CHASING ILLUSIONS

REUNITED

"In the perspective of the city streets, that's where we meet again, look back and joke again, even if only limited to friends."

~Anindya Wulandari

~0~0~

This afternoon the sun seemed to be in a rage. It stings every layer on this earth. The heat blows slowly, sweeping away the dust of the streets, lifting them up to form a gray lump on the clouds. Cigarette smoke and air pollution make the atmosphere more heated. From the perspective of the road, a girl is busy making her fingers dance on her laptop keyboard. That girl is none other than Anindya.

"Anne!" call a girl who just arrived. Anindya looked up her head and smiled at the girl, "Hi, Alleta! Sit down!" pinta Anindya to the girl. With a swift sit the girl in front of Anindya's chair, her hand plucked Anindya's fries, then ate them. Anindya was just in a hurry to see the behavior of her best friend who never changed. For a moment, his gaze fell back on his laptop monitor. Immediately the girl returned to playing the keyboard tones with her fingers. Stringing word by word until it becomes a sebit alphabet. Alleta looked in wonder at her best friend, Anindya was crazy to write but her best friend never ignored the person who was with her for the sake of writing.

"You got a problem, Nin?" ask Alleta right on target.

Anindya shook her head, "Not a big deal," she replied without taking her eyes off her laptop. Alleta scrunched her forehead. It was clear from Anindya's face that the girl was hiding something.

"Maybe you forgot, Nin, if your best friend is studying at a psychologist, so don't lie to me!" alleta said while plucking Anindya's fries and eating them.

Anindya raised her head while exhaling her breath slowly. He forgot that who was sitting in front of him was a student majoring in psychology who had entered semester 4. It was absolutely impossible for him to lie to this girl before him.

"So, why?" ask Alleta.

"I broke up with Rifki," replied Anindya weakly. His eyes shot blankly towards the city's perspective, "Again and again I caught him with another woman who was much prettier than me. I don't know who he is, I don't know either. To be sure, my trust has been shattered for him" he continued, sipping his cappuccino. "Today night after work I met him, and he was covering for a woman. I don't know what's wrong with me, Ta? Until he betrays me like this."

A drop of hair fell back on the face of this beautiful girl. His memories with Rifki turned around again. Every laugh, every joke they made, every persuasion and everything that made him feel like he was the happiest, was still clearly recorded in the memory locker. Although everything was just a trick and ended up in the same wound. Honestly speaking, in her little heart Anindya still loved that man very much.

Hearing that, Alleta immediately took a position beside Anindya. He deftly stretched out his hand, embracing and stroking the fragile shoulders of Anindya. Alleta knew exactly what Anindya was feeling, because she also had time to feel it. The difference, Alleta only felt that once, while Anindya many times.

"I'm tired, Ta. I am tired of constantly being hurt by Rifki," Anindya said amid the sobs of her increasingly loud cries.

"I know what you're feeling right now, Nin. I've been in your position, too, but you can't keep getting rich, Nin. You have to get up and open your eyes, many love you and many want to see you happy. Now imagine, if you were like this, what would be the fate of your mother? How's your future? You don't want to disappoint me, your mother, your sister and the others, do you?" ask Alleta.

Anindya shook her head softly, "I can't possibly do that, Ta. You know for yourself, right? You are like my life and death" replied Anindya.

"Then you must rise. Forget everything that's made you sick and start a new beginning that will make you happy."

Anindya wiped her tears, then reviewed a sweet stump that could amaze everyone when she saw it. His determination was already strong now, he should not be weak. He must be strong, for himself, for his family and for his best friend.

"That's a smile!" exciting Alleta. "If you're sad you don't deserve to know, Nin! Your fierce face was not pantes to mellow kayak earlier!" continued.

"Damn it!" anindya, then they laughed together. This afternoon their time was up to joke and chat. Only with her best friend like this could Anindya forget all her pain and burden.

~0~0~

This afternoon the sky is clear. The wind gushed softly, whispering tranquility. The blue sky is turning orange. The city park was filled with poets who fell in love with the night. Likewise with Bagaskara, this man is really excited if he talks about twilight. With a piece of paper and a pen in his hand, the man faced the horizon. A smile ceaselessly adorned the man's face. Unasked, the man played his pen so skillfully on paper. Scratch it, until it is no longer empty. Stringing word by word to form a verse of poetry.

