“Ian, the girl who usually sits there isn't here!” said a chubby young man to his friend.
His friend then began to look around the park. He seemed to be searching for something or someone. He carefully scanned every corner of the park. However, in the end, he looked down at the white handkerchief in his right hand.
“She's not here, huh? What a shame, I really wanted to return this handkerchief,” said the young man with glasses, addressed as Ian, with a tone of regret.
“Just try coming back here tomorrow morning, maybe she'll be in the same spot again. Come on, don't be so sad. Love has to be fought for, bro...”
“I'm not sure she'll be here again tomorrow morning, Dod. She's a painter, after all. Maybe she's tired of painting here.”
“If we don't try, we won't know. Anyway, tomorrow morning we're coming back here to find that girl. I'll accompany you, Ian. I'm actually curious what kind of girl makes you so smitten like this.”
“I can't be bothered talking to you, Dod! My intention is just to return this handkerchief and thank that girl for helping me when I fell off my motorbike yesterday morning. I didn't get a chance to say thank you because she left so quickly.”
“Alright, bro, I was just kidding. Let's go home!”
The two young men then left the park. Before leaving, the young man named Ian gazed at the park and an antique bench located at the edge of the park. His gaze seemed to imply that he wanted to meet the girl who owned the white handkerchief.
A girl with short hair, a baby face, fair skin, and wearing a gray knitted hat. Yes, that was the image of the helpful girl that Ian still clearly remembered. After a while, Ian finally left with Dodi, feeling disappointed.
After they both left, a girl whose appearance matched Ian's memory emerged and sat on the park bench. She was accompanied by a sketchbook and a pencil case. Several people who knew her greeted her and asked how she was. The sweet girl simply smiled and made hand and finger gestures. Some people who saw her also smiled and returned her hand gestures with their own hand and finger movements. The girl smiled again and looked very happy.
***
The next morning, the two young men returned to the park. Still on the same mission: to meet Ian's helpful girl. At first, they didn't know that the girl always sat on the same park bench. Previously, they were confused about where to look for her. However, a small child who often played in the park told Ian that the girl he was looking for always sat and drew in the same spot every morning. Knowing this, Ian felt relieved. He hoped that at least he could say thank you and return the girl's handkerchief when they met.
Fortunately, that morning, Ian's helpful girl was sitting on the same bench, accompanied by her sketchbook and pencil case. The girl seemed focused, gazing towards the park, and then her fingers began to dance with the pencil on the sketchbook paper. For a moment, Ian watched the girl from a distance. For some reason, he felt her face was familiar. His friend was also puzzled by Ian's behavior.
“Hey, Ian! This kid is just daydreaming. The girl you're looking for is right there! Just go talk to her!” said Dodo, pushing Ian towards the girl.
“What are you doing, Dod? Wait a minute! I don't know what to say to her. Maybe I shouldn't bother?”
“Oh come on, do I have to go over there first? You're not being very manly, bro!”
“Quiet! Let's just go home!” Ian then got up and left the park.
As he was about to get on his bicycle, Dodo suddenly snatched the white handkerchief that had been in Ian's hand. After grabbing the handkerchief, Dodo ran towards the girl who owned it.
“Hey, Dod! Give that handkerchief back!” Ian shouted loudly.
He quickly put down his beloved mountain bike and ran after Dodo. But it was too late; Dodo had already reached the girl. Dodo was seen showing the white handkerchief to the girl and pointing towards Ian. The girl then turned to Ian. She seemed to smile when her gaze fell upon Ian. Ian just stood frozen in his spot, not far from the girl. Seeing the sweet face of the smiling girl, he looked a little captivated. Ian then offered a smile to his sweet helper. Unbeknownst to Ian, Dodo had been standing beside him all along.
“Wow, our bespectacled prince is apparently captivated by the beauty of the painter girl. Ahem..!” Dodo teased with a slightly exaggerated act. He then patted Ian's shoulder several times.
“Just go talk to her!”
“What did you say to her just now? Watch out if I find out you said anything bad about me!” Ian threatened, accompanied by a clenched right fist.
“Whoa... calm down, bro! If you want to know, just ask her directly! Go on!”
Dodo pushed Ian towards the girl once more. Ian walked towards the girl. Ian was seen glancing back at Dodo several times. He seemed to be asking Dodo to accompany him. Dodo just shook his head and made a hand gesture as if shooing away a cat. At this moment, Ian had no other choice but to approach the girl himself.
The girl was right in front of Ian at that moment. Their distance was only one meter. When the girl noticed Ian's presence, she turned towards the young man. Her sweet, fair face smiled at Ian. Ian just stared, mesmerized, at the girl who had been in his thoughts all this time.
The girl still looked the same to Ian as she did when they first met on the day of the accident. A fair-skinned girl with short hair, wearing a gray knitted hat. Ian couldn't say anything when their eyes met. For a few moments, they both just stood in silence, staring at each other.
