The Secret Love Story (End)
Lost in the Crowd
You're finally gone and I'll find you everywhere
In the cold air that infiltrated under the door
Or in lines of old poems translated from distant languages
In a pair of vagrant eyes that resembled the windows of a house
Months of not cleaning
Or in a colorful balloon that breaks away from the hands of a boy
~Finally You're Missing, Aan Mansur~
I spent another week in Yogja. Wandering around to find that figure. I was looking for that unique figure, who would puff his cheek in a snack, who would break his talk when annoyed with me, who would drive me away a few meters away from him because of my ignorance. I walked around the narrow alleys, entered one inn to another and explored all the tourist attractions in the city hoping to find a tiny body. I miss him, yes, I admit I miss him. Not only today but every day since I haven't seen him next to me, I've only been friends with that loneliness.
I can't believe if people say that a reunion can erase the longing that exists. No, that's not true. My meeting back with him at that time only caused other longings. Like right now, when I was eating rice by the side of the road and a glass of iced tea, I was still thinking about it. I took off my fatigue after walking around for a week looking for him in this town but I couldn't find him. And I decided to go back. I went to the train station to get back to Sragen because my parents and my sister had come home a week ago and brought along the car.
"Where else should I look for you, Ara?" my inner.
*****
The hospital is still empty of visitors when the time has shown at 06.00 am. Yes, visiting hours at this hospital are now limited to 08.00-12.00 and 16.00-18.00 so that not many visitors are allowed to visit outside of it, except the family who takes care of the patient and of course it must also be accompanied by a patient guard card id to be allowed to enter. Ara's been better today, she's allowed to go home today. After the accident that happened to him a few weeks ago. The wound has now healed in his head and the wounds all over his body have also healed. Only, he still lost his memory.
A man in a white coat entered Ara's hospital room after knocking on the door and was allowed to enter by its occupants. The man was tall and fair-skinned, wearing box-shaped glasses and curly black hair. He looks neat with a flant front formal pants suit in black and a gray shirt and there is a black segita-shaped color on his shoulder. He walked over and smiled then sat down beside Ara's bed.
"Is it better?" ask the man.
"Yes, doctor." Mahdi looked at the girl, looking a happy look on the tiny face. "You look like a really good smile?"
"Why, now what is your expression?"
"But when I come back," said Ara who had not been resolved because the girl was back in her musings. Mahdi who heard the girl finally called her "Mas" instead of "doctor" smiled knot. Because he prefers to be called like that by Ara as if to remind him of the past even though he knows now the girl is no longer able to remember some events in the past. "If I go back, it's okay" said Ara with teary eyes.
"It's okay Ra, it's not like you if you lose some of your memories. You can explain everything to your friends and everyone can understand that you lost some of your memories from the accident" Mahdi said.
"But mas, Ara will definitely feel bad as happened to Mother some time ago,"
"Mother knows how you are Ra, it's just that Mother is a little shocked so sad to see your situation like this. You know it took us a long time to find you" explained Mahdi.
"Yes, if only I hadn't been in that accident. I can remember all of you" said Ara.
"Never blame her Ara, all that happens is fate. And it is because of that destiny that we can be reunited. If you hadn't been in that accident, we wouldn't have met, would we?" obviously Mahdi. And was sahuti by a nod by Ara.
"I'll try to remember it Mas, remember everything...,"
"Yes, but you have to promise me one thing..,"
"What is mas?"
"Don't push yourself too hard. I don't want you to suddenly faint like last week" pinta Mahdi said. And Mahdi's request was in a nod by Ara.
*****
Ara was taking a train to Sragen. He will be mutated while there to oversee the branch office of his newly opened company there. Mahdi could not deliver it this time because there were some matters that had to be taken care of in the hospital. So Ara went alone this time. It was dusk when the train pulled over at Sragen station. He also walked and looked for a public vehicle that would take him to his lodging place during his work there later.
It took a few hours for Ara to get to where she was headed. And of course it was because of the result of him wondering to and fro to passers-by about the address of his rented house. Understandably he had never visited him, because the one who sought the house was the Mahdi a week before. And because the Mahdi could not deliver it that's why he had trouble.
"Oh, yes, this is correct. Ma'am just walk straight and find the house number that you want to go. Odd number on the right and even number on the left mbak," explained the father of the soto who asked by Ara. And Ara nodded her head in understanding with the father's explanation and thanks he said after the father's explanation was finished.
