Secret Alit

Arlo

The day of the inter-school painting exhibition finally arrived. As planned, I wear a mama kebaya that has been modified according to the size and model I want. I feel I should be excited as the most junior committee. Fortunately, most of the upperclassmen from my school as well as from other schools, were all good. There is no difference in age or feeling most senior.

Not felt, the last day of the exhibition had arrived. At the three-day exhibition, I made some new friends. Most of them are already 3rd grade High School, among others Arlo, Aciel, and Jaya. They are from another High School. At first, I called them "sister". But as it turns out, they prefer to be called by me without any frills that indicate seniority.

Once, at the painting exhibition, Arlo stood for a long time looking at an abstract painting. Visitors were not so crowded at the time. My work is a bit relaxed. I approached Arlo and stood beside him.

"Astract painting does not present a concrete subject, so it can bring our minds to wander freely without limits" I said

He looked towards me. Probably astonished by my babbling. I might also be considered a child and geeky, so I didn't expect to be able to utter that sentence.

"Good wander free!" I said with a smile to see his face that was still confused, then moved to another place.

The exhibition ended in the afternoon. After finishing clearing the exhibition room, I saw Arlo was still in the abstract painting. I walked near him. The painting he saw was bargained for a fairly expensive price by a collector.

"Well, brother? Uh, sorry, habit of calling brother. It's like it's rude to just call names" I said.

"Neverything, Alit. Call Arlo, let's get stiff. Yes, I love this abstract painting, although I don't know what it means" Arlo replied.

In the eyes of ordinary people, the painting only looks like a streak of colorful color on all sides of its canvas. Not everyone can grasp the meaning. However, many people are fond of abstract paintings, because they can determine their meaning according to their respective subjectivity.

"I know a little bit about painting. Before the exhibition started, I read a lot of references from the internet. At least I have a little knowledge. But in my opinion, to determine the meaning of a painting, it depends on the eyes of the viewer. So everything is subjective, it cannot be taken for granted" I said.

When I was chosen by the principal, I was diligent in finding material as reading material about the history of the development of the flow of painting. So at least I can answer if any visitors ask.

This abstract painting made by a 2nd grader from my school became the beginning of my closeness with Arlo. During the exhibition, Arlo and his two friends come to the event every day. They are happy to meet new friends. But, it was only on the last day of the exhibition that I was able to chat a lot with Arlo.

After a long chat, I realized that the sky was getting dark. So, I need to get home quickly. Seeing that I was getting ready to go home, Arlo offered to take me home. Since it turns out our house is in the same direction, I also agreed to Arlo's offer.

"You go home first, I want to take Alit," said Arlo when approached by Aciel and Jaya.

I was so confused Arlo said, without further ado or embarrassment. I just shut up. I do feel safe when walking with Arlo, like walking with a sister. At least that's what I had in mind, because the truth is I don't have an older brother. I only have one older sister, Sister Luni.

After the closing of the exhibition, Arlo's two friends finally go home first. I just found out, Arlo's not in school with Aciel and Jaya. They are friends because their homes are close together.

That afternoon, I went home at about 6 and a half. Arlo starts to turn on his old motorbike which seems to ride.

"Yuk, up," said Arlo as soon as the bike was on.

Plus, today I am very tired after three busy days as a committee. I had to go back and forth to take care of the event. Not to mention, there was also an upperclassman who asked me to help with his duties. But I'm very happy to be part of that committee. I have gained a lot of valuable new experiences.

Arriving at my house, I invited Arlo to stop by. Incidentally, there was a grandmother on the front porch.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," said Arlo greeting grandma.

"Sir, this is Arlo, Alit's friend," I introduced Arlo to Grandma.

Hearing me call her 'grandmother', Arlo seemed embarrassed.

"Yes, Grandma, I know Alit right at the fair" said Arlo, who eventually called him 'grandpa'.

"Oh, yeah. So you're not one school?" Ask grandma.

"Ngga, Grandma. Arlo Class 3 at another High School," I replied.

Grandma invited Arlo to come in. Alro thanked him and preferred to sit on the terrace.

"What do you drink?" I asked.

"Do not bother, just want to pause," said Arlo.

Grandma went into the house, while we were still chatting on the porch. About an hour later, my mom and dad came home.

"Good afternoon, Om, Auntie. I'm Arlo, Alit's friend" said Arlo greeting his father and mother as he shook their hands.

After shaking hands with papa and mama, Arlo was ready to go home because it was getting late. I feel relieved Kak Luni is playing at her friend's house. If he comes home, I'll be tempted! Understandably, I rarely invite male friends to stop by the house. If there is, it is usually crowded with other friends.

Luni is hard to guess. Sometimes he's very nice, but sometimes he can be very annoying. One example of his kindness was when he wanted to help me make posters for a painting exhibition without asking for anything in return. As for the annoying one, he once mocked me a few times until I almost cried. Maybe that's the relationship of brother and sister in general.

After the exhibition ended, I rarely met Arlo. Mostly just by chat or phone. It was just a matter of asking for news and chatting normally. Usually, we only meet on Saturdays, but also not every Saturday. Based on the story, Arlo does have a lot of exculpatory activities. One of them is playing the guitar and flute on the musical exkul, the activities he likes the most. Arlo also likes to play football. It looks like his athletic posture. In addition, he is also busy facing high school graduation and preparation for admission to college.

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