Lulu was being persistent. Last Saturday night, she insisted on going with Lupus.
“Take me with you, Pus. Anywhere you’re going…” she flirted. So cheesy. Lupus was clearly confused. He was supposed to go on a date, why was he being asked to bring his little sister along?
“Why are you coming? Curious about dating, huh?”
Lulu didn’t answer. She still insisted on going. “I just have to get out of the house!”
Crazy, this kid is stubborn. Her every wish has to be fulfilled. But wanting to go out at night is not something she usually fusses about. Every Saturday night, she rarely leaves the house. Instead, she stays in her room, busy with her dolls. She never wants to hang out with her friends. Especially not to the disco. Even though at her age, it’s normal to start going wild outside the house.
So there must be something going on this time.
“Really? Is there something going on? Come on, be honest. Are you itching to date? Do you want to learn how to go out at night? Be careful, you might catch a cold. Poor Mom would have to take care of you the next day,” teased Lupus.
Lulu remained silent. This time she even begged her mom. “Come on, Mom, let’s go out. Have a meal, go to the disco…”
Her mom stared at her. She’s already old, why invite her to the disco?
“It’s okay, Mom. Maybe we can find a partner there. Maybe you’re still in demand.”
“Hush! But Mom does want to go, and you won’t want to come. You know, Aunt Neli is in Jakarta. She’s staying at Uncle Prap’s house. Mom wants to go there. So, are you coming?”
“I’m coming!” Lulu replied firmly. Lupus suddenly started scratching his ear. Did he mishear something? Why would Lulu willingly want to meet Aunt Neli, who is so talkative? It’s clear now. Something is not right.
Later, it was revealed. Turns out, she’s being chased by a guy. And the guy promised to come on Saturday night, even though Lulu had strongly refused. And that’s why Lulu had to run away. But after enjoying her escape and returning that night, it turns out no one showed up. The maid revealed this. Lupus burst out laughing. “Lulu… so naive. That’s why you shouldn’t get too excited!”
“Damn, who’s excited?” Lulu cursed angrily.
“Come on, it’s late. Let’s not fight anymore,” their mom called from the living room.
And it turned out that the next morning, bright and early when the rooster crowed, the guy who had been chasing Lulu showed up. Lulu couldn’t escape because she was busy watering the flowers in the front yard.
“Sorry, Lulu, I couldn’t come last night,” the guy apologized politely. Lulu couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t make a move to run away. She stood frozen in place. Lupus, who was peeking from the window, couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Aww… how sweet!” he shouted loudly.
Lulu was shocked and gave him a fierce look. So did her guy. No wonder Lulu was avoiding him. Turns out, he’s one of those outdated guys. Thick glasses, thick lips, thick face (meaning shameless, you know!), neatly combed and shiny hair. Basically, he’s the perfect dad type.
“Hey, Lulu, why are you just standing there? Invite him in!” Lupus shouted again. Once again, Lulu gave him an annoyed glare. And when the guy passed by Lupus’ bedroom window, he waved and nodded politely. Lupus grinned like a horse.
But this guy is really persistent. He willingly sat there waiting for hours while Lulu was sulking, refusing to come out or pretending to be out. Lulu often forced Lupus to meet or accompany the guy when he came. Like the next Saturday night when that creature showed up again.
“Pus, go and hang out with Pinocchio. I’m not in the mood. He talks like a grown-up. Always about the future. Ugh, annoying! Go quickly. Or tell him I have a stomachache…!”
“Well, sorry, sis. I’m busy!” replied Lupus, who was busy dancing crazily to Jean Michel Jarre’s Zoolook in his room.
Lulu was getting more frustrated.
And the guy became even more daring. Now he started bringing fruits. Bananas, oranges, apples, grapes. Well, basically all kinds of fruits. Lupus, who loves to eat, obviously enjoyed it. He was the one finishing everything. Meanwhile, Lulu didn’t touch a single piece.
“Ew, it’s forbidden to enjoy bribes!” Lulu grumbled.
Lupus didn’t care. But deep down, he felt sorry for his sister if she was so restless. Always scared. Although it wasn’t the first time for him to know a guy up close. Lulu used to be close with a guy from her school. His appearance…, well, it was decent compared to hitting a wall. Lulu also seemed to respond well to him. But their first date was ruined because of Lupus’ mischief. Don’t know if it was because Lupus was jealous since he didn’t have one at the time, or he was just being mischievous (typical guy!), but he secretly placed his tiny recording device near the front seat where they were having their date. Automatically, the device that was usually used for interviews recorded all of Lulu’s sweet talk with her guy. And you can imagine how embarrassed Lulu was when the next morning Lupus played back the recording full of cheesy lines in front of the whole family. Lulu was furious. She immediately messed up her bed. And since then, there hasn’t been any love story about Lulu and any guy. Until this incident happened.
