We're Latitude

Our Latitude - Part 20 Latitude

Section 20 Latitude

Latitude, Controller.

I feel better now. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. Felixia will go directly to ‘de-pan’ if Mayoru is present. Tomorrow morning, Mer will be out when Captain Kirk appears.

Because of that great relief, this afternoon became many times more beautiful. I got out of the hut and took a walk around this pine vegetation. I just realized, pine does not give another opportunity to grow under it. So that the ground under these pine trees is empty. Only inhabited by dead needle leaves and dried fruits only. Papa's little vegetable garden was in front of the hut, where no pines loomed. Maybe this knowledge was learned when I was Junior High. But, you know, I can be thankful.

These streets of mine end at Papa's cottage. Many people still work in workshops. Papa sat down at the dining table on the terrace and noticed his cell-pound. He's wearing reading glasses that he's not gonna drop almost at the tip of his nose.

“Lin,” said when I saw me approaching.

“Papa want coffee? Lin wants to make coffee, here, let all.”

“Which way if we go down to the city, Papa treat you at the cafe whose coffee is amazingly good.”

“Bby, Pa! Can.”

After returning to the cottage to put on a hoodie to make it warmer, I was with Papa in a Chevrolet shortly afterwards. As we rolled down the descending path, Papa told me almost every hour Aunt Lea or Mama sent her a WA message to ask me what I was doing, and what I was eating. I gulped, his taste was like swallowing a nail. Pain, injury, and cold. Why was it that when I left, they just showed me attention? Frankly, it makes me feel a little guilty. But.., this is my choice and I cannot regret it.

“Lusa no class, right, Lin?”

“Now, Pa. Kan, only asked for three days. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.”

 “So, tomorrow there is still class, yes?” “Hu-um.”“Back we ride, yuk!” I cringe.

“Sibayak! We're camping at the top.”

I turned to the man who said the camper invitation was as light as inviting coffee in the cafe. “Pa?”

“Why?”

“Lintang never, loh, go up the mountain.”

Papa turned his steering slowly to turn the corner while developing a smile. “Even because never, ever.”

“Pa, if you know Mama must be ”

“Still care about that, while your escape has come a long way here, Lin? Weird.”

“But. ”

I stared at the asphalt road behind the windshield.

“Papa's dream from a long time ago, let's take you up the mountain. Hopefully it can happen before Papa doesn't exist. Mumpung Papa is still healthy and has tingling. Papa reckon it's a very accurate time.”

“But Latitude ”

“We go through an easy tourist route. Yes, the hard path. We stay one night at the top, tomorrow morning go home.”

 I felt a spirit substance tucked in every Papa's words that finally made me nod, reproduce.“Try opening that dashboard drawer,” Papa said for a moment.

I looked at him with a questioning gaze ‘for what’.

“Open aja.”

I comply. The drawer contained ran-dom objects. There's a stack of CDs, some screwdrivers of various sizes, and a wrench. However, my eyes were stuck on a box that had not been seen anywhere for a long time. Cassette. This thing is almost extinct.

I grabbed and watched him. This is not a tape recording of any famous artist. Because, if it belongs to a professional, there is usually a glossy paper for the album cover, containing the artist's name, album name, song title list, even song lyrics. This looks like a personal recording tape, visible from the green striped white paper that became the cover of the cassette box. On the paper the record label was inscribed with a black marker, EkyGea.

“Papa asked you to keep the tape well,” said Papa to produce a look of wonder from me.

“What cassette, Pa?”

“This is all that's left. Memories of your parents' past. So, if I die later and you're asked about your parents' love story, you can answer. They are not two people who hate each other, they are not two bastards, they are not selfish people who abandon their children. They are only the losers fighting from the cruel world. And. ”Papa stopped because his voice started to vibrate. Red eyes. He immediately wiped his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

“Dan... What Papa wants most to assure of all the people on this earth is you, Lintang. Record-an on this tape proof that you were born not out of hatred, but out of love. So that you can fasten your chin and look at this arrogant world with confidence. Understand you, Lintang?”

I just nodded with a feeling that was more filled with incomprehension. Papa looks very emotional, making me even more curious what this tape actually contains.

“Papa doesn't want you to be a loser like ka-mi. Pursue all your dreams with all your might. Let you lose in the past, but your path is still long. You must be sure to determine your steps and then fight it until the last blood point.”

“Ya, Pa.” I'm nodding.

Papa rubbed his eyes again with his thumb and forefinger.

“Anyway, keep the tape well,” his word again. Papa looks clumsy, maybe because of the shame of crying in front of me.I don't know what to say. Because, this emotional outpouring of hearts is in my lu-ar estimate. My view of this tape has changed. It was just an almost extinct thing, now it's a will I have to keep. Although I don't know what it is yet.

We kept quiet until Papa parked his Chevrolet in front of a cafe.