A Poem To Dila
Lombok
I saw from a distance there was a restaurant close to the beach, and I also walked there to fill my stomach which was from this morning I had not filled.
When I approached the restaurant located close to the beach, the fragrant aroma of spices immediately greeted my nose. My steps were steadily getting towards the entrance guarded by a middle-aged mother. His face was full of hospitality and a warm smile.
"Mom, here's the food sale, huh?" ask me while greeting gently.
The mother smiled and gave her response in a friendly manner. "Yes, of course. Please come in and sit down at one of the tables."
I chose a table that was near the window, giving a beautiful view of Malimbu beach as a background. Not long after, the mother went into the kitchen to prepare the order.
Meanwhile, the mother called her daughter to serve my needs, given that I was not a local and was more comfortable communicating in Indonesian. I saw the girl approaching me with a friendly and friendly face.
"Well, can I help you?" ask her in a soft voice.
"Is there a food menu here?" ask me with hunger that is getting more disturbing.
"Yes, of course. Please look at the menu first." he replied with a warm smile.
I checked the food menu carefully, teasing my tongue with a variety of delicious options. Finally, my choice fell on the famous Taliwang grilled chicken, accompanied by a serving of white rice.
"Chicken grilled Taliwang one, and a serving of white rice as well, yes," I said in a voice that sounded hungry.
"Well, I'll wait" he said, writing my order and heading to the kitchen to tell his mother my order.
While waiting for my food, I grabbed my phone and tried to find a signal in hopes of connecting with the outside world. However, as I expected, this area is difficult to get a strong signal. After several unsuccessful attempts, I gave up and put my phone back in my pants pocket.
Not long after, my eyes were fixed on the sight that made my stomach rumble. The woman who was serving me took my food order carefully and placed it on the dining table.
"This is the food, yes" he said with a warm smile, lowering a plate containing the tempting Taliwang roasted chicken and a plate of white rice beside him.
"Thank you" I said with an increasingly unbearable hunger.
After enjoying the delicious dishes, I spent every mouthful of grilled chicken with an unstoppable lust. There was not the slightest remnant, and I felt full and satisfied. Without hesitation, I walked towards the daughter who served me to pay for my food sincerely and thankfully before rushing back to the Jeep car waiting by the side of the road.
The journey continues to Malimbu hill, which takes about half an hour from where I ate earlier. When I arrived, I glanced at my watch, and time showed half six in the afternoon. The sky was still bright, yet it showed no signs of the darkness of the night. I got off the Jeep and started my way up the hill, about ten minutes.
Arriving at the top of the hill, my gaze was fixed on several other people who also came to enjoy this beautiful scenery. Malimbu Hill is indeed the most appropriate place to enjoy the sunset, and at this time, the sky looks so amazing. The twilight that radiates beauty, beyond all my expectations even from the photos I've seen on Instagram.
If I may cut the twilight, I want to cut the twilight that I am currently witnessing with whatever it is, I want to cut the twilight that I am currently witnessing with, then I put it in a brown envelope and I sent it through the mailman to you. As in the short story of a piece of twilight for my girlfriend made by a famous literary man, Seno Gumira Ajidarma.
I send you a piece of twilight, not words of love. I sent him a soft piece of twilight with a real reddish sky and it was actually in the same state as when I took it when the sun was about to sink behind the horizon.
Right now, at the top of the Malimbu hill, I was silent in the void that was engulfing. The twilight that seemed so beautiful and perfect before me, yet in the recesses of my heart, there remained an unfilled void. I came here in the hope that dusk would heal the deep wounds caused by your loss. However, in reality, the presence of this twilight only further magnifies the pain in my heart, because without you, this twilight means nothing.
In this void, my consciousness deepened that no one could replace you, my Dila. This colorful and amazing twilight looks so small and insignificant compared to your presence that always fills every corner of my life. Without you, this twilight is just an empty shadow, unable to give the meaning or healing I had hoped for.
I remembered how beautiful the twilight we had seen together, when we shared stories and laughs by the beach. That twilight has such a deep meaning for us, because we fill that time with happiness and warmth together. Now, when dusk comes again, it just reminds me of your irreplaceable loss.
I knelt on the ground. It was like being trapped in a maze of darkness that was deepening, and this twilight was unable to lead me out of the situation that tormented me. How can I find peace in this twilight if you are no longer with me?
There are no words that can express how much I miss you, how much this miss melts my heart. This twilight is only a reflection of the loss I feel deeply, and I must learn to accept that no twilight will ever be as beautiful and meaningful as the twilight when with you, Dakah.
After the sun set behind the horizon, the sky turned into a blend of deep red and orange hues that exuded an irreplaceable beauty. I stepped slowly towards the Jeep car, letting the cool twilight wind wipe my face. The slowly fading twilight rays depicted the void in my increasingly surreal heart.
After arriving at the inn, I entered my room. Inside the room, a quiet atmosphere welcomed my arrival. I stepped into a simple yet comfortable room. The fragrant aroma of the fragrant oil spread in the air, creating a slightly calmer atmosphere. In the darkness that enveloped the room, I felt a deep physical and emotional exhaustion.
I placed my things carefully, letting my weight fall on the soft mattress. Thoughts about you still haunt my mind, but I try to get rid of it for a while. I decided to take a shower, removing any remnants of fatigue in my shackled body.
