Like a Former Nail
Episodes 1.2
Gebri slightly jerked. During this time, the middle-aged woman very rarely called out loud voices. Can count fingers. But if it does happen, it means he is very angry, probably the same as today. Then inevitably, with a heavy heart Gebri away from the room Galang. And from that day on, he began to realize something. Although all this time he never showed clearly, it turns out the mother hated him. Maybe he hated himself so much and it all started with that disgrace.
Gebri's daydreams spread as the phone on the table shook again. Replies from Galang. The news of the bundle and the few words in the last sentence that made his lips slanted wide.
[LINE 12:38 PM]Galang~~~~
Sunday nti ak to kosan Mbak
The sentence seemed ordinary, but different for Gebri. That short sentence was like his self-reinforcing. Someone still wants to care about it. Give her a little protection. After all the dark events that happened, not many people were willing to interact with him, even relatives from the mother and the late father seemed reluctant to get close.
Since their father died, Galang has always been a protector. Like shields. Ready to fend off the various blows of the sword that was about to draw. The older they get, the more they look like their father. The barn always guards him and gives strength.
“I'm sitting here ya!”
Gebri turned his head away from the phone, facing the figure of the woman who had been sitting beside him and was sipping a yellow liquid from inside the glass. Gebri seemed surprised to realize the glasses and shirtless girl wanted to be close to him. A few hours ago, the expression and dislike attitude were obvious. Even during Mr. Edy's lecture, they didn't sit close to each other. Gebri chose to sit in the front, while Koning stayed behind as planned. Whereas usually, if there was only one empty seat in the back, they would have decided to sit anywhere, which is important both.
“Why?” asked Koning who was feeling a little uneasy with a look of disbelief from the woman next to him.
Gebri shook his head. “No. Only...”
“I'm sorry, maybe my attitude this morning was outrageous.” Koning let out a little breath. “My grandmother once said, as bad or as dark as our past, all we need to know is that the future still remains sacred and will be good,” he continued and returned to take a breath and sigh. “So there is no harm in making friends and in my opinion, you are a good friend for this month,” Koning said again with a big smile. “And tomorrow will you accompany me to Hartono Mall again?” he asked while sipping again the orange juice in front of him.
Gebri mesam-mesem looked at the behavior of the girl beside him, then nodded. This is the figure of Koning who was known for a month, a very cheerful and easy to get along with others without seeing any status, maybe even background. But it was a pity, Koning had an extravagant nature. It was probably because Koning was born from a very well-to-do family. His father was a member of the Riau Provincial DPRD and his grandfather had abundant oil palm plantations there. So it is very natural that Koning slightly squandered money by shopping, buying something that attracted his eyes even though the item was not very useful. No matter how expensive the price of the item is. During this month, almost all of the Mall and Plaza in Yogyakarta have been visited. Actually Gebri several times wanted to refuse, but he felt bad. After all, there is no harm in accompanying Koning, while getting to know the city that has been a place to live for approximately four years.
“Kon!” call Gebri.
“Ya?” koning replied with a frown.
“Thank you,” continued Gebri while embracing the arm of the scalloped girl.
Koning chuckled slightly before chiming in on the words of the horse-tailed and thick black-browed haired girl beside him now. “No need to thank. I should have behaved like this. Aren't we friends?”
“Thank you,” Gebri again while releasing his embrace, then continue their lunch activities that had been delayed and as soon as possible spend it. In about ten minutes, the long hand from the wall clock on the shelf containing various side dishes exactly shows the number twelve, he said, indicating that they must immediately be in room III-4 and follow the Mathematics of Economics course from Ms. Arum.
^_^
Gebri's eyes glanced at the clock on a small sideboard beside the bed, right next to a photo figura featuring four people of different ages who put on a big smile, photo taken about ten years ago. It's almost 8 p.m. It was only natural that his stomach voice was now rumbling. The last time Gebri's mouth received something was in the campus cafeteria, at lunch with Koning.
Gebri picked up a parachute jacket hanging from the door, picked up a red wallet lying in a bag and an android phone on a mattress, then opened the room door and moved away from the boarding area. After tracing the five hundred meter long asphalt road, he finally arrived at the intersection of four red lights. On the left when facing north, there is a wagon and a small room behind which is carpeted with several small tables. Looks Pak Musk– his nickname because it has big muscles like professional wrestler–looks busy in front of the pot, stirring processed rice with spatula in his hand.
