Guess who’s the most annoyed with the bus fare increase? If your answer is Gusur, you’re way off. Because he’s a fan of the “big feet” movement, meaning he loves walking to school. So he doesn’t need to take the bus often.
If your answer is Boim, you’re kinda right. Because even though he does take the bus to school frequently, he’s a master at being a fare dodger. When the conductor asks for the fare, he puts on a sad face and pleads, “Can I just hitch a ride, bro? It’s close by. You’re a good guy…” And as you can imagine, Boim gets scolded and kicked off disrespectfully on the side of the road. But he’s not frustrated. Instead, he happily waits for the next bus to come by and hops on again. He keeps doing this until he finally reaches school. That’s why he has to go through the trouble of waking up super early to make sure he’s not late for school. And sometimes, he even rides his old, beat-up motorcycle to school. But not often. Because his bike loves to break down. Then he’ll be even later for school.
Now, if your answer is Lupus, then you’re a genius. A hundred points for you. Seriously. He’s one of the few friends who suffers the most from the bus fare increase. I mean, he’s really into chasing after buses when he wants to go to school. And usually, by paying a small amount, he can sit comfortably in an empty seat or hang on when the bus is overcrowded. But now? Oh boy, Lupus might get skinned alive if he still insists on paying a small amount. As you know, bus fares have gone up. For students like Lupus, they have to be willing to sacrifice a big chunk of their money just to ride the bus.
How can he not be annoyed?
And the worst part is that his parents’ allowance hasn’t changed at all. He can’t even bring himself to ask for more (since their income hasn’t increased either). So Lupus has to save his pocket money and tighten his belt. Sure, sometimes he gets extra cash for helping out with his magazine’s reporting. But it’s not much. At most, it’s spent on going on outings or treating his fellow hungry friends, Gusur or Boim, who have bottomless appetites.
It’s just really sad, you know.
So, there’s this dude named Lulu, the older brother, who’s always begging for money whenever we meet on the street. With his cute face and all, he’s always whining and bothering Lupus to give up his hard-earned cash. And let me tell you, Lupus is torn. Like, what should he do? If he doesn’t give Lulu the money in front of his cool girl gang, it’s gonna be embarrassing, you know?
But that’s not all. Lupus and his buddies love hanging out at the shopping center. And man, they can’t resist buying cool stuff when they see it. Like, they just gotta have it.
And it’s not just Lupus who’s feeling the struggle in this recession era. His other friends are too. Like, when we go out to chill, a lot of kids are just chilling in the classroom instead of partying in the cafeteria. Yeah, the school cafeteria is kinda empty these days. Turns out, we’re all in the same boat. Our pocket money stays the same, but everything else keeps going up. Like, the echoes of devaluation haven’t even faded yet, and now there’s another price hike.
“The only way is to control our wild party spirit, dude. At least for now, let’s not go crazy at Blok M. Otherwise, we’ll end up buying all sorts of stuff. Right now, let’s be content with hanging out with our younger classmates after school,” Meta said one time. And Lupus just agreed.
And while we’re hanging out, Boim, who used to borrow money from the cafeteria, is now busy flirting with Nyit-nyit. (Yeah, that guy can be smooth sometimes). Aji, on the other hand, is busy chatting with Winda in the corner of the classroom.
“Look at them, hiding like stamps!” Joko teased with envy.
Meanwhile, Ruri is actually reading a storybook. That’s so unlike her. She usually loves gossiping about other kids in the cafeteria. Only Fifi seems unchanged. Still cool as ever. Right now, she’s nodding her head along to the rhythm of the song “Made in Thailand, Made in USA” by Memory of Bangkok playing on her Walkman. And she’s mumbling the lyrics under her breath. Man, her voice is annoying, like a trapped mouse. Ruri, sitting next to her, is getting so annoyed she can’t concentrate on her reading. But Fifi, she’s just cool. Nodding her head like a parrot.
“Lupuuuuus… come here for a sec!” Gusur’s loud shout from outside startles Lupus, who was staring at Fifi. Gusur’s head pops up at the window. Lazily, Lupus approaches the crazy artist.
“What’s up, Sur?”
Gusur puts on a serious face and chirps, “I heard you need a fancy camera for your magazine assignments. Is that true?”
“Well, yeah. What about it?”
“I happen to have a camera in really good condition. Any interest in owning it?”