So Lupus felt sorry for Lulu. He really didn’t want to use his sister to enjoy the benefits. He just had a principle, like before: he didn’t want to disappoint someone who gave him food. But if there were ulterior motives behind it all, well, that’s another story. After all, exploiting your own sibling is not a good thing to do. That’s why, one morning, when they always walked together to the far bus stop, when the air was still so clean and fresh, when the moon was still lingering in the west (wow, so poetic…), Lupus offered to have a heart-to-heart talk with that gutsy guy. As fellow teenagers, as guys. As long as Lulu had a good reason to reject his love.
“Just tell him I still want to focus on studying. I don’t want to be bothered by stuff like that, and the rest you can make up yourself. You’re good at lying anyway!” Lulu replied.
“Damn it! But you’re serious about wanting to concentrate on your studies, right?”
“Of course! I have the national exams coming up soon.”
And in the afternoon, Lupus went straight to that guy’s house. He came politely and with a sense of familiarity. So the guy could understand. His answer was very polite too, “I understand. Okay, if it’s not the right time for her yet, I’ll wait. No matter how long. Until she feels ready. Until she realizes how much I love her. You know, guys nowadays are good at throwing love around, causing pain to the girl. But not me. My love for Lulu is like an Olympic flame that never goes out…!”
Lupus just nodded. Not because he understood, but because he was tired of being lectured like that. But he was happy, that meant the problem was solved. And Lulu was happy to hear that his effort was successful. Because since then, that Pinocchio guy never showed up again.
But Lulu was still Lulu. A strange creature that Lupus couldn’t understand her desires. Since that incident, she often daydreamed. Lost in thought alone in front of her house. Lupus became suspicious, wondering if his sister had been enchanted. Lupus asked her a couple of times, but she didn’t want to admit it, but eventually she opened up.
“It’s strange, I keep thinking about that Pinocchio guy. I feel sorry for him. He has been so kind. After this is over, I realized that everything he said was true. The words he always said when he came here. He was so caring. You know, Pus, if I needed something, I accidentally mentioned it in front of him, and the next day he would bring the thing I needed. Textbooks, markers, watercolors… and I feel indebted. I feel guilty for disappointing him. I feel sorry for him. Am I being mean? I could have learned to love him.”
Lupus was speechless.
“No way, Lu. You’re totally wrong if you start loving someone out of pity. You’ll regret it, trust me. Okay, for a while, you might be able to love them. But then you’ll feel trapped. You’ll want to break free but you won’t be able to. You’re still too young, Lu, to be in a serious relationship like that. You still need to explore and try different things. Finding the right person is about exploring different options. We can’t judge what’s best without comparing it to others. So, Lu, you’re not wrong. Just follow your heart and you’ll grow on your own.”
“You really know how to talk, Pus!” teased Lulu happily.
Lupus woke up when the sun was already high up. He was shocked and quickly grabbed a towel to take a quick shower. His shower was like a cowboy, just splash-splash. But this was better, he once couldn’t wait and jumped straight into the shower.
After getting dressed hastily, he sat at the dining table to finish his bread and milk. By that time, Lulu was already ready to leave. Lupus complained, “Why are you so mean, Lu? You didn’t wake me up. Why?”
Lulu pouted. After kissing her mom’s hand, she walked away.
“Hey… wait for me! I’m almost done!” shouted Lupus as he gulped down his milk. His mouth was all messy. But Lulu still left. And when Lupus caught up to her, he was stunned. There, Lulu was already sitting on the back of a cool guy’s motorcycle. He was young. And the guy nodded at Lupus before they left. Lupus stood there in shock on the side of the road. No wonder Lulu left. And he walked down the street, feeling dejected. All alone. Without a friend.
At a bend in the road, he met a girl who was enjoying her time alone on her scooter. Lupus enthusiastically waved her down.
Lupus responded, “Hey, come on, join me up front!”
“No way. Do you think I’m a motorcycle taxi driver?” the girl snapped back, and she immediately stepped on the gas, leaving Lupus fuming and cursing uncontrollably.
