anticipated guests finally arrived. Lupus’s mom and sister, Lulu, warmly welcomed them. Lupus, who had just woken up, reluctantly joined them in the front.
“Here comes the grump,” he commented, but his mom quickly hushed him. And the special guest was none other than Aunt Neli. Lupus’s mom’s oldest sister, who was incredibly talkative. Along with her came Lupus’s mom’s second sister and Ridwan, Aunt Neli’s son. They all came for the wedding ceremony of Aunt Mia’s child.
Lupus wasn’t really a fan of all the commotion. Especially when he was forced to give up his room and sleep in the living room because his room was being used. (Well, Lupus’s house didn’t have many rooms). It was so sad.
The mosquitoes there were extremely vicious. Lupus, who wasn’t really a fan of being surrounded by mosquitoes while sleeping (seriously, who likes that? It’s okay to be surrounded by girls though!), felt really annoyed.
“Lupus, look, Ridwan is here!” his mom exclaimed when Lupus hurriedly tried to retreat, afraid that his room would be booked. Lupus also didn’t really like this favorite creature of Aunt Neli. Ridwan. He liked to show off and belittle others. If they weren’t relatives, Lupus would have been enemies with him since forever.
“Hey, how’s it going, Lupus!” he greeted with a fake style.
Lupus just grinned and let the guy blabber on to Lulu. Typical guy behavior, right? Acting all smooth in front of Lulu and the other aunts. Going back and forth, carrying heavy baskets. Not like Lupus, who was busy unpacking the souvenirs. Maybe there’s some chewing gum in there.
The next day, Lupus came home when the sun was setting. Exhausted from school and immediately finishing his report at the magazine office, he headed straight to his bedroom. Luckily, that creature named Ridwan had gone home since this morning. “No vacation yet,” he said. Thank goodness. After changing out of his school uniform, Lupus jumped onto his bed. Oh, how delightful it was! The slight headache that was bothering him earlier on the way gradually disappeared as he flew into the dream world.
But before he could fall into a deep sleep, he heard the sound of the call to prayer. It felt so far away. Lupus, half awake and half not, sharpened his hearing. Was it already evening? It seemed to pass by so quickly. It’s not the fasting month, but sleeping during Maghrib time could still be considered bad luck. At least, that’s what Uncle Haji said. But, uh, the sound of the call to prayer sounded a bit different. And it felt like it was getting closer and closer. Lupus woke up. Oh, no, it wasn’t the call to prayer. There was someone banging on his bedroom door. Oh, God! Who is this inhumane creature? Lupus groaned lazily and opened the door a little. Just like his heavy eyelids.
There, Aunt Neli’s face appeared, all scrunched up. “What’s wrong with you? You come here and immediately go to sleep. No awareness at all! Look at your mom, busy taking care of orders from regular customers in the kitchen. Help a little, will ya? Pack some crackers or something!” she scolded without holding back.
“No way!” Lupus replied shortly and immediately locked his room. A moment later, he was already comfortably lying down again, covering his head tightly with a pillow. Outside, Aunt Neli was still angry and banging on the door. But Lupus didn’t care.
Aunt Neli, that name suits her perfectly. She’s exactly like a nagging old lady. Lupus didn’t mean to not help his mom, but he was truly exhausted. His mom understood as well. And besides, didn’t his mom already have four helpers ready to assist at any time? Plus Aunt Neli and the other aunts who could lend a hand, instead of gossiping non-stop. So, it’s all Aunt Neli’s fault for not seeing people happy! That’s the conclusion Lupus came to. And he could continue his sleep peacefully. Without feeling guilty.
But that conclusion wasn’t entirely wrong. Like the next afternoon when Lupus was having a blast swinging on the swing tied to the guava tree with Lulu. He pushed hard, causing the swing to go wild, making Lulu scream in fear. In the midst of their fun, Aunt Neli suddenly appeared with her hysterical scream, “Hey, stop! Stop! Look at the guava leaves falling. Come on, clean it up! What’s wrong with you guys? Even though you’re all grown up, you still act like little kids. Do you think it’s safe to swing so fast like that? You’re brainless! And you, Lupus, you’re the oldest boy. The only one left. You should be able to replace your late father’s position. Act a little more mature, not like a little kid. Forget about helping your mom with work….”
That’s how annoying Aunt Neli is. She even banned the only entertainment they had. That afternoon, Lupus and Lulu were forced to sweep the entire backyard, which was quite spacious. The chickens that were roaming around purposely kept getting close to Lupus. As if mocking him. They were a bit disturbed earlier when they were peacefully sleeping on the guava tree and suddenly the tree started shaking along with the swing. Annoyed, Lupus swatted the damn chickens with a broomstick.
“Lupus, do the job properly!” Aunt Neli’s shout could be heard again.
And that’s how it was. As long as Aunt Neli was around, life at home was never free. She always tried to control everything. Even Lupus’ mom was sometimes being told what to do. What time to wake up, not staying up late watching TV, and so on. Lupus’ mom just smiled when Lulu complained about everything.
“Aunt Neli means well. She’s a meticulous and disciplined person.”
