Turns out, Lupus had an enemy too. No, it wasn’t Boim. Sure, that playboy would often get angry when Lupus teased him, but it wasn’t enough to make them enemies. Deep down, Boim was actually crushing on Lulu, Lupus’ cool sister. So there was no way Boim would be Lupus’ enemy. He would rather be the subject of teasing than be banned from coming over to Lupus’ house.
Speaking of Boim’s crush on his sister, Lupus didn’t pay much attention. “It’s better for you to be cursed by mischievous spirits than to date Boim!” Lupus advised Lulu.
“Why?” Lulu asked.
“He rarely takes showers!”
But even so, Lupus didn’t mind if Boim came over to their house often. At least Lupus could borrow Boim’s old motorcycle for joyrides.
Besides, Boim often sought advice from Lupus when he had a crush on a girl or had other problems, even though Lupus’ answers often made Boim’s problems more complicated rather than solved. So the accusation that Boim was Lupus’ enemy was clearly wrong.
So, who was Lupus’ enemy?
Rina’s father. Yeah, Rina’s father was annoying, to say the least. He was really strict. Even though Rina herself wasn’t that bad. And you can probably understand why Lupus has been ignoring Rina lately. Even though Rina is his girlfriend.
“So, you’re not going to her house this Saturday night?” Boim asked as they gossiped in the cafeteria.
“I don’t know, man. I’m still pissed off at her dad because of past experiences!” Lupus replied.
Well, the unforgettable memories between Lupus and Rina’s father were truly something. The first time Lupus visited, he was interrogated with all sorts of questions that put him in a corner. Like, “Why is your hair so long? Don’t you have any rules at school for students to have neat hair?”
The way he spoke to Lupus, using “you” and all, made Lupus feel like he was being treated as an enemy. But Lupus always managed to answer with his innocence, “Ah, maybe you’re just jealous because your hair can’t grow long!”
Rina’s dad, who had a somewhat bald head, definitely had a piercing gaze. Since then, Lupus’ Saturday night plans were always a mess. The following week, when Lupus was busy flirting with Rina, suddenly Rina’s dad appeared from inside, busy tinkering with a diesel engine. It was a blackout at that time, and the atmosphere was a bit dim. Without saying a word, her beloved dad turned on the diesel engine not far from where they were. Lupus was immediately annoyed. How could they have an intimate conversation amidst the roaring sound of the diesel engine?
“Well, give my regards to your dad, Rin!” Lupus muttered irritably, of course when her dad disappeared back inside. But the next week, Lupus didn’t learn his lesson and came over again. They were once again engrossed in conversation on the front porch. Meanwhile, her dad was busy reading the newspaper in the living room. It was annoying how her dad always found something to do. Every now and then, he would appear and ask Rina to do unnecessary things, like “Riiin, haven’t you prepared your school books yet?”
Can you believe it? Tomorrow was Sunday.
Or, “Riiin, haven’t you fetched water for your grandmother’s bath yet?”
No way! There’s no way a stunning girl like Rina would be asked to fetch water, especially when she had so many maids busy dating the neighbor’s housemaid! It was another blackout at Rina’s house, and naturally, the water pump was off. But it was still annoying!
And the most annoying thing was when Lupus happened to arrive a bit late, after finishing his biology lab assignment with Meta. When he arrived, Lupus pretended he wanted to join the prayer at Rina’s house. (Honestly, he just wanted to show up. It just happened that he wanted to appear pious.) But Rina’s dad, who was busy reading the newspaper in the front room, chimed in, “You want to pray? What prayer? It’s not time for Isha yet, Maghrib has already passed!”
“Oh, no – I just wanted to say ‘assalamu’alaikum’. Because I didn’t have time to pray at my friend’s house before coming here!” Lupus replied, annoyed.
And one more thing that annoyed Lupus was that every time he wanted to leave, he had to say goodbye to her dad. So as soon as her dad appeared from the TV room at the end of the living room, Lupus had to put on a friendly face from afar, while grinning. Those moments were the most agonizing moments, because her dad would walk with arrogant and triumphant steps. Sometimes his response to Lupus’ “good night” greeting sounded so touching to Lupus, “Alhamdulillah, you finally came home, son!”
Wow, how polite!
So, the next Saturday night, Lupus always took the initiative to speak politely to her dad, not wanting to be outdone. “I know, Dad, you must be feeling really sad about this separation. I understand how you feel. But alas, it’s late at night, and I have to go home. But don’t worry, I’ll come over again next week.”
Her dad would then go back into the TV room with an annoyed expression.
“You’re also to blame, Pus, for going too far with him!” Boim accused.
“What do you mean going too far? I just speak my mind!” Lupus defended himself.
“Ah, in my opinion, you’re still going too far. You should learn a lot from me about these things. About how we can win the sympathy of our future in-laws, so we can control their child. I think I have those advantages, which is why I’m always loved by my future in-laws!” Boim confidently rambled.
Lupus looked at Boim with a mix of surprise and annoyance. “You mean, which future in-laws are you talking about?”
“Well, later, when I successfully win over Svida!” Boim replied calmly. Lupus rolled his eyes.
