After getting tired from the parade, Lupus didn’t go straight home. Instead, he headed to the magazine office where he was interning as a freelance journalist. He wanted to show off to the people there, the journalists and security guards, that he’s all grown up now. He’s graduated from high school. So, they better watch out if they still expect him to treat them all the time.
Yeah, whenever Lupus showed up at the HAI office, everyone there, including the editor-in-chief and the security guards, would immediately ask him to treat them. It’s better to have some small talk first. Usually, they would just order food right away. Some would order siomai, noodle soup, fruit salad, or satay. And without any guilt, they would point to Lupus as the one who’s gonna foot the bill.
“Aw, you’re still young, Pus. Your living expenses aren’t that much. It’s okay to treat us once in a while,” commented Mas Iwan.
“Yeah, Pus. The payment for your articles can’t even cover your snacks at school. The food there is cheap. It’s better for you to treat us here. With just one treat, your article payment will be gone. It’s practical, you know. No need to think about saving or buying this and that,” added Mbak Retno.
But today, there’s no more treating each other!
It was allowed before. Because Lupus was still young, still hadn’t graduated from high school. But now? Hohoho, Lupus is all grown up!
As he passed by the street food stalls in front of the magazine office, Lupus became the talk of the town. He became the subject of gossip among the people in the stalls because of his incredibly unique outfit.
“Yeah, he must be an alien. I’m sure of it,” said Mpok Ijah, the gado-gado seller. A true Betawi.
“Ah, how can an alien be so cool? He must be crazy!” added a customer at the stall.
Lupus didn’t really feel comfortable being talked about like that. But for the sake of recognition, Lupus intentionally didn’t change his clothes. He wanted to let the people at the magazine know that he has graduated. Well, this shirt full of autographs is definitely authentic evidence. And also the colorful hair sprayed with pylox. Unfortunately, the people at the stalls didn’t know the mission that Lupus was on.
“I’m sure he’s an alien. Because I’ve seen in my kid’s comic that aliens have hair like that. Hey, Jo, you should follow that guy. Maybe you’ll see where he parked his flying saucer.” The people at the stalls crowded around, peeking through the worn-out curtains.
Yeah, for the sake of recognition, whether they call him an alien or crazy, it doesn’t matter!
Lupus kept walking confidently. Even though there were dozens of eyes and mouths behind him, filled with surprise. And two little kids he bumped into.
“Hey, did you graduate?”
Lupus nodded. “What’s it to you if I did?”
Yo, dude! So, check it out, I’m in sixth grade already. Just a little more and I’ll be graduating. I really want my shirt to be autographed like yours, bro. But my friends can’t do autographs yet, man. Can you help me out, bro? Can you ask your friends to sign my shirt when I graduate?
Lupus was taken aback.
“Can you do it, bro?”
“Y-yeah.”
The little kid smiled happily. Leaving Lupus stunned, the two little kids shook hands.
A moment later, Lupus remembered his mission to show off his grown-up self. He quickly pushed through the front door, where the security guard was always asking him to treat him.
“Hey, Security Bro,” Lupus greeted the security guard, who also often asked Lupus to treat him.
“Hey, Lupus! Where are you coming from? Did you just participate in a contemporary painting competition?”
“Nah, bro. I didn’t just participate in a painting competition. I’ve graduated now. This shirt is filled with autographs from my friends. It’s a keepsake.”
“Graduated? Wow, that’s awesome. Can I sign it too?”
“Nah, bro. This is just for my friends.”
“Hey, am I not your friend, Pus? I’m the one you often treat, right? Doesn’t that prove that I’m your friend?”
“But…”
“Ah, come on, Pus. Why can’t I do it? Don’t be so selective, man. Coincidentally, I have a marker!”
“Uh, well…”
“Where should I sign it?”
“Uh, just a small one, okay?”
“Don’t worry, Pus. Right here, alright?”
Yo, Security Bro was ready to put his autograph. He was looking for a somewhat empty spot. None left. But Security Bro ain’t the type to give up. With confidence, he signed Lupus’ shirt right on top of Poppi’s signature, which Lupus had carefully protected from getting mixed up with other signatures. And now? Oh, damn!
“That’s it, Pus. Back when I graduated, there weren’t any scribbles like this. Especially since I went to a school in a village where most kids only had two white shirts. They wore them for three years and then passed them down to their younger siblings. So if it gets all scribbled up like this, it can’t be worn to school anymore. That’s why I’m satisfied to be able to sign your shirt now, Pus. Thanks a lot, yeah? Oh yeah, before you came, I already ordered some noodle soup. Can you pay for it, Pus? You’re all grown up now…”
Grown up? Lupus almost shouted with joy because his declaration was finally acknowledged. All this time, even though he was 17 years old, Lupus was still considered a kid at the magazine office. That was because of his behavior, which was still lacking.