A few minutes later Ara arrived at a light blue house. The house is not so big compared to the houses on the left right. However, it was already big enough for Ara who had only occupied it alone for the next few months. There was a small courtyard in front of him that was not so well maintained that Ara decided to clean it after a short break to unwind it.
*****
Ara was walking home from work, but she stopped for a while at a grocery store on the side of the road to buy some of her kitchen needs that had run out. The road this afternoon was crowded, there were a lot of vehicles passing by on the highway that was not big enough. He stood beside the red light along with the other crossers of the road to wait for the green light to turn red. Occasionally he looked to the right and left of the road until he finally stepped his feet through the zebra cross along with other crossers.
Ara felt that someone was watching her as she walked past the zebra cross. The pair of eyes hiding behind those glasses were watching him from earlier. Not wanting to be suspicious or impressed afraid of the person, Ara finally gave a knotty smile to the person who in fact did give a little smile first for him a few seconds ago. The incident only lasted a few seconds because the zebra cross was full of people who were about to cross and he was in the opposite direction to the person who was watching him earlier. Until after the incident that lasted a few seconds, he also lost the figure who was watching him with a sharp look.
"Why did the man pay attention to me to the extent that he did," murmured Ara inwardly.
*****
Erlangga is still sitting pensive while his friends are busy playing PS. His mind floated on the scene this afternoon where he saw someone he shouldn't have seen. It was possible that the person was suddenly around him. The next few minutes he finally broke his daydream because of the clap of his friend's hand on his shoulder.
"Who said bro, daydreaming..," said Vino.
"Definitely the doi again think Brina bro, she prestige want to meet Brina ato no," said Ferdhy.
"Sok know loe...," said Erlangga.
"If you miss aja deh bro, do not need that prestige..," Andi explained.
"Gue is not kangen, how can I miss if he can nyamperin me every month to Singapore," explained Erlangga.
"Hahaha.iya as well, but if here you can date as much as him," explained Ferdhy.
"Loe's thinking about something else, huh, Gha?" ask Vino who knows enough about his friend's habits. Erlangga only nodded at him with a nod.
"Who's Gha? The girl in Singapore? Beautiful isn't? Know dong. Are you still Brina?" cerocos Andi who can directly impinge a pillow from two other friends.
"Don't mind Andi, he's that, anyway" said Vino.
"Yes, what's really bothering you about Gha?" ask Ferdhy.
"The girl is bro.." said Erlangga.
"Which girl?" ask his friends in unison.
"The girl I used to call a boy first. My college friend three years ago it was..," Erlangga explained.
"The girl...the girl.....the girl was a crybaby..," Andi said and replied with a nod by Erlangga.
"The girl the thesis printer..si library runs....?" added Ferdhy who was answered also with a nod by Erlangga.
"What's wrong with that girl? Loe's still thinking about him for the last three years?" ask Vino.
"Yes, I still think about it Vin, since the breakup with him until now I never once did not think about it. And because of that I had time to imagine that I was squirming he was standing at the crossing just below the traffic lights," explained Erlangga.
"REally....?" exclaim Andi.
"Yes, I don't know if it's him or not" Erlangga said.
"Why is that?" ask Ferdhy.
"Because he doesn't recognize me at all Fer. He just walked past me without greeting me on that street. That's what makes me doubt if it's him or not. His eyes were cold as if he wasn't. Because I know he has a warm gaze and that's why I always feel like coming home every time I'm with him" explained Erlangga.
"Because you're sure that's not him?" ask Vino.
"Yes, after all, he cannot be here." said Erlangga.
"Gha, I have a suggestion for you that you are not always like this." said Vino.
"What....?"ask Erlangga.
"Find him, and solve loe's problems with him." explains Vino.
"Gue and he don't have any problems Vin. We're fine" Erlangga said.
"Yes, Loe and him have no problem. But what is stored in your heart that you still do not know what it is, that is the problem of Gha," explained Vino.
"Yes Gha, you always say that you don't have anything with him, there is no heart with him and you even say that you don't like him more than just friends. Loe even said that you wouldn't possibly fall in love with your own friend. But, do you know that every love begins with a friendship. Just look at yourself in the past loe same Brina was not originally loe same Brina just a friend, but in the end you soan also her," explained Vino.
Erlangga tried to digest what Vino said. Everything Vino said was true. The principle of not being able to fall in love with your friend is broken by the words of Vino that it is true that his relationship with Brina also began from friendship. If it is not possible that he who used to never know Brina at all can immediately fall in love, especially directly expressing love to people he does not know.
"Loe's right Vin, I have to find out what exactly I rasain to him." said Erlangga.
*****
