It was a bright afternoon. Lupus was panting as he stood in front of Aji’s new house. His breath was all over the place. Sweat dripped down his face one by one. Damn, he was so annoyed by Aji’s pranks all afternoon. That crazy kid moved houses without telling anyone. As a result, Lupus spent the whole afternoon like a salesman. Going from one house to another, searching for Aji’s address. Door to door, coast to coast. Repeating the same sentence, “Anybody home? Is this Aji’s house?” Luckily, Lupus was riding his racing bike. Imagine if he had to walk? But even so, he felt relieved when he finally found the house he was looking for. Lupus got off his bike and immediately looked for the doorbell. Suddenly, guk-guk-guk! The sound of a small dog warmly greeted him. Lupus was startled and took a few steps back.
Guk-guk-guk!
The ugly dog kept barking.
“Who is it?” a voice from inside could be heard. “The milkman or the newspaper guy?”
Damn, why aren’t there any better options? Lupus cursed in his mind. How should he answer? If he said the milkman, no, if he said the newspaper guy, no.
Guk-guk-guk!
The dog barked even louder.
“Who is it?” the voice asked again. “Lupus, come in! Come in, Lupus!”
Lupus was surprised. Oh, so he’s famous here too? Even Aji’s mom knows him. Even though they’ve never met before.
“Um… yes, Auntie. Thank you!” Lupus politely replied.
But the aunt didn’t show up.
Guk-guk-guk!
“Don’t be naughty, Lupus, come in!” Aji’s mom appeared at the door. She smiled at Lupus. “Oh, there’s a guest. Who are you looking for? Aji or Vita?” the mother politely asked. Then she glared at the ugly dog that was still excited about Lupus. “Come on, Lupus! Don’t be naughty! Come in, Lupus! You can’t lick like that, okay? Um… oh, yes, dear. Please come in. Sorry, my dog is really naughty. Are you scared, dear? What’s its name? Let me call my child…”
Lupus was confused. So, the one who was called ‘Lupus, Lupus’ was the dog? Aji is such a jerk. He must have named the dog like that just for fun. Watch out when it shows up later…
“Oh, sorry…” The aunt who had entered earlier came out again. “Um… I forgot. What’s this child’s name? Aji or Vita? Come on, Lupus! Stop barking!!!”
Lupus forced a smile.
“I’m Aji’s friend, Auntie…”
“Oh, please have a seat. Let me call…” Aji’s mom smiled kindly. “Ajiiiii… here’s another one of your friends!”
Lupus sat on the sofa. He let out a sigh of relief. If there weren’t rumors that Aji’s little sibling was cool, Lupus wouldn’t have bothered looking for this jerk’s house. Because this morning, Lupus was indeed told to go to Aji’s house. There was an event. But Aji didn’t say anything about moving a few kilometers from the previous place. Well, the old house got hit by the road expansion project. So they moved further inland. But this new house is pretty cool compared to Boim’s duck pen.
“Hey, long time no see?” Aji’s cheerful voice was heard. “You’ve been hiding all this time. Acting all important and stuff! But you’re not!”
“Hey, you ugly jerk! I should be the one mad, you know! You have no idea how I’ve been like a salesman all afternoon. Going door to door, looking for your house. Moving without telling anyone!”
Aji laughed.
“Sorry, I thought you already knew. Didn’t bother to ask. Boim and the demolition crew knew though. Come on, let’s go to the backyard. Sweep the yard or do something, you know.”
“Damn it!”
Lupus immediately followed Aji to the backyard. He also met Aji’s ugly dog named…
“Hey, Kunyuk! Who gave that ugly little dog such a damn name? It must be you, right?” Lupus suddenly said, grabbing Aji’s collar. Aji was momentarily confused. Then he burst into laughter, making Lupus even more annoyed.
“Sorry… sorry… I meant well. So that I always remember you… hahahaha.”
“Not funny. Stop laughing. Is that how you want me to remember you?” Lupus got angry.
“Well, what else can I do?” Aji said amidst his laughter. Lupus immediately choked him to make him stop laughing. “Please, Pus, please! Don’t be mad like that! I won’t introduce you to my sibling!”
Lupus snorted. But secretly he was worried that he wouldn’t get to meet Aji’s cool sibling. Yeah, he should be nice to Aji. Because there’s a saying, if you want to get to know someone’s sibling, be nice to their sibling first. Who knows, he might get rejected.
When they got to the backyard, they found two other ugly creatures, Gusur and Boim, sitting near a small pond. They immediately laughed and teased Lupus. Well, these creatures always go for the good stuff first. Lupus thought he was the only one who would be recognized.
“Now, this is the third participant. Friends, please take care of the administrative matters with me first. Registration fee is one thousand rupiah,” Aji said.
“What registration?” Lupus didn’t understand.
“Well, you said you wanted to get to know my sibling. Register first.”
Lupus sneered. “You’re so materialistic, pimping out your own sibling!”
But it turned out that Aji was heartless too. Even though he knew that the three guys came to his house to get introduced to Vita, there were no signs that she would show up until evening. Aji was busy playing cards and gaplek with the kids. Occasionally, he would go in and out of the house, bringing snacks and drinks. Gusur, with his Jatiluhur reservoir face (which means: a face of a shaman but with a noble soul and heart), didn’t seem interested in playing. Boim was even worse. Only Lupus could hide his feelings. Pretending to focus on the true card game. Even though he kept losing. Shuffling all the time. He just wasn’t talented in those kinds of games (because only laborers and rickshaw drivers are good at playing cards and gaplek. That’s what Lupus said!)
“Why is there no sign yet?” Boim whispered to Lupus.
“What sign?”