“But, Security Bro, I’m already grown up, why am I still being asked to pay?”
“Well, it’s precisely because you’re grown up that you can distinguish between what’s good and what’s bad. Treating someone means making them happy. That’s a good deed…”
Damn lizard! Lupus cursed in his mind. And he immediately left Security Bro, who was smiling with delight.
Lupus walked into the magazine building. In the lobby, Lupus caught the attention of the cool receptionist. Lupus quickly gave a smile, as usual. But instead of returning Lupus’ smile, the receptionist burst into laughter. She found Lupus’ messy appearance hilarious. Especially his hair, which had faded and was now colored with sweat. So his forehead and cheeks were also colored.
“Where are you going to perform as a monkey, Pus?” teased the receptionist.
Lupus laughed.
“Hey, do I really look like a monkey mask, Ta?”
The receptionist giggled again. But that was better than asking for a treat, right? Lupus quickly pressed the elevator button.
“Pus, why the rush?” the receptionist said.
“I want to join the autograph session, right?”
“No!”
“If I can’t, it’s okay. But don’t forget to pay for the dumplings, okay, Pus? You’re already done with school…”
Lupus was taken aback. He wanted to protest, but the elevator door opened. Damn!
Arriving on the 5th floor, Mas Dharmawan, Mas Kibro, and the journalists and editors were all surprised by Lupus’ different appearance.
“What’s up, Pus?” asked Mas Agus, who was in the middle of reporting a sack race competition.
“I graduated, Mas,” Lupus proudly said.
“Wow, treat us, then!”
“Well, actually…”
Too late. Mas Agus quickly shouted, “Hey, Lupus graduated! And he’s treating us!”
The journalists and editors, who had looked tired before, suddenly became excited. They rushed out to order food in the cafeteria. Lupus was left stunned.
Luckily, Mas Iwan, the redhead, didn’t join the rush to order food. “Well, I’ll take care of the money, Pus?” Mas Iwan calmly said.
Damn it. They thought he didn’t want to pay!
“Pus, it’s okay if you graduate from school. But here, your status is still an intern. You haven’t graduated to become a special assistant. Unless you can write an amazing article for our magazine. How about it? You’re already grown up,” Mas Iwan tempted.
Lupus felt challenged.
“Sure, Mas.”
Lupus accepted the offer. And he immediately came up with a spontaneous idea for an article.
“What should the article be about, Pus?” Mas RedPel asked again.
“Um, Mas. It’s about teenage girls coming home in the morning.”
“Coming home in the morning? What’s so special about that?”
“Here’s the deal. Many teenagers nowadays love going to nightclubs. They come home past 2 AM. But actually, their parents haven’t allowed them to go to the club. But they sneak out anyway. So, after partying to their heart’s content, they struggle to find a way to get home without getting caught or scolded by their parents. From this, we can uncover a lot, Mas. Sometimes, they come up with clever tricks to deceive their parents. Imagine that, going to such lengths!”
Mas Iwan was deep in thought for a moment.
“What’s up, Mas?” Lupus asked.
“What about it?”
“That. The theme of the article I proposed.”
Mas Iwan looked towards a guy that Lupus seemed to have just noticed. He had been sitting at an empty table behind the bookshelf all this time. “What do you think, Rez? Oh yeah, Pus. Let me introduce you, this is Reza, our future journalist. He just came from Australia. He’s interning here.
“What do you think, Rez?”
“Interesting,” Reza replied shortly. There was a hint of indifference in his tone.
“Okay. You just go for it, Pus. Dive right into their world. Experience it firsthand. If it’s good, we can publish it as the main report. But can you write like that?”
“I can, Mas.”
“For real?”
“For real.”
“Treat me first, then.”
“I thought you only wanted the money, Mas.”
“Oh, right. I forgot, Pus.”
“I’m sure I can do it, Mas.”
“Okay, when will you submit it?”
“Well, not anytime soon. I want to take a break after the exams. I’m still stressed. I want a vacation. After that, I also have to apply for college.”
“Oh, you’re going to college too?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“So when?”
“Later, once I get accepted to a school.”
“What if you don’t get accepted?”
“I’ll definitely get accepted.”
“And the article, can you definitely do it?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, I’ll wait.”
Meanwhile, the journalists and editors who had just finished partying appeared, shouting their thanks to Lupus.
“Thank you, Pus. Hopefully you’ll pass more often, like that.”
Hehehe…
