The fasting month is a sacred month. A month full of God’s blessings. But let’s not deny the fact that during months like these, fatigue almost takes over the faces of the students at Merah Putih High School. School activities still go on as usual. You can imagine how difficult it is for them to concentrate on the lessons being taught while their stomachs are rumbling.
But according to Wak Haji, fasting shouldn’t be about thinking of hunger. It’s a sin and it can be seen as unwillingness to fast by God. Fasting is not just about suppressing hunger and thirst, but also other desires, including gossiping about others. And that seems to be the hardest part for them. Just imagine, a whole month without gossiping at school. Whoa, that’s tough! And what about Ruri, the gossip queen? That’s why when they’re out hanging out, the kids are just wandering around, daydreaming, or at most, going to the library to take a nap. There’s no sign of joking around. Not to mention joking, they can’t even laugh. Because there are so many restrictions that can break the fast. Guys can’t flirt. Girls too. No dating, no laughing at others, no reading “scary” books. Basically, anything that stirs up desire. Even playing basketball or volleyball is out of the question. Afraid of getting thirsty.
But those are still the rules. In the corner of the library, Ruri still finds time to gossip with her friends. Lupus, who is looking for a book nearby, can catch her in the act. “Hey, starting to gossip again, huh?”
Ruri is startled but quickly responds, “Don’t accuse me like that. We’re just sharing something that doesn’t sit right with us. It’s better than keeping it to ourselves and getting hungry.”
“What’s the difference? Do you think by coming up with a new definition like that, it will reduce the sin? Just hold off on the gossip until the evening call to prayer. Once you break your fast, then you can quickly call your closest friends. Maybe God can understand!” Lupus advises.
Ruri snorts and moves to another seat. And she starts gossiping again.
And Lupus continues searching for a book. Near the window, he catches Ita, the girl from the royal family who is often called Ita, lost in her thoughts alone (of course, it’s not fun to daydream together, right?).
“Hey, daydreaming about dirty stuff, huh? Cancelled plans, huh?” Lupus teases, startling Ita.
“Ugh, you scared me! Who said I was daydreaming about dirty stuff?”
“Well then, you must be daydreaming about your boyfriend back in Java, huh? Oh, Ita, I’ve told you before, if you’re feeling lonely being away from your boyfriend, just open a branch here. Just for fun, so you won’t keep daydreaming. It’s not a sin, you know. And there are plenty of people who would be interested. Like me, for example…”
Ita just rolls her eyes.
But fasting month isn’t always filled with gloom. It can be fun too. Sometimes, the kids gather in front of their respective classrooms. They make funny stories or weird riddles. After a few days, the riddles become unhealthy. They start searching for answers. But it just gets funnier. Like the riddle given by Lupus: “What object is in the kitchen during the day, but in the tree at night?” Everyone starts thinking and speculating to answer with random guesses.
The next day, Lupus finally gives the answer. “It’s a pot!”
Of course, all the kids protest. How can a pot be in a tree at night?
“Well, it’s my pot. I can put it wherever I want,” Lupus defends himself and gets scolded by the audience.
And the jokes continue until they realize that the day is turning into evening. ***
Although there’s actually no problem, the kids also complain because school hasn’t closed yet even though the final exams are approaching. They only get two days for a peaceful week. Saturday and Sunday.
“That’s only enough time to sharpen pencils!” Rosfita complains. She’s Lupus’ friend who believes in never disappointing someone who offers food.
But Lupus prefers school. If he stays at home, time seems to drag on longer. It’s better to find activities outside. And at that moment, he’s on a Blok M minibus. Just taking a stroll to kill time. Wasting time. Because during fasting month, not many people have the principle of “time is money”. They tend to believe that “time is time, faster is better”. And Lupus tries hard not to stare at the pretty girls on the side of the road. Acting all cool. But can looking at beautiful girls really break the fast? After all, beautiful girls are God’s gift meant to be enjoyed visually. Do we have to wear blinders? Especially wasting God’s gift is a sin, you know!
Whatever. Like, seriously. Lupus couldn’t resist anymore when this girl sat right in front of him. Like, she was totally jet-set, with her tan skin, long black hair flowing, and thin pink lipstick on her lips. It’s such a waste not to look at her. And… temptation was just perfect.
