Gusur couldn’t believe how nice Lupus could be. Just imagine, this morning he promised to treat his friends to a meal in Blok M. Wow, isn’t that amazing? Well, it has become a tradition for every kid that when someone has a lot of money, they have to treat their friends. If not, their luck will run out. But of course, that rule isn’t always followed. Sometimes, each kid tries to hide if they have money. Like Gusur, he never treats his friends, even though he knows he loves being invited to eat. His appetite is crazy and he doesn’t beat around the bush. But even so, he’s the most loved by his grandfather. (Announcement! Gusur actually lives with his grandfather. Because his mother couldn’t handle taking care of such a crazy creature.) When he’s eating, he’s always supervised. Not because of anything, but his grandfather is afraid that Gusur will eat more and he won’t get his share.
That’s why the kids have learned their lesson and stopped pretending to offer Gusur food.
There was a time when Lupus and his group of friends got a crazy assignment from Ms. Elya, their Indonesian language teacher, to interview director Ismail Subarjo. They wanted to make a paper about it. And when the kids went to the director’s house together, Gusur from another class insisted on joining. Well, the kids had to allow it, with the condition that Gusur wouldn’t cause any trouble there. After being warned, Gusur agreed. And indeed, when the kids conducted the interview, Gusur just stayed quiet in the corner. But when it passed three o’clock in the afternoon, he started getting restless. His facial expression showed signs of extreme hunger. Even though he had already devoured all the cakes and drinks. Lupus, who noticed this behavior, started to worry. Afraid that Gusur might do something reckless.
And Lupus’ suspicion turned out to be true. In his dramatic style, this eccentric artist suddenly blurted out, “Oh, what calamity have you bestowed upon your cool servant, oh God. Why do you ignore the worms wriggling in my stomach, while there is no sign of rice and dishes being served here. Oh, how cruel the suffering I must endure.”
The kids stared, especially Fifi Alone, who immediately kicked Gusur’s uncontrollable leg. But that action only made Gusur even more panicked.
“Don’t blame me, what did I do wrong? I only ask for a plate of rice, nothing more. But why did I receive a heartless kick?”
The kids were getting really annoyed. Naturally, the interview atmosphere became chaotic.
“Ah, don’t worry about it, sir. That’s just how he is…” Lupus quipped to Mr. Ismail, who started to look uncomfortable. But Mr. Ismail had already instructed his wife to prepare rice for lunch. The kids immediately protested politely. But Gusur burst into laughter with excitement.
“Agreed! Oh, God, thank you, God. Finally… finally… You have granted the prayer of this restless heart!”
Finally, the lunch event happened. But only Gusur ate with gusto, as the other kids politely declined and continued the interview. When they went home, Mr. Ismail could only shake his head, seeing his lunch portion vanish because Gusur ate almost half of it.
Wow, it’s really annoying!
But now, today, Lupus actually promised to treat Gusur to a meal. I don’t know what got into Lupus, but that creature is now busy spreading invitations to eat to other friends.
“Oh, Lupus, what did your mom crave to give birth to such a good child like you? Craving for lizards, huh?” Fifi couldn’t contain her joy at being invited to eat by Lupus. Meta and Ita were also thrilled. Only Boim was a bit suspicious of Lupus’ intentions. “I wonder if there’s a hidden agenda behind this!” Boim wondered to himself. Even so, when Lupus’ words became a reality, Boim seemed very enthusiastic – and deliberately didn’t buy snacks during school break. When it comes to food, he is indeed Gusur’s strong competitor. If you combine those two creatures and provide them with a whole bowl of rice and side dishes, it will surely be finished within a few hours.
There was a funny incident once when Lupus’ group was invited to a tahlilan event. Just when the leader was enthusiastically reciting the tahlilan, suddenly the lights went out. And bam… boom… crash… the lights came back on – but Boim and Gusur were already gone. It wouldn’t have been a big tragedy if their disappearance wasn’t accompanied by two trays of yellow rice and fried chicken. That incident, of course, made the participants of the tahlilan furious.
And now, throughout the journey to Blok M, those two creatures seemed to be the happiest compared to their other friends.
“Long live Lupus. May you prosper forever!” Gusur shouted, startling everyone on the bus. The zipper of his pants was ready to be undone. And his slightly chubby belly was ready to feast anywhere. But he didn’t care.
“The problem is, the action I’m taking is really useful for easing digestion!” that was his reason when Lupus was too embarrassed to tell Gusur to zip up his zipper.
After floating around on the bus and being jolted mercilessly for several minutes, the kids finally arrived at their destination. Without saying Bismillah again, Gusur, who was extremely hungry, jumped off with great enthusiasm. Oh, God, his left foot landed right on a banana peel. So he fell. His round body tumbled like a toy. The kids cheered with excitement. Especially Fifi Alone. “Hooray, long live Gusur. Thanks a lot for the acrobatic performance!” Fifi shouted while pouting her lips. Gusur instantly pouted.
But Boim almost missed the stop because he was too busy flirting with a cool girl who just got on. Luckily, Aji quickly grabbed his hair.
“Come on, Im, hurry up and get off. Do you want to be left behind?”
Boim panicked and immediately jumped off.
Lupus then invited the kids to try the ice cream at the newly opened cafe.
“Well, if it’s just one scoop of ice cream, my stomach will only feel a tiny bit full, Pus. Can I have more?” Gusur complained.
“Sure, sure.”
Gusur immediately grabbed a tray and grabbed three pieces of cheese toast. Taking a seat in the corner, he started his eating demonstration.
The day was still early when Gusur shouted with joy upon finding some of his poems published in a teen magazine. The sleepy newspaper vendor, who let Gusur rummage through his merchandise, was taken aback.
“Hey, man, I’ll buy this magazine. Here’s the cash,” Gusur exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. Then, all along the way, he repeatedly read his poems. His heart was blooming. After school, he planned to drag Lupus along to collect his payment at the editorial office. Lupus would surely agree since he often hangs out there. But Gusur hesitated. If Lupus knew I got paid, he would definitely brag about it to the other kids. Well, that wouldn’t be fun. The money would run out quickly, he thought. Besides, he had plans to invite Fifi Alone instead.
So Gusur decided to go and collect the payment himself.
“Hey, Sur, what are you reading? Why are you so engrossed?” Lupus greeted him suddenly, almost making his heart jump out of his chest.
“Oh, nothing,” Gusur replied, hiding the magazine behind his shirt. He quickened his pace.
“Hey, why the rush? Feeling arrogant now that your poems got published!” Lupus teased.
Gusur was taken aback.
“But it’s okay, you can be arrogant, Sur. I just wanted to say a big thank you for treating us to ice cream yesterday. After we left, the kids were so surprised when I told them that it was actually Gusur who treated us. Coincidentally, when I went to the editorial office earlier, I was entrusted with the payment for your poem. Thanks, Sur. Oh, and here’s the change from yesterday. Sorry, it got a bit crumpled.”
Gusur just stood there, dumbfounded, as he received the change from Lupus.