But Aunt Neli also tends to panic. She likes making a fuss on her own. Once, when Lupus came home from school, he ran into the house gasping for breath and immediately blurted out, “Crazy, Mom! There was a gang fight at the market. It was bloody. So pitiful. Almost everyone at the market joined in the fight!”
Aunt Neli immediately stood up in a panic. “Who? Who was it? So pitiful! People these days are heartless. So what happened to that person? Are they still alive? Who, Lupus? A student? Or a thief?”
“No. A rat….” Lupus calmly replied and went straight into his room.
But that really annoys Lupus. Especially when Aunt Neli starts talking about him when the other siblings gather at Lupus’ house. She likes to compare Lupus to Ridwan.
“I can’t understand that kid. When his siblings are gathered like this, he never wants to come out. He just stays locked in his room. No respect or attention towards us, the elders. Even though we’re the ones who help him when something happens. When we talk to him, he answers carelessly while chewing on candy. How disrespectful. Guests from far away like me are never welcomed warmly. Or when Aunt Mia was hospitalized, he didn’t visit at all!”
Lupus gets scolded by his mother. Yeah, he’s more interested in the gifts brought rather than the person when guests from far away come.
“It’s useless, Mom. Whether I’m there or not, it doesn’t make a difference to them. Like visiting Aunt Mia, does she suddenly recover after I visit? Maybe it even gets worse…” Lupus defends himself. “Because, what does Lupus mean to them?”
“But you shouldn’t be like that!”
Lupus doesn’t like small talk. Just like when Lupus’ mother finally decided to go to Bandung, to Aunt Neli’s house to see her new house, after the wedding ceremony.
“Forget about taking me all the way to Bandung. He wouldn’t even help carry his mother’s suitcase. Truly a disrespectful child. Doesn’t know how to be grateful to his parents. It’s different with Ridwan. Even if he has an exam, he would definitely take me to Jakarta if I wanted to,” Aunt Neli says curtly. Lupus becomes red-faced and leaves. He really dislikes being compared to others. It’s not that Lupus doesn’t want to carry the suitcase, but his mother only brought a small bag that can be easily carried, so why bother pretending to carry it? And why should he be compared to that Ridwan that he doesn’t like?
After Aunt Neli left, the house became quiet. Lupus started to think, is it true that he lacks respect as Aunt Neli said? Lupus’ mother is the type of mother who doesn’t talk much. She always does everything herself without many demands. Demands for her children to help or to be respected. She never bothers Lupus when he’s sound asleep on the long chair while listening to a cassette. She’s willing to wait for Lupus to come home until midnight. She’s the type of mother who serves, like other mothers. Without ever asking for anything in return.
But has that attitude made Lupus disrespectful towards her? Has he been pampered too much? Is his mother sometimes jealous of Ridwan, who pays so much attention to Aunt Neli? Who knows how to behave when gathering with other family members? Who always becomes the pride, because he likes to accompany his mother wherever she goes, even during exams? Who likes to massage his father’s feet when he comes home tired?
Lupus keeps daydreaming. He does notice a hint of sadness in his mother’s eyes when Aunt Neli mocks Lupus. And Aunt Neli seems to want to show how to raise a good child, like her way. Full of discipline!
Lupus was just chilling on his bed when Lulu barged in, shouting, “Wake up, dude! Mom’s back! Mom’s back!”
Without thinking twice, Lupus jumped up and ran out of the room, following Lulu who was already there to welcome their mom.
“Took you long enough, Mom. Thought you forgot to come back,” Lulu said. Their mom just smiled and instructed the taxi driver to unload her stuff from the trunk.
“So, how’s everything at home, bro? All good?” Lupus asked.
“Of course, bro. Everything’s smooth. What took you so long in Bandung? Having too much fun, huh?” Lulu replied.
Their mom stayed silent for a moment, then looked at Lupus and Lulu alternately.
“Actually, I wanted to come back earlier. Didn’t want to leave all the piled-up work at home. But…”
“Wait, what’s up, Mom…?” Lupus asked.
“Well, you know, Aunt Neli’s son, Ridwan, got involved in some cases that required dealing with the police…” their mom explained.
“Ridwan? What happened to him?” Lupus wondered.
“Turns out, after Aunt Neli went to Jakarta, he did something not so great. Had his friends stay over at their new house. Even brought some girls along. And when the police raided the place, they found some illegal drugs too. At that time, his dad was on duty in Semarang, so I had to stay with Aunt Neli for a few days to handle the situation,” their mom revealed.
Lulu and Lupus fell silent. They exchanged glances. The atmosphere became quiet.
“That’s it, Mom,” Lulu finally spoke after a while. “In the end, it’s the facts that speak. We may be a bit rebellious, but still within reasonable limits…”
“Yeah, yeah. I admit that in the end, I’m prouder of you guys,” their mom said, holding their hands as they entered the house.
“Oh, Lupus. Aren’t you gonna bring in the stuff?” their mom suddenly said, once they were inside.
“Oh yeah, forgot. Sorry, Mom,” Lupus replied, grinning, and hurriedly ran back outside. Their mom just shook her head.
“Sometimes I think Lulu’s right. I’d be more confused if I lost a spoon than if I lost you, bro!”
Lupus and Lulu burst into laughter at the same time.
