Not a Substitute

I3 High School Magician

Dafa drives a strawberry-laden car to the supermarket. At the Dafa supermarket drop off the goods. He then invited Kiran to buy ice cream as he had promised.

Kiran initially stabbed her ice cream but it fell out of her hand when she saw her boyfriend being alone with another teenage girl. Kiran approached her lover. “Kak ..”

“Kii ..” The atmosphere became awkward. “I want us to break up. I can't LDR with you.”

“Kan Sis who said that Sister will wait for me.”

“I'm sorry, Ki.” Kiran's lover leaves Kiran with her new lover. Kiran was crying on the way home. 

“I shouldn't have come here. My boyfriend broke up with me.” Kiran continued to cry even though she had arrived home. 

Mama Dafa was angry. “Dafa! You are Kiran? Where did you take Kiran to cry like this?”

“Dafa is okay Kiran, Ma.”

“Boong! Kiran is still a teenager if she is pregnant now.” Mama Dafa was thinking too much. He thought that Dafa had desecrated Kiran.

“Dafa is okay Kiran, Ma.”

“Mama to ask Kiran.” Mama Dafa was about to head to Kiran's room.

“Do not, Ma. Let Kiran cry as much.“ Dafa refused to explain the details of the story.

“Good. But if Kiran is pregnant, you have to marry her right away no need to wait next year.”

Dafa went into his room. He saw Kiran still crying. Ki, don't you like me? Do you love your girlfriend more? I'm hurt too, Ki.

The day they went to school. Kiran's eyes looked swollen from crying all night.

“Dafa, did you hear your wife last night?” seductive friends of Dafa. 

While Kiran's female friends approached Kiran. “You were hit by Dafa? Later I hit him back,” said Kiran's big girlfriend. He has prepared his fist.

“Trus why your eyes can be puffy rich gini?”

If Kiran had just broken up, the news would have spread quickly. So, he just shut up.

Kiran's swollen eyes slowly deflated. He must accept everything. Break his love and his match. His life in the village was not as bad as he had imagined. What makes Kiran feel at home is the cuisine of Dafa mama whose ingredients are taken from the soil in the village. 

The people there share with each other. The one who plants the carrot will give it to the other inhabitants. And potato farmers too. They always get fresh vegetables with a barter system.

In the greenhouse.

“Halo, Papa's son. Papa's son looks beautiful today. Growing big, yes.” Dafa said his greetings and praised the strawberries he planted. 

“Dafa crazy. Plants are invited to talk. They have no ears. They can't hear.”

“They can't hear. But they can feel it. I read in a book. There used to be research on this.

Praised plants look more fertile while plants that are always climbed become withered. Weird, right? But real. Humans also like to be praised. People also like to be sad when insulted. If I praise you beautiful, you like it too, right?”

“But I am beautiful.” Kiran praised herself.

They smile together.

Kiran commended the strawberries. 

Days pass. At Kiran and Dafa school a class was held. Every student can show me something.

Kiran sat on the spectator bench in the hall. Soon Dafa will be on stage.

“Now we will see the appearance of Dafa. Give a standing ovation,” said the host who is also a Dafa classmate. The students applauded.

Dafa came wearing a black suit. He looks so cool. He looks like a magician.