A Million Stories

By bus (Personal story)

HAPPY READING 🙏🙏🙏🙏

It all started on a sunny Sunday morning.

Jokes and laughter echo into one in this block-shaped object, not to miss a little debate tucked in between. The others sat in pairs, while I was alone. But I don't feel lonely because they are around me. This large wheeled object that contained a human in it began to walk slowly. New things appeared, making me impatient because my friend for the second time gave the command to the driver to stop because there are still friends who have not arrived.

Come on guys, I can only curse them in my heart, for I dare not argue.

The flat object that I had been holding rang out loud, I who realized it immediately opened a short message from my friend who was waiting in a different place. While I was reading a short message from Danang, the two friends sitting in front of me were busy calling our friend who was on the other bus.

Ah, yes, of course my two friends are asking our male friends to move to our bus. From their conversation I knew that our male friend did not want to, and he wanted us to move there. Oh, that sucks. Now for me the time is like a short cable, soon seven o'clock and when we reach the destination beyond the specified time it is called too late.

After replying to Danang's short message waiting elsewhere, I finally decided to take a voice in the debate on this public bus. After all, the two friends in front of me had also ended up arguing over that cordless connection.

“Already, left alone! He has also left with another friend,” that voice is like support for me. Because we have the same opinion. And he is Hayyu, I'm sure his opinion must be very influential now.

“Iya, leave now. Hunting late later,” sahutku fast lightning.

“Ya already, leaving now only,” finally the two friends who were in front of me agreed.

A few minutes later the bus left, on our way it was withdrawn costing half of Rp. 6,000,00. I think it's a fair price. How many years have I not been on a public bus? The last time I took a public bus when I was in fourth grade in Elementary School, now I am in ninth grade Junior High. Five years, apparently too.

Stopping with childhood memories, now I have to call my friend who is waiting in an alley that is the size of an elephant hole. My other friends would occasionally ask me about our friend waiting for our bus. For a long time he replied to my short message, I decided to call him. Stupid with the pulse, the most important thing is that I can contact him as soon as possible. The sound of the phone call sounded pseudo in my ear because of the roar of the bus engine. The connection ended with a fart-like sound, which meant he didn't pick up my call.

“Then waited there the same Dimas and Fero. Now that it was gone,” the voice came out from the mouth of the friend who was sitting on the bench beside me, he pointed to the seat in front of the store that was still closed. I thought Danang was waiting in the alley of the elephant hole.

“I phone was not picked up,” I looked at my friend who had pointed to where Danang was waiting. Almy.

“Maybe you've left with Dimas and Fero,” Lia raise your voice.

Okay, maybe Danang has already left. Along the way I continued to look right and left, just in case there would be Danang walking. Yes, he told me he would wait while walking.

The bus conductor turned on the music. Silly music in my opinion. It's too unpleasant to hear. The wall clock that hung in front of it swayed into the center of my attention. I felt the wall clock haunting me, laughing at me, and mocking me, because it was almost seven o'clock. Damn, this bus is going very slowly. The bus runs 30 km/h. I just want to hold the wheel of control. But, need to think twice, I'm sure if I take over, this bus will not reach the destination safely.

The flat object that was on top of my snoring came back ringing out loud. I quickly opened a short message on the phone screen. Ah, Danang's. He told me about the space that my friends and I were going to occupy. Then the sign has arrived there. Good, I don't have to look right and left.

Waiting and being patient is all that me and my friends do. To fill the void we chatted about the road to where we were headed. I forgot to tell you where we were going on Sunday morning. We will go to SMK PGRI 3 Walikukun, trying to multiply knowledge is not wrong is not it? We followed a test tryout there. Good, free snacks too.

Finally we got off the bus, then crossed the road to go to an alley as small as an ant hole to get into the school. I am thankful that I am not late. The school was small, not as big as my school. The interior space is better, but the location is not strategically arranged.

However, after working on it there was still a doorprize. Very interesting, two cell phones. Ah, but I'm not interested. Long time waiting for doorprize division completed. Some participants complained to go home, finally those who wanted to go home were allowed to go home, while those who still wanted to wait remained in place.

Our footwear kept rubbing against the hot asphalt. Sweat rippled from the temple, the sun's sting violently. Me and my friends kept walking while waiting for the bus to pass. Buses are heartless things, we walk looking back, just in case a bus passes by. Too bad there is none. Because we were close to the market where the big block stop, we decided to walk even though there was a bus passing by. Stop at a fruit shop.

Yeah, some of my friends wanted to buy pineapples for an English practice exam. After buying pineapple, we walked again to the bus stop. Oh, there's one bus waiting for the driver apparently. We walked a little slowly because we were tired. A long way away by bus, the bus was already running. We decided to wait for another bus.

I was still standing looking at the highway, my attention focused on the vehicles that were stopping in front of the railway barrier. Hey, whoa! The bus stopped too.

“Eh, there's a train. The bus also stopped!” I yelled at my friends while pointing towards the railroad barrier.

“Come pursue!” Dhila looked at me for a moment.

Well my feet feel like cotton now, light. It would be useless if not used. I ran fast, got no energy from nowhere. Dhila was still running in front of me. My eyes were on the backpack he was wearing. Run and keep running. Almost hit a parking motorcycle and hit people. Foolish time with the swearing of the man I hit. I wave my hands, maybe the bus conductor saw it.

“Pak, stop, sir!” Shouted me and Dhila together.

Yeah, maybe this is ridiculous. But, this is a good thing for now in my opinion. Although it must be stared at by pairs of eyes with a strange look.

Free, the bus has gone hand in hand with the ride of the railroad barrier. Dhila and I didn't make it. I looked back, my friends trying to catch up with us. Now I'm bored. Breath hunting, legs felt like dislodging, back feels hot because of the sweat vaporizing, all of it blend into one within each of us.

Waiting for the bus while resting is the only good thing now. My other friends were sitting under a small hut, while me and Dhila were still standing by the road waiting for the bus. Shortly after our wait a bus stopped at the bus we were chasing.

“Ah, if you meet again with the bus driver earlier, I cut him,” Dhila seems to be upset with the bus driver earlier.

“Haha, if I'm going to be beheaded, keke,” my candle while laughing.

“Haha, uh, it's the bus way,” he pointed to the bus that goes like a conch.

“Woi, bus. Come!” My code is to my friends who sit not far from us.

We went back to the public bus again. Not only here, later after arriving in Ngrambe we will also stop by the Chicken Noodle and Meatball Cilacap stalls. That place belongs to my friend's parents. Thinking and running makes us hungry.

Well, it was a very exciting and exhausting experience. See you in my other experience.

EXPIRE....

Short story: Endah Nisrinasari