Dusk In March
The Unexpected Guest
January, 2016
My name is Rima, I am a 4th semester student of the public health faculty at a top public university in my city. In addition to busy college I was also quite active in the red cross organization that is on my campus. Actually, the distance between my home and campus is not too far away. But it takes 1 hour from home to campus. Because my mother did not allow me to ride a motorcycle, I was encouraged to stay at a boarding house close to campus. The matter of choosing this boarding house is also on the approval of the mother. Must be a special boarding house for the princess whose boarding mother also lives to guard the boarding house. The boarding place must have a curfew and not just any male guests can visit and enter the boarding house. Yes, it was the condition of the boarding house that mother wanted me to live in. I was the youngest child, the only girl, my two older brothers, making both my parents overprotective of me. I was also forbidden to date, so until the age of almost 21 years now I am still single. Hehe. But I chose to follow the rules my parents made. It was all for my good, too.
I woke up from my sleep when I heard a notification sound from my phone. I tried hard to open my eyes because the sleepiness still ruled me. Yawning and rubbing my left eye I got up and sat on the edge of the bed. Curse the flat object from the dresser beside my bed. Lazily wipe the phone screen and read the written message from the green application.
"Don't sleep, hunt for a bath". It was a message from a sender I know. Bayu sent the message. He was a senior in the campus red cross organization that I joined.
I didn't reply right away. My eyes are heavy. I decided to lie back in bed and close my eyes but I couldn't fall back asleep. The clock on the wall shows at 13:30, then I just remember not having performed the dzuhur prayer. I gasped and immediately stood up and walked to the dresser by my bed. I brushed my hair up and I quickly picked up a cotton swab, I poured some facial cleansing liquid over there and I quickly rubbed it on my face and neck. After that I went out of the room and immediately went into the bathroom to take a shower.
The freshness I felt when this water splash hit the tip of my head to my feet. Drowsiness immediately went replaced by a fresh taste that makes the drowsiness disappear. It didn't take long to take a shower, I immediately took ablution and got out of the bathroom. After changing clothes I have performed the dzuhur prayer solemnly. After finishing the prayer I took off the mukena and placed it on the back of the boarding room chair that I had occupied since 2 years ago.
When I finished praying, I lay back on the bed. My tiredness and sleepiness are gone. But my legs were sore, exhausted like that. Yes, 2 days ago I and my 3 friends, Anita, Riska and Adi served as medical teams in the ospek activities of the agricultural faculty. Ospek activities are held in the coffee plantation area in our city. So we also stayed at the plantation office house located on the mountain slope with quite cold air but I like the atmosphere. Dutch heritage housing buildings stand in the plantation area. Almost all the houses here are Dutch heritage. These houses were occupied by plantation workers with their families.
For 2 days and 3 nights I was with 3 friends from the red cross organization to be the medical team there and only this morning the activity was completed and I returned to the boarding house. The activity of being a medical team there is quite tiring, so when I arrived at the boarding house I immediately fell asleep like a person fainted without bathing first.
Busy with my own thoughts I suddenly remembered the message Mas Bayu sent on the green app. I took the flat object and wiped the screen. I'm looking for a message sent by Mas Bayu. I read it back briefly and smiled. I quickly sent a reply for him.
"Udah. Sleep is enough too". I sent that message to Mas Bayu.
"Where was the medical team yesterday? Be safe? " Reply to Bayu again.
"Pure. But I'm still tired. I had less sleep there. Many of the participants fainted due to hypothermia".
"Is there a trance?".
"Nothing. Fear of demons the same Adi. Haha". My reply.
Adi, my friend who is fattened is often the material of our banter. But he was never angry. In every activity of the medical team he is always assigned because he is quite deft to handle people fainting or injured.
"Where is the continuation of the refreshing event?" Reply to Mas Bayu again a few minutes later
"So. Next month. Papuma Beach". Quick reply.
"Rim, have you eaten? Buy eat yuk, I'm hungry". Hesti's voice was heard outside my room. I got up from the bed and walked towards the door and opened it.
"Yes aampuun Rimaaa. How many days did you go to the medical team? Look, I've already cut your face. You must have forgotten to wear sun block. That's your eye why is it black-pouch like that? Forgot to wear eye cream, right? Free you buy a lot of skin care if not dipake Rim". Hesti started nyerocos. He used to nag me a lot when I was too busy in the organization. I was just a manyun listening to Hesti nag.
Hesti went into the room and sat down on a chair near the bed. I followed him and sat cross-legged on the bed.
"I'm hungry. Buy eat yuuukk". Take Hesti later. I also remember not having lunch. Last morning I had a breakfast pack prepared by the ospek committee.
"We order yuk, I'm lazy to get out". Answer me
"okay lah. I'll order it in the app if so. I'm going to buy some grilled chicken. What do you want?". Ask himi while wiping the screen of his phone looking for grilled chicken menu in the food messaging application.
"Same on. Add some orange ice". I said to Hesti who was still busy wiping the screen of his phone.
20 Minutes later the food we ordered came and we immediately ate grilled chicken while watching an infotainment show on TV in the living room of our hostel. Finished eating we hurriedly cleaned up our second-hand dishes and continued watching infotainment shows on TV.
Ting tung's. Suddenly the doorbell rang.
"Who's looking?" Shouted Hesti from the TV room. The doorbell is located in front of the living room door. While the distance of the living room and TV room is separated by a motorcycle parking lot. So you have to scream when the doorbell rings.
"Five". Answer the guest who just rang the doorbell. Hesti and I looked at each other. But I memorized the owner of the voice from the person who just hit the bell.
"But Hes". I said patting Hesti on the shoulder.
"Ciyee, someone's been gapeinin' at noon". Ledek Hesti as I walked half-run towards the living room.
Our door is always open. So every guest who comes can go in and sit. And now I was looking at the figure of the man sitting in the long chair of my guest room. I stood still looking at the man who was throwing a smile at me. The figure of a tall man, a sharp nose, who when smiling shows a row of teeth lined up neatly. Her hair always fell off covering part of her forehead.
Deg. I was still standing staring at the figure of the man sitting in my living room while showing off his sweet smile. Yes, he's Mas Bayu. My senior in the campus organization. Men who are labeled playboys and become the prima donna of girls in organizations, especially new members. Tumben him to my hostel. Wanna say what to him? I wondered in my heart.