“Every artist must have a masterpiece,” Wira said to himself. He had a hobby of writing short stories. “I want to create a Masterpiece,” he said again.
Wira remembered a film he had watched. Reportedly, the film was the filmmaker's masterpiece. “Eiffel I’m in Love,” which Wira found rather uninteresting. “How can something like that be a ‘masterpiece’?” Wira wondered to himself.
Night crept on, accompanying Wira who remained lost in thought. “I have to make a Masterpiece better than his!” he said enthusiastically. But that enthusiasm was coupled with his confusion in finding a story topic. Wira clicked around on his computer, looking for the Internet Explorer icon. Success. He typed a few words as keywords and clicked the search link on his computer, “girl friend”
Hei guies I want to tell you something. Kemaren gw baru aja putus sama cewe gue yang cool bgt. Ya gimana ya….. MY GIRL FRIENDS. Hei guies, lo pada percaya akan cinta? Kalo gw sih ga tuh! Buktinya aja, gw bisa pacaran sama 7 cewe……
*****
Wira grew more dizzy. That wasn't what he was looking for. He had indeed typed a keyword about Girl Friend, but why did this kind of stuff come up! he muttered to himself. While playing songs he considered overly romantic, Wira leaned back in front of his computer.
Aku ingin menjadi mimpi indah dalam tidurmu/ aku ingin menjadi sesuatu yang mungkin bisa kau rindu..../ karena langkah merapuh tanpa dirimu.../ Karena hati tlah letih....
“Ugh, this person is so pretentious! If he were faced with three pretty girls, he'd definitely go for all of them!” Wira fumed.
Di bayang wajahmu/ Kutemukan kasih dan hidup/ Yang lama lelah aku cari/
Dimasa lalu......
“Ah, what is this now! Can a woman's face really radiate love?” Wira had always been immune to women. From the innocent ones like Mira, to the super cool ones like Arini, none had been able to melt his heart.
Wira became emotional. He felt like smashing everything in front of him. But he knew what he had to do. If he followed his heart, his extremely strict parents would surely wake up and scold him.
Wira turned off his computer. He flopped onto the soft bed in his room. “Hmmm, I feel so tired,” he thought.
His imagination began to explore the world. He envisioned a film launch far better than Eiffel I’m In Love. Everyone applauded. He was crowned the most talented young filmmaker and became the main winner of the Citra Award in 2010. He received a lot of money and prizes. The guests shook his hand. And, …..
“Wira! Wir! Wake up, son, it's morning. Hurry and get ready for school. Your father has a meeting later, so he has to leave earlier. Quick!…..” his mother's voice woke him.
“Thanks...thanks. I will certainly create an even better work,” he said, half-asleep.
“What are you doing! Get up quickly!” his mother shouted, shaking his sturdy body.
Wira finally woke up. “So annoying!” he muttered to himself. Wira was annoyed. He quickly showered and finished his breakfast.
“I have to become what I was in my dream last night. It's only 2007 now, there are still 3 years to create that ‘masterpiece’,” he resolved. Wira remembered that Leonardo da Vinci completed his Masterpiece “THE LAST SUPPER” in ten years. “Three years is enough. No need to take too long.”
*****
Months passed, years changed. It was now 2008. Wira had made a little progress. At least, he had been able to decide on the title of the story that would become his Masterpiece. “I DON'T NEED LOVE” was the title of his story. A title that came from his heart. Wira didn't need love from his parents or female friends. What was certain was that Wira only wanted to be the most talented young filmmaker. He wanted to prove to his parents that he could be better than his older brother, Andra, who was a singer. That was the only certainty. As for other matters, he didn't know.
But since it was now April, Wira was forced to postpone working on his masterpiece. He had to concentrate on facing the national final exams to get into his desired university. Wira aspired to be a great novelist and young filmmaker.
*****
School exams were over. Now, Wira was on the grounds of a faculty of literature and arts at the most favorite state university in the capital. Wira was quite proud. He had been able to prove to his parents that he wasn't as bad as they thought. And regarding “I DON'T NEED LOVE,” which he hoped would be his masterpiece, Wira had found the story's plot. After all, the story was more like his biography, wasn't it? He just had to tell about a child who never received affection from his father. About a child always ostracized by his mother because his older brother was considered smarter than him. And a child who didn't need female friends because he considered them nothing but trash.
