Joy: A Hope's
Chapter 23: The Chicken Feeding Rani

The day has changed the night. The orange roundabout in the western horizon had sunk completely changed dimly as the moonlight took over in the dark sky. The sounds of crickets and frogs twitching each other shut down the story that afternoon.

In front of a boarding house room pacing uneasily a teenage boy. His left thumb was bitten by him with a straight-forward look. Hoping for the figure that was waiting for his arrival to appear behind the gate.

Seven o'clock past thirteen minutes. Dinner's Joy ready. An hour ago waiting for the arrival of Bang Ari, but never revealed the nose. Where's that brother? I don't usually come home late like this. Is it possible that Bang Ari is overtime again?

Joy sighed disappointedly and rubbed her flat stomach without muscle formation like some of her peers. “But I am hungry,” lamented in a long tone.

“Joy.” Someone called his name. Without even looking back, Joy knew who was behind the voice.

A paper bag stuck towards him. Joy looked straight at the pink thing. “Why?” ask Joy cuek.

Although Joy's face was unfriendly, but the girl still carved out a smile as much as possible. “Take,” said Rani friendly.

Joy stuck out her palm, refusing Rani's hand. “Not done. Thanks,” he said without feeling.

The smile on Rani's lips instantly faded. The fertilizer then starts to runny. He looked at Joy with a disappointed look. “That's why you're the same as me, Joy?” his voice was almost heard.

Joy is silent not responding to the girl's monologue. He turned his gaze so as not to be melted by the glare of Rani's teary eyes.

Rani shook her head and lowered her face. “In fact, I don't know my fault where,” he continued muttering.

Sobs slowly sounded from the girl. He lifted his eyes and showed them to Joy. “Why be this foreign, Joy?”

However, Joy's rock-hard heart didn't care at all. He chooses to move from there, but his hand is blocked by Rani.

Joy looked back at him with a questioning look. Quickly Rani wiped the remains of tears on her cheeks and handed the paper bag over again.

“You don't want to make Bang Ari. I deliberately cooked a lot for you.” The smile came back even though this time it seemed forced.

Rani passes to her room after the paper bag moves into Joy's hands.

Joy was still flabbergasted at the spot looking at Rani's departure. I don't know why it feels so bad to be so indifferent like that to Rani. Where is Rani's fault?

Rani was wrong. It's just about Joy and her jealousy. Rani and her feelings are her business. Joy can't force Rani to like her. After all, Rani also doesn't know Joy's true feelings for her, does she?

What was Joy feeling wrong? Is it supposed to be from the beginning just a sense of awe, nothing more?

Joy lowered her head. His gaze fell on the paper bag in his hand grip. “Sorry ... and thanks.”

***

Joy was arranging food and cutlery in the living room. Ari who just came out of the bathroom with her wet hair came over to Joy. Shortly after Joy passed into the house, Ari just came home.

“What cooking is Joy?” ari asked taking her place beside Joy.

Joy glanced at Ari at a glance showing a smile. “Sayur kale same tempe fried flour, Bang,” answer.

Ari's eyeballs sparkle. Sipping his saliva impatiently wanted to devour the food in front of him. The food was simple, but it was his favorite.

Paper bag that Joy open. It is arranged on top of other foods. A little attracted the attention of Ari who was greedy to eat.

The young man's forehead was faintly wrinkled. “That's what?” ari asked with a bloated mouth full of food.

“Opor chicken,” Reply Joy briefly. The teenager spooned rice and some pieces of tempeh to his plate, skipping the chicken opor given by Rani.

Not with Ari who immediately spiked one piece of chicken to his plate. Ari. The young man muttered enjoying the mouthful of chicken opor that had just entered his mouth.

It was silent for a while and only the clang of the spoon clashing with the plate sounded.

“Dikasih Rani earlier,” Joy replied then broke the silence.

Ari mangut-mangut and took one piece of chicken opor again. “Enak,” compliments.

“You didn't eat?” Ari looked at Joy confusedly so aware of something.

Joy muttered a little and commented a smile in response. Actually Joy wanted to taste it too, but already she had rejected the gift from Rani herself. What would Rani say if she knew Joy was eating her gift? Will Joy be branded a hypocrite?

Now, Joy could only gulp her own saliva. Slowly shaking then answering, “Bang Ari aja who finished. I again have no appetite for chicken opor.”

Yeah, it's just an excuse for Joy's lies to be invisible in Ari's eyes.

The look on Bang Ari's face became cheerful hearing that. “OK, deal!” spirit sahut.

Behind the walls of the room, exactly in the next room. Rani secretly steals the talk of Joy and her brother.

The smile that had been engraved on the girl's face when Bang Ari praised the food made by his own hands immediately faded when Joy did not want the slightest item to taste it. Tightness in Rani's chest feels squeezed in the chest. Rani smiled disappointedly. Her efforts to repair the relationship with Joy turned out to be in vain. Though Rani painstakingly made a chicken opor that was armed with recipes from the internet.

About her feelings for Joy. Rani did not know what kind of feeling she was feeling. Not because he put feelings on his neighbor. Rani considers Joy nothing more than a friend and a underclassman. But why should it be this bad?

***

The night is getting late. The weather is good. The deep blue color only looks dimly defeated by the pitch darkness that envelops the sky. It is only armed with the light of the small stars that circle the moon.

Five minutes less at twelve. Joy who had been moving restlessly on her bed mattress blinked her eyes and woke up. The teenager scratched his temple then passed into the kitchen.

Joy makes Bang Ari coffee and will deliver it to the front porch later. Bang Ari has not slept and is playing online games. A habit of Bang Ari if you can not sleep.

Maybe Bang Ari thought Joy was fast asleep. The last four hours have not really fallen asleep. His eyes are hard to shut. Like there were many dream scenes or just delusions that shook his head. Looks like Joy had to channel all the story ideas in her head first in order to sleep well. Joy hasn't written and published a new chapter of her story on that online platform in a long time.

Joy's eyeballs sparkle. It's a good time. Many say that if the hours of bats wandering around looking for prey like this, there will be many ideas that arise. Looks like Joy should try.

“Bang, here's the coffee.” Joy put the cup of coffee on the table, replacing the empty glass and only the waste.

Ari's attention shifted. He looked at his sister with faint brow-bends. “So late again you? Kirain had slept from earlier,” he said raised a question as soon as he finished exhaling smoke from the cigarette he had just smoked.

“Not easy to sleep, Bang.” Joy took the place beside Bang Ari. He frowned unhappily while shaking his hands in the air as Bang Ari's cigarette smoke passed through his face.

“How difficult? Much of your mind, huh?” Bang Ari's guess is right.

Joy nodded in disinterest. The teenager took a deep breath. Then reach into the pocket of his pants and take a flat object from there. While being engrossed in surfing social media, Bang Ari's voice interrupted him.

“If you want to play hp in the room only. Not in here. Cold,” reprimand Ari.

The young man rubbed his arms and let out a small hiss as the night air greeted his naked white skin. He smoked his cigarette again, then threw out his glowing red butt.

Glanced at Joy at a glance as she said, “I'm smoking too. Not good for your health if the smoke you breathe.”

Joy snorted before moving from her seat. Care about the health of others, but not for yourself. That's Bang Ari. Sometimes Joy was surprised by his brother's attitude.

***