Lupus suddenly became more conscious about his appearance. He started taking extra care of his body. At least, that’s what Lulu, Lupus’ little sister, reported to their mother.
“Mom, he’s being all fancy now!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, Mom, you won’t believe it. I’ve seen him staring at himself in the mirror for hours. Smiling to himself. Isn’t that crazy?”
“Hush!”
But it’s true. Lupus, who used to wake up late, always rushing to shower and dress quickly to catch up with time and avoid being late for school, now wakes up in the early morning. He’s more diligent than his rooster, which is starting to lose interest in crowing because its corn ration has been reduced due to the recession! That’s why two days ago, he bought an old alarm clock from a can. It makes such a loud noise that it can wake up the whole neighborhood. Even the hen got hysterical when she heard the alarm ringing for the first time.
Lulu, who sleeps in the adjacent room, strongly protested against the use of that damn alarm clock.
“Oh my goodness, Lupus, don’t set the alarm in the middle of the night like this!”
“You’re just lazy. It’s already morning. Wake up!”
But Lupus’ newfound diligence is quite strange. He wakes up early in the morning just to iron his clothes and make them look neat. It’s weird and it triggers Lulu’s curiosity. Usually, he wouldn’t bother ironing his clothes and would just wear them straight from the clothesline. And imagine, he used to shower once a day, but now he showers three times a day after meals (like taking medicine!). He’s also diligent in brushing his teeth and cleaning his ears (because it’s not cool to be in a relationship but have poor hearing. Couples usually whisper or speak softly, rather than shouting. And that requires sensitive hearing!). But what’s the reason behind all of this? Let’s follow our reporter, Lulu, for the next eye-witness report.
Turns out, he’s got a crush, Mom.”
“Oh, really? It doesn’t seem too strange for someone to change at some point. I’m glad he’s starting to take care of himself…” his mom commented briefly.
And Lulu couldn’t resist teasing him. She purposely sang the song “First Love” loudly,
… Ev’ryone can see, there’s a change in me
They all say I’m not the same kid I used to be
It’s my first love, what I’m dreaming of…
But Lupus didn’t care. People say having a girlfriend is great. You have someone who pays attention to you. You’re motivated to study and do well in school. And every weekend, you have special plans. Not just sitting at home doing nothing. You can reflect on yourself and improve your appearance. You know who Lupus’ girlfriend is, right? Yep, that’s right. Her name is Poppi. She’s Lupus’ classmate who gets picked up and dropped off by her driver almost every day.
Lupus has also become diligent in cleaning his face with face tonic. And the victim of this is Lulu. All his cleaning tools have migrated to Lupus’ room. Like right now, he stole his little sister’s styling foam to shape his messy hair. He keeps staring at Duran Duran posters to imitate their hairstyle. He’s been fussing in front of the mirror for over half an hour. After feeling satisfied, he walks out of his room and starts strutting in front of Lulu, who is busy eating. Like a model.
“Hey, is my hair cool or what?”
“Hey, you used my styling foam, didn’t you?!” Lulu shouts instantly. Without mercy, the rice she was chewing scatters everywhere.
“Stingy! Can’t I have a little bit?” Lupus retorts and runs back into his room. Lulu bangs on the door from the outside.
“Lupuuuus, don’t use it all up. It’s expensive, you know!”
“Dude, just a little bit, okay? If I look cool, you’ll be proud too. You can show off to your friends. Ride the wave. Who wouldn’t be proud to have a brother like John Taylor?” Lupus’ voice came from inside.
“Huh… gross!”
And the next half hour, he’s back to fixing his hair. Dampening the edges a bit, to give it that long-lasting wet look. Ha, who says only girls consider their hair their holy grail!
Once he’s done, he meets his mom who’s busy in the kitchen to ask for her blessings (like he’s going to war or something?). “Mom, I’m heading out. Might stay out late or crash somewhere, so don’t bother looking for me. It’s Saturday night after all…”
“Huuu… I’d be more worried about losing a spoon than losing you!” teased his little sister.
Lupus just smirked while making balloon animals out of his chewed gum.
“Hey, Lu, my hair looks cool, right? With the wet look!” Lupus boasted, running his hand through his hair. Trying to annoy her on purpose.
“Hm… if you want the wet look to last even longer, that’s not how you do it,” commented Lulu as she examined Lupus’ hair.