Seeing the scene unfolding before him, Dodo became a little annoyed. He didn't want Ian to just stand there silently. Dodo wanted Ian to talk to the girl. So Dodo called Ian, who had been frozen in front of the girl.
“He...Hello?” said Ian, still gazing at the girl.
“Hey, don't just stand there, Ian! Talk to her! You're daydreaming!” Dodo shouted loudly, startling Ian and waking him from his reverie.
“Oh, you, Dod, it's not important. I'm hanging up!” said Ian, quickly ending the call on his phone.
After hanging up on Dodo, Ian took a deep breath. With newfound confidence, Ian tried to talk to the girl.
“Do you remember me?” Ian asked the girl. His voice sounded shaky, like someone nervous.
The girl simply nodded and showed him her white handkerchief.
“Yes, I'm the guy you helped with that handkerchief. Thank you for helping me during that accident. Um! If I may ask, what's your name?”
The girl didn't answer Ian's question. She just pointed to the corner of her sketch paper. Apparently, her nickname was written there.
“Oh, so your name is Ria. Your name is similar to mine. My name is Rian, but I'm usually called Ian. Do you like drawing here?”
The girl named Ria didn't answer Ian's question. She just nodded and then looked down at her drawing.
“From what I see, your drawings look good and professional. Wow, you must be very talented! Wow...” Ian complimented, followed by his laughter.
The girl smiled upon hearing Ian's compliment. Ria invited Ian to sit beside her. Several times Ian asked Ria questions. However, Ria only nodded if the answer was yes and shook her head if the answer was no. Ian didn't suspect anything about Ria's way of answering. Ian thought perhaps Ria was too nervous or shy to speak. However, their time together didn't last long. When the park clock chimed 7 times, Ria hastily packed her belongings. Ian, who was next to Ria, was confused by her behavior.
Ian wondered what made Ria rush. It crossed his mind that Ria might still be a high school student and had to go to school. However, it was Sunday, a holiday for students. So what was making her rush? Ian asked, but there was no answer from Ria.
Ria's face looked very anxious when the time showed 07:05 AM WIB. After tidying up her belongings, Ria quickly prepared to leave the park. As Ria was about to leave, Ian held Ria's right arm and asked about her departure. However, Ria didn't answer and tried to free herself from Ian with all her might.
Ian still didn't release Ria's hand. He wanted an answer from Ria. Ria struggled and tried to break free from Ian's grip. Eventually, Ian's grip loosened. However, Ria's struggle had apparently caused something very important to her to fall. Ria became even more panicked when she realized the item was gone.
She searched for the item, which might have been buried in the thick park grass. Ian helped Ria search for it, even though he wasn't sure what Ria was actually looking for. While searching, Ian found a strange object that looked like a hearing aid. Ian thought, “Could that be what Ria is looking for?” If so, then what he and Ria had experienced today started to make sense. Ian then showed the object to Ria, who was busy searching in the dense grass.
“Is this what you're looking for?” Ian asked in a low voice, showing the hearing aid to Ria.
Upon seeing the object, Ria looked startled and then lowered her head. She nodded, indicating that it was hers.
Ian looked at Ria and then smiled at her.
“This item is very precious. Don't lose it again, okay?” He then took Ria's right hand and placed the object in her palm.
Ria just looked down and shed a few tears. After receiving her hearing aid, Ria put it in her right ear.
“I'm sorry about my behavior earlier. I truly feel guilty,” Ian said with deep regret. Ian then wiped Ria's tears with the girl's white handkerchief, which had been left on the park bench.
Ria smiled and shook her head. She then moved her hands and fingers as if signaling to Ian. Upon seeing Ria's finger movements, Ian remembered the same code he had seen before. The movement was identical to the gestures of a little girl who often appeared in his memories.
Forgotten memories of the past flooded back into his mind. As he recalled them, Ian felt a slight pain in his head. The puzzle-like fragments of his past became clearer. The image of that little girl became more vivid to Ian. The figure of a 7-year-old girl, whose identity he didn't know. For some reason, upon seeing Ria, Ian was reminded of that girl.
Ria looked very worried about Ian's condition. She gazed at Ian with a look that implied a question: “Is Ian okay?”
“I'm fine. My head's just a bit dizzy. Probably because of lack of sleep. Hehe, don't worry,” Ian said to Ria. Ian then took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
Upon seeing Ian's face without glasses, Ria felt that the face didn't seem so unfamiliar to her. It was as if she had seen that face before. However, she couldn't clearly remember where she had seen Ian's face.
“Oh, weren't you going to leave, Ri? Are you sure you're okay?” Ian asked Ria.
Ria just shook her head and smiled. She then glanced at the wristwatch on her left wrist for a moment. With a calm expression, she looked back at Ian. Her facial expression seemed to say that she was fine.
