SULIVANS

Positively

Sena stared at the group of Junior High School disciples who passed by while laughing loudly, joking with each other until their bodies could not walk upright.

Made him look at them envy.

It's nice to have a lot of friends who can exchange laughter.

Rere also stared at the horde that seemed to be about to walk towards the culinary market in front of them with happy eyes.

“Hey, Rere.”

Rere turned his gaze to Sena.

“Hm?”

Sena poked her lips, somewhat hesitatingly throwing out a question that was already lined up neatly on the tip of her tongue, preparing to launch.

“Are you friends with me because you expect something from me?”

Sena was unable to return Rere's gaze, afraid of the answer that would be thrown from her mouth.

“Of course.”

That fearful answer finally came out of Rere's mouth.

Slowed his footsteps unconsciously, making Sena's body which was originally aligned with Rere become a little behind.

“Because you became my friend-”

Rere clapped his hands together vigorously, then brought the two of them to the front of his chin.

“-I want to take you home together and snack, go watch together on weekends, invite you to play at home.“

Sena stared at the end of Rere's hair that was swerving in the wind.

“I want to do all the things that can only be done with friends.”

Sena followed Rere's gaze fixed on a group of Junior High children who had passed them standing in front of a coffee shop.

Two of them entered the bakery opposite him, while the tallest man in a red checkered jacket pointed at the siomay cart in front of the bakery.

They seem to be deciding to buy different snacks and gather somewhere to eat together.

Sena then returned her gaze back to Rere who was looking at her phone screen blankly.

From their distance, Sena could only see the application that was being opened, not to read the writing plastered in it.

Rere stared at whatsapp chatter on his phone pensively, suddenly speechless after previously talking cheerfully.

His footsteps slowed slowly until it completely stopped.

Instead, Sena's footsteps continued to advance, while raising her hand to pat Rere's shoulder and asking him how he was.

But his fingers stopped in mid-air as Rere opened his mouth to speak again.

“I want to do all that, but..”

Rere tightened his grip on a phone whose screen was darkened because it was left without touch.

“..always can't because of my circumstances.”

Rere's shoulder was hit by an office worker who was calling someone while walking quickly.

The woman just allowed the sling bag strap to sag and then walked back as usual.

"Sorry, today's deal is off."

Sena stared at Rere's shoulder which slowly decreased along with the phone that re-entered her bag.

"...why?"

Rere held onto the strap of his backpack, making it a handle to say something that sounded disappointing.

"Because I have to get my sister home now."

Rere brought his watch to the eye's view area, then looked at it wistfully.

"And after he gets home, I'll be busy playing with him."

Sena blinked her eyes slowly, understanding Rere's reason.

Rere then looked back, looking at Sena who seemed to be pensive.

The position of Sena's body behind her despite walking beside her made her heart ache.

"Sorry for giving you false hope, and thank you for being my friend..."

Rere returned his gaze forward as Sena looked at him.

"...to this day."

Rere was about to step up his legs before stopping for forgetting something.

"I promise to treat you another day."

Then continue his steps.

Rere was ready to hear hate speech that might be thrown from Sena's mouth.

How not, he forced Sena to follow him, he also canceled it.

He could not see what face Sena would show.

Sena will probably just be quietly disappointed and accept it, because she is a good person.

But for him it would be better if Sena was angry and fed on him, took out all the stock of evil sentences stored in the dictionary of his brain.

At least his guilt would be lessened by that.

"Awhile"

Sena looked at the surprised face of Rere who saw him walking beside her.

Making him stop his footsteps and stare at Sena hesitantly.

"...again sorry-"

"Solicit whatsapp number."

Sena thrust her phone towards Rere who somehow said while closing her eyes.

"What?"

Sena took Rere's right palm grasping the rope of his bag and placed the phone on it.

Rere clasped the phone awkwardly while taking turns staring at Rere and his phone.

Then hesitated to type his number.

The phone was received by the owner with a question mark by the typist.

"Your sister's school is there too?"

Rere followed Sena's index finger.

"Yes." Yeah."

"Right turn?"

Rere nodded then followed the footsteps of Sena who walked towards her destination after a long thought; either would follow her or not.

"Okay, we split up there. My house is to the left."

They went back in silence.

Equally confused to discuss what, after passing through a complicated conversation that almost became misunderstood earlier.

About thirty meters before the crossroad where they parted, Rere's itchy lips wanted to ask finally gave up.

"Hey, Sena."

The view of Sena who was following the flight of a seagull was transferred to the woman in a sports uniform next to her.

"Your reaction isn't what I thought it was."

Sena's lips curved slowly hearing the unexpected sentence coming out of Rere's mouth.

"Your answer isn't the answer I thought it was either."

Making Rere's forehead covered in flat bangs along the eyebrows frown.