Meanwhile, the bell rang, signaling the start of math class. Boim immediately invited Lupus to go in, but Lupus declined, “Nah, I’m bored of studying math all the time. You go ahead, I’ll join later. But no promises, okay!”
Lupus was alone again. The other kids had already rushed to their respective classrooms.
But before Lupus could catch his breath, another annoying creature was already pestering him from the side.
“You may be smart in many things, Lupus, but when it comes to winning over future in-laws’ hearts – I think I’m the one for the job. My experience in winning the sympathy of Fifi’s mom and dad can be a lesson for you. Although…”
“Although you ended up getting kicked out. Yeah, right!” Lupus interrupted, cutting off the creature’s nonsense.
It turned out the annoying creature was the eccentric artist, Gusur, who immediately grinned and scurried away from Lupus.
Lupus was left alone. He pretended not to hear when Meta, Ita, and Utari called him to go inside. Yes, he had to be strong! He thought to himself, not letting himself be tempted by his friends to go to class and have a math session with Mr. Sidahuruk!
And it turned out his resilience was not in vain. Because not long after, he saw a little girl walking into the library. It was Rina! Lupus quickly got up to follow Rina. “Hey, Lupus, pay first!” the cafeteria lady exclaimed.
“Oh, right, sorry, I forgot. How much is it?”
“Umm… Gusur took some tofu and said it was for you to pay.”
Lupus was shocked.
“How many pieces of tofu did he take?”
“Seven pieces.”
“Seven?”
“Yeah, so it’s all five hundred rupiahs.”
Lupus cursed under his breath as he handed over the annoyed money. Then he followed Rina.
In the library, he spotted Rina engrossed in her reading. Lupus approached her.
“Hey!”
Rina looked surprised.
“Oh, you’re skipping class too?”
“Just this once, I’m really bored. Oh, by the way, will your dad be home tonight?”
Rina stayed silent. The brightness on her face disappeared.
“Why so quiet?”
“What does it matter if he’s home? Are you not interested in coming over like you haven’t been for the past three weeks?”
“No, Rin, I have a great plan. I want to take you out to watch a movie tonight. I know your dad won’t allow it, but we can escape.”
And that afternoon, while everyone else was busy with their studies, Lupus was busy discussing the plan with Rina. About the plan for that night.
It wasn’t late yet, maybe around seven o’clock. But the atmosphere in the garden not far from Rina’s house was incredibly dark. The sounds of crickets and other nocturnal creatures occasionally broke the eerie silence.
Suddenly, a pale-faced girl emerged, walking through the wild grass.
“Shh, come here, Rin!” a soft whisper could be heard, almost making her heart jump out of her chest.
“Oh, Pus, my heart almost jumped out. How could you make a rendezvous in a place like this, where the jinn dump their children!” Rina said while rubbing her chest.
“You finally came, Rin. You were heartless enough to make me wait for half an hour here. I kept getting bitten by ants!”
“Well, my dad kept pacing back and forth in the front room. How could I escape?”
Exactly, your dad’s radar is everywhere, so the safest rendezvous spot is just here in the garden. How about it? Shall we go now?”
“Let’s go.”
“Oh, by the way, I managed to forcefully borrow Boim’s motorcycle when he fell asleep at my house. Let him be, I have my maid there. So at least Boim has someone to keep him company.” Lupus pulled Rina’s hand towards where the motorcycle was parked.
“That’s mean!”
And they happily rode to the cinema. The cold air didn’t bother their cheerfulness. Until they reached the end of the road, where a group of police officers were conducting a raid.
“Police officers are created to ruin people’s happiness!” Lupus grumbled in annoyance, while slowing down his motorcycle.
Rina peeked her head out from behind Lupus.
“Are your documents complete, Pus?” Rina asked.
“They’re complete, except for my driver’s license and vehicle registration.”
“Damn!”
“Hold on tight, Rin, I’m going to have some fun!” Lupus didn’t answer Rina’s question, just greeted the busy police officers with a “good evening.” The officers nodded in response, and Lupus’ motorcycle sped off before they realized what was happening.
“Beep, beep!” The police siren couldn’t stop Lupus’ motorcycle from disappearing around the corner of the road.
“You’re lunatic Pus!” Rina cursed.
Lupus just grinned.
Before long, they were seen among the other moviegoers waiting in line for tickets. They even bought some snacks before entering the cinema building.
The lights were already dimmed as Lupus and Rina were busy searching for comfortable seats.
Advertisements started playing on the screen.
“Uh, it feels so good that we finally managed to sit in this cinema. Despite your dad’s strict and ugly hands!” Lupus said with a long sigh.
But the person next to Lupus suddenly tapped his shoulder and said heavily, “Can I borrow your lighter, kid?”
Lupus quickly searched for a lighter that was hanging on Boim’s motorcycle key in the darkness, and politely lit it for the neighbor who asked. And Lupus was shocked when the flame illuminated the face he despised the most. Rina’s dad’s stern face.
“Dad! Who are you here with?” Rina exclaimed in shock.
Meanwhile, Lupus successfully fainted.
