LOVE STRATA 1

CS1 Paints a Crescent Moon Smile

Night came with millions of charms. The stars are scattered, blinking spoiled, and looking beautiful. The full moon no longer reigned, only the glowing crescent moon appeared. What a clear night, without clouds blocking the view to the sky.

The lighting in the village is not too dim. Every house has bright lights. It's just that, along the street area there is still a dim view, because the distance of the houses there is quite far. When the road passes through planting fields, it will be minimal to find lighting lights. Some houses even still use torches to illuminate the front yard of his house. The sight of the torches is so common in the village of Anjani.

"Still warm the cake. Don't forget to say thank you for your cucumber ma this afternoon, yes. Be careful on the road" Ma said, giving her a box of biscuits.

"Yes, Ma. Uh, Mel. Wanna come with me?" ask Anjani.

"No, deh! I want to be taught how to make a bow. Hihi, it's okay you're alone, right?" ask Meli to make sure.

"okay, deh. I'll go first, yeah. Eit, don't get wiped out. Other for other friends. Da!" pamit Anjani's.

Ma's friend's house isn't too far away. Anjani just casually walk and do not feel anxious even though the night was quiet people passing by. Anjani village is notoriously safe, and crime is rare. That's why Anjani dared to just go out the house at night.

After delivering the cake to Ma's friend, Anjani did not go home. He took a moment to walk. Six months abroad is enough to make him miss the atmosphere of his village. Some things have changed, such as paint the walls of neighboring houses, wooden fences of houses, as well as post-kamling substations, there is a change in terms of color and size of claps. Of all the things that seem to change, some remain the same. The swing of the cherry tree that Anjani and his friends visited this afternoon, the swing of the cherry tree that had existed even before Anjani was born was still the same.

Ah, so want to play on the swing again, huh! inner Anjani.

Anjani has been walking around for twenty minutes. Feeling tired, Anjani stopped for a while near one of the star fruit trees that grew outside the fence of one of the villagers' houses. Anjani raised his head to look at the starlings that had mostly grown on his tree. Yellowish star fruit looks tempting Anjani's eyes, to make her smile herself imagine the sweet and fresh taste.

"You want to help starving, huh?" ask someone whose voice Anjani is very familiar with.

Anjani was actually happy to hear that voice, because it was Mario's voice. However, the gerrymandering of hearing the accusation made Anjani reluctant to turn back or even greet his presence.

"If you really want to help me guide, here I help! We help each other," said Mario suddenly.

"Eh, don't just talk, yeah!" anjani said while turning around.

Just when Anjani turned around, a white rose immediately thrust Mario. Eliminate the moment of arrogance in his heart. The white rose that Mario offered was able to improve his mood to be happy again. However, when Anjani was about to take a sprig of white roses, suddenly Mario kept it away from the hands of Anjani who had lived just a few centimeters from the flower stalk.

"Eh, would I take it and get shunned, anyway? No intention of giving?" ask Anjani. Feeling smitten by Mario, his heart was back in crap.

"No, I'm just showing off!" mario said with a smile.

"Eh, meaning?" tanya Anjani did not understand.

"I got a white rose from a villager. That, whose house paints yellow!" point Mario to one of the houses.

"So that rose wasn't for me?" ask Anjani again.

"Of course not," replied Mario while still smiling.

Shame ...! batin Anjani.

Anjani had mistakenly thought that the white rose that Mario was proposing would be given to her. In fact, Mario just wanted to show off. In order to overcome her embarrassment, Anjani laughed to herself and then pointed towards the crescent moon in the sky.

Mario stood beside Anjani, and looked at the crescent moon. Mario also enjoys the charm of the crescent moon that accompanies millions of stars in the sky there. A moment later, Mario's hand lifted and made a motion like he was painting.

Anjani noticed Mario's hand movements. He asked Mario.

"What meda?" ask Anjani.

"Painting a smile on the face of the crescent moon. Try it!" tell Mario.

Although I do not understand what it is for, but Anjani also tried it. His hands moved slowly and painted a smile on the crescent moon. The former painting that he had carved on the face of the moon, of course, can only be recorded in memory. Miraculously, suddenly Anjani's smile expands.

"So ..the purpose of painting that crescent moon smile is to make the painter smile too, huh?" ask Mario Anjani.

"Yes. Try painting it again when your heart is sad, Anjani." Mario said while still looking towards the crescent moon.

Anjani watched Mario who was smiling watching the painting of the smile he had carved on the crescent moon. Anjani feels that Mario really enjoys it, as if the smile painting can have a big impact on his life.

