While the Script is Drawn

Mosaic 2 - Opera Peanut Skin

"Is there a Sunday night?"

"No. Why, Mey?"

"Watch it again, yuk."

"Again?'

You nodded steadily. "Fetch me, yeah. Ordinary clock."

"Yes, okay."

Then I can't keep you out of my apartment as fast as you came. Only you can make me like this, subject to every behavior I call abnormal.

There has never been a single girl I have allowed in and out of my apartment except you, who I am happy to give her double door key to. There has never been a girl before who could tear down the cold wall that had been hardened for so long in the corner of my heart. Never before had a girl who could be as good as udel to propagate the 24-hour cycle that I had on schedule from Monday to Monday again, from waking to sleeping again. And there's never been a girl I've ever watched an opera to get addicted.

That day you officially broke up with Maxime. Unsuspecting, for the size of a girl who often gets changed boyfriend, breaking up with her makes you a different creature. All your ridiculous behavior evaporates. Your cheerful smile for anyone disappears. It turns into the turmoil that makes your cheeks wet. Talk rarely does not connect. For me, that weirdness is abnormal for a super cute girl like you. Out of 21 of your previous girlfriends, 21 I know, you broke them up. And there is not the slightest trace of unease on your sweet face.

Then I take you.

"Do you want to watch?"

"What movie?"

"Not a movie, really. But opera."

"Where?"

"Mall's."

"Judah I'm coming."

Peanut skin opera show every night at seven to nine nights. The story is simple, about the pea skin that languishes left behind the contents of the nuts after all the so-called love struggle he has done. The opera comes in sequels with a different story each week, but still with the same theme: heartbroken at being abandoned.

I accidentally cut the opera. At first, I just left like on the nights the previous Sunday. Buy one ticket at a cinema corner, a box of caramel-flavored corn pop and enjoy the movie from start to finish. That night, I ran out of tickets. Instead I was distracted by the crowd in the middle of the mall.

On a whim, I sat down on the chair provided. And it turns out, although simple, but the show made me feel at home to watch until the end. The opera shows how to bandage a broken heart with humor. Treating wounds with laughter.

Then I took Meylsa along to watch her while she was really heartbroken to break up from her 22nd boyfriend. I've never seen that Meylsa absorbent.

"What's so great about that guy that makes you melankonis gini?"

"Gue just really fell in love with her, Sam."

"That chuckle should have a record that muri can naklukin lo, Mey."

And I'm sorry I said that. Meylsa no longer wants to cry on my shoulder. I know he is at his lowest point. And my shoulder has always been a comfortable place for her.

"Gue's sorry, Mey. You can cry on my shoulder. Or on my chest. I won't cheat on you anymore. I'll understand you, Mey."

"Lo won't understand, Sam. You never get a taste of kayak gini."

Glekk. I swallowed spit. Maybe all this time you thought I had never felt the essence of love because until now I always won the singles title. Everywhere themselves. Even you're my only closest female friend. You don't understand that I've loved you all this time. A darling who has been transformed into passionate love. A longing that I only attribute to my day-to-day rituals that goes on schedule.

"Gue will try to understand you, Mey. Let's not be strangers anymore. I want to be your best friend."

And I was happy when you came back crying on my shoulder. And I'm always there when you call. However, on the one hand I am sad to see you shed tears for another guy.

"Do you know, Sam? Why am I so happy to watch peanut skin opera?"

Because funny? But I'd rather be quiet and listen.

"When I saw the opera, I had two hours to laugh. My mind was just focused on the same opera joke. I didn't think of anything. I can be free of him for two hours."

I love watching opera, too, Mey. Because for two hours you were beside me with your figure that was like before, which was not overwhelmed like now. Which satisfies me from my odd number. Which colors my opaque days.

***

I'm just a regular guy who works at a financial consulting firm. I live in an apartment far from home. My life is going normally.

Worked until magrib, sometimes late at night. After work, I usually just rest in the apartment by watching a movie or reading a book to sleep. Sometimes I come to the night club just to honor my colleagues who incidentally still young and like the aura. With a salary that is more than enough, I could have financed the life of hedon like my colleagues. I don't know why I'm not interested. I'd rather be alone. I prefer watching movies in the cinema, sitting at the corner while snacking on caramel-flavored pop corn when the weekend arrives.

