Dawn arrived once more, signaling the start of a new day for all creatures created by the Almighty. Roosters crowed, offering new spirit for a better day. Birds sang nature's melody, awakening mighty souls.
The sound of a siren from a teenager's mobile phone was also heard, waking him from his deep, beautiful dream.
Slowly, Junet opened his eyes, even though he hadn't been able to see anything around him since he was in 2nd grade due to malpractice. But he no longer cared about what had happened; what mattered was that he could still live, eat well, and enjoy the beauty of the world. Arjuna Maladewa was his real name, though for some reason it had changed to Junet. He got that nickname from his high school friends because Arjuna was of pure Betawi descent. According to them, the name Arjuna didn't quite fit his ordinary appearance.
"Ugh! I can't believe it. It was just Monday yesterday, and now it's Monday again." Junet grumbled, fiddling with his phone, which was equipped with a screen reader. This screen reader software could translate text on the screen into speech, allowing a visually impaired person to happily text friends or a beloved girlfriend. Many SMS messages had come in last night, ranging from completely unimportant to somewhat important. Some were asking how he was, some apologized for not being able to pay their debts yet, and some even sent poems that made no sense.
Suddenly, Junet found an urgent SMS. It turned out someone needed mobile credit last night. As Junet was about to reply to the SMS with an apology, a call suddenly came in.
"Hey, where's the credit? Why hasn't it arrived yet this morning? Is the connection slow or are you not sending it? Don't worry, I'll pay all my debts!" said the caller irritably.
"Sorry, Jek, I didn't know you SMSed me last night! You sent the SMS at one in the morning. Well, I was already far away in dreamland. Okay, how much do you want me to send? If it's for Mentari, I can only send five thousand, not 25,000, because my deposit is only 9,000 left."
"Seriously, are you even serious about selling credit? Every time I ask you to send some, there's always an excuse: it's slow, or the deposit is gone." The caller continued to express his annoyance.
"Indosat, Fleksi, and Esia are always slow, and as for the deposit issue, I haven't been able to top up much because I haven't been able to add more capital, especially since some people haven't paid yet, so I'm a bit slow to refill the deposit."
"Alright, five thousand will do, because this is really important! Just total all my debts!" The caller then hung up immediately.
Junet immediately sent the credit to the caller through the mobile credit top-up service that was popular at the time.
After finishing, he went straight to the bathroom. But just as he was enjoying nature's call, there was a sudden knock on the bathroom door.
"Knock knock knock! Jun, Junet, there's a call for you!" Junet's older sibling shouted from behind the bathroom door.
Junet got up from the toilet, and after casually wrapping himself in a towel, he immediately opened the bathroom door.
"Who is it, Sis/Bro?" Junet said, reaching out his hand to take the phone.
"Your girlfriend!" His sibling then handed it to him.
"Yes, Honey, what's up?" Junet said, starting the conversation while closing the bathroom door and returning to the toilet.
"How are you, dear?"
"I'm fine. How about you?" Junet replied coolly.
"That's the problem, my headache is back! I just vomited blood."
"Oh my god, you've taken your medicine, right, honey?" Junet began to worry.
Suddenly, Junet's stomach felt very upset.
"What was that sound, dear?"
Junet could only wince, punctuated by sounds emanating from his backside.
"No... It's nothing, really, honey..." Junet said, still wincing.
"You must have eaten meatballs with chili sauce again, right?"
"No, just a little, dear!"
"Yeah, 'a little' meaning 10 spoons. Don't you understand when I tell you? I don't want anything to happen to you; being sick isn't nice, dear!" Junet's girlfriend advised.
Her name was Reyna Prescilia. She suffered from a rather dangerous brain cancer. According to the doctors' calculations, she only had days to live, but Junet kept her spirits up, reminding her that life was in God's hands. That was one of the reasons Reyna fell in love with Junet. Besides making her comfortable, Junet was also a gentle and confident guy, even though he was visually impaired.
"So, what can I do for you?"