Lupus is puzzled. Seriously, doesn’t this guy know we’re in a recession?
“It’s super cheap, dude. The camera and the lens are only two hundred thousand rupiahs. It’s a golden opportunity, my friend. Don’t let it go to waste,” Gusur persuades while pulling out the camera and lens from his bag. He’s got that true salesman vibe going on.
“Take a look, see how awesome this camera is!”
Lupus examines it. Man, the body is all beat up and he claims it’s still high-tech!
“Wow, Sur, can this still be used? It looks like it’s been through some rough times, just like its owner!”
“What do you mean, bangkotam?”
“Well, there you go!”
“Damn. Listen, my friend, never judge something just by its appearance. The outside might not always promise something good on the inside.”
Lupus is still not interested.
“I really don’t want to sell this amazing camera. Imagine, it’s been with me for almost five years, and it has never once acted up. But now…” Gusur hasn’t finished talking when Lupus bursts out laughing.
“Wow, that’s some old-school salesman tactic, Sur!”
“I’m serious, my friend,” Gusur maintains a serious face.
“Okay, okay, I believe you’re serious. But listen, buddy, I do need a camera. Just not right now. Not during this recession. I really don’t have much money. That’s why I have to be selective, only get what I really need. Like a camera, as long as I can borrow yours, why not just borrow it?”
Gusur pouts.
“I’m also struggling with my unstable economic situation right now. So I have to learn to save. I don’t want to buy things that I don’t really need right now. Sorry, Sur.”
Gusur looks disappointed. “I’m going through a rough time too, Pus. Imagine, lately I’ve been chased by fans. You know, the meatball and siomay sellers. It’s been a month and I still haven’t paid off my debts.”
“Well, that’s your own fault. You can’t control your crazy food cravings. Learn to use a belt, man. Your pants are always unbuttoned.”
“Because I’m frustrated…” Gusur responds sadly.
“That’s it. That’s your weakness. When people are frustrated, they usually lose their appetite, but you compensate by eating all the time…”
Gusur goes silent.
Well, there you have it. Another one. Another human being plagued by the recession. The longer it goes on, the harder life gets. These days, Lupus often hears similar complaints from his friends. Their pocket money is getting thinner, they’re behind on payments, it’s all sorts of things. Take Boim, for example. He hasn’t been to the cafeteria for three days. Same with Ita. Anto, who used to be all cocky, is now broke. Can’t afford to treat himself anymore.
But hey, we don’t have to be down in the dumps like those folks. No, definitely not. We can still go about our cheerful days as if nothing’s happening. Seriously. Don’t let your happiness be influenced by all this recession stuff. And that’s the thought that’s been lingering in Lupus’ mind right now. There’s always a way out of every problem.
…
A day goes by. Lupus still hears complaints coming out of his friends’ mouths.
“Man, if it keeps going like this, I don’t even feel like going to school anymore. Shouldn’t our allowance from our parents increase? We should protest or something so the fare doesn’t go up,” Boim exclaims when they’re out hanging.
“That wouldn’t be wise to protest to our parents. Their income doesn’t increase. We should be considerate!” Ita comments.
“Yeah, Im, stop being so stubborn,” Utari adds.
“What do you mean considerate? We’ve been considerate enough. It’s the parents who should understand. Don’t they read the news about the fare increase?”
“And don’t even get me started on the gas prices. They want to go up too. Everything’s gonna get expensive soon. I’ve tried talking to my mom about it, but she’s clueless,” Boim insists.
“Come on, Im. Being clueless doesn’t mean they don’t care…” Lupus intervenes.
Boim glares.
“Seems like we’re all in the same boat,” Lupus continues calmly. “That’s why we need to think together about a way out. As we know, our teenage years are meant to be a time when we enjoy our freedom…”
“Yeah, but how can we enjoy it when our pocket money is tight!” Boim interrupts.
Well, dude, I get it. Money’s always on your mind. But I’ve been saying, we gotta enjoy our freedom. Like, check this out, Im, your allowance and transportation costs are, like, three hundred bucks. This is just an example, don’t freak out yet. And you’ve already spent two hundred on bus fare. So you’re left with just a hundred for snacks. Barely enough for some fried dumplings and a drink, man! It’s like a major bummer! But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Your mom gave you that money with the condition that you can use it however you want, as long as you make it to school. So, enjoy that freedom, bro!
