Even & Odd

01

The street was crowded by student traffic in gray white uniforms. The school bell was ringed 10 minutes ago, obviously the street is now crowded. Some come out alone some are with their friends. Some want to go straight home, some want to play first to a friend's house, or maybe to a tongkrongan place. Let it be their business.

Here, Fersya was waiting for his twin who was cleaning up his stationery. While waiting he plays his cellphone to eliminate loneliness. Tetiba was sitting next to him, ah look at the end of his shoes he already knew who this person sitting next to him was. It is not necessary for him to look over or greet her, too pleasant-natured.

"Why not wait in the room?" ask the person next to him.

"It's also customary to wait here" he replied indifferently, and there was no reply.

Apparently after he turned his head to the side, that person was already absent. Must have gone into Bantuin Farsya, his mind. Not wanting to take a headache, he just continued playing the game. Until they both left the class.

He saw the clock on his watch, it's been 15 minutes since the bell went home. Seeing his twin brother who came out with the person beside him earlier, he immediately left them first.

"Fer, be patient dong! Your twin brother's time is left behind." Niko's grumbling with a small blow was pushed back by Farsya. Yes, he was the one sitting next to her earlier, he was the twins' little best friend.

"Gue Keinget wants to stop by somewhere first, so first." tell them behind him without looking at him one bit. Tetiba, he stopped and looked back.

"Oh yes, Far. Tell Mama, I came home probably finished maghrib. Later let me say to Mama directly where I'm going," pause a few seconds, because he saw the face of his twin brother was pale.

Is the asthma recurring? Her thought.

It makes Fersya feel guilty because it was sick with Farsya.

"mending you immediately rest right until home, do not wait for me." he continued. After that he turned around again and headed towards the school gate.

After Fersya disappeared from their sight, Niko asked, "Lo again marahan with Fersya?" Farsya simply smiled in return. He knew why Fersya's attitude could be like that to him, which was because he could not freely choose his own desires because of him.

Next week there is a school event, which is Persami. Farsya had never participated in Persami because of this acute asthma disease. Actually it is not a problem if Farsya is not too tired during the activity. But, said his friends Persami is a lot of activities and that would make tired. That is why his mother always did not allow Farsya to come, for fear of something happening to him.

And that also affects Fersya. The reason his mother did not allow Fersya to come along was so that he did not feel alone on Saturday and Sunday, so that he did not feel jealous of Fersya who could join Persami.

To be honest this is not fair to Fersya, but if Fersya is allowed to come, maybe Farsya will think the same that this is also unfair to him. Therefore, when his mother did not allow him to just be quiet, even though in his heart he constantly apologized to his twin brother.

It may sound simple to others, even his friends prefer not to join Persami. Although it has been told a thousand times by his friend that Persami is not as good as imagined, but still Farsya will not be satisfied if he has not felt for himself how it feels to join Persami.

And he felt, that was also what Fersya felt. Did he just let Fersya come to Persami, leave himself alone on Saturday and Sunday, leaving him envious of his own twin brother? Or is he just being selfish like before?

***

Did Fersya say that? Stop by for a second, stop by where? He just doesn't know where to go, where to say Maghrib just came home, while it's still at half-four. Where to wait until Maghrib? Stupid is this Fersya.

Now all he does is walk, well just follow the path. He will follow his instincts to move where, let him go as far as possible. Until his feet are tired of stepping.

He walked for half an hour, and he didn't know where he was. A few steps in front of him was a garden, lucky that Fersya's feet were also tired, he decided to enter the park and sit in one of the gazebos.

The park is very crowded with children. Some play seesaw, swings, slides and so on. Perhaps by seeing children play can be an alternative for him to wait until Maghrib arrives. Oh, he forgot to call his mom if he'd come home late.

"Assynolt, ma? Eca came home from Maghrib yes, because there is a short business with the same temen."

Fersya's nickname is the same as his parents were Eca because it was difficult when he was a child to mention the name Fersya and for the nickname Farsya, namely Aca. No one called the twins except their parents.

"Waalaikumussalam, yes. She also said it was the same Mama. Then go home be careful, baby." Reply Mama.

No questions for him? One, the door in my heart.