In a desolate and desolate state, I stepped out of the inn and returned to the restaurant I had been to this afternoon. The dim light of the lights highlighted the desolate streets, creating a distorted shadow at every corner. The seductive aroma of cooking greeted me as the door of the restaurant opened.
I looked at the woman who had been serving me, her eyes radiating warmth and a smile that adorned her face. "Excuse me?" I slowly said, trying to get his attention.
The woman turned her body gently, as if following the strains of my presence. "Oh, you were the one this afternoon. Can anyone help?" he mumbled softly.
"I want to order dinner, but I don't know the exact menu yet" I replied hesitantly.
The woman smiled a smile full of kindness, hinting that she understood my confusion. His voice softly rang out in my ear, "Are you not a Lombok man?"
The woman laughed. "Jude, let me pick the menu for you. You can wait at the dinner table,"
I followed in his footsteps, walking towards the dining table that awaited my presence. While I waited, my hand held my phone even though there was no signal available. However, I kept playing it, hoping that there was one signal bar on my phone.
After waiting for about 15 minutes that felt like a century, the woman's light steps approached me carrying a dish of food that caught my attention. His voice shook gently, "Sorry yes, long time ago. It's the food."
I smiled warmly, refusing to be bothered by the passing time. "Yes, it's okay."
Time placed the plate of food in front of me with great skill. "This is called Sate Bulayak, served with lontong. I'm sure you'll like it. The spices that blend in the beef pieces on this satay will arouse your appetite. Plus, Sate Bulayak seasoning is made from roasted peanuts cooked with coconut milk, giving it a flavor similar to curry seasoning. And the barrel is wrapped in palm leaves, giving it a special touch."
Hearing such a tempting description of the food, I couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. "I think it feels aesthetic!"
The woman chuckled softly, and with all our heart we chatted without any foreign taste anymore. "Oh yeah, we're so familiar but don't know each other's names yet. My name is Rinjani, you can call me Jani" he said kindly.
I just smiled at the woman's name, when she said Jani, I thought of Dila instead. “Name is similar mountain ya.”
“I also gor why he named Rinjani with the mother, when I asked why my name is the same as the name of the mountain. The mother said gini 'Mother or the right name for the mother's child, so the mother gave the name of what the mother remembered, and the coincidence that at that time the mother remembered was Mount Rinjani' so that's the origin of the name Rinjani.” Rinjani said as she told me the origin of her name which was sitting in front of her.
I just smiled to hear him tell a story to accompany my dinner. “Yaudah I call you Rin aja ya.”
“Why Rin?”
I just don't want Jani's name out of my mouth to call someone other than Dila herself, and even if that person is Jani, I will try to call him by another name. I know her name is Dila not Senjani or even Jani, she is also not Binta, nor is she a character in the novel KATA.
She was just an ordinary woman who entered my heart that was indeed unlocked, but after she left, she was still trapped in my heart.
“No papa si.” I just laughed a little to melt the atmosphere back then.
“Yaudah, you want to call me Rin or Jani no papa. Uh from earlier discussing who I keep your name?”
“I Deni, not too special si, but I like it.”
“Which original are you?”
“I am from Bogor, I came here for a holiday, but because there is no signal so it is difficult to use the GPS.”
“I already thought, you must be native outside this island, because from your style of speech does sound different, where are you going?”
“I also don't know where to go after this.”
“What are you doing here?”
“At the most weekly.”
Rinjani immediately offered herself to be my guide. "Well you still have six more days here, what if I become your guide to visit the tourist attractions here?"
I who just finished eating pondered for a moment, trying to understand the offer that Rinjani offered. "It's not troublesome? We just got to know..."
Rinjani smiled kindly. “That's it, I see you are alone here, so let me keep you here for one week, right not necessarily you know all the tourist attractions here?”
I muttered at the thought of the words from Rinjani just now. “Yaudah, if you do not feel in repotin same me, I accept your offer.”
After finishing eating and paying for my food, I left the Rinjani restaurant to return to the inn. “Yaudah Rin I went back to the inn first ya.”
Rinjani took me to the entrance of the restaurant. “Cautious.”
After parting ways with Rinjani, I stepped into the inn with heavy steps. The inn room was silent, and I felt a loneliness engulfing me. In that silence, I decided to ask the innkeeper for a WiFi password, hoping to connect with the world out there.
I walked towards the innkeeper who was sitting at the reception desk. "Excuse me, can I have a WiFi password?" I asked with a hoarse voice.
The innkeeper glanced at me and gave me a piece of paper with a WiFi password. I went back into the room, laid my body on the cold bed. With trembling hands, I clasped my phone and opened the WhatsApp app. My hope of finding the message from Dila still felt strong, but empty. No new messages from him.
As if drawn to the past, I look around at our photos from High School. Dila's familiar face still adorns every image, reminding me of the wonderful memories we shared. I could not help the bitter smile that flashed on my lips. We were close, that's how it is, but the course of life has taken us so far.
Tonight, my mind was constantly floating on Dila. The unspoken longing felt deeper and deeper, and finally, the fatigue was embracing me. In deep sleep, I was swept away in memory, looking at our photo at the August 17th Event.
