SMA Merah Putih had an idea for a good event. It was a fundraising art night. Just like in previous years, the extra money from the ticket sales, which were kind of forced, would usually be donated to orphanages. Including the elderly home and the home for ugly people. The home for ugly people only existed in Lupus’ school. There were only two members, Boim and Gusur. And thankfully, they had never received any donations. Because the donors believed it was better to donate goats than to donate to them. With the goats, they could make satay. But with Boim and Gusur, they would just waste money, and the benefits were unknown. At most, they would only scare away the spirits who felt less charismatic compared to them.
Because of the positive art fundraising event, the school had been busy in recent weeks. Amo, who loved pretending to be busy, started going back and forth from one class to another. Pretending to make announcements. But the real goal was clear, to show off!
But it wasn’t just Anto who pretended to be busy, everyone suddenly became busy apart from their non-stop learning activities. They all had intentions to contribute to the event. Including Lupus’ class, who had a meeting that afternoon.
Boim seemed the most enthusiastic.
“Let’s do some dances, and I’ll be a part of it. The members are already chosen. Nyit-nyit, Meta, Ita, Utari, Svida, Poppi, Vera, and of course, myself. It’s going to be a story about Jaka Tarub. I’ll automatically be Jaka Tarub, and the rest will be fairies. What do you think, sweet suggestion, right?”
The kids immediately disagreed, especially Nyit-nyit.
“No way, with that uncool face of yours, you want to be Jaka Tarub. You can’t even get accepted if you audition for the movie King Kong Lives, Im,” Fifi Alone, whose name wasn’t mentioned, cursed.
“Or maybe you can do a belly dance all by yourself, Fi?” Boim teased.
Fifi glared angrily.
“In that case, let’s just do a dance,” Boim suggested again. “The members will still be the same.”
And for the umpteenth time, the idea was rejected by the kids. Boim became frustrated.
“What if we ask Boim to do some stand-up comedy?” Lupus suddenly suggested. “He’s the funniest one. Even if he stays quiet, people would still laugh. They’d probably think he’s some kind of creature standing on the stage. Maybe like a hedgehog, but uglier.”
Boim got really angry upon hearing Lupus’ suggestion.
“No way, am I a comedian? My face is charismatic enough, it’s not suitable for comedy. I can’t be funny…” Boim protested.
“But that’s already funny. A comedian who can’t be funny is actually really funny,” Lupus replied.
Boim still refused.
There was a moment of silence.
“What if I try to do it? I can do a little bit…” Boim said in a desperate tone.
“Oh no, don’t. It’s better if you do some freestyle rapping,” Lupus countered.
“What’s freestyle rapping?” Boim asked cluelessly.
“Making rap songs. Yeah, you can make rap songs on stage. It’ll be original!” Lupus suggested.
Boim became extremely annoyed.
“I’m not a street food vendor, you know!!!” Boim yelled.
“In that case, you should make pecel. It suits you better. Your grandpa used to be a retired fried tofu vendor,” Anto chimed in with a reaction.
And the meeting ended without a decision, meaning they still didn’t know what kind of artistic performance would be suitable for the fundraising night.
“Tomorrow, after class, we’ll continue. We have to make a decision. Time is running out. We haven’t even started rehearsing,” Anto shouted.
The kids dispersed.
At Lupus’ house, he started to busy himself with his plans. He even forgot to have lunch. Lulu knocked on his door multiple times but was ignored.
“Pus, have your meal, Pus. You’ll get sick. I saved you a chicken’s foot. Sorry, it’s all I could find. I already ate both chicken thighs!” Lulu shouted.
There was no response from the room. All that could be heard was the loud music playing.
Feeling ignored, Lulu tried to sneak a peek at Lupus through the air vent. She struggled to drag a chair to get a glimpse of him. “Wow, this kid is actually working hard for once,” Lulu thought. Through the air vent, she saw Lupus busy brainstorming his plans on a sheet of paper.
“What are you spying on? Do you have any ideas for the school’s fundraising art night?!” Lupus suddenly yelled.
Lulu was shocked to be called out like that. She slowly got off the chair and walked away with an annoyed expression.
At the meeting the next day, Lupus and his classmates were finally able to make a decision. They agreed to perform a three-act play for the fundraising event. Lupus, being the creative one, was tasked with writing the script. Meanwhile, Fifi Alone, our very own artist, wanted to pursue a solo career. She planned to sing a song by Vina Panduwinata called “Surat Cinta.”
With her overly cute style, a voice that sounded like a New Year’s trumpet, and a messy song text, Fifi started practicing on her own since the morning.
“Today I’m happy
The mailman is flying in the air.”
(Well, I don’t know where to go from here, Iho. Fifi is confused about the next lyrics.)
Meanwhile, Lupus went straight home after school and got busy typing the script. He was looking for funny stories, sometimes staying up late at night. His mom was worried about his behavior, afraid that he might get sick. It’s not that she doesn’t care about Lupus, but doctor’s fees are expensive.
