“Hello Kay,
you there?”
“Ya ya, it’s 3
am, you jerk. I’m in the middle of my dream,” said Kayla in heavy-sleepy-voice.
“It’s 3 pm
here, ok? Anyway I have to say how much I love you, I miss you, I hate you for
not being here. Because I got 2 good news! First is that I got a job at Tacos
and second is that I’ll be going for a holiday in New York! Can you just say
‘yeay’?” said Rayan excitedly.
“Man, I hate
you! Stop making me jealous please. So, when will you go there? Do me a favor
by sending a Forever 21 product?”
“Such as?”
“Anything,
blazer, skirt, shoes. Anything, pal, you’ve known me since we were 12. I
believe you know my taste. Am I right?”
“Jolly good,
jolly good.”
“Ray, since
when did you speak British?”
“Hahaha. Calm
down, Kay. I met Mayer, a British guy in class yesterday. The accent is
infectious, girl. Anyway, go back to sleep and have a nice dream, Kay. Bye.”
“Bye, Ray.
Talk to you later on Skype.”
As Kayla puts
her phone on the bedside, she keeps wondering how New York would be a beautiful
holiday destination. She whispers to herself, “to meet my best friend and have
some holiday will be awesome.” Then she goes back to sleep in her brown painted
room, 4mx6m sized filled with one door grey refrigerator in the corner, a water
dispenser next to the refrigerator, a 29 inch television hanging on the wall
right across to her bed, a desk in the other corner of the room, a drawer right
in front of the bathroom and a tree shaped coat hanger next to. A crowded room which
she loves to live and become an anti-social.
Well, what
would you say when you stayed away from people you feel only comfortable with?
She has become so apathetic since she stepped her foot in college, she’s been
living with her gadget to talk over the phone with her boyfriend and best
friends who live far away from her. All she’s been doing is checking on her
phone and smiling over the notification. A kind of life where nobody can
imagine how lonely she is. She used to be an extrovert cheerful girl, laughing
without any control, enjoying life, travelling to a lot destination, dreaming
something big and being a very good listener. But, everything’s changed right
after she couldn’t find her soul in Malang, the city where she decided to go
for university. She thinks she’s made a huge mistake by picking Universitas
Brawijaya as her choice in the first place. And now the only way to live in
Malang is to survive.
**Next morning
at Kayla’s room
“Shit! I’m
late! 20 minutes? What am I? A heavy-sleeper cow?” She groaned. She quickly jumps out of the bed
and goes straight to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face rapidly.
Then she grabs whatever cloths she thinks suitable for today. She looks into a
clock hanging on the wall, it shows 9.25 and causes her more panic attack. As
she grabs her phone on the bedside, she is slipped on the slippery floor.
“EVERY MORNING, KAY?” She screams lividly. At least she’s still clumsy and it
doesn’t change. Quickly she gets up, reaches her phone, grabs her bag and
leaves.
***In the
campus
Kayla knocks
the door, “sorry ma’am, I’m late” said Kayla.
“Ok, please
come in, and find your seat quickly.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Oh, Kayla, what
is your excuse for coming late now?”
Kayla shows a
smile, “I’m so sorry, ma’am, I got up late because my alarm didn’t work.” Kayla
told the truth, she forgot to change the battery yesterday and this morning she
paid the price. Luckily, Mrs. Emma let her come in today. Well, every time she
comes late, she’s been very understanding and kind.
As Kayla finds
a seat next to Dina, a girl she met in the first day of college, she checks her
phone out. There are 2 missed calls and 4 messages from Jonathan, her
boyfriend. She’s secretly being happy even though they had a fight last night.
“I knew you would text me first and asking for apology.” She whispers as she
replies, “Good morning, pumpkin! No need to apologize, it was my fault too, for
not letting you knew that I went out so late and made you waiting for me too
long.” She doesn’t change a bit, she’s still selfish. She knew it was her fault
but she didn’t want to apologize. Kayla is still Kayla.
