In the afternoon I came home from the park. I saw my mother getting out of the car, accompanied by a man named Rio, who my mother said was just a work friend. Rio hugged mom, then got back into his car. Not long after, he left, leaving mom smiling as the car drove away from the flat.
I just watched from a distance, there was a little bit of bitterness in my heart. "Never mind, mom. Stop this charade. I know you're in a secret relationship. Until when will it end?" I wanted to say those words to her, but all I could do was keep quiet. Mom wasn't wrong, she just wanted to work and support our family, which was in debt due to Dad's company going bankrupt and being hit with a criminal case. It was like falling down the stairs, indeed.
Father was in charge of the company. During his tenure, my father was not a good person. He corrupted and manipulated sales data several times, until the company went bankrupt and he was arrested for embezzlement. Yes, my father was not a good person at all. He also used the money from his corruption to gamble and buy expensive clothes for his own use. In fact, at that time there was already a mother, but he ignored her love, choosing to stay in the dark business. The disappointed mother had given up. Eventually, when her father fell into a slump, it was her mother who had to take care of all the family's needs.
I pushed the bitterness away. "Never mind, Chia. Let your mother be happy, even if it's just for a moment..." I said to myself, trying to calm myself down. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. "Chia!"
I jumped in surprise. Apparently, he was Heri, my friend in the neighborhood.
"Hahahahha! You're always surprised! Don't daydream so much, you'll get swallowed by a ghost," he said with a laugh.
I held back my embarrassment. "Ih, why do you use all that shocking stuff! You can just relax." I replied with an annoyed look.
"Dih, I've been saying hello to you all day. By the way, instead of you daydreaming, it's better if you come and hang out with us, in an ordinary place..." he invited.
"Hm.... Okay, I'm coming" I eagerly followed Heri, to our gang's secret base camp.
That said, it wasn't exactly a good place for teenagers like us. It was a mini club tucked away in a building near the terminal. It was filled with prostitutes, drunks coming home from work, and some kids who had dropped out of school. And I, a high school student, was dragged into this club.
The club is open 24 hours. The owners, cousin Ayu and cousin Arkan, used to live in our flat, so we knew each other. Although we weren't allowed to enter the club, they welcomed us every time we came. I just went there to unwind, smoke a cigarette and then leave when I felt calm. There we played games, discussed, joked and laughed together. Laughing at our fate.
Although the atmosphere was quite lively and everyone was having fun, I guess I was the only one who felt empty. That kind of club life is not what I want. Drinking liquor wasn't really my thing either. My throat always hurts every time I take a sip. I only drank it because of the people in this club. After all, this was the only place where everyone got along and made me feel the meaning of togetherness.
I came home at 9pm. As usual, the room light was on, accompanied by the deafening sound of a couple screaming. I stare at the door from outside for a moment, then sit on the bench in front of the room. Exhaling cigarette smoke out of my mouth. Trying to organize my thoughts to calm down soon. "I think I'll go crazy if I keep hearing them arguing," I said softly. My eyes scanned the surroundings. I realized that there was a new resident across the room from us. I guess, the new resident was peeping at our family activities through the curtains right now. As I approached the room, I was surprised to see someone opening the door. He was in front of me right now. "LATE LUNCH STALKERS!" I shouted spontaneously.
***
LANA'S POV
The girl sat for a moment, then came over to my room. Rather than make the mistake of being caught eavesdropping, I pretended to go out to take out the trash.
When I opened the door, he was so startled that he fell down. As soon as she saw me, she shouted loudly, "LUNCHER!" Fortunately, her scream was less loud than the noise of the argument in the opposite room.
"HAH?!" I was startled by her scream.
"Isn't that right? You were the one who kept watching me in the park this afternoon!" her gaze changed, as if it was a threatening look.
"I'm watching the cat, man. Dih, confident little boy" I said. Actually, though, it was true that I was watching him.
She was silent. Still looking at me in disbelief. "Move aside, I'm taking out the trash."
The girl immediately stepped aside, "Oh yes, sorry, sir." Now she's the one acting clumsy. Hahaha, now our points are tied.
After I took out the trash, he asked again, "New here, huh mas?"
"Yes. I just arrived this afternoon and fell asleep. I woke up recently."
"Aren't you hungry?"
"Hmmm... I'm hungry, but I think I'll just eat indomie, to save money."
"Eh, indomie is for the end of the month. If you want, I'll show you where to eat deliciously and cheaply near here."
He offered a culinary tour-guide service. I agreed. He told me to follow him.
As a result, we found ourselves in a crowded catfish place.
"It's here, sir. It's crowded, isn't it? It's cheap and delicious. That's why I recommended this to you." She said.
I stared at the stall, then went inside. I ordered a portion of pecel catfish and a cold drink. I treated her. Even so, he only ordered egg rice, water as his drink. In fact, the food choices here are many, and I admit they are quite affordable.
"Why don't you just order the same thing? It's also your service to show me this place." I said, starting the conversation.
"No problem, I like eating egg rice. Besides, the mineral water is free, so it's not a hassle," she replied.
"What's your name?"
"Chia. What about you?"
I smiled, "Greetings, I'm Lana."
An introduction at a pecel catfish food stall made the beginning of my life in this city colorful.
***
CHIA'S POV
"Do I call you brother or brother?" I asked.
"Whatever you want, we're only 4 years apart in age."
"Hm... that means Mas, yes. Hello, Mas Lana. Sorry for accusing me earlier, hehe" I grimaced.
"Hahaha... It's okay, take it easy, Chi. By the way, it's okay to just call you Lana. Your name is cute, Chia. What's your full name?"
"Larastika Chintyabella."
"The name is beautiful, like the person, hahaha. "
It should have just been a joke. But why did my heart flutter when I heard it.
Our order came. After we finished eating, we went back to our rooms. Mom and Dad were already in bed. It was 11 o'clock at night. I went straight to bed with mom in my room, while dad had fallen asleep on the sofa.
It was clear to my eyes that Father was drunk and hitting Mother. Mom was silent, with a fishy red liquid running down her body. "DAD!!! ENOUGH! DON'T HURT MOM!" I screamed hysterically.
But he didn't listen to me, and continued to beat his wife until she was covered in blood.
I cried, I tried to reach Mom, but a chain bound me. I was trapped. I couldn't stop sobbing. Slowly the image of Mom and Dad disappeared, replaced by a helping hand accompanied by white light. A man in a blue bow tie helped me. He helped me remove the chains that bound me, then hugged me. It was so warm, I wanted to continue like this.... But not long after that, he was gone, leaving behind a piece of paper, with blurry writing. Too bad, I can't read it...
Mr. Edi's rooster downstairs woke me up with its loud noise. I rubbed my eyes, then quickly showered and got ready for school.
Arriving at school, as usual I had no friends to talk to. Bad rumors about me had spread, making me ostracized by the entire school population. A year since the pandemic, bad rumors about me spread through social media groups. Tania, the class president, told her friends about my disgrace during junior high school. They started attacking me, and then made other friends stay away from me.
Alone again. I'm used to it. Being alone makes me calmer. My grades also remained good, as the teacher only gave me individual assignments during the pandemic. I enjoyed it. "Although, sometimes I feel lonely....."[]