Once in a while, Boim also showed up in Lupus’ room. He was surprised to read the big writing on Lupus’ door: “Do Not Disturb, Meditating.”
“You better not come in, 1m,” Lulu whispered softly as Boim was about to open the door. “Strange flying objects tend to appear when Lupus is looking for inspiration…”
“Oh really?” Boim commented skeptically, as he continued to open the door and… splat!
A big pillow knocked him down. Lulu walked away giggling.
Lupus stood at the doorway.
“Sorry, Im, I thought it was Lulu. That mischievous kid has been teasing me all day. So I threatened to throw a pillow if anyone entered my room. And turns out, it’s you. Now, what brings you here?” Lupus said calmly.
Boim got up, rubbing his head that hit the floor.
“Pus, I need your help. It’s important, Pus. It’s for my future.”
Lupus remained silent.
“I hope I can be a part of the play you’re writing, Pus. Anything, as long as it’s not a chicken coop. The important thing is, I can show my talent in front of Nyit-nyit. You know, I have skills that can be relied on,” Boim barked again.
“You will be used in the plan. But for now, you better just go home and not bother me,” Lupus replied shortly. Boim quickly excused himself. He was so happy inside.
As I walked past Lupus’ front yard on my way home, I saw Lulu engrossed in a conversation with her mom. “Mom… I used to not believe in Darwin’s theory at all. But lately, after observing Lupus’ friend who often comes here, I’m starting to have doubts too. What if it’s true…”
“Hush! Which one of Lupus’ friends are you talking about?”
“That one, who just came in earlier… hehehe…”
Boim was taken aback. He decided to change his mind about passing by and muttered to himself as he took a detour through the side door.
When the long-awaited event finally arrived, the kids were filled with joy. The hall was decorated with colorful paper, and the stage was ready to be used. Tickets were almost sold out, which meant they would make a decent amount of money.
After a few teachers and the principal gave their speeches, the event began. The first performance was by Gusur, the eccentric artist from their class. He gave a literary lecture titled “The Role of Poetry in Women’s Emancipation.”
“To the esteemed audience,
In this opportunity, allow me to present a paper titled ‘The Role of Poetry in Women’s Emancipation.’ Considering the importance of this paper, I kindly request all of you to listen to it. Because if you refuse to listen even a little, who knows what will happen to your future, especially for women. I can’t guarantee it. The reason I present this paper is because I’ve noticed how amazing Fifi Alone has become lately. Her style, oh! And her smile, oh my! Her clear eyes, her bright cheeks. Oh, Fifi Alone, you are a woman full of emancipation…”
Gusur’s craziness escalated, and the committee had to forcefully remove him from the podium. The kids cheered loudly. That kid is really crazy, expressing his feelings in such a formal event.
The event continued with dance performances, bands, and vocal groups. The kids from class II A3, who were quite crazy, contributed a band performance with a gambus rhythm. It was Gusur’s favorite rhythm.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere became more lively. Until finally, it was Lupus’ class’s turn to perform their three-act play.
But several minutes passed, and Lupus’ group still hadn’t appeared on stage. Lupus, Anto, and the other kids were getting frustrated as they looked for Boim who hadn’t shown up yet. And Boim was the main character. The story was about a prince who was cursed, and he had a beautiful queen named Nyit-nyit. They had been rehearsing hard for a week, but now, when it was time to perform, Boim was nowhere to be found.
“This is what happens when you trust someone who can’t be trusted at all!!!” Ita exclaimed angrily. Ita, who played the role of a handmaiden and had been getting ready since the afternoon, was clearly annoyed. Especially Meta, who usually hated getting dolled up.
“Yeah. Lupus didn’t screen the cast!” Nyit-nyit chimed in.
“But what now? He’s not here!” Auto exclaimed.
Lupus could only play around with his rubber band.
The committee appeared. “What’s going on, class II A2? Are you not going to perform? The audience is getting restless!”
Ita stomped her foot in frustration. The drama performance was ruined.
Before the event was completely over, Lupus’ crew left the performance hall. It was hopeless. They’d rather go home before getting teased by their friends. Their faces were all messed up. Something that was prepared with pride for their class turned into a mess because of Boim.
As they crossed the street, a shrill voice called out to them from a distance.
“Heyyy… guys… where are you going???”
They all turned and saw Boim, all dolled up, getting off a running pedicab and running towards them.
“Why are you guys going home? We haven’t performed yet! Sorry, I came a little late. I went to the salon earlier, and it took forever. Sorry, as the prince, I have to look fancy. Especially to accompany Nyit-nyit…”
“Boim, you jerk!! The whole performance got messed up because of you, you know!!!” Ita couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore. The other kids glared fiercely at Boim.
“What? It got messed up? Well, then my trip to the salon was pointless…”
“And who told you to go to the salon? Popi was ready to do your makeup!!!” Meta snapped angrily. And in their frustration, the well-groomed Boim was lifted by the kids and thrown into the pond in front of the school. Boim gasped for breath. The other kids cheered happily…
