SECRET Love High School
Masalalu Destination Night Train
“Eka! Krasiva Eka Putri, right? forgot me?”
Sapa a man who is not a stranger to me, it turns out he is my old friend Dimas, if remembered for almost 15 years we have not met. He was still the same as before, cheerful, playful, handsome and still looking smart.
“You home?” he asked while glancing at the train ticket I was holding.
“Iya nih already miss the same one at home, you?” askaku.
“From time we didn't change huh?” he said with a smile
“Means?” ask me for wonder
“You like kangen, I like dikangenin” he replied with a fad face
“Mak-sud?” re-quote with emphasis that confirms the initial question
“Yes right? You miss the same one at home, I was given the same one at home, when High School was like that, you once cried wanting to go home because of your mother's miss, too, uh I was so laid back just like Abah”, he replied reminding me of the past
“Iya yes? Hahaha still want you”
“I guess now you still like nangis” said Dimas teasing me
“Nake it, I cried just once huh!” my answer is to defend myself
“Ah cook? Inga-remember, who used to cry in the bathroom did not want to go out, until it made a scene one school?” he brought me back to the past
“Hahaha, well so embarrassed me, fortunately there was an unsung hero who helped me at that time”
“Pak Sugeng means?”
“Pak Sugeng the teacher who berjampir me that? Ah how are you now huh?” ask while remembering
“No idea, but if I am doing well hahaha” he replied with a laugh, indeed since we met earlier we have not asked each other news.
“Cooks, still chatty gini hahaha” we laughed together, it feels like it's been a long time since I laughed after that.
The twilight at the station was so warm, reminiscing about the sweet past story is also funny, unfortunately our train soon came and we were separated from the carriage to be nostalgic together or just exchange news today.
Is he married? how many children? Working where? Live where? how's his friend? There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask but I didn't have time, even exchanging phone numbers was unthinkable.
The journey of Jakarta to my hometown is quite far less than 12 hours, usually sitting just a little while I will immediately fall asleep in the swing of a fast train, which is fast, but that day after meeting Dimas I seemed to be taken back to the past. The good times are also bitter to remember.
-*-*_*-*-
All I remember when I first knew Dimas was in SD. At that time was a time when the state's economic condition was unstable, many workers in PHK including papa Dimas who worked in Jakarta. Dimas and his family moved to the village. In the village they live in Abah's house. Abah is a njai teacher in the mosque in front of my house, my sister and I also teach with him.
I remember when I was in the fifth grade of SD. I was the best student in my village. Not that arrogant but indeed I always ranked first in school and became the defending champion of the smart race meticulously in the District. I got acquainted with Dimas too in that meticulous intelligent race. We represent our own schools. That day I heard there was a new smart meticulous contestant from the neighboring SD, his name is Dimas the transfer boy from Jakarta, with great confidence I introduced myself to the new boy.
“You Dimas? Introduce me Eka defending champion” I said as he shook his hand.
It was still clear to me that Dimas just smiled shyly without saying a word. The little dimas were very cute, she was white, fat and short, about the exact height of my flesh. He doesn't talk much but likes to smile, maybe because he doesn't understand Javanese so he prefers to be quiet and smile.
After the writing test results came out I saw the Dimas value differed thinly with my grade. Unknowingly I kept watching him. At the speed match test again I lost, this time my value was far behind by Dimas, I began to fret. Last is the final round, the remaining participants are Me, Dimas, Fitri and Budi. I tried really hard but it turned out that Dimas was hard to beat and that day for the first time I let go of my title. Dimas came out as the winner I placed second and Budi third.
From that moment I became curious about Dimas, I always noticed him. I don't think I'd be willing if Dimas finally took my position as the best student in my village.
-*-*_*-*-
Our district only has one Junior High be me and Dimas one school. During SMP Dimas was always ranked one and I had to settle for rank two or three. Because of his cleverness Dimas always represented our school in the competition between SMPs in our district. Not infrequently Dimas became champion and represented the district in the race at the provincial level. While I was knocked out and never took part in such a race again.
I honestly don't like Dimas very much, probably because I'm jealous. I felt that when SMP Dimas became chatty and pretentious, maybe because he was getting used to it and a little more understanding of Javanese, so he was more sociable and had many friends. Especially after Dimas' circumcision began to grow high and his fat body slowly became stocky because Abah continued to train him in sports. Abah wants Dimas to be a footballer someday, understand when it is crowded world cup and Dimas is the only grandson of Abah.
Abah's arms are not in vain, thanks to which Dimas was finally able to become a running athlete at our school, he said, I even heard that he was offered admission without a test after graduating from High School for having won a marathon race at the provincial level, well even though I am sure with the test he will still be able to qualify.
Dimas was not interested in the offer, he had a dream of becoming an engineer even though the title of engineer was no longer used in Indonesia. Dimas is the most consistent person in determining the ideals, since kindergarten he wants to be an engineer and never change. Unlike me who when TK wanted to become a doctor then SD changed to become a teacher then when High School wanted to become a fashion designer and now even become marketing.
The most annoying thing about that time was Dimas who kept following me wherever I went. She used to play in my house and called my parents as Father, Mother like her own parents, very familiar.
My sister Dwi who was in the fourth grade at SD was very happy to play with Dimas, for him Dimas is very cool, he wants to be able to run like Dimas. Every afternoon they run around the ball field together, sometimes I am also forced to come because my father told me to come along.
Just imagine how irritated I was at Dimas back then, I felt like my whole world had been taken by him. Everyone noticed it, everyone liked it, even my parents and sister liked it a lot. Somehow we eventually became friends, although until the end I was still cool and fierce to him, but we were always together even we planned to continue school in the same High School.
-*-*_*-*-
Just like SMP, SMA in our sub-district is also only one with unskilled facilities, students who have better academic and financial skills are recommended for schools outside the region. It was intended so that later we would have no trouble registering at State College. I was lucky to meet Dimas back at the same High School in town. With perfect grades he can enter the class of excellence that is class I-1, while I was in class I-4.
The distance of our city and village is 45 km for that we live in a boarding house near the school. I'm boarding at Jalan Nangka while Dimas Kost at Jalan Apel. To get to school I walked past the Dimas boarding house, sometimes Dimas picked me up on a motorcycle and when he came home he would take me while stopping by the Bu Ida stall near my kost to buy ice porridge ijo beans.
“Aahh I miss that time” instantly seagrass me running fast following the speed of the train.