My life seems flat. I also live it flat.

Until Meylsa Princess Wibowo came with her thousand charms. For me, he's abnormal for the size of the girl who works at my company.

The peril of my female colleagues is horrendous with their makeup, powder, lipstick, eyeliner, hurricane lashes (either lesus, no matter what, either pickaxe) and spend their money by shopping branded goods whose price can make convulsions. But, Meylsa is abnormal (so called).

He does not like excessive grooming but still looks charming sweet. He doesn't like shopping. Even if the streets to the mall are not a branded bag shop, but sitting sweetly in the food court, pampering his stomach. After all, he's not fat. She remains slim, tall and once again, charming!

Mey and I easily became familiar. Maybe we who are equally strange fulfill each other. I love waiting for love to come. Mey who likes to find her best love.

We became close friends. If Mey has a problem with her guy, or any problem, I'm always there to be a listener or a solution-giver. I was always ready to be the wall to lean on. I who willingly became a boat for him to use sailing found his happiness.

***

"Mey, can you be honest?" one day I finally dared myself to say. Balloons filled with wind continuously explode. Hearts that sail carried by the ocean also want to boil. And the island I want to go to turns out to be on, Mey.

"What's? Speaking of?"

I take a deep breath. I gave up all the power.

"Gue love you. I'm ready to replace him. I can't promise to be the best guy for you, but I'll try" those words finally slide out. Smoothly.

Meylsa. I'm mumbling.

Cursed is the situation like this, but I choose to move forward.

"What other hope do you want from him? What kind of power can hold you back for so long? Why do you keep a heart wound that makes the eyes water? When are you gonna wake up, Mey?"

Meylsa retreated, away.

"Lo knows how I feel, Sam. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Sorry, I'm back."

"May... Jang."

The door to my apartment was open, then closed again.

***

It's been three months there's been no Meylsa in my life. No more color in my blurry days. No more going in and out of my apartment at will to disturb my hibernation on Sundays. As if everything came back to text. I worked till night. If it's weekend, I buy tickets at the corner-most cinema, and enjoy the movie while eating a caramel-flavored pop corn from the beginning of the screening to the end.

The peanut skin opera is long over. Reportedly they have moved to another mall in another province. There is no longer a show of humoring a heart wound. Sometimes I think about flying and going to the mall where the peanut shell opera stops. But it was not just flying. Watching it was the same as opening a memory room about Meylsa.

"Tock.. Geck... Geck..."

Early in the morning my apartment door screamed. It's Sunday, my schedule sleeps until ten in the afternoon. I lazily moved to open the door. My sleep was gone when I found out who was behind the door.

"May..."

"Gue miss you, Sam."

The first word that emerged from his mouth instantly made me want to hug him. I withhold.

"Lo don't miss me?" his words awakened me.

How much I miss you, Mey. How I tried to deny my longing for you. That's very difficult, Mey. Even for a size guy like myself.

I said shrewdly. "Without you my life is like old-school TV, colorless blurry. But I can't do anything, I can't maksa lo, Mey. I keep a flat Sam, who doesn't like crowds, who is realistic, who is calculative, who prefers to wait..."

Silent.

"There are many things that cannot be imposed but deserve a chance. And I and I should give each other a chance. Sam, all this time I've been busy looking blind. I didn't realize there was someone waiting in front of me. These three months I'm away from you, I feel weird. Can we give each other a chance to fulfill? we're trying to go slow."

Like I don't believe what I hear. I'm nodding. Two odd numbers will try to satisfy each other. Meylsa closed her body to me. I grabbed him, hugged him. He buried his head in my chest.

"Do you want me to?" tanyanya.

"There's no opera, Mey."

"Who says he wants to see the opera?"

"Continue?"

"We bought two corner tickets, watched a movie while snacking on caramel-flavored corn pop."

I smiled broadly. "I'll take a shower, yeah."

.

.

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Finished