A Gift for Lala

One - Welcome to Semarang

I just set foot in Ahmad Yani airport. I am now in Semarang. With heavy steps, I followed the steps of Papa and Mama who walked in front of me. I feel alien in this place. But what can I do. As a child, I had to follow where my parents went.

I regret Papa's plan to open a property company in this city. I hate that. Why Papa does not work in Jakarta alone. I hate moving to this city. Now, my steps are slowing down. It looks like I want to run back into the plane and fly back to Jakarta. Back to Gigi, my friend. Supposedly, Gigi and I were having fun enjoying a class break. But, because of Papa, I have to get to this town. Had to change schools, which meant I had to part with Gigi.

"Ma, I don't want to move! I'm going back to Jakarta!" Mom and Dad stopped walking. They looked at me while shaking their heads. Then my mom approached me.

"Why are you, anyway?" Mama looked at me a little upset.

"Ma, Lala doesn't want to move. Lala loves the Lala school in Jakarta. Let Lala go back, yeah. Lala could stay with Gigi. Or Lala's costing me." I grope with teary eyes.

"Denger said Mama, do you think it's easy to live alone? No need to be that whiny!"

Now my tears are flooding. My mom always never understood. Mama always did. Always was! As a parent, Mama was too authoritarian and overprotective of me. I was never allowed to do what I liked. Mama always dictated what I should do, even since I was a kid.

I remember when I was in Kindergarten Mama never wanted to leave me for a minute. Even though the teachers guaranteed nothing would happen to me. As a result, I am not free to play with my friends because it is always watched by Mama.

Not to mention when I was in elementary school, Mama always gave me food from home. I'm forbidden from snacking. Automatically, at school I can't have fun with my friends. Likewise, when there are school activities such as scout camping, Mama always forbid me. As a result, I became estranged because I could not get involved about the exciting conversation among my friends. I feel freak. I feel inferior.

Then I started to find my hobby, writing. Maybe this is also the result of not being able to appreciate my feelings under the pressure of Mama. Just by writing I am free to do what I like. Since SD I started writing short stories, imagining characters as I wanted. But when Mama saw my writing, instead of being happy, she was angry.

"You can't be a delusion, Lala. You can't be normal." That's what Mom said. I wept. I'm sad. Don't you know if that's what's been making me so abnormal? What makes me a dreamer?

Everything that happened to me finally shaped me into a person who is not confident, strange and afraid of others. I'm most difficult to get into a new environment. I'm not good at getting along. Fortunately I still have a good friend, it's Gigi. All this time, only Gigi I think can understand me the most. In this city, it would definitely be difficult to find a friend like him.

I immediately wiped my wet cheeks, then got into the car of Om Pras, Papa's business friend who picked us up. I threw my gaze out onto the street, watching every vehicle that was milling around outside.

What about my new school? Are the children in Semarang more able to accept me? Is there a girl like Shela, the magazine model or Dilan who became the vocalist of a popular band? I will definitely find it difficult to get along even though maybe people like Shela and Dilan are not around. I am freak. I'm not pretty. My performance was also mediocre. I was so quiet that my classmates were lazy to ask me to talk.

My only friend is Gigi. Gigi is a Junior High School friend who happens to be with me. What's a little disappointing is that I'm not Gigi's classmate. Therefore, when we went up to the second grade and it turned out that we were placed in the same class, Gigi and I cheered happily. But everything was gone when I found out I was going to follow Papa moving to Semarang.

"Lala, we've arrived" Mama broke my daydream. With a heavy heart, I got out of the car. I stared at the beautiful house in front of me. This house is not much different from the house in Jakarta.

"Welcome to Semarang, Lala!" Om Pras said to me. I tried to smile but I didn't think I could. I tried to hold back the tears from going down again.

"Come baby. Ok, it's sukcks! But you're gonna love it!" Papa tried to cheer me up. How could I possibly like it? It's like a new disaster for me. This is going to be the worst holiday of my life.

Taeyeon as Lala