It’s the middle of the day. The kids in the class I A2 are hit with extraordinary drowsiness. It’s way better to sleep in the afternoon than to listen to the Indonesian language teacher with her fancy way of speaking. She’s always trying to show off how someone should speak.
But the kids are still not interested.
Especially those in the back row. There’s no sign of life back there. Only Boim, who seems to be having fun predicting the future with Heru. Heru, who’s always in a bad mood, lets Boim predict every fingerprint on his palm. He himself has been daydreaming for half an hour now.
Lupus, sitting next to Boim, gets curious. He wants to be predicted too. Lupus quickly extends his right hand. Boim examines it. Pretends to think. Then confidently says, “You’ll live a long life. And your lines of luck are not so bad. It’s okay. But this, see, the top line….”
“Why is that line different?” Lupus wonders.
“It’s not like mine. The direction and the line are clear. But yours… well…”
“What’s wrong with mine?”
“It’s the love line. If it’s obvious, it means you have a clear love life. Just look at it yourself. And you already know it, right? But for you… ah!”
“Why is my love life messed up?”
“It’s a mess…”
“Damn it!” Lupus pulls his hand back. Boim loves acting like a know-it-all. His real name is Imbauan. For him, there’s nothing more valuable in this world than girls and only girls. He has this grand idea that he can walk alongside the prima donnas of SMA Merah Putih. It’s crazy. Maybe it’s because he proclaims himself or maybe some of his friends are just messing with him, but he’s often called a playboy. Always changing partners. But this Boim is just a three-penny playboy. He only shows off with his three-penny durian. He’s always bumming cigarettes. And he never changes his socks. He wears them until they’re completely worn out. Once, during Friday prayer at school, he took off his shoes. The smell, oh my god… It disrupted the concentration of the prayer.
And once a week, every Saturday night, he would have a broken heart. It’s surprising that he never learns his lesson. There was this one time when he had a crush on Elsa. She’s a jet-set girl with an unbeatable beauty. Of course, his love was rejected. For days, he lost his appetite. He poured out all his frustrations to Lupus.
And Lupus gave him simple advice, “Come on, Im, don’t be frustrated. Rejection doesn’t mean acceptance…”
Finally, the school bell rang, signifying the end of the day. The kids were suddenly energized. The lifeless spirits from earlier were revived. The Indonesian language teacher, who was about to continue with the remaining chapters (why are they called remaining when there are still a few left?), couldn’t do anything when the kids shouted in unison, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Teacher!”
That’s high school students for you. They come to school early in the morning just to wait for the bell to ring in the afternoon. That’s why Boim, the show-off, once philosophized (in this case, he clearly wanted to show off his English skills), “You know, my friends, school is just a place to rest between weekends!” And proudly, he didn’t mention that all his friends had read those words on a t-shirt.
“Hey, Kucing! Why are you daydreaming? Wanna go home?” suddenly a shrill voice greeted Lupus, who was lost in thought at the gate. Lupus glared at being called ‘Kucing’ (cat) like that. Who else but Boim. He indeed prefers calling Lupus ‘Kucing’ rather than ‘Pus… Pus…’ as he says it’s the same thing.
“Come on, waiting for Poppi, huh? I heard you’re hanging out with her. So old-fashioned! Poppi used to be mine. I’m done with her,” Boim continued. Lupus just snorted and walked along the sidewalk.
“Come on, let’s go home. You’re going to Grogol, right? Just come with me. I’m going there too. You know, there might be some new prey. Let’s go?” Boim pulled Lupus to join him on his shabby motorcycle.
Suddenly, Poppi came running towards them. Lupus let go of Boim’s hand. “Hey, Lupus. Sorry, we can’t go home together. I’m getting picked up. Gonna go straight to my tutoring session…”
Lupus nodded, then turned to Boim.
“I’m going with you!” Boim burst into laughter.
On the way, Boim shared a lot of stories about his experiences. Lupus just listened attentively, without making any comments. What was there to comment on when all he talked about was nonsense? Until one time, he started talking about Irma. A new girl who moved from Semarang, cool but not weak.
“I wonder why lately my dreams are always filled with her petite figure. Why is that?” Boim said, not satisfied with his flirting.
“Which Irma are you talking about? I don’t know her,” Lupus asked innocently.
“You’re so clueless. Irma, Iho, the new girl. How can you not know? She used to make all the guys go crazy. The handsome ones like Yanti lssudibjo…” Boim said, getting a bit fired up.
“Yanti lssudibjo? Who’s that again? Another new girl?” Lupus was getting more confused.
“You’re hopeless! Yanti is a famous model and singer. And Irma looks just like her. Do you know Irma or not?” Boim became more insistent.
“Oh, the one who won the kebaya contest yesterday?”
“Exactly!! Finally, your eyes are open.”
“Oh, she did ask about you. When was it? Oh yeah, yesterday!”
“Huh? Is that true?” Boim suddenly became happy. “See, I told you. Lately, I’ve caught her stealing glances at me again. She does have a crush on me. I can feel it. Oh, Lupus, what did she ask about me? Tell me, my friend, is there something I should know?”
Just look at it, when she wants something, she calls Lupus, not the cat.
“She said… did you really ride the black motorbike to school that time…”
“Hm, when was that? Honestly, I like to switch bikes when I ride. But…, hm yeah! I remember. Last Saturday, I did ride the black motorbike to school. How did she know?”
“That’s it, she pays a lot of attention to you…,” Lupus replied teasingly.
“Yeah, true. What else did she ask?”
“She asked if you have a workshop at your house or something?”
“Oh, how does she know? Well, my brother does have a workshop next to our house. But it’s an elite workshop! How does she know? If that’s the case, she really pays attention to me, huh? Oh, Lupus, I owe you one….”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just between friends. So, is Irma right about anything else…!”
“Oh, what did Irma guess? Did she say I’m a playboy? Oh, don’t say that, Lup. Even though I do, yeah-change partners often, I can be loyal too. Or did she guess that I like to switch bikes? Or about my famous nickname at school? Oh, that’s nothing, Iho, Pus. If you want to know more, you can come to my house. I’ll be happy to welcome such a distinguished guest like you. Oh, what did Irma guess?” Boim blabbered like a firecracker.
“It’s okay. Because the black Honda motorbike you rode the other day belongs to her, which was being repaired at the workshop. Maybe at your brother’s workshop, right?”
Right then and there, Lupus was unceremoniously dropped off at the side of the road.