She puts her
phone back into her bag, and begins to listen to the lecturer for a while,
writes couple things she needs to remember and suddenly gets slipped her mind
into the ‘observing things’ she always does. She notices every emotion inside
the class. Like Mrs. Emma is being cheerful today because she puts her stuff
neatly on the desk, she wears pink matching clothes on and her voice tone is
higher than usual. Or like, Widi, a boy Kayla dislikes so much, he always looks
mess but she can see how he’s not happy sitting next to Fahmi, a critically talkative
boy in class, and Widi definitely got distracted even when Fahmi is not
talking. She senses every hate and like in this class even when she acts so
apathetic to everyone. While stares out the window, she feels blessed to see a
mountain view with the fresh air blows
into the class, the sun shines brightly, birds are chirping outside, trees are
dancing with thewind, the sky is blue. A perfect picture she likes from this
city. And then she lost herself in day dreaming.
“Kay, are you
going home this silent week?” Dina suddenly spoke to Kayla.
“Of course, I
have more life there than here. Why?” Kayla replied.
“I was
wondering, are you going by train or plane? I’d like to join you.”
“Oh, I’ll go
by plane. I have planned it since last week and Jonathan will pick me up there.
Yeay!”
“What date
will it be? Have you bought the ticket yet?”
“Yes, I have.
I took Citilink on 24 December at
8.30 pm. A night flight from Juanda to Soekarno Hatta. Can you believe it, the
semester is almost done, in 19 days by the way, and I haven’t even felt
anything I can enjoy here?”
“I know
exactly your problem. We used to live in a big city and suddenly stranded in a
small one, live far away from everyone we used to live closer, dislike the
foods here. I miss Burger King by the
way. So yeah, I do understand. But please, be more open to people around, Kay.”
“I don’t know,
I don’t understand the language at all. It sounds freak, extremely freak. The
accent sounds funny. I feel very dumb, Din. What am I supposed to do? I prefer
dealing with my loneliness than the language. Even some lecturers use the
language sometimes in clss. How worse could it be?”
“Ya, I know.
What can we do? Just get a degree as soon as possible.”
“Believe me,
that is my plan.”
***Next week night
at Kayla’s boarding room
“Kay, where
were you? I’ve been waiting on skype for
15 minutes.” Said Rayan on the phone.
“You didn’t
tell me.”
“Well, I am
now, jerk. Go online, now like really now. I have a news!”
Kayla goes
straight to turn on her laptop and go online. She senses that the news is about
a girl, the idea just popped out from nowhere but she’s definitely right about
that.
“Hey! I met a
girl from Thailand! She’s sexy, pretty and smart. And next week she’ll be
moving to my apartment!”
“Ya-ha. Sounds
scary! When did you meet her again?”
“3 days ago.
She completely stole my heart, mind and brain. I’d like to be with her. I’m in
love, ok? Can you see from this video?”
“What on earth
did I think when I picked your video call? Is this some kind of joke? You
barely know her and the next thing she’ll be moving into your apartment? I
thought your apartment has only 2 bed rooms which are yours and your brothers.
Oh oh. She’ll sleep in your room? Have you lost your mind? You’re not even 20,
not get married, your money comes from your parents even your salary by working
part time at Tacos only enough to pay
your 2 weeks living cost. Is there any bomb you want to drop again? It’s
coincidentally Friday the 13th for God sake!” Kayla’s freaking out
and speaking in a high tone.
“So what’s the
big deal? My brother is living with her girlfriend next door. And I don’t get
the same chance? I’m living in a liberal country, this is my right.”
“And yet you
have a right to jeopardize our friendship.” Kayla lost her mind looking into
Rayan’s yellow room, she gets focused on a MXPX
poster behind Rayan. She then drags her eyes into her beloved best friend’s
face and can only see a moving mouth like a silent movie. Her heart broke
knowing that her best friend has changed and got overwhelmed by the freedom he
got there.
“……..KAY! Kay,
are you there? Where do you put your mind? You hear me? Look alive!” Rayan
begins to feel guilty to Kayla. He knew that this isn’t something good to tell
Kayla, but they have made promise to tell each other everything truly, they’re
best friend after all. And suddenly his heart also broke seeing Kayla dropping
tears. He quickly claps his hand and says, “don’t drop any tears now, you girl.
It’s not the time. I’m giving you a good news?”
“A good news?
Aren’t you afraid of making sins? You don’t obey the rule. God’s rule! By
sleeping with a girl which is not you wife yet? And what else…..”