Sena laughed softly, then looked at the seagull flying back and forth.

This time chasing the sun that began to dim its rays and descended slowly towards its hiding.

Then change the direction of their conversation.

"What happened to my reaction?"

Rere moved his pupils to turn towards Sena without turning his head.

"Gapapa, anyway. I thought you were gonna..."

His pupils returned to their original places, staring at the dry foliage-filled streets that sounded unique when stepped on.

"...anger."

Sena laughed at Rere's conclusion which she found funny.

"I forced you to leave, I canceled the plan, too."

Rere said it quickly, feeling he had to make a logical and appropriate reason to respond to Sena's laughter.

"Well how else, I have a sister who is not independent"

"Cowok what chick?"

Rere was surprised to hear Sena's sudden question after her laughter was over.

"...girl."

Sena patted his shoulder quite tight, making Rere startled and his shoulder tiptoed.

"Wih, cool, got a chick's bitch."

The next twenty meters passed by the story of the younger brother.

From the way he told the story, Rere seemed proud of his little brother.

The five-to-six-year-old was attending school at PAUD which provides day care.

Rara's Call.

The sweet boy was a jolly boy who was not ashamed of meeting people.

Every neighbor who met them on the road went and came home cheerfully.

Rara looks so adorable when singing while dancing; shaking her body, stomach, and butt to the right and left.

Her biggest goal is to be a singer who takes the stage.

Because that's the plan when Rara dances at her school graduation, Rere and her mother intend to apply for permission all day to support her.

They were already planning on carrying a large banner and cheering him up with frenzy.

Rara is also a smart kid.

Although often left behind by the mother, she did not complain and cried much.

Rara's only saddest cry is when a pink balloon given by her teacher erupts on the street.

Making Rere confused to calm him who did not want to go home and whine to ask the balloon to be returned.

After the calm and hustle ended, it was revealed that the balloon was planned to be given to the mother.

From those stories, Sena wanted to meet and play with him.

"Sometimes let's go to my house. I got a lot of cookies from my mom's place of work."

Sena.

"OKAY. Sometime if your training ends early."

Rere returned Sena's gaze with a small smile.

"You're a good man."

Rere's gaze shifted to stare at the neatly arranged brick underneath.

"While I can't go around like other young people to look after Rara, you still want to be my friend."

Sena smilingly stared at the cumulus clouds that were gathering over the sun, walking slowly revealing the light behind it.

Awakening the memories of her past as Tina leaves Rere alone and smilingly walks towards her.

Memories that he experienced himself.

"I've had friends who..."

Rere paused his sentence, thinking of the right word equivalent for the next phrase.

"...not as good as you."

Sena caught the joy that emanated from the look of her eyes.

Then respond to the sad phrase with a little wisdom.

"Although your friend used to be no good, that doesn't mean the next friend is the same."

Sena stared at the long cable that stretched above his head, connecting through several electricity poles lined up along the road.

"And we must not draw conclusions only from our own presuppositions."

This sentence was especially directed at himself, who also summed up his complicated thoughts as he pleased.

"Perhaps, something that is feared is only in our minds, not as bad as the reality. "

Their steps came to a halt at the intersection, signalling the time to part.

Before turning the corner, Sena asked something rather sensitive.

The time is deliberately chosen right before parting to reduce the awkwardness that might occur because of it.

"What is your old friend.... Tina?"

Rere looked at him with a blank look, then said goodbye waving his hand.

Letting the question blur unanswered.

Sena's journey is then traversed by interweaving various complicated thoughts.

Thinking about the problem between himself and Rere.

They both think negatively even though the reality is not always so; it is still gray.

He then remembered the advice of his father in his first match that almost failed because he was very nervous.

The nervousness made him almost give up before the match.

Five minutes before the game, he was pulled by his father to pull over to the back.

Encourage him by focusing on what efforts can be made to make him win.

Focus on the positive, not the negative. Then your positive thoughts attract all the positive things until all the negative things are covered by them.

Sentences that he always remembered when going to the tournament, but even forgotten in everyday circumstances such as the incident earlier.

As soon as it passed through the large reservoir whose water was rippling quietly with a sparkle of reflected sunlight, Sena decided to pause there after buying a box of guava juice.

"Damn?"

The familiar voice greeted his eardrum, making his heart almost jump.

Is Zalva, who came out of the door indomart carrying a can of coffee and a container of pop noodles.

However, there was something different about his heart beat this time.

It was not like the loud thump of the afternoon that made him nervous and restless.

This beat made him calm, relieved, and comfortable.

Like drinking a glass of young coconut ice in the hot sun.

Like staring at the beautiful twilight on the hill after tired of climbing.

Sena had no idea meeting Zalva at the end of this exhausting day made her comfortable.