“Actually, we’re all waiting for a sign,” added Gusur.
“What sign?”
“Don’t act dumb, Pus! It’s Vita!”
“Ohhh…”
Aji looked at Boim. He heard it too. “Vita went to the salon.”
“To the salon?” Boim exclaimed. Gusur joined in. “So she knew I was coming here? She shouldn’t have gone through all that trouble, Ji. No need to go to the salon just to meet me, Ji. Ah, now I feel bad…”
“Yeah, same here,” Gusur chimed in, trying to fit in.
“What’s up with you, Sur? Just trying to fit in, huh?” Boim snapped.
“I mean, I also feel the same way as you, Im,” Gusur defended himself.
“But…”
“Calm down, Im. Calm down. My sister didn’t go to the salon because you were coming. Don’t get all worked up. She wouldn’t spend money at the salon just to meet a market thug like you. She went to the salon because it’s her birthday today. Tonight. That’s why I asked you guys to come. Keep me company,” Aji explained.
“Agreed!” Gusur exclaimed.
“So, tonight we can tease Vita’s friends? Oh, it’s gonna be fun. But even if a million angels come, I’ll still be faithful to your sister, Ji!” Boim’s eyes sparkled.
“Agreed!”
“You stay quiet, Sur! When Vita comes back from the salon, I’ll be the first to wish her a happy birthday!” Boim continued.
“Agreed! I also…”
“Why are you so quiet, Pus? Don’t you want to join in the fun tonight?” Boim asked.
Lupus just smiled. Yeah, he was really good at hiding his feelings this time. Even though his heart was bursting with joy. His big toe looked really happy too.
Meanwhile, Aji remained focused on the card game.
“Hey, what does it mean to ‘tease’ someone?” Gusur whispered to Lupus.
Lupus was surprised. Oh man, this kid is so clueless about teasing!
“Shh… but you have to stay quiet, okay?” Lupus whispered back. Gusur nodded in agreement. “Teasing means daydreaming while grinning. Got it?”
Gusur nodded. But his face showed that he didn’t fully understand.
Lupus couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
It was already past evening prayer time, but still no signs of Vita. The kids started to get restless. They were getting suspicious. How come Vita hadn’t shown up from the salon yet? And there didn’t seem to be any preparations for a birthday party at Aji’s house. Everything was calm. Although, Aji had been busy bringing snacks for the kids that disappeared in Gusur’s stomach in an instant.
But even so, the kids still held onto hope. Maybe she’s just running a little late. They reluctantly went back to playing cards.
“Hey, Lupus, shuffle again!” Aji shouted.
Lupus gathered the scattered cards and started shuffling. And dealt them out again.
A few minutes passed.
“Why is there still no sign?” Boim sarcastically remarked.
“What sign?” Aji asked.
“How long does it take to go to the salon anyway?”
“Oh, just a little while. Maybe half an hour. Why?”
“If it’s only half an hour, how come she hasn’t come back yet at this time of the day?” Boim questioned.
“Come back? Maybe Vita went straight…” Aji calmly replied.
“Straight to where?” Boim, Gusur, and Lupus unconsciously asked almost simultaneously.
“To her birthday party venue. She said she wanted to celebrate at the cafeteria near Blok M. Fried Chicken or something…”
“WHAT?”
“Yeah. She’s such a rebel, that girl! Typical young people…”
“So, her birthday party isn’t at home?” Boim asked almost in tears.
“Nope. Why?”
“So, what does it mean that we’re all waiting here?” Boim yelled hysterically.
“Well, I already told you earlier. My sister is having her birthday. I asked you guys to come and keep me company at home because my parents are going to Vita’s party. I’ll be alone at home. What’s the problem?” Aji explained without feeling guilty.
Boim angrily threw his cards. Gusur followed suit. Only Lupus burst into laughter. Laughing through the pain.
That night, Lupus, Boim, and Gusur asked to be taken back to their respective homes. They were furious after being fooled. Aji whined, asking them to stay over, but they ignored him.
“Come on, Pus. Stay over. How could you leave me alone like this…” Aji pleaded.
“Sorry, maybe next time. I haven’t asked my mom yet…” Lupus declined.
“Damn, listen up, apparently you’ve been insured by your mom. So it’s no big deal if you don’t come home. She even said it would be better if you died soon, so she could get the money instead…”
“You son of a bitch!” Lupus glared. And with great effort, he started pedaling his racing bike. Because Gusur and Boim were hitching a ride until the main road. Gusur sat on the back, while Boim perched on the front handlebars.
“Bye, Aji… see you at the same event and wave…” Lupus, Boim, and Gusur shouted.
Aji just stayed silent. Sadly watching them go further down the road. Lupus seemed half-dead trying to balance his body and pedal. Those two ugly creatures kept wobbling around.
“Hey, can’t you guys just shut up?” Lupus yelled while maneuvering his bike down the slope in a zig-zag manner. Meanwhile, in the back seat, Gusur affectionately hugged Lupus’ back.
“Be careful, Pus, there’s an old lady crossing…” Boim shouted.
Lupus, whose view was blocked by Boim’s body, started to panic. “Where, where?”
And then the unwanted happened. The bike, which was already unstable, grazed the old lady who was about to cross. As a result, Lupus’ bike slipped into the bushes. Boim and Gusur ended up in a big drain. Only Lupus survived. Landing gracefully amidst the undergrowth.
The old lady wasn’t injured. Just a little bump. But she was quite shocked.
“You rude youngsters. Can’t you ride a bike properly?” the old lady scolded while holding her hip.
“We can, Nek. It’s just that we don’t know how to ring the bell…”
The old lady continued to rage. And so did Gusur and Boim, who ended up in the drain.
