Lupus is annoyed. Annoyed with his mischievous helper, Boim. When Lupus knocked on Boim’s door, the servant immediately appeared with a flirty smile, half-closed eyes, and said, “Eeee… hey there. Got a visitor. Looking for Boim, huh? Well, he’s not here. Any messages? Want some gado-gado? Es teler? Ketoprak? Spicy or not?” Boim’s servant replied, being all flirty. When it comes to being mischievous, she’s just like her master, Boim. A descendant of a river.
Lupus is clearly annoyed. He’s accused of looking for Boim right off the bat. But it’s not necessarily true. Who knows, maybe this time he wants to meet Boim’s dad or find Boim’s delicious snacks. He should ask first, instead of jumping to conclusions! Lupus muttered angrily.
“So, who were you actually looking for earlier, Pus?” Lulu asked, as she happened to be riding on Lupus’ racing bike that afternoon. They were only a few meters away from Boim’s house.
“Well, yeah, this time I was actually looking for Boim,” Lupus quickly replied. “But it’s just a coincidence that the accusation was correct. What if it wasn’t? That’s why you shouldn’t jump to conclusions…”
But actually, Lupus’ annoyance is not just because of Boim’s servant. It’s also because Lupus’ school is currently having a pretty long break. Don’t know what kind of break it is. All Lupus knows is that it makes him miss the school canteen lady. Actually, he also misses his close friends. But Lupus is too embarrassed to admit it. Afraid that the people he misses might not miss him back. But what can he do? They themselves made a promise before the break, “During this vacation, let’s not meet each other for a while! Boring. Let’s focus on studying separately for a bit. Besides, it’ll be more exciting when we start school again.”
That’s the promise Boim made. The one that his friends agreed to. Including Lupus. But now, that promise feels torturous for Lupus. Because during this break, he really doesn’t have anything to do. He really wants to go to Boim’s house or Gusur’s or Gito’s or Anto’s. Until now, Lupus’ only job in the afternoon was giving Lulu a ride around the housing complex. Or at most, dropping off Lulu at Suli’s house, her sweet friend. Eventually, Lupus feels bored. Because during the journey, the most Lulu can do is give riddles. And those riddles are just cheesy. Like,
“Hey, Pus… I got a riddle for ya. From far away it looks small, but up close it’s actually big. What could it be?”
“Ah, old school. Looked at it wrong.”
“Nope. Subtract a hundred!”
“What’s left then?”
“Well, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Anything looks small when we see it from far away. But when we get closer, it looks big.”
“Dang.”
And Lulu gave riddles like that just to entertain Lupus. So that Lupus would enjoy taking her for a ride or dropping her off at her friends’ houses every afternoon. Pretty cool to get a free chauffeur, right? But like I said earlier, Lupus got bored eventually. He couldn’t hold back his longing for his friends anymore. That’s why that afternoon, he rode his racing bike to Boim’s house. Honestly, Lupus missed his buddy. And turns out, Boim wasn’t there. So his annoyance was directed towards Boim’s flirty servant.
“Where should we go next, Pus?” Lulu asked.
Lupus, who was pedaling his bike, didn’t answer right away.
“Or how about we go to Baba’s house?” Lulu suggested.
“What’s Baba? Some kind of bird or something?”
“Hush. Baba is my friend. She has a cute little sister. Let’s go there, okay?” Lulu invited.
Lupus agreed right away. Because he heard there would be something cute. And after circling around a few housing complexes, Lupus and Lulu arrived at Baba’s house.
“You knock on the door, Pus, maybe her cute little sister will come out,” Lulu persuaded as she pushed Lupus off his bike.
“What’s her name?”
“Winur.”
Reluctantly, Lupus got off his bike. He immediately started knocking on Baba’s door. Meanwhile, Lulu waited on her racing bike.
No one came out. Lupus started searching for a doorbell. But couldn’t find one. Man, such a big house and no doorbell. All he saw was a hanging sign for a meatball vendor near the gate. Lupus started ringing it.
And finally, the awaited moment arrived. A girl appeared… oh wait, no. Not cute. Maybe this is the servant.
“Who are you looking for, sir?”
Well, turns out Lupus sympathized with this servant. Because she didn’t just jump to conclusions.
“Yo, what’s up, miss? Is Winur with Baba here?”
“She is.”
“Oh, really? Must’ve got the wrong address then. My bad, miss,” Lupus quickly left. The lady just stood there dumbfounded.
“Well… Dude, you’re not coming in? I can call Baba for you. The service here is satisfying, dude. We got drinks, snacks, or… you want a little massage too?”
Damn, she’s just as flirty as Boim’s servant. Lupus reluctantly agreed. Lulu, who saw from outside, joined in too. Actually, she was the one who had business here. So Lupus just sat around, keeping the longing for his friends at bay.
And then Baba showed up. She greeted Lulu with excitement. After being introduced to Lupus and exchanging pleasantries for a bit, Lulu and Baba immediately engaged in a lively conversation. You know, gossiping. Lupus just stayed silent, gazing at the fish tank decorating the living room. Gradually, Lupus started feeling sleepy. His head swayed back and forth. And he fell asleep.
In his dream, Lupus was picked up by his friends to go on a trip to Bogor. Usually during holidays or on Sundays, Lupus and his buddies often went to Bogor. They went to Lupus’ friend’s house who lived there. His friend was a girl. They met when they were hanging out at the Botanical Garden. Coincidentally, Lupus and his friends were invited to visit. They were introduced to her family, who turned out to be very friendly. Well, you know how kids are, they didn’t waste time with small talk and just stayed over. Luckily, that friend’s house was where all the cool girls in Bogor gathered. So they all came to visit regularly. Especially Boim. Every time they went, if he wasn’t showing off his magic tricks, he was cracking jokes. Just to impress the girls. Just to make them laugh. And Gusur, he gladly recited his poems in front of the Bogor family. When Lupus or Anto came, they would immediately sneak a peek under the bedsheet, hoping to find some unpeeled durian. Not for anything else. Anto loved eating the durian skin. While Lupus, he ate the fruit.