But all that changed when one day he met a girl who briefly saw him walking in the campus corridor. It seemed the girl was in the same faculty as him. Now, it appeared the prince had fallen in love. Fallen in love at first sight with the girl he met on this campus. The question is, what about Wira, who didn't need love?
It seemed Wira had forgotten it. He had forgotten the short story outline he had designed and which was supposed to be his masterpiece.
Wira was like a campus detective, always observing the girl he was interested in. It was later discovered that the girl's name was Nirmala. A rather sweet name to his ears. And what made Wira even more impressed was that Nirmala was the daughter of a famous writer from the eighties. But she never flaunted her status.
Slowly but surely, Wira began to approach the girl. One day, he met Nirmala in the campus cafeteria. Somewhat shyly, he approached her.
“Hi Nirmala.”
“Hi Wir,” she replied kindly. “Just call me Mala.”
“How are you?”
“Oh, I'm fine,” she answered, looking at Wira's face.
Since that meeting, they started seeing each other often. Wira frequently asked Nirmala's opinion about a masterpiece. What impressed him even more was that Mala always answered his questions kindly. And some time later, Wira asked her to be his girlfriend. She happily accepted the request.
Nevertheless, Wira never completed the outline for “I DON'T NEED LOVE,” which was supposed to be his masterpiece. He hesitated. “Don't I need love now?”
*****
Time continued to pass. He had completed his first semester at university. One day, Wira found the draft outline of his short story that would never be finished. He put it in his bag to show Mala.
The next day, when classes were over, Nirmala entered his classroom. Wira thought again. He decided against showing her the short story outline. But, at an inopportune moment, Nirmala's sharp eyes spotted a piece of paper he quickly tried to hide.
“What's that?” she asked curiously.
“No, …. no …. nothing.”
Wira didn't realize her slender hand was already holding his bag.
“Let me see,” she requested playfully.
“Come on, La, it's really nothing.”
Nirmala rummaged through the bag. Success! She found what she was looking for. She glanced at the paper before walking away without a trace, leaving Wira stunned, watching everything unfold.
For several days, Nirmala didn't contact him. The phone calls they usually made diligently now never happened. Wira realized he had angered his girlfriend. He had resolved to apologize. He just hadn't had the chance to do so. So when they met in the cafeteria, Wira immediately approached her.
“Forgive me, La,” he pleaded softly. “I really intended to write that short story. The plan was for it to be my masterpiece. Actually, the story is about my life before I met you. But truly, La, I don't want to continue it,” he explained at length.
“Then, what was the point of bringing that paper to campus? And trying to hide it!” Mala's voice rose.
“I just wanted to show it to you, La. I wanted your opinion.”
“Haaah,” Nirmala took a deep breath. “I don't agree with the storyline.”
“Then what do you think makes a good story?”
“I don't know!” Nirmala left the cafeteria. Mala's last words deeply hurt Wira. He now truly realized that he needed love.
*****
Day turned into night. In a 3x5 room, a young man sat contemplating his fate. Thoughts had been swirling in his troubled mind since that afternoon. He wrote a sentence in the diary he held:
“I NEED LOVE”
Wira sat lost in thought for a long time, pondering the fate he had encountered that day. He read the sentence repeatedly, tears welling in his eyes.
“I need love!”
“I need love!”
“I need love!”
Suddenly, Mala's face flashed in his mind. It was replaced by his ambition to become the most talented novelist and filmmaker and the winner of the 2010 Citra Award. He looked at his diary once more. “I NEED LOVE.”
A brilliant idea then arose in his mind. “Why not write a short story titled ‘I NEED LOVE’?” Wira thought. “I have to find Mala. I have to talk about this idea!” Wira was now enthusiastic. He gazed at the beautiful face gracing the front page of the diary while praying.
“Oh God, I hope she understands and helps me achieve my dreams. Amen.”
Aku ingin menjadi mimpi indah dalam tidurmu.../ Aku ingin menjadi sesuatu yang mungkin bisa kau rindu.... / Karena langkah merapuh tanpa dirimu.../ Karena hati tlah letih....
*****
The next day, Wira looked for Nirmala. He found her in a corner of the campus library. He handed her a memo.
“I NEED LOVE”
Nirmala read it. She thought for a moment before speaking. “Now you need love?”
“Yes, La.”
“Then what does this writing mean?”
“Masterpiece title,” Wira answered firmly.
“Good. Now it's just a matter of how you develop the storyline.”
“Thanks, La.”
“By the way, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet. Are you going to treat me?” Mala's lips curved into a small smile.