^^^SAPAAN ORANGE^^^

^^^BAGASKARA ADI WIJAYA^^^

^^^Sore this orange menapaku^^^

^^^Waving among the blue sky slowly blackened^^^

^^^Give me a sweet grin that awaits you^^^

^^^Jingga ....^^^

^^^Your sweet face is canduku^^^

^^^Soft is your voice although sometimes hoarse^^

^^^Layaknya gulls that sing cheerfully^^^

^^^Although time is getting darker, but not with you, Jingga^^

^^^02/10/2020^^^

"Excuse me, can I sit here?" tanyakanya. The girl simply nodded without distracting her from the streets of the city.

"Sipping a glass of coffee while watching orange, is it also your habit, Nin?" ask Bagaskara again. Hearing her name being called, the girl immediately turned her head towards her voice. A smile was engraved on his face when he found Bagaskarah who was now sitting beside him.

"Yes. Sometimes I also make an orange as my object and he as my delusion" Anindya replied. His hand held a diary and a pen. The book contains poems by Anindya.

"Well! It turns out I'm not the only one like that! This means I'm not weird like a lot of people say, right?"

Anindya scrunched her forehead, "Any? Nah! I think it's special, Bagaskara! There are not many men who fall in love with the characters, even in this day and age men are more looking at the physical than the series of characters and faithfulness that are arranged so neatly. They don't care about promises and deny them, it's very sad" he said.

Bagaskara looked at Anindya inside. He's not a psychologist or anything. He was just an ordinary writer and poet, but from the look in the eyes and tone of the girl's speech, Bagaskara knew that the girl was fragile. No matter what the cause, Anindya's eyes were different from the time they first met and when they were in the cafe, Anindya was much more cheerful unlike today. Perhaps, this girl was hiding the wound behind her smile, but she failed to do that in front of Bagaskara.

The afternoon breeze gently caressed the trees. Adding to the calm and cool impression this afternoon. Anindya turned her eyes away from Bagaskara's gaze, she was nervous about being stared that deep by men like Bagaskara. The girl lowered her head, opened her diary and tried to focus on stringing up word for word for the twilight impression this afternoon.

^^^PESAN SENJA FOR ME^^^

^^^Lianindya^

^^^Playung orange at the horizon waving at the body that is almost sprawled^^^

^^^My view swept the brown footing^^^

^^^Siluet sweet collided there^^^

^^^While the wind whispered softly, as if hugging tightly a reluctant heart rises^^^

^^^From the same wound more and more gaping each time remember it^^^

^^^Even so that the orange itself plays its role^^^

^^^Bengisnya telaga also skitanya^^^

^^^Lisan kelu, like seagulls that run out of sound^^^

^^^Leaving a shadow that slowly disappears^^

^^^Together the twilight is getting down and then disappearing^^^

^^^ As if giving a message, that everything is mortal including human love^^^

^^^02 OCTOBER 2020^^^

Bagaskara peeked at the network Anindya said. A sunging came back up on his face. Anindya's series of poems are truly beautiful, though perhaps a wound is tucked inside.

"Your poetry is cool" he said.

Anindya blushed in embarrassment at the compliment. His cheeks were red like a boiled crab, even butterflies were flying in his stomach. Somehow, he had received praise like this from many people, but this time he felt that the praise was so special. Is it because the man who praised her is special too? Anindya shook her head slowly, realizing her wild imagination and hyperbole. Being happy when praised is very common.

"It seems like daydreaming is also your habit, or maybe your hobby?" ask Bagaskara.

"No! Just yummy! If most daydreams I can go later!" anindya replied while jokingly trying to melt the atmosphere. Hearing that Bagaskara laughed, it turns out that besides being good at writing, the girl in front of him is also good at making jokes. "Yes, who knows, you like to daydream and then imagine and write" said Bagaskara.

"Dreaming and writing are true, but not by daydreaming!" anindya.

"Who knows, besides being friends with the characters you are also friends with astral beings in your daydreams" Bagaskara replied.

"About, You!" exclaimed Anindya while throwing a fierce look at Bagaskara. Seeing that Bagaskara just laughed. The sound of her laughter sounded so melodious in Anindya's ears, making her instantly forget about all her pain.

This afternoon, at the end of the twilight that slowly fell and disappeared, Bagaskara and Anindya spent time chatting lightly and joking. A moment to release the burden and arrears of their script. For the first time, after the destruction of her family, Anindya laughed loosely and it was because of Bagaskara, the man she had not long known.

~0~0~

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