"Don't do anything; I'm already so grateful just to be able to talk to you. You are my medicine!"
"Ah, you're being overdramatic!" Junet said shyly.
”Dear, I want to say something...”
”Say what?”
”If, for example, I have to leave and don't come back, will you forget me?”
”Ah, don't say such things! Alright, I'm in the bathroom now, about to shower!”
”Oh, alright then, I'm sorry if I disturbed you.”
The conversation ended, and Junet showered after the 'poison' in his stomach had been completely drained. He hung the phone on the bathroom wall, then poured water over his body. The cold immediately pierced his bones, as it had just rained last night.
"If it weren't for school, I wouldn't want to shower this early." Junet grumbled to himself while scrubbing his body with the acne-preventing soap Reyna had given him.
"Knock knock knock! Junet, what time is it already?" Shouted Junet's older sibling, who usually drove him to school.
"Yeah, Bro, wait a minute, I'm in the middle of something!" Junet shouted.
"Oh, come on, there's no time for that!" Junet's brother said, misunderstanding, as he casually kicked the bathroom door.
Finally, Junet completed his routine ritual before heading to school. Using an automatic scooter, Junet was driven to school. With the scooter's engine screaming, Junet's brother continued to brave the highway, which was already busy with traffic.
He arrived at school. "See? What did I tell you? Serves you right!" Junet's older sibling said after seeing the main school gate locked. Resigned, Junet got off the scooter and stood directly in front of the gate. On the school field, students were listening to the ceremony instructor's address. Without a care, Junet's older sibling immediately sped off, leaving him.
"As a senior student, you should set an exemplary example for your juniors! And you, as an inclusive student, should behave even more exemplarily than your normal friends. Inclusive, yet still mischievous, what will become of you?" said Mr. Ratmanto, a student affairs teacher, lecturing at length to the late students, including Junet. Junet merely smiled hearing Mr. Ratmanto's rant; fortunately, he didn't know that Mr. Ratmanto had been staring at him with the gaze of an eagle about to prey on its quarry.
Not long after, the gate was opened because the flag ceremony had concluded.
"For those who are late, please run five laps around the field!" He commanded in a raised tone.
"And specifically for you, please do 150 push-ups!" He commanded Junet in an equally high tone. They all carried out the punishments given.
After the punishment ended, Junet immediately ran off, waving his cane left and right. Those who saw him could only offer silent prayers that Junet would safely reach his classroom.
Without hesitation, Junet climbed two steps at a time. Upon reaching the top, Junet was met by several of his friends.
"Jun, we want to pay for the credit now!" said one of them.
"Later during break, okay!" Junet said, feigning exemplary behavior.
"Here's the deal: either I pay for the credit now, or you go to class, but there's no guarantee I'll pay for your credit during break!" threatened Aldo, the biggest debtor, owing Rp.150,000,-
"Okay, fine!" Junet gave in.
Finally, the money changed hands at the top of the stairs between Junet and them.
In just a few moments, Junet had pocketed approximately Rp. 30,000,-, even though it still included capital and only a small profit. But it wasn't a problem for him.
"Thanks, Jun!" they said, then simply ran off into the toilet.
”Hmmm..., they must be smoking again..." Junet thought to himself.
Before he knew it, break time arrived. After wrestling with those hellish product formulas, the students were finally free to breathe fresh air outside the classroom. The aroma of grilled chicken, fried rice, and spaghetti made their nostrils flare, automatically drawing their feet towards the school canteen. But Junet had to endure curses and expressions of disappointment from his avid fans because he couldn't fulfill their desires.
”It's all out, Fera. Why don't you understand?" Junet began to get annoyed with one of his fans who was fuming in front of his desk.
”Anyway, if you haven't topped up my credit by tonight, I'll tell Ristiya that you have a crush on her!" Farah threatened, pulling out her phone to text the person in question. The other fans agreed, some even shouting.
”Ristiyaaaa, Junet says he wants to confess his love to you later in the canteen! Will you accept?" That was Rifki Arief's doing, who never wanted to compromise with Junet.
