Flavour Bias
Back To The River
Yesterday, Mama, Aunt Ira, Om Hasa, Kak Rasya and Kak Priska as well as their two children came home as scheduled. This morning I decided to go back to yesterday. No one cares, including Iyash. After all, I have no other way to engage myself than by swimming. When I jumped off the top I felt free, all the negative shackles in my mind and heart were blown away, even though after I came back I had to be able to keep myself sane.
When I was busy swimming, I was surprised by a man who had not noticed me since when.
But then the man approached. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just happened to pass.” He then crouched down and reached out “Kevin.”
I was still in the water, but I still welcomed him, there was no harm because I myself needed a friend to be able to chat with. Someone might not understand my problem.
“Icha.”
“Hai, Icha.”
I smile.
“Mau up,” bargain.
I'm nodding. He pulled my hand and helped me land. We sat on a boulder under a shady pohong, while our feet were submerged in river water. His palm was open under my clothes dripping with water.
“Original people here?” ask Kevin.
“Not, I am from Jakarta,” I replied as I shifted and Kevin smiled as he stopped his silly behavior of holding water dripping from my clothes.
“I'm from Bandung.”
“Oh, what are you doing here?”
“Sit. Alienating with a woman who is swimming.”
My forehead frowned. I think there's something wrong with that guy.
“You alone?”
“Cuman streets.”
“Oh. Streets.” He repeated my answer.
“My parents have a villa here and I stayed with my friend for some time. You yourself here live where?”
“In the settlement of citizens.”
“Swimming in the wild like this, are you not afraid of bad people? Or maybe you think everyone is good?”
I smiled snidely as I shook my feet in the water.
“I'm serious, you're not afraid?”
“Even I was scared all day at home,” I replied. “Tas what is it?” I switched the conversation.
He looked at the bag I was pointing at. “To support hobbies.”
“Hobi?”
He's nodding. Shortly after, he brought out a canvas and a brush. “I love to paint, but these few days I lost inspiration.”
“Hmm. Why?”
He poured paint into the pellet. “You're still SMA?” tanyanya while stirring the paint with a brush.
“If I said married you probably wouldn't believe.”
He even laughed. “If people here maybe yes, but city people are impossible. Usually the women in big cities do not need men.” He then looked at my chest for a while, then turned to face. “Can I paint you?”
Instantly I shook my head. Then jump back into the water.
“Okay, it's okay. But, tomorrow we can still meet, ‘kan?”
I'm shaking. I wish I didn't see him again. Honestly my feeling is that she is more scary than Sister Iyash, let alone that she wants to paint me, maybe she likes to draw naked women.
“Then I will wait for you, until you finish swimming.”
“So I saw you jump from there so beautifully, will you repeat it again, later I will paint it on my own head.”
“I swim for the pleasure of myself, not for others to enjoy,”.
“Masa anyway? Not that city people like to show what the villagers do not?”
My heart is breaking and I think he's completely insane. Especially when he was sitting cross-legged on a rock with both hands resting on his chin. Where there are healthy men who behave like that, especially in women who have just met.
“Kevin,” call me calm, even though I'm actually scared. “I want to go home, it's too late.”
He looked at his watch. “Ah, you are right this is almost dzuhur.”
I smiled clumsyly. “Mana view.”
He lowered his hand and I could see that the watch he was wearing was dead. I can only wet my throat.
“You want me to help you ride?”
If I refused, he would get angry and hurt me.
I took her hand and she helped me get back on the ground. I saw the man carrying his bag, while I put on my shoes.
“No dry clothes?” tanyakanya.
I'm shaking. “Let's also dry yourself,” answered me while getting up, then walk first.
“Villaku is not far from here,” he said as he walked behind me. “If you want, can stop by while drying clothes.”
I'm back to wet my throat. “Lain times,” I said as I turned my head.
“Why not now, my dear. Though I want to see it.” He looked back at my chest. When he reached out to grab me, I quickly parried him.
“Oh, you like a different way,” chuckle the man..
I immediately kicked him until he fell into the water because he had no defense standing on the rock. Unfortunately, he fell into a shallow place. I quickly ran before he got on and chased me. The screech was too loud until I was horrified by the echo of his voice.
He kept shouting my name. Horrible, I regret meeting that man. I kept running and as much as possible avoided the short branches of the tree.
Suddenly I forgot, where is the way out of this forest? When there was a big tree, I hid behind it. From here I can hear his breath. My heart was getting scared.
“A long time ago I did not see a beautiful melon.” She sings. “Oh melon.”
I gasp as someone smothers my mouth from behind. Both my eyes were festering, I tried to rebel, but she held my body. “Do not move much, there is a snake near your head,” whispered the man.
My chest rumbles. Maybe the other day when I was lost, there were actually a lot of animals, it's just that I didn't realize it and maybe there were other humans who also saw me, could it be, ‘kan?
I don't know who the guy behind me is, I wish it wasn't Kevin, or some other bad guy.
“Marissa.” Suddenly I heard someone calling my name. “Marissa!” just like Brother Iyash.
I raised my head and actually I didn't see any snakes or anything in there. I tried to make contact with the man who was holding me back earlier. When he pulled me off, I immediately ran in the other direction, however, Kevin blocked my steps.
“Hai, Icha.”
While behind me was that guy, I don't know who, maybe he was actually Kevin's friend, too.
“Please,” my shout.
The two men laughed and continued to approach. “Sur, wet make mine stand.”
“Crazy you.”
I bent over as Kevin was about to catch me, then turned around and kicked him on the back until he fell on his friend.
I kept running, I don't know where. Obviously I forgot my way out of here. I guess the voice I thought, Brother Iyash, maybe it was just my delusion, is it because I expected him to come back as a hero?