“How?” Boim still didn’t get it.
“Well, for example – and I mean, for example, you wanna buy that two-fifty meatball soup, just wake up super early and walk to school, man. It’s gonna save you some cash. You can use the money to buy the soup. And you’ll still have fifty cents left for an ice cream, dude…”
“Huh, worst idea I’ve ever heard!” Boim protested.
“You never know, man. Don’t judge so quickly!” Lupus defended. “Actually, if you think about it, great ideas can come from there. Listen up…”
The kids became interested.
“Let’s work together. First, we pool our bus fare money together. Then we use Gito’s mini-bus as our shuttle…”
Hearing his name mentioned, Gito, who was not paying attention before (busy copying homework), approached, “What’s up? Why am I being mentioned?”
“Here’s the deal, Git. Gas prices are gonna go up soon. And we – we wanna collect donations to buy you gas,” Lupus explained.
“Oh, really? I just got laid off from my mini-bus because of rising gas prices!”
“No need to worry. We have a plan to chip in and buy gas every day, so you have to drive us. Don’t be surprised, it’s for our unity. My house, Boim’s, Anto’s, and Aji’s are in the same direction, while you, Meta, Ita, Fifi, Yuanita, and Utari are also in the same direction. So it’s not too much trouble. You just have to go to Grogol first, then to Blok M. We’ll cover the gas. Probably just five liters or less. Meanwhile, Meta, Ita, Utari, Aji, and the others, even though their houses are close, usually have to take the bus twice. Not to mention the rickshaw fare. But with this joint effort, we can save a lot. And the rest – we can use it for snacks, like usual, right?”
The kids looked at Lupus with shining eyes.
Gito nodded in agreement.
Only Boim complained, “Then I won’t be able to flirt with cute girls on the bus anymore!”
“If you don’t want to join, it’s up to you! You won’t lose anything!” Meta snapped. Boim pouted.
After calculating, they realized they could save a lot. Gito even agreed to pick them up in the morning, “Well, I also like being able to contribute something to my friends!” Gito said.
The kids cheered and happily went to the cafeteria to buy snacks.
After school, they immediately put the plan into action. Ten people squeezed into Gito’s not-so-big mini-bus. But they didn’t feel miserable. They laughed and had a great time.
And the mini-bus hadn’t even gone far when a desperate shout was heard, “Heeeeey, guys, don’t leave me behind! Heeeeeey…”
The kids turned their heads simultaneously. There was Gusur running with his worn-out bag. His hair was blowing in the wind. His breath was heavy.
“Well, what do we do now? It’s already too crowded. Should we invite him?” Ita asked.
“Nah, let’s leave him!” Fifi Alone said.
“Come on, guys, have some compassion!” Meta said. The mini-bus stopped by the side of the road. “Well, Sur, it’s already packed in here. What do you think? Your house is close by. Just walk, dude. Besides, you’re kinda chubby. Taking up too much space!” Lupus joked when Gusur arrived.
Yaaa… take me along! I don’t mind being squished as long as I’m close to Fifi Alone,” whined Gusur, begging on his knees.
Lupus just shrugged. Gusur hopped in, accompanied by annoyed glances from the other kids. Geez, he’s all sweaty and stinky!
“Haven’t you showered, Sur?” Fifi accused, annoyed.
“I did, yesterday afternoon.”
Fifi snorted.
The mini-bus continued on its way.
But halfway through the journey, the kids started joking and laughing again. Even though Gusur had already passed his house, he refused to get off. “I’ll just get off at Fifi’s house. I can ask her mom for a ride back,” Gusur said.
And at a red light, people in other cars stared at them, all cramped and noisy. But they didn’t care. Especially our very own celebrity, Fifi Alone. She was totally into it. “They’re actually staring at me. Can’t blame them, I’m a celebrity,” Fifi said.
The kids all scoffed at once.
For a whole week, the plan continued. Until it was discovered by the principal. The principal was impressed by the creativity of his students. It was an act worth emulating, he said. And based on that, the principal planned to organize a shuttle bus service for all the students at Merah Putih High School at a low cost. “Luckily, I know someone from a private bus company in this city. Hopefully, this will lighten the burden on my beloved students,” the principal said in his flag ceremony speech.
The students at Merah Putih High School cheered with joy.
Lupus winked at his friends. Yeah, there’s always a way out of every problem…