”Calm down, calm down, don't threaten like that! The credit will be available by noon." Junet appeared to be trembling from the threat. The subject of their conversation also accidentally overheard everything from behind the classroom door, which made her smile meaningfully.
”Hi, Jun!" Ristiya Munaf's cheerful face appeared from behind the classroom door and approached Junet's desk.
”Hey, why are you all crowding Junet's desk? You must want to owe him money again." Ristiya said to Junet's avid fans. Without a word, they dispersed and ran out of the classroom.
”Sorry, I took a long time to pay," Tia said, taking some cash from her wallet.
”It's okay, as long as you pay," Junet said, which made Tia smile.
“Oh, alright, I have to rush off; there's something I need to do. Here, fifty thousand rupiah, keep the change to buy more credit!" Tia said, handing a 50,000 rupiah bill to Junet.
”Okay, ma'am!" Junet put the money into his wallet.
“Jun, a message from the Principal." A student suddenly appeared from behind the classroom door and approached Junet. He pulled out a rather thick envelope from his uniform shirt pocket and handed it to Junet.
“Rp. 350,000,- Jun, I already counted it carefully."
“Good job, Jek. Oh, and he left a message: top up his wife's credit with 50,000 and his own with 100,000. To be paid next week." Junet smiled hearing the message from his friend.
He immediately opened the torn envelope and took out the money.
“One hundred thousand rupiah bill, five fifty thousand rupiah bills. I've arranged them as usual," his friend explained.
”OK, by the way, can you accompany me to top up the deposit this afternoon?" Junet said, putting the money into his wallet.
”No problem! My motorcycle will be ready in front of the school gate."
”Here's the gas money!" Junet tossed a ten thousand rupiah bill onto the table. The boy quickly snatched it and put the money into his uniform shirt pocket.
”Thanks, Bro!" He patted Junet's shoulder warmly. The boy then casually walked away.
Before he knew it, break time was over. The next lesson was very enjoyable because it was Junet's favorite subject. Yes, none other than ICT, the only subject where Junet was exempted from following every lesson given because he was already considered to have mastered the material. All that was left was to wait for a formality test. So, Junet ended up spending his time in the computer lab just browsing interesting articles while listening to MP3 music files. Sometimes, one or two students would approach Junet just to buy credit, even if it had to end in disappointment.
”Yes, hello, what's up, honey?" Junet had just answered a call from his beloved girlfriend.
“I-I just want to say, that my love is only for you and I will carry it until my death comes...click” The call immediately disconnected.
“Hello? Hello? Reyna?" Junet became anxious.
He tried to call her back, but the answering machine said that the number was not active. Not giving up, he tried sending her an SMS, but it remained pending. By the end of school, Junet grew even more anxious; he wanted to go to Reyna's house immediately to find out what had really happened.
”Why do you look so confused?" asked Riko, who had been waiting for him at the gate.
”I don't know, I have a bad feeling about my girlfriend."
”So, are we going to the bank?"
”Yes, but let's go to her house first. What do you think?"
”No problem, Boss!"
Then Junet and Riko sped off to Reyna's place.
”Can you go any faster?" Junet began to get anxious.
”It's traffic, you know. Can't you see what's ahead?"
”Well, I can't see, can I? Is her house still far?"
”Almost there."
”Hey, whose yellow flag is that?" Riko was startled after seeing a yellow flag waving in front of Reyna's alley. Riko almost forgot to pull the clutch lever of his motorcycle when he wanted to shift gears, which made the bike lurch.
Junet's heart pounded faster, "Th-there's a yellow flag, Ko?" Junet became increasingly distraught.
”Y-yes, maybe someone passed away."
”Who could it be?"
”I don't know, Jun, how would I know?"
”But Reyna's house..." Riko couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.
”What about Reyna's house?"
”There's an ambulance, Jun."
Riko parked his motorcycle not far from the house. For a moment, they were silent. Soaked sobs could be heard from inside the house.