“Whoa whoa
whoa! Stop right there, girl. Are you talking about God now? Wait, do you even
go to pray 5 times a day?” The heat between them are increasing.
“I might be
missed 1 or 2 sometimes, I might not do it perfectly but I try to make
improvement everyday. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t eat pork or
dog, I SLEEP ALONE EVERY NIGHT! She yelled over the microphone.
“So you blame
me because you sleep alone every night? You got mad because of that? Believe
me, girl, that is ridiculously stupid!”
“OH MY EFFING
GOD! I have the most ridiculous best friend that I used to know! Please, God,
bring my best friend back into his body. This is not the one I’ve ever ordered
to be mine.” Kayla’s drowning in tears, and ends the call straightly. She cries
all night, wondering how to get Rayan back into someone he used to be. She
definitely feels broken now, losing someone she trusts the most, one of her
best friends she feels comfortable with.
Meanwhile in The
Veridian, the apartment when Rayan and his brother live, Rayan is laying on his
queen sized bed looking all over his room. The wall is soft yellow contrast to
the red carpet, some posters of his favorite bands are hanging above the study
desk, some stinking socks are lying around the floor, a basket next to the door
is practically full. Then his eyes and mind are focusing on a photo with solid
green frame he took with Kayla 7 months ago in Pari Island on his study desk.
It was the last and a beautiful holiday he had with Kayla and 7 others. And now
he really wants to go back to that time, he would hug Kayla as tight as he
could now, he wanted it so bad. Then Rayan begins to look all over his room
again. His eyes are captivated into George
Washington University sweater. A black colored sweater with letter G and W
printed in white and big on the chest right in the middle. “I got here, I learn
politics, she couldn’t go to Monash,
she couldn’t be a Pediatrician, she is stuck alone thousand miles away over
there and now I hurt her? What kind of best friend am I? I’m a terrible
person.” He spoke to himself. As he realizes the sound of ticking clock he
drags his eyes into it. It’s 11 am now, Rayan thinks that Kayla is probably
sleeping right now. If couple months ago they spent Friday night together, now
they fought over the idea of rules and freedom. Washington has Friday morning
now, and Malang has Friday night now. They are separated by time and distance,
their emotion are trapped between. They cannot find each other in the way they
used to do. If couple months ago they were easily driving into each other in
the traffic jam of Jakarta, now they could only talk to each other in a space
called internet.
Rayan walks
lazily into his drawer in the corner of his room. He grabs a bag he’d like to
use to put his cloths and stuff that he will bring to New York in less than 72
hours. He will have this holiday with his brother to enjoy the legendary New
York City and visit Central Park as he’s been always wanting since Kayla told
him about her holiday back there in 10th grade. “Time Square,
Central Park, Brooklyn, I’m coming but not with the one I promised you to go
with, she’s mad at me in this very moment.” Rayan spoke to himself as he’s
packing his stuff.
“Oit bro,
here’s your ticket for Monday, remember we have a morning flight from Ronald
Reagan to JFK, depart at 6 am, arrive at 7.08, delta airlines. Got it?”
“Can’t you
knock the door?” Rayan was shocked when his brother suddenly sitting on his
bed. He didn’t even hear any footstep.
“Calm down,
little boy. The door isn’t even closed, so what do you expect, huh?” His
brother replied.
“I expect you
to respect my privacy. Is that too much to ask?”
“Nah, you’re
exaggerating. Anyway, I’m done here, I gave you the ticket so you be grown up
now prepare all the stuffs and documents needed. I won’t let you ruin the
holiday by missing any immigration document and make us stuck in the airport.
Is that clear?”
“Crystal.”
Rayan replied shortly.
Unfortunately,
Rayan and Kayla aren’t speaking to each other until the next ten days. Then
when it is 23 December 2013, a photo message notification pops in Kayla’s
phone. It said, “isn’t it beautiful? Everything is white, except the people are
wearing their best winter outfit. A joyful ice skating day. Everyone seems happy skating with people they
love. And I’m missing mine. Join me here? XOXO”
Kayla looks
into the picture, Rayan is wearing the blue shawl she bought for him last year
for his birthday. He is smiling so happy wearing the black skating shoes,
bringing the same navy blue Converse bag
as hers that they bought together before going to college last June. And how
jealous she is to look the scenery behind Rayan which is very whitely beautiful
just the same picture she remembers in her mind back in 3 years ago there.