“Okay. As a sign of my apology and to celebrate the new masterpiece title, how about we eat out this afternoon?”
Mala nodded. They then headed to the campus parking lot. A Shogun was already waiting there, ready to take them to the agreed-upon restaurant.
During the meal, Wira talked about his ambition to make a film from his short story. A spectacular film that he hoped would take him to the Citra Awards he desired. Mala happily offered her help. As a family of filmmakers who had been active in Indonesian cinema in the eighties, her father certainly had connections with directors and actors ready to star in his film.
“Now, you just need to finalize the story concept. I'm sure you can do it, Wir. I believe with hard work, you can become what you want. But you have to be quick. It's already 2009, isn't it?”
*****
Wira began to write. He kept writing. Pouring out his entire soul and imagination. To create a masterpiece. Wira now realized that creating a masterpiece required extraordinary patience. An artist must also involve all their emotions and feelings. Not just mere ambition. A masterpiece is actually like any other work. It needs feeling, expression, and emotion from its creator.
By the end of his second semester, Wira had almost completed his masterpiece. But bad luck struck the young man again. One bright afternoon, Wira was crafting the ending of his story “I NEED LOVE.” Just then, the phone suddenly rang. Since he was the only one home at the time, he was forced to leave his writing to answer the call.
“Hello, may I speak with Mr. Hadi's family?”
“Yes, I am Wira, his son,” he replied formally.
“We do not find your name in Mr. Hadi's family card.”
Wira was startled. How could his father not have included his name in Hadi's family list?
“But it's true, sir, I am his son. Wira Kusuma Hadijaya.”
“Alright, that's not important. We just want to inform his family that he and his wife were among the fatalities in a plane crash this afternoon on the Jakarta-Surabaya route.”
“What?” Wira's voice rose.
“We, from Bianglala Airline, express our deepest apologies for this incident.”
“And then?”
“You must inform his family to pick up their bodies at the hospital and sign the official report tomorrow morning.”
After the call ended, Wira immediately informed his brother, Andra, about this. His brother said he would take care of everything. One more thing bothered him: “Why didn't his father include his name on the family card?”
Later, Wira was told by his aunt that he was actually the child of a maid in that house. Because his mother died giving birth to him, the Hadijaya family was given the responsibility to raise him.
“Then, where is my biological father?”
“No one knows where your father is.”
One more obstacle stood in his way of achieving his dreams at the peak of his aspirations. The family turmoil he had to face. Fortunately, Mala always accompanied and encouraged him.
*****
By the end of 2009, Wira successfully completed his masterpiece.
Immediately after a long process, the short story was adapted into a feature film that exploded in the market. Wira himself was the director. Unexpectedly, he managed the job smoothly. In a short time, the film, starring well-known artists, filled all cinemas across the country.
*****
“This story depicts a young man who never received attention from his parents. In the film, the director portrays how thirsty the child is for affection from those around him. Until finally, the young man's adventure ends when a girl accepts his love. She means everything to the young man. Are you interested?” This was a synopsis printed on the CD cover and pamphlets displayed at the main cinema.
The story was liked by all ages, both teenagers and adults.
“The story was quite memorable for me,” commented a viewer interviewed by a journalist.
“A good story, full of emotion and expression. It's fitting to call this work a masterpiece by its creator,” another interjected.
At the end of 2010, when the FFI (Indonesian Film Festival) announced this year's Citra Award winners, Wira's name was mentioned as the most talented young filmmaker with his work “I NEED LOVE.”
Wira accepted the award with teary eyes. When it was time for the artist to deliver a few words, Wira appeared accompanied by Nirmala, his motivator.
“Thank you to everyone who helped me achieve this proud award. This is the most precious moment in my life. And with this, it will encourage other young writers to continue creating.
As a masterpiece for me, this work is very meaningful. And the one who motivated me to win this award is...” He paused.
“Nirmala!” he exclaimed firmly.
Loud applause from the audience filled the room. Other artists congratulated him. Also present at the event were his adoptive brother Andra and his wife, and his adoptive aunt and uncle. His brother sang an old song that sounded quite sweet.
Dibayang wajahmu/ Kutemukan kasih dan hidup/ Yang lama lelah aku cari/Di masa lalu
*****
Wira was now proud. His first masterpiece had become a winner as hoped. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the artist's subsequent works. Wira believed this was not his last masterpiece. There would be other masterpieces he would create.