Poppi was a bit surprised when she received a short note from Lupus in the middle of that hot afternoon:
“Sweet Popi, I want to talk to you face to face. It’s really important, more important than nuclear disarmament negotiations. Will you come? Okay, I’ll wait for you at the Expensive and Mean Cafeteria, the place where kids usually gossip. You know, right? It’s near Swensen, the coconut ice cream stall by the road. Oh, and I’ll be there around four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, April 1st. Don’t you dare not show up, okay? Yes.
Lupus”
Poppi was lost in thought. She slowly placed the newly received note down. Her mind started wandering everywhere. April 1st meant later in the afternoon. Well, that made her a bit nervous. What did that weird creature want to talk about?
Well, as you know, Poppi used to be close with Lupus. But that was in the past, before Lupus got fired and got close to Rina. Now their positions were different.
Should she go or not?
Once again, she read the note. It was indeed quite short. At least shorter than Boim’s love letters that sometimes rivaled a serialized story. Poppi became restless. She was busy weighing her options. There was also a sense of annoyance in her heart, seeing Lupus’s lack of manliness. Why did he always make rendezvous in public places? Why didn’t he just come to her house and discuss his important matters there?
Poppi picked up her Pionki doll, as big as a pillow, and stared at it multiple times. Oh, why did its face look like Lupus’s? Without realizing it, Poppi started giggling to herself. She looked at the funny face of the magical Pinocchio doll again. Oh, it still looked similar. Suddenly, Poppi felt a strong longing for Lupus. She missed teasing his bird’s nest-like hair or his gapped teeth. And that strengthened her desire to meet Lupus later in the afternoon…
Poppi looked out the glass window. The rain was drizzling. Meanwhile, her bowl of soto was already empty. Only the hot orange drink remained, being stirred. Occasionally, she glanced at her watch. It was already past four o’clock, and Lupus still hadn’t shown up. At that moment, Poppi was sitting alone in the Expensive and Mean Cafeteria (or KMJ for short, as everyone knows. It’s called that not to mock the Expensive and Mean Cafeteria. But because the food there is indeed expensive, and the waiters are mean. They get angry if girls come to gossip for too long. Maximum of five hours. And that’s only because they have some understanding with the cafeteria owner. Besides, the waiters are weird too. They don’t allow gossiping. They just ruin people’s fun. But gossiping is better than being gossiped about. Trust me!).
The rain has stopped, and the sky is starting to clear. But Poppi seems even more restless. It doesn’t feel good to be alone, while everyone else is busy gossiping in groups. Just for fun, Poppi is busy counting the cute boys passing by in front of the cafeteria. There must be around twelve of them. But none of them look like Lupus. Where is that crazy kid? Poppi is getting annoyed. He’s really irresponsible! She curses in her mind. The fading feeling of hatred is now reignited. What does he mean by leaving me like this? And Poppi starts cursing herself, why did she even come here? Or… oh my god! Suddenly she realizes. It’s April 1st, the day when we’re allowed to prank people, aka April Fools’ Day? Stupid, how could I be successfully pranked by that damn Lupus? Poppi curses him relentlessly.
With overwhelming anger, Poppi walks out of KMJ. Her heart is beyond furious. She kicks away anything that dares to come near her. Poppi feels like a complete idiot. But she can’t help but wonder, how could Lupus be so heartless to pull an April Fools’ prank on something as sensitive as this? Has he run out of feelings to understand the consequences of his actions? Oh, April Fools’ Day, how cruel you are! Teenagers shouldn’t have a celebration day like that. Pranking people, no matter the excuse, is cruel. At least, it’s crueler than being broke.
Unbeknownst to Poppi, a pair of disappointed eyes are watching her leave. Who is it? (Why am I asking?) “Poppi, wait!” Poppi is surprised and turns around. Rina? Is that really Rina calling her? The little girl runs towards Poppi, who is still in shock. “Pop, I need to explain this to you,” Rina stammers. Poppi’s surprise hasn’t faded. Why is Rina suddenly showing up here? A feeling of unease and suspicion starts to arise. Is this also Lupus’s doing? That damn kid!
“Poppi, I need to talk to you about something. Can we go back to that cafeteria and talk for a bit?” Rina asks, half forcing. Poppi just goes along, still confused. They go back into KMJ. One of the waiters gives a fierce look as Poppi returns. Rina looks anxious. It’s evident from her messy hair flying everywhere.
So, like, before we start, I hope you’re not gonna get mad, okay? Rina started the story when we were sitting in this cozy corner by the big window. Rina’s heart was still pounding like crazy. It was like thump-thump-thump-thump. And then this grumpy waiter came over. They ordered two avocado shakes (oh, in this place, it’s not self-service, by the way!). “I’m really sorry about what happened. I’ve let you down…” “What do you mean?”
Rina didn’t answer right away. She couldn’t even look Poppi in the eye. Her hands were nervously playing with the tissue on the table.
“Actually… it’s all my fault. I apologize. I truly regret it. It was me who sent the letter inviting you here…”
“What?” Poppi’s eyes widened.
“See, you’re mad.”
“Yeah, but what’s the meaning of doing that? Trying to pull an April Fool’s prank on me? Let me tell you, your April Fool’s joke was a huge success. I feel completely fooled!”