”Ko, Reyna, Ko, there's no mistake, it must be Reyna!!!"
”Calm down, Boss, calm down, don't jump to conclusions yet! Let me go inside and see."
Riko immediately stepped into the house. Junet stood lost in thought, trying to ignore his premonition.
”How is it, Rik?" Junet said weakly.
Riko just remained silent.
”Let's go home!" He replied, preparing his motorcycle.
”Who is it, Riiiiiikk..." He couldn't hold back his tears.
”I'll tell you when we're home."
”Now!"
”Later."
”Now!!!"
Riko started his motorcycle engine.
”Now and later are the same, Riiik!!! Who is it? Tell me quickly or I won't go home..."
”Yes... It's her..." Junet's tears burst forth, and they immediately hugged each other.
Reluctantly, Riko also cried.
”Come on, Bro, be strong! Let her go, I think that's best for her."
”But I can't do that, Bro, she's my only girlfriend, the one I love the most."
”It's easy, Bro, there's still Ristiya; I think she has a thing for you."
"Damn it, you really are something. I'm sad, and you're talking about Ristiya."
"Well, what else can we do? Reyna's gone. Find someone else. It's that simple, why make it complicated, Jun?" Riko said, sobbing.
”Ko, can you take me inside? I want to see her face one last time," Junet said, sobbing.
"Can you even see, Jun?" Riko also sobbed.
"Of course not, it's just a formality. I still remember my role as a blind person. I'm amazed at the author. They really enjoy making me blind. And even killing my girlfriend. It seems like that person holds a serious grudge." Junet's crying grew louder.
Riko parked his motorcycle again, and the two friends walked hand in hand into Reyna's house. A rigid body lay on a daybed placed in the living room. Several people surrounded the daybed, reciting prayers for Reyna.
A mother sat weeping in a chair near the daybed. She held an envelope in her right hand.
”Junet." The mother immediately called him, her voice almost gone from sadness.
”Yes, Auntie." Junet was equally sad.
The mother immediately handed the envelope to him without a word. Then she started crying again.
”It's alright, Auntie, she won't come back; let her rest in peace there!" Riko said, helping to calm the mother.
”Yes, dear, thank you. Auntie is devastated by this bitter reality. And to think, next month she was going to be engaged to Rafail."
Suddenly, Junet's heart boiled. But he quickly controlled his emotions.
”Oh, is that so, Auntie? Perhaps it wasn't meant to be." Riko responded.
”What a shame, they'd known each other well since childhood." The aunt continued to sob sadly.
”Alright, we'll take our leave now, Auntie." Riko ended the conversation as Junet's emotions flared even more.
”Jun, do you want to say goodbye to Reyna?" Riko continued. Junet just nodded.
He held Reyna's hand, which had become a corpse. Limp, it still retained a trace of warmth. He squeezed that hand.
”You cheated on me secretly, darling. Good thing you're dead. But oh well, allow me to date Ristiya. Farewell, I hope you're comfortable in your new realm!" He whispered softly.
Dear, Arjuna Maladewa,
This is the last letter I can write to you. Because now it's time for us to part ways. Forgive me, for I can no longer accompany you in this world. I must go, fulfilling the destiny that has been laid out. You shouldn't have squeezed my hand so tightly, because Rafail never ended up having me anyway. No need to be jealous, because that wasn't my wish. Rafail was just a friend, and we didn't love each other. I allow you to be with Ristiya, as long as you don't forget me. I will be waiting for you there, and Ristiya must know that.
Oh, and darling, the details of my credit debt that you asked for are attached in this letter. Just ask Mama for the money! I pray that your business runs smoothly.
With love from me, Reyna.
He finished reading the letter to Junet, then placed it on the grave. A freshly lit match fell onto the letter, burning it to ashes, which then merged with the peaceful grave soil...
”Reyna, may you rest in peace in the afterlife."
The two hearts spoke to each other, offering prayers for Reyna. Unbeknownst to them, a shadow smiled at them with complete sincerity. They then left the grave in silence.