“Nation fried one, sir. Pedes. Wrapped,” said Gebri then sat in a long wooden chair beside the cart, where people usually wait for their special food to be wrapped.
Gebri's eyes glanced into the room, revealing that some people were making a group around the table, enjoying the dishes that lay on it, and Gebri was a little surprised when he realized someone was staring at him intensely, someone who was standing in front of room II-9 in a different costume this morning. Gebri as soon as possible turned towards the big streets, saw the traffic of motorcycles and cars passing by, hoping to repel the sudden unrest present.
“Mbak.”
Gebri slightly jerked, it turns out he had time to daydream earlier. “Ya, Sir?”
“Pedes, right?”
Gebri nodded, “Iya, Sir.”
Gebri's head again faced the road, busying himself with the roaring sounds and lights from the lights of motorcycles and cars. Suddenly Gebri felt something shake from behind the training pants, forcing his hand into his pocket. A message is attached in the Line app.
[LINE 08:11 PM]Inskoning
Kpn kta bwt tgas can be lost by Pk Hakim?
Jemari Gebri then touched the letters on her phone's touchscreen, replying to Koning's question. And just after putting his phone in his pants pocket, Pak Muscles approached with a transparent white plastic bag. He immediately opened the wallet, took out a ten thousand piece of money, then thanked her and moved away from the wagon.
Five meters more, Gebri can already be in the boarding house and can directly eat fried rice made by Pak Muscles which he thinks is very good. But suddenly his arm felt pulled by someone. Gebri immediately looked back and his eyes immediately widened. Didn't expect the angular fringe-haired figure to be here, in front of him that was only a few centimeters away.
“Can we talk to you for a minute?” pinta the man in front of him now with his distinctive gaze that seemed to jut inward, like the gaze of an eagle's eyes.
Wh-wh-what for? inner Gebri, suddenly his mouth felt locked.
“Can?” repeat the man again.
“If what you want to talk about is so that I don't tell people about the events of five years ago, you don't have to worry,” said Gebri quickly, as if understanding the direction of the man's speech whose voice had changed from five years ago, it sounded more raucous with a face that began to look mature.
“No. Not about—”
“I have to go. Excuse me,” cut off Gebri when his eyes caught the open boarding door, found one of the residents there who was out, then intended to run, not wanting others to see the interaction between them, he said, but again his left arm was pulled, forcing him to return to face the angular-haired fringe man.
“Au—”
“Please, let me go! I promise I won't tell people,” said Gebri in a hurry before throwing the stranglehold and immediately running towards the two-story building where he currently lives.
Placed a plastic bag he carried on a small sideboard, then immediately lay his body on the bed. His mind began to hover, teasing himself with the parable of ‘if only’.
If he did not go to school at Junior High School 216 Jakarta.
If only he hadn't been a PMR officer at school.
If only he hadn't treated the man's wounds.
If only he hadn't met again at Kelapa Gading Mall.
And many more words ‘if the rest of ’ keeps swirling in Gebri's mind, even though he knows that all the parables can not change anything. His past life remains etched the word ‘aib’ for himself and his family.
Huh! Gebri let out a long sigh before getting out of bed, hoping to ease the sudden tightness. His feet moved towards the small sideboard, picking up a transparent bag along with a plastic plate and a stainless spoon. It's time for the Gebri hull to be filled. Since then the worms in the stomach have made a roar full of protest. But just a spoonful of fried rice entered his mouth, his tears suddenly dripped and a moment later began to flow wet his cheeks.
No one is to blame for what happened five years ago. Nor for the eagle-eyed man who had pulled his arm. They like to do things they should not do, and this is what they should accept, the penalty from the Creator for breaking His prohibition and being tempted by momentary pleasure.
Until now, Gebri had never forgotten that terrible day, the day he was dishonorably expelled from school exactly three days before UN Junior High. The day on which the beginning of estrangement with the bunda began and all the insults from the people around began to be thrown. It all started from her pregnancy, pregnancy without legal status at a young age, the age of fifteen who should still experience the beauty of adolescence. And tragically, the man did not want to account for it, leaving it in a pit full of regrets until now. Regrets that always come later and are of no use anymore. [ ]