“Wait, Pop, there’s no April Fool’s joke here. Seriously, I had good intentions. You need to know, Pop, Lupus still loves you. Don’t protest just yet, I have evidence. I know it for sure. He talks about you to me all the time. Lupus doesn’t use me as a rebound. He’s a good guy. But he can’t lie about still loving you. I was actually planning to get you and Lupus back together. So you both can be happy. I brainstormed and finally came up with an idea. I wanted to bring you and Lupus together here. That’s why I wrote the letter to you and Lupus, hoping you’d meet. But then…” Rina didn’t continue her story.
Poppi was silent for a moment. Then she said coldly, “You shouldn’t have done this.”
“But I meant well. I didn’t expect Lupus to refuse to come. I was ready to spy on him from a distance. But he didn’t show up. I feel so regretful,” Rina whispered. She looked so sad. She couldn’t understand why Lupus didn’t want to meet Poppi. Does he not like her anymore? Or did the letter not reach him? Or is he just too clever to be fooled by Rina’s fake letter? Man, why did everything have to turn out like this? It’s such a mess.
Poppi stood up, “Forget about your good intentions. It’s useless. Lupus is happy with you.”
“Poppi?”
Rina felt uncomfortable. But she couldn’t hold Poppi back any longer. Before leaving, Poppi gave a small smile that was awkwardly returned by Rina. Oh, God, why did it have to turn out like this?
Rina felt so guilty when Poppi hurriedly left the table and looked for a taxi home. Rina felt incredibly sorry.
A few days later, Poppi received another letter. This time, it wasn’t typed, but handwritten. From who? Who else has such terrible handwriting like a kindergartener learning to write, if not Lupus? What does that kid want now? Poppi thought. The pain from the incident a few days ago still lingered strongly. She threw the letter to the floor without even bothering to open it. And lazily, she lay down on her bed. Yeah, she hadn’t been to school for three days. The excuse was being sick. Her mom and dad believed it because Poppi had a pale face when she sulked and refused to go. Even the personal doctor was fooled, going back and forth to examine her but finding no illness in Poppi’s body. Finally, the doctor gave up and said, “Miss just needs complete rest. Maybe Miss is just too tired.” Hehehe… that’s what Poppi hoped for. She just wanted to lie down and forget about that ugly Lupus.
And now, there’s a letter from Lupus. It’s clearly not Rina’s doing because Poppi knows Lupus’s handwriting well. What does that kid want to say? Eh, why am I curious? So, after looking around (afraid someone might be spying), she eagerly tore open the letter. Rip, break, snap, it was opened:
“Hey Poppi, I’m the cowherd… oops, wrong. I’m Lupus. I wanted to protest heavily for what you did to me on April Fools’ Day. Your idea was ridiculous, it made me so annoyed. Imagine, I was already waiting at the cafeteria (the one near the school, you know?), disguised as a street musician, wearing a hat, cool sunglasses (cool but comfortable), and carrying a guitar. I was planning to surprise you. But you never showed up. I even sang a whole album of Queen for you. There were sweet girls whispering to each other, ‘Hey, the musician is cool, isn’t he? Hehehe… isn’t that awesome!’ That day, I made a lot of money.
But it’s okay. Consider it a good deed to make you happy. Sending you my best regards.”
Hey, it’s time to give an update about me, right? Well, Lupus is still sweet (hey, no complaints! There are ants in my room, that means there’s something sweet inside, hehehe). And his ponytail still dazzles, while my lips still pout when I talk too much. Waving like a flag. Oh, I have a riddle. What’s the difference between someone with one ponytail and someone with two ponytails? (hey, you know what a ponytail is, right? It’s that swirling hair thing on the head!)
Alright, my handwriting is getting worse. I’m really sleepy now, it’s late. Bye!
Sincerely annoyed,
Lupus
A cool feeling crept into Poppi’s heart as she closed the letter. There was a sense of longing. Her outlet for that longing was poor Pinocchio, who became the target of her intense glare. No, Lupus wasn’t at fault here. It was just Rina who didn’t investigate properly. The term “KMJ” only exists in the dictionary of girls. Most of the girls hang out at KMJ. Because boys like Lupus, they don’t like hanging out at expensive and mean cafeterias like that. They prefer regular cafeterias or cheap food stalls.
So, how could Lupus know that the KMJ referred to Bu Miranda’s cafeteria on Kemuning Street? That’s why Lupus came to the wrong place. That kid is so overconfident!
And in the afternoon, Poppi called Lupus.
“Hey, Lupus?”
“Yeah, Poppi?”
“Listen, I want to talk about April Fools’ Day…”
“I already know from Rina. Sorry about that.”
“Yeah, whatever. So, about your riddle, I have the answer. Someone with two ponytails means they’re mischievous. While someone with one ponytail is not mischievous.”
“Not necessarily. Look, even though I have two ponytails, I’m not mischievous. I’m kind-hearted, actually!”
“Sure you are! So, what’s the answer?”
“It’s simple. Someone with two ponytails means they have more ponytails than someone with one ponytail. Makes sense, right?”
Poppi was annoyed. Lupus just giggled.
Then Poppi spoke softly. A bit shyly, “Hey, I want to meet you. Can we? But not at school.”
“Sure, sure. I want to meet you too.”
“When? You always act so busy!”
“Well… how about you come to my house sometime? If I’m not there, just come to the editorial office. Maybe I won’t be there either…”
Poppi slammed the phone down in annoyance, while Lupus shouted loudly on the other end.