And the arrival of Lupus and his friends, of course, caused a deficit in the girl’s family’s budget. Because these kids had insane appetites.
In his dream, Lupus was invited to go there again. Of course, he wanted to. So they hopped in Boim’s beat-up car and went to Bogor. Lupus, Boim, and Anto sat in the front. While Gusur, because there wasn’t enough space, was content sitting alone in the back. Gusur initially protested. But because he was threatened that he wouldn’t be invited if he didn’t comply, Gusur reluctantly obeyed. And in the end, Gusur found his own enjoyment sitting in the back. It was cool, he said, with lots of wind blowing. But even though he promoted it like that, no one wanted to switch places with Gusur.
And if they brought Gusur in the back, they didn’t dare take the toll road. Because they would be scolded by the toll booth officers, “Hey, don’t you know the rules? If you’re bringing a goat, please tie it up!”
That’s why they preferred taking the regular road.
During the journey, like always, they never stopped joking around. Laughing and teasing each other from time to time. Lupus felt truly happy. This vacation was definitely worth it.
Lupus woke up when he felt his head hit something hard. He quickly rubbed his eyes and sat up straight. Damn, Lulu still hasn’t stopped gossiping. And next to Baba, there was another sweet creature sitting. Wow, maybe this is the one Lulu was promoting. Because she looks sweet too.
The girl looked at Lupus with a small smile.
“Done with your little nap?” she asked Lupus.
Lupus just grinned.
“Just finished pulling a rickshaw, huh? Why so sleepy?”
Lupus got annoyed. He quickly asked Lulu to go home. But Lulu didn’t want to. “You go first. There are still a few gossip topics that haven’t been discussed.”
And Lulu really continued her busy gossiping. So Lupus had no choice but to go home first.
The next morning, early in the morning, around seven o’clock, Lupus had already showered. And he was getting ready to go to Bogor. He couldn’t hold back his longing anymore. And to forget about it, Lupus felt the need to go to Bogor. Maybe there, by meeting cool girls, he could cure his longing.
Actually, according to the agreement, none of them were allowed to go to Bogor alone without inviting the others. If it was discovered that someone came to Bogor alone, then they had to treat their friends. But, ah… let it be. They won’t know about this.
“Where are you going, Pus?” his mother asked when she saw Lupus carrying his bag. “To Bogor, Mom. Maybe staying for a day.”
“Why only a day?”
“Well, it’s a vacation, Mom. It’s okay.”
“Yes, what I mean is, why only a day. Why not a whole week. It would save some money… hihihi,” Lulu interjected while munching on a piece of bread.
Lulu immediately got a smack.
During the journey, Lupus chose to sit near the window. So he could enjoy the fresh air outside. You know, intercity buses are always packed with passengers. And passengers aren’t just humans. Some ducks often join in the middle of the crowd. And those ducks, with their nonchalant attitude, gossip throughout the journey. Disturbing the peace of those who want to sleep.
Yeah, honestly, Lupus wanted to be firm and independent like his other friends. He wanted to be able to separate himself from people he used to be close with. But the reality? Lupus couldn’t do it.
Lupus couldn’t force himself to not be awkward in moments like this. He felt lonely. Alone. Some people say it’s okay to be awkward as long as we can’t handle the awkwardness we create. As long as we’re not aware of it. Maybe there’s some truth to that. Sometimes, awkwardness is necessary, just like how we need to feel sensitive, romantic, sentimental…
Without it, maybe, just maybe, humans would be less perfect. It seems like they would be heartless. And there are people out there who live without a heart in this world. There are many actually. Later on, you’ll understand and see for yourself the people who live without a heart…
Lupus also felt nervous when the rickshaw that brought him almost reached the destination. There was a sense of guilt for betraying the promise, a feeling of uneasiness if asked, “Why did you come alone? Where are the others?”
But finally, with a little shy blushing, Lupus appeared in front of the girl’s house in Bogor. It just so happened that one of the girl’s friends was sitting outside, so Lupus didn’t have to feel too embarrassed for too long.
“Is Sisi here?” Lupus asked the girl.
“Oh, she’s here. Just come in. They’re chatting inside.”
Lupus immediately went inside, passing through the quite long living room. Lupus remembered what Boim said, how long this house is, that if you enter from the front door in the morning, you’ll only reach the back door by sunset. Haha, that kid is funny.
“Oh, Lupus. Who are you with?” a cheerful greeting surprised Lupus. Because the greeting didn’t come from Sisi, but from Boim, the playboy. Wait, why is he here? And… wait, why are Anto, Gusur, Aji here too…
“Huahahaha… our squad is complete now. Welcome, Lupus. Turns out, even when it comes to breaking promises, we’re still united!” Gusur exclaimed happily while hugging Lupus. What the heck is going on?
“You guys cheated! Why didn’t you invite me?” Lupus said once he realized.
“Well, we went separately. Boim was the first to arrive, then Anto, Gusur, Aji… and now you. Haha…” Anto explained with a chuckle.
“Oh, really?”
They burst into laughter. When it’s like this, who should treat?
No one. There’s no one who should treat. What exists is just the realization that even promises can’t stop their desire to always meet. To always laugh together. In longing, Lupus is not alone…