Couple minutes
later next picture popped up. The caption is, “it’s fuckin Plaza Hotel, baby!” And yes it’s right, a half body photo of
Rayan posing ridiculously in Central Park with the Plaza Hotel in the
background near the frozen river. Again, it’s whitely beautiful and Kayla can’t
stop being jealous of him. How couldn’t she be jealous, she always loves the
tastes of foods served in New York food truck. She misses the lights in Times
Square. Even Starbucks in New York has a different atmosphere than in usual
Starbucks in Jakarta. Instead of replying Rayan’s message, Kayla straightly
text Jonathan, “baby, will you take me to Starbucks in TIS Square tomorrow, ok?
Don’t forget 9.30 pm tomorrow, terminal 1C! Love you.” That is where the
favorite Starbuck Kayla loves to hang out, it’s only 20 minutes from her home
and where Kayla and Rayan used to go to have delicious green tea latte every
Friday night together.
***Next day
“Din, are you
ready? It’s 4.15 and driver of the travel who would pick us up is already here?
I’m going straight to your place in 5 minutes. Ok?” Said Kayla to Dina over the
phone.
“I’ve been
waiting since half an hour ago. Of course I’m ready. Take care, Kay.”
Kayla drags
the suitcase with her right hand and holds a purse with her left hand as she
walks down the stair she ask a security in her boarding house to take her
suitcase.
“Are you going
back to Jakarta, mbak Kayla?” Asked
the security guy.
“Yes, I am.
Please take my suitcase into the silver Avanza
out there, I guess it’s been waiting for 10 minutes here.”
The security
guy brings it and say good bye to Kayla. As she looks into the figure and the
building the she’s been living for 4 months fade away as the car is leaving.
***In Juanda
International Airport
“We’re here.
Gosh! 3 hours long to get here, Din, can you believe it?”
“Doesn’t
matter we’re here. In couple hours we’ll be home, Kay.”
“Now we’re here,
just have to wait here until the time to check in.”
Until the time
they both go for checking in at the Citilink
counter, go straight to the waiting room, and enter the plane. How Kayla
loves sitting in the window seat looking underneath seeing the lights of the
city, that’s why she always picks the night flight. Less than 2 hours she’ll be
enjoying the green tea latte she’s been wanting and thinking for 4 months
because she can’t find even one small Starbucks in Malang.
“Welcome to
Jakarta for all the Citilink passengers
flight number QG 9725, there’s no time difference between Surabaya and Jakarta.
So we will be landing soon in 21.27, in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Please fasten your seatbelt.” The flight attendance announced.
The plane has
landed safely, Kayla and Dina quickly grab their small suitcases above them
between the crowd of the people who are also eager to grab theirs too. “There’s
nothing better than hometown, girl! And here we are!” Said Dina excitedly.
“The best
thing is we don’t have to wait for baggage like hell down there.”
Both girls
walks fast to meet their picker, Kayla is very sure that Jonathan is waiting
outside and Dina’s brother is also waiting outside. “Finally, hometown!
Finally! Roti Bakar Eddy, Burcik, Calais
Tea, Churreria! Bakerzin! BurgerKing! We’re gonna be fat bitches here.” Kayla yelled excitedly as
they both are walking toward the gate.
It’s just like
the usual airport, crowded, full and they looking for each other’s picker. In
just 30 seconds Dina can find his brother, she takes Kayla and introduces her
to him. “Bro, this is my classmate, Kayla Dayanna, she lives in Pondok Kelapa.”
“Hello, I’m
Guhti Irfandi, just call me Iguh.” Dina’s brother replied.
They’ve talked
for couple minutes and the next thing is Dina and her brother left Kayla alone
and she’s still looking for Jonathan. She’s starting to freak out thinking that
there might be a possibility that Jonathan forgot to pick her up. “Where is
he?” She asked to herself. She keeps looking in the crowd of people, and find
figure that she doesn’t expect to see at all. Her heart skips a beat, as she
closes her mouth from jaw dropping with her right hand, accidentally drops some
tears and control her brain to try to decide which one is reality of imaginary
and all she looks toward her is a tall guy with a blue navy Converse backpack holding 2 yellow
plastic bags of Forever 21.
THE END