"Hm, yes. Okay, ma, yes first. Assalamualaikum,"

"Mosur."

Fersya sighed after her mother hung up the phone. Can't his mother ask more questions about him, whether there is any business, with whom, where and so on. Whatever it was, but none of those questions came out of Mama's mouth earlier. The more lazy he went home.

Actually the main reason why Fersya is lazy to go home is permission to join Persami. Yesterday at school when there was a notification that Persami will be held one more week to make Fersya happy, who knows this opportunity will be realized because he is already in 12th grade. Last chance.

But everything went as it was, for whatever reason his mother remained unchanged and finally made him sulk until now. Either his mother did not know the truth or pretended not to know that he was sulking.

Couldn't Mama care about Fersya's opinions and feelings just a little? Fersya is rarely able to do things as he wishes. His mother only cared about Farsta as if her son was one. Her twins are like this.

Does Fersya have to be like Farsya before only Mama cares about him?

His stomach now rang, he was hungry. But too lazy to find a foodie or stop by the stall ahead. Too tired to walk again, even if only a few steps.

Then, he saw a little boy standing behind the gazebo not far from him. The boy was staring at the children playing. He saw the boy carrying a plastic containing food.

"Dad! The guy with the plastic!" call Fersya. May the plastic be filled with food and sold, her mind.

The boy came over, "Eh, yes, brother? Brother want to buy?"

Hearing that made her happy, because what she expected turned into real, "What do you sell food for?"

"Cockcrow cassava chips, there is a taste of pedes, cheese, the same sweet corn kak. Which brother want?" ask the child enthusiastically, because maybe this brother will buy the sale.

"Hm, I want two cheeses."

"This is my brother." He gave the cassava chips to Fersya. Then Fersya also gave some money that might be too big for the price of the cassava chips. He handed the money back to Fersya.

"My first buyer's brother, so I don't have any change for my sister's money. No smaller money?"

"Nothing, take the money for you. Count on your snacks." pause for a moment.

"Oh yes, if it's a tucker just the money to the stall so that later if there are more buyers and the money is big, you can go back" he continued.

"But, sis..."

"Udah is fine." he replied while patting the boy's shoulder.

The boy smiled happily and thanked me. Afterwards he left by running towards a stall that was not too far from the park. Maybe he wanted to exchange money like he said.

When he was busy eating cassava chips that he just bought, tetiba alone was sitting next to him. Regardless of who was sitting next to him, he continued to eat cassava chips, because he was really hungry now.

"Blooding from home?"

"Huh?" reply while coughed for choking on his cassava chips. Because not only is he the one who talks, but also the questions that make him speechless. Never thought that someone who had met him for the first time would ask such a thing.

He only raised his two eyebrows, as if asking 'what is my question wrong?'

"You mean?" asked Fersya while grunting.

"Lo Fersya, right?" what does this man mean, and why he knows his name.

"Where do you know my name?"

"Who doesn't know the only twin students at Sebangsa High School?"

"Lo the country boy too?" asked Fersya again who ended up nodding.

Out of curiosity he asked the same person next to him again while eating his cassava chips again, "Why can you assume I ran away from home?"

He did not immediately answer, his face displayed a thoughtful expression but it was obvious that it was made up.

"Hm, because this is not your home area, and the only male student who lives in this area is just me. That's the first one. Second, you do not know me, and still wear school uniform anyway, that's what I sympulin if you run away from home." he explained at length. Again Fersya asked inwardly 'where does he know his home area?'.

"Lo stalker huh?" the question from Fersya made the person giggle amusedly. After easing his coolness he looked at Fersya.

"My name is Aries. Call me Aris. I live in the front alley there," he said, pointing at the alley across the park.

Fersya looked at him in wonder, no matter the view he continued he railed, "if you want to find my house, ask the citizens there, they all know me. And if you have no purpose other than your house, while lo again males to go home. This park, me and my house will be open to you. Yes, yes, I've been looking for me in front of the alley."

Pause for a moment, this Aries-named person looked at him and he replied with one eyebrow raised. Then, Aries chuckled. It's getting weird that Fersya saw it.

"Bye Fersya."

Fersya looked at the walking back leaving him with a question mark.