Ever had a toothache? If you want to know how it feels, just ask Lupus. Right now, he’s tossing and turning because of a toothache. It feels like a jolt of electricity, thousands of watts strong. If he had to choose, Lupus would rather have a broken heart than a toothache. At least with a broken heart, you can still flirt. No need to dwell on it, even if your heart is upset. But with a toothache? How can you flirt? You can’t even sleep. And he’s tried all sorts of remedies. From traditional concoctions like gargling saltwater and applying the sap of a frangipani leaf to taking antibiotics, it still hurts.
Stupid illness. And it’s already past midnight. It’s time for everyone else to be fast asleep. Maybe we should postpone and continue in the morning. Poor Lupus can’t sleep. Plus, there’s a test tomorrow morning.
But Lupus is stubborn. He eats too much chewing gum and other sweet treats. No wonder his teeth are in such bad shape. They’re full of holes. (But not yellow, though. He brushes his teeth regularly. Three times a day.)
Actually, this afternoon, when Lupus kept complaining about his toothache, his mother told him to go to the dentist. But Lupus refused. He’s allergic to going to the doctor. Scared of seeing those sharp medical instruments. “Feels like surrendering to be butchered!” he protested.
And now, the consequence is staying up all night. He really wants to scream at the top of his lungs. He’s annoyed that everyone else can sleep so soundly. Especially Lulu, his little sister. Her snoring is as loud as the frogs outside. It’s synchronized. Like they’re teasing Lupus. He almost had the evil intention of ringing his antique alarm clock that can wake up the whole neighborhood. So everyone else can join in waking up.
The next day, Lupus still refuses to go to the dentist. He’s still hoping that the pain will go away on its own.
“Because nothing lasts forever…,” he says. But until he gets home from school, the illness is still stubbornly lingering in his small teeth. “Maybe you don’t brush your teeth often…,” Boim suggests as they walk home together.
“Don’t accuse me! Maybe you’re the one like that…!” Lupus snaps back.
At home, Lulu tries to cheer him up. Telling funny stories. But Lupus doesn’t even crack a smile.
“Don’t try to be funny when someone else is in pain! It won’t work!” Lupus angrily scolds.
“Who says? Even Khadafi cracked jokes when his country was bombed by America. Not like you, just a little pain and you’re as confused as a bearded man on fire…”
Lupus furrows his brow. “How do you know? Where did you read that?”
“Yeah. At that time, he sent a letter to Reagan. It was short, ‘Bomb this, will ya…'”
Lupus can’t help but half smile.
But that night, he totally gave in. And swore to go to the dentist tomorrow morning. Whatever will be, will be. Whether it’s getting pulled out, drilled, or just criticized, “Oh, Lupus, how ugly your teeth are….” Whatever!
And the next day, bright and early, he was already hanging out at the hospital. In the dental clinic. Waiting patiently until a nurse called his name and told him to come in.
“Come on in, don’t be shy…,” the flirty nurse said.
Lupus scoffed angrily.
And inside, he was interrogated with silly questions. Like, ‘Do you brush your teeth often?’; ‘How many toothbrushes do you have at home?’; ‘What brand of toothpaste do you use?’; ‘Do you brush your teeth with a brick?’; and so on.
Until finally, “Alright, I’ll examine your teeth. Please have a seat in that examination chair.”
Lupus obeyed. And he shivered at the sight of the intimidating tools lined up in front of him. Meanwhile, the female doctor wore a nose cover (you know, like someone about to be operated on), and prepared the examination tools with the help of a nurse. Lupus felt a bit offended. Was his breath really that bad that they needed to wear nose covers?
The doctor then told Lupus to open his mouth wide.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… your teeth are really ugly, huh? You must love eating sweet stuff, don’t you?”
Lupus already expected to be criticized like that. That’s why he stayed strong.
“Yes, Doctor. I really love chewing gum, chocolate.”
“Just like a little kid. That’s why your teeth are all full of holes. Why do you like sweet things so much?”
“Well, to make it sweeter…”
The doctor burst into laughter.
“Alright then. Get ready. I’m going to fill your teeth. Because if it hurts, we can’t just pull it out. Besides, as long as it can still be saved, we don’t need to extract it right away. So just bear with it. It won’t hurt, I promise. Maybe just a little sensitivity. Ready?”
Lupus immediately closed his eyes tightly.
That afternoon, Lupus was peacefully sleeping when Lulu woke him up.
“Wake up, Pus, your friend is waiting outside.”
“Aaah, who is it? The guest doesn’t know the time. It’s nap time… Just tell them to go home. I’m so sleepy…,” lazy Lupus complained.
He hadn’t been getting enough sleep for the past two days. Now that he finally had the chance to sleep, he was being woken up.
“What’s the matter with you? Acting like a celebrity.”
“But it’s your own fault for coming during nap time….”
“Nap time? It’s already half past four, you know! It’s evening. Go find them quickly. It’s a long way to come. And it’s a girl….”
“Huh? A girl?” Lupus jumped down immediately. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Am I looking good?”
“See for yourself. I’m going to take a shower.”
Lupus rushed into the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. Then he walked to the front.
“Hey, you. Why are you here all of a sudden?” Lupus greeted Rina as soon as he saw her sitting shyly on the porch.
“Yeah. Um… I just came from my relative’s house at the end of the alley. I happened to pass by here. So I thought I’d drop by. I can’t stay long, though. My mom is waiting for me. I just wanted to give you this gift. For you. Do you want it?”
“For me?” Lupus was surprised as he received the package.
“Yeah. Okay then, I’ll go home now….”
“Wait, why are you in such a hurry?”
“I’m being waited for. So, see you at school. Let’s go!”
“Oh… okay. Thank you so much, alright?”
Rina smiled shyly, then the little girl ran towards the car parked in front. Before leaving, she waved her hand. Lupus responded with a wide smile. What was he dreaming about?
Lupus immediately opened the package. There was a piece of paper that fell out. It was light blue, Lupus’s favorite color. Lupus picked it up and read it.
“For Bro Lupus,
I happened to be walking in the supermarket, and I saw a box of chewing gum with a cute packaging displayed there. It reminded me of you. You’re the one who likes chewing gum after school. That’s why I really wanted to buy it for you. So that you’ll be happy.”
“Now you’ve got that chewing gum in your hands. Just to make me happy, would you mind chewing it? You can even finish the whole thing. I’ll give you more later.
Sweet regards,
Rina”
Lupus didn’t know what to say. He was torn between being happy or annoyed. He was happy because he had a crush on Rina since the last school event. But he was annoyed because, well… you know, he just recovered from a toothache. And now he was being asked to eat chewing gum? A whole box of it, no less.
But who can measure the strength of love? Especially a love that is just starting to grow. So without thinking twice, that afternoon he happily chewed another piece of gum. In order to make up for his earlier mistake of not confessing his feelings to Rina first. And also to make sure that Rina wouldn’t be disappointed. He didn’t care at all about the doctor’s advice not to eat chewing gum anymore.
And that night, once again Lupus couldn’t sleep. His toothache came back, like an electric shock. But Lupus wasn’t sad anymore. Because this time, even though he couldn’t sleep, he had something to think about.
And sometimes, toothaches can be enjoyable too…