At first, Lupus tried to hold back from staring continuously. The girl was too cool to have a crush on. Like, she wouldn’t even notice him. He tried to divert his attention to the window. But turns out, the girl was sneakily stealing glances at Lupus. Lupus was still trying to act cool. He had to be strong, not get tempted. To ease his restlessness, he tried to daydream. And suddenly, he remembered Mas Wedha, who liked to draw in Hai magazine. He was, like, this guy who was super strong. Resisting temptation.
“How can you be so strong,” he said one time, “even though my dad is a haji, my neighbors and community are all pious, praying, fasting, performing tarawih, and studying the Quran diligently, but I’m still not tempted to fast.”
Lupus just burst out laughing. And yesterday, when Lupus saw him again, Lupus jokingly asked, “So, Mas, still staying strong?”
“Alhamdulillah, still…” he calmly replied. “God knows that I won’t be able to fast. So why lie to myself? If I fast, God will be mad at me. Thinking that I’m arrogant… pretending to follow along…”
Lupus often can’t help but smile when he remembers this. Like now, unconsciously, he’s smiling to himself in the metro mini. In front of the pretty girl earlier. And, oh God, the girl actually smiled back at Lupus. How can he not be thrilled?
“Hey,” Lupus greeted confidently. “Where are you headed?”
The girl smiled again, a smile full of temptation. “To Blok M. Going shopping. Wanna come along?”
Lupus was a bit surprised. This girl was pretty aggressive. And without waiting for a second invitation, a few moments later, Lupus found himself walking around Blok M with the girl. He learned that her name was Evan. She bought so many things. They went around the entire Blok M market. Lupus started to feel a bit nervous when Evan casually held his hand. What if his girlfriend found out?
At three in the afternoon, they stopped in front of A-ha (not the band, but the American Hamburger joint). Evan invited him to go in. Lupus clearly refused, even though he was feeling really hungry and thirsty.
“Come on, I’ll treat you,” Evan pleaded.
“It’s not about that. I’m fasting!” Lupus replied.
“Skipping a day won’t hurt. Come on, we’re tired from all the walking. Just a little bit. Let’s go,” Evan insisted.
“You go ahead, I won’t,” Lupus replied.
“Well…that’s no fun. We were together earlier. Come on, Sweetie,” Evan tried to persuade.
And Lupus’s defense crumbled. Finally, with hesitant steps and constantly looking around to make sure no one saw them, Lupus entered A-ha. He immediately ordered steak, a strawberry milkshake, and a cold Sprite.
The day was turning into evening as Lupus stepped into his house. His mother was still busy in the kitchen, preparing food in containers. Ever since Lupus’s father passed away, his mother started a catering business. It was a way to make a living, she would say. And the results were amazing. His mother was a determined woman, never giving up on fate. Like now, she was still working even though she was fasting. Unlike Lulu, Lupus’s younger sister, who would just sleep all day when fasting. “That’s better than gossiping!” she would say.
Lupus entered the living room slowly. But his mother noticed.
“Oh, Lupus. Just got back? I made your favorite banana compote for breaking the fast. Hurry up and take a shower, the call to prayer will be soon!”
Lupus was taken aback. His busy mother still managed to make his favorite food. How much she wanted to make her children happy. And Lupus?
“Hey, why are you spacing out? Hungry, huh? Just hold on a bit. It’s almost time to break the fast. Hurry up and take a shower to freshen up…”
Without saying a word, Lupus rushed to the bathroom. He bumped into Lulu in front of the room. “Hey, Lupus, you’re back. I got you a little treat. A box of Karen candies. I bought them on a whim while taking mom to the market. So, are you still fasting?”
Lupus felt even more trapped. In the bathroom, he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. To let out the turmoil in his heart. He did admit that he was still fasting until now. He didn’t want to disappoint everyone. But who would have thought that deceiving oneself would be more painful than deceiving others?
The sound of the Maghrib call to prayer echoed in the distance. Accompanied by the shouts of the azan. At that moment, Lupus ran to the public telephone in front of his house.
“Hello? Can I speak to Evan?” “Yes, this is Evan…”
“A MILLION OF THUNDERING THYPOON FOR YOU!!!”