As they were sitting together on the park bench where Ria usually drew, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared, hurrying towards them. Seeing the woman, Ria looked uneasy. Ian, still feeling a bit dizzy, didn't pay much attention to the woman's arrival.
“Ria! Why are you still here? Why haven't you gone home yet?! Who is that boy?” said the middle-aged woman in a panicked tone.
“You know you have to go home by 7 o'clock! You're making your father worried, Ri!”
Ria moved her hands and fingers towards the woman. She gave a signal whose meaning was unknown to Ian.
“How can your father and I not worry, Ri? You're still here at this hour, and with a boy, no less. Who is he? Your friend?”
Hearing the woman's words, Ian immediately stood up and shook her right hand.
“Ah, nice to meet you, Auntie, my name is Ian. Ria once helped me when I had an accident. So I came here to say thank you and return her handkerchief,” Ian said to the middle-aged woman, who turned out to be Ria's mother.
“Oh, so you're the one Ria helped that time. Ria already told me. How are you? Are you okay?” the woman asked in a softer tone, very different from her previous one.
“Alhamdulillah, I'm healthy now, Auntie. It's a good thing Ria was there to help me that time.”
While Ian was speaking, the woman kept observing his face. She scrutinized Ian from head to toe. Ian felt a little strange about what the woman was doing.
“Could you possibly be Ian, Mr. Arif Rahman's son?” the woman asked Ian.
“How do you know my father, Auntie? Do you know him?” Ian asked, full of curiosity.
“My goodness, Ian! Is that really you? Is this truly the Ian who used to play with Sarah? You're still alive, dear. The last I heard, you were in Jakarta,” the woman said.
The woman then hugged Ian, who was somewhat confused by her explanation.
“Where do you live now, dear?” another question came from the woman.
“Excuse me, Auntie, how do you know about me and my family? Who are you? I don't recall ever meeting you before.”
“Don't you remember? I used to be your neighbor, Ian. You often played at my house. You also often played with Sarah, Ria's twin sister. But Sarah and her grandmother died in a fire at the shopping mall. You remember Sarah, right? She looked just like Ria.”
Still confused, Ian tried to recall the name Sarah.
“Sarah? So that little girl was Sarah? She's dead?”
“Yes, Sarah and Ria were twin sisters. But they lived separately; Sarah lived with me and her grandmother, while at that time Ria lived with her father in Bandung. Due to my mother's health, with my husband's permission, Sarah and I lived at my mother's house and became your neighbors. But Sarah and her grandmother became victims of a fire when they visited the mall.
You were so sad when you found out Sarah had died. You ran away from home and then had an accident. Your father and mother then took you to Jakarta for treatment,” the woman said, her voice trembling.
Ria came over to the woman, who was also her mother. She hugged her mother, who was crying, remembering her memories with Sarah.
“So, Sarah and I used to be good friends, Auntie? I'm sorry, Auntie, I can't remember clearly.”
“You two were very close. You often accompanied Sarah when she practiced piano. You also always supported Sarah before she entered competitions. You didn't mind that Sarah was not physically perfect. You remained her friend even though she couldn't speak at all,” the woman recounted, her voice trembling even more as she couldn't hold back her sadness.
“I'm truly sorry, Auntie, I can't remember my memories with Sarah. I apologize.” Ian felt very guilty for not being able to remember anything about himself and Sarah.
He could only apologize to the woman, as he had made her recall sad memories of her deceased child.
“I'm grateful to meet you again, dear. Even though you've forgotten your memories of Sarah, your attitude and behavior are still the same as before. You have a sincere heart to accept someone who is not physically perfect. Ria is just like Sarah. She cannot speak, and even hearing is very difficult for her. But you are willing to be kind to her. You are a good boy, Ian. Thank you.”
Hearing the woman's words, Ian smiled and then said,
“There's no reason for me to treat Ria and Sarah badly, Auntie. They are also human beings created by God, just like me. Even though Ria is different from me, she is still special. Ria is very gifted at drawing. The same goes for Sarah; Sarah must have been very good at playing the piano. Even though they have shortcomings, they surely possess strengths that not everyone has. In fact, I feel they are perfect, Auntie.”
The woman shed tears after hearing Ian's words, which deeply moved her. Ria hugged her mother tighter and tighter. Ian smiled, seeing the closeness between the mother and daughter. He felt that the woman must have carried a heavy burden raising her two “special” daughters.
Ria, who had heard Ian's words, smiled at him. Ian looked embarrassed when he saw Ria's sweet smile. Seeing Ian's blushing face, Ria remembered the same face she had seen before. Ria recalled a photo of a 7-year-old boy whose face was red with embarrassment when photographed.
That photo was shown to her by her twin sister, Sarah. As soon as she realized that the boy was Ian, Ria smiled broadly. She never expected to meet the kind-hearted boy who had been her sister's good friend during her lifetime.
Editor: Putri Istiqomah Priyatna