“Oh, really? How then?” Lupus responded with interest. He didn’t expect his sister to actually pay attention.
“Just dunk your head in a well… hahaha…”
“You’re hilarious!”
Now, he’s chilling in the corner, chewing gum, on the Patas bus. Lupus always treats himself to the Patas bus for special occasions like tonight, not the regular bus. His reason is that he can sit more comfortably and his perfume and hair won’t get messed up by other passengers.
And now, still chewing gum, he’s daydreaming about Poppi’s reaction when she sees his unique appearance. Especially his hair. Even the man sitting next to him shook his head, thinking that Lupus hadn’t combed his hair for weeks.
Meanwhile, his Patas bus is zooming through the cool night air. Outside, the wind is blowing fiercely. Lupus curses when he opens the window and gets attacked by the darn wind that messes up his hair.
“Why are you angry, son?” the man next to him asks.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Uh, the wind is just really strong. It’s making my hair all messy,” Lupus answers with a smirk.
“Making it messy?”
“Yeah, why are you surprised?”
“But wasn’t it even messier before?” the man asks again.
Lupus smirks and looks out the window. But, darn it! It’s raining outside. Just drizzling at first. But then it turns into a heavy rain. How am I supposed to get off without getting soaked?
And when the bus passes Blok M market, Lupus starts to panic. All the passengers get off, except for Lupus. And usually, the conductor likes to kick out passengers if they’re the only ones left. Lupus is busy mumbling in the corner. Reciting a spell to ward off the conductor’s evil thoughts. But, it’s true. Once they pass Blok A, the conductor starts approaching Lupus.
“Kid, where are you getting off?”
“Cilandak! Why?”
“Well, you know. We’re heading straight home. Just move to the back of the bus, okay? I’ll refund your fare!”
“But…”
“Come on, hurry up. Do I have to go to Pondok Labu with only one passenger?”
Lupus still protests. The problem is, it’s still pouring rain outside. But what can he do? The conductor is quite big. So, Lupus is reluctantly dropped off on the side of the road. Fuming with anger, he jumps down. But, oh God, there’s absolutely no shelter in that area. And it’s still pouring rain. As a result, soaking wet, he runs through the night. Until he finds a bus stop. Then, when a metro train passes by, Lupus jumps inside.
Now, he’s in a real pickle. Should he still go or turn back home? If he goes back home, just imagine how Lulu would burst into laughter seeing Lupus with his hair completely soaked, not just the wet look. Ah, that can’t happen. Plus, he’s already halfway there, Poppi’s house is still a few kilometers away.
When he arrives in Cilandak, the rain is still pouring. Lupus just walks sluggishly to the bus stop and leans against the support pole. He really doesn’t know what to do anymore. He has no motivation to continue to Poppi’s house, which is just a few meters away. Everything fades away with the raindrops soaking his body. Lupus wipes his face sadly. This is the first time he feels so miserable. Cold all over his body. His lips are starting to turn blue. He’s barely holding back his tears from mixing with the rain, out of frustration. No, I have to go back! My pride will be shattered! he thinks to himself.
And he’s about to leave when his eyes meet a girl with an umbrella a few steps away.
Lupus tries to approach her.
“Poppi?” he asks uncertainly. The girl is surprised and turns around. “What are you doing here, Pop?”
“Oh my God, Lupus. Why are you all wet like this? And your lips…they’re blue! Oh, you got caught in the rain, didn’t you?” Poppi bombards Lupus while shaking his shoulders.
“No!” Lupus replies, trying to sound dry.
“Come on, let’s go to my house. I was so worried, you know. I thought you wouldn’t come in this heavy rain…” she says, pulling Lupus’s hand.
“But I’m embarrassed, Pop. I’m all soaked like this…”
“Why be embarrassed? I’m actually proud of you for making the effort to come even in the pouring rain. It shows responsibility. Always keeping your promises. I like people who value their word…” Poppi says cheerfully. “Come on, you’ll catch a cold. I’ll have warm water and clothes ready at home. So you won’t catch a chill…”
Lupus is touched.
“One more question, Poppi. Were you waiting for me with an umbrella like earlier?”
“What a silly question! Who else would I be waiting for? I thought you weren’t going to get this wet, so I brought the umbrella. But turns out you enjoy getting wet. You love playing in the rain. Must be a not-so-happy childhood, huh?”
Lupus smiles wryly. See, having a girlfriend is nice, isn’t it?