"Did you often paint a smile when there was a moon?" ask Anjani.

"Yes, especially when sad" said Mario.

Anjani immediately fell back to hear it. Anjani's laughter so suddenly of course makes Mario amazed.

"It turns out people as cold as you can be sad too?" asked Anjani while holding back her laughter.

"So that's what makes you laugh, huh?" mario said, and then he laughed. "Of course Anjani. It is up to people to judge me cold, indifferent, and less fun to be friends with. It's up to them. And ...everyone must have been sad because they had feelings. Including me," explained Mario later.

Anjani muses over Mario's words while staring at the crescent moon. Instantly he returned smiling. Dissolved in the charm of the moon and a light conversation with Mario, Anjani until unaware that he had left home too long.

"You'd better get back to your house soon" said Mario.

"Yes, surely Ma and Meli are waiting for me. Uh, what about you? Remember the road to Juno's house? If you forget let me take you." Anjani tries to offer Mario, as they are currently in a village Mario has never visited.

"My intelligence cannot be doubted, Anjani. I remember the way to Juno's house." Mario asserts with confidence.

"Yes-yes. Believe, deh. Okay, I'll take my leave first. Da!" pamit Anjani's.

"Eh, don't you help starving, will you?" mario asked a little scream.

"I didn't hear. Da!" anjani.

Mario smile. He kept watching Anjani leave. When he was about to look back at the crescent moon, suddenly someone patted his shoulder.

"Hey, Bro!" greet Ken.

Mario was not surprised. He's been aware of Ken's whereabouts since a few minutes ago. Ken accidentally hides behind another tree while waiting for Anjani to come home.

"It seems more and more familiar with Anjani. A crush?" ask Ken.

"Aren't we all on vacation here friends, Ken?" ask Mario. Not the answer he gave Ken, but a question.

"Yes, anyway. But a lot of friends are in love," Ken replied as he patted Mario on the shoulder.

"Say! What followed me here" asked Mario to let Ken explain.

Mario looks serious this time. He memorized it, Ken wouldn't have caught up with him if there wasn't something important.

Ken immediately reached into the pocket of the gray hoodie he was wearing at the time. Apparently Ken pulled out a smartphone. Not Ken's smartphone, but Mario's. When saying goodbye to the streets earlier Mario left his smartphone in the room.

"Alenna keeps calling" Ken said, handing over Mario's smartphone.

Mario checks the smartphone screen. It had 5 unread messages and 5 missed calls, and all of them were from Alenna.

"Eh, don't you want to reply to the message first, or call?" ask Ken. He was surprised to see Mario who immediately turned off his smartphone.

"No. Come on, let's go back to Juno's house!" take Mario.

Ken does not understand Mario's attitude. It's been a few years Mario's attitude is still the same, no matter Alenna. However, Ken is reluctant to bring up the leverage or ask further. Ken values Mario as his best friend. Even if Mario chooses to keep a secret, Ken will respect it.

***

Anjani leisurely walked towards her home. From a distance, he saw Meli pacing around his yard like she was in a panic. Seeing that, Anjani rushed up to him.

"Tranj ...! Well, from anywhere, anyway! Long gone!" meli Protest.

"I'm from painting a smile on a crescent moon face, Mel." Anjani said frankly.

For a moment, Meli fell silent and tried to digest Anjani's explanation. The longer he thought, the more he did not understand.

"Oh, I think it's actually Ma said, deh. You're out of work, aren't you? That's why I dig gini. Aye, right?" tanya Meli confirmed Ma's allegations a few minutes ago, when Anjani did not return home.

"Thunder? Ngawur, here! Anybody wants to get rid of my cake, Meli!" anjani.

"Ahaha, so not scuttered, huh? Yauda, quickly meet Ma in the kitchen. Get ready to hear the lecture because of your long journey. The spirit!" Meli.

"Ah, Ma!"

***

In town, Alenna is at Mario's house. He sat alone at the dinner table. Though there have been various kinds of delicious food menu, but the food is budgeted. The spoon that he had been holding, was repeatedly stuck into fried chicken on one of the dishes.

Alenna was lashing out because her messages and voice calls were not responded to by Mario. Initially before the table food was in session, Alenna continued to chatter and originally confided in the cook's aunt and security at Mario's house. Alenna says she wants to see Mario soon. The cook's aunt and the security guard were up to the hassles of responding to Alenna's whining. After the cook's aunt persuaded Alenna to eat, Alenna immediately vented everything on the fried chicken on the plate, being stabbed dozens of times.

"Oh, Mario! You have heart!" Alenna.

***