C6 Chapter 6

I hesitated to touch the card and just took a glance at that object. After all, the fact was that no one in the school had ever invited me to their birthday party. Only those who came from rich families generally held and attended that kind of event. Placing my bag in the drawer, I took a book on the bookshelf and immersed myself in reading. That blue invitation card just stayed where it was until the crowds invaded the classroom. It seemed no student in the classroom noticed the card on my desk even though they busied talking about the birthday party.

“I invite you to come to my stepbrother’s birthday party,” Reno all of a sudden appeared before my face from nowhere.

“I won’t come,” I answered without looking up at him. I tried hard to hold back the curiosity about his stepbrother. He indeed told me about his late mother. I didn’t expect that he had a stepbrother. It forced me to assume that he might live with a stepmother, too. Could it be possibly his life that hard? I mean my elementary school friend’s life turned into hell when she got a stepmother. That was a classic story experienced by those living with a step-parent. Shaking my head, I got rid of that thought out of my mind.

“That’s okay. You don’t even know him.” Reno got back to his seat after announcing his invitation. I continued reading.

“You got his invitation as well?” One of the classmates, a girl with long wavy hair asked me in disbelief while observing the invitation card in her hand. “

“Reno gave me the invitation.” I reluctantly answered her. It was a mock rather than a question.

“As I guessed, I don’t believe that Kevin will invite you to his birthday party.” She gave me a scornful look.

“Who is Kevin?” I unconsciously blurted out the question.

“What? Where have you been? You don’t even know the most popular guy in this school?” I shook my head. Instead of responding to my query, she put the card down on the desk and returned to her chair. The last sentence the girl emphasized showed where my level was. I never belonged to any social class or level.

***

It had been two o’clock in the afternoon. I was in charge of cleaning the classroom right now. My partner was done with her work and went home earlier. I was still finishing my part, throwing all the trash in the trash bin. My eyes went to the card on my desk. That card meant nothing more than crap. So, I was thinking about throwing it away. But, someone gripped my wrist before I successfully put the card into the bin. He let go of my hand after getting the card.

“What are you doing with my invitation card?” The boy was scolding me. From his shape, he looked like the boy who almost hit me a couple of days ago although I didn’t recognize his face. Is he Kevin? A popular boy the girl told me. His tall body and face reminded me of Reno. But, he had bigger eyes. This boy was fashionable with no glasses, of course. His hairstyle and look showed that he was from a high social class.

“It’s just trash. I just want to place it where it should be.” I idly debated him.

“What? How dare you! Don’t you know that only VIP can get this invitation card?” I trimmed. Did he think the world always revolves around him? Let alone, that was just a piece of paper.

“That’s none of my business. Besides, I just do my task.” His eyes squinted. It was my obsolete shoes that attracted his attention.

“The mice must have gnawed your shoes. Why don’t you buy new pairs of shoes?” His words couldn’t provoke me. I spun away from that place. “So, do you want to come to my party? I can manage that. ” I just kept walking, neglecting his shout. Slowly, I heard him took some steps away.

The school was quiet. I found no students left in the school. Only the security guard greeted me at the gate. A cab stopped in front of me. I waved my hands, refusing to get on that public transportation. The window rolled down. A boy called me in from inside the taxi. That was Reno.

“Come on in,” he said in a louder voice.

“No thanks.”

“Come on.” I couldn’t do anything but joining him when he finally opened the door for me. “Why are you home late?” He began the conversation.

“Had something to do,” I replied while watching the pavement and the road.

The taxi devoured the road of Jakarta, trying to escape from the traffic jam. The sounds of vehicles and the voices of conductors created the noises. My sight just monitored the outside, capturing many things: street singers, vendors, and also beggars. I felt brokenhearted to see a little girl carrying her little brother and begging for something from the people inside the luxurious cars. I shed my tears slowly.

“People have a problem in life. It may have a different level. Nevertheless, they will be tested based on their capacity.” I never thought that the wise words come out of Reno’s mouth. He seemed to be able to read my mind. “Don’t be sad about what happened to you. At the end of the day, everyone will find his/her happiness. If it is not today, then it will be tomorrow.”

“What kind of book do you read?” I inquired.

“A Book of Life,”

“Who wrote the book?’

“Experience,”

“Wise answer.”

“After all the bad things you’ve undergone, are you sure that you want to go home?”

“You’re never phobia of rice despite choking, right? So, why should I be afraid of returning to the only place I can call home?”

“What about your wounds?”

“Just small scars, it’s not something to worry about. I’ve even been through hell and back.”

We locked our mouths after that short conversation. Time trapped us in silence. The car ran faster. It roared among the vehicles sweeping the road. Reaching the deserted area, the car stopped abruptly. The driver informed us that the machine didn’t work after he checked the engine. The fuel had run out, he reasoned. We didn’t protest when the driver suggested us to take another cab although it was impossible to get public transportation in this area. We had to continue our journey by walking nearly three hundred meters ahead.

“I don’t know whether you’ve ever gone somewhere on foot or not, but it will be so tiring,” I quipped. He didn’t seemingly feel disturbed with our situation. We didn’t even encounter a single person here. Only big trucks or vans have passed by so far.

“Of course, I have. So, do you think I can teleport or something?” He let out a chuckle.

“No, I mean someone like you must have a driver to drive or pick you up anytime to anywhere.” His chuckle displayed his white teeth. His brown squinting eyes became invisible. My eyes set on her fully. I had to admit that he was truly handsome. And with his 6 feet height, his figure looked even perfect.

“You often watch TV, I guess. That’s the picture of the rich family in your mind, isn’t it?” I instantly took my eyes off him.

“I never watch TV because we don’t have a TV.” I made him startled. His face was painted with guilt. He was about to open his mouth. “No need to feel sorry,” I continued.

“I’ve no idea about that.”

“That’s ok. I’m not offended at all.”

“What are you doing?” He wondered with curiosity when I untied my shoelaces.

“I’m about to take off my shoes. We’ll walk over the rocky street. It can wreck my shoes.” Now, the pairs of shoes were dangling on my hands. Reno did the same thing a second later. “Why do you do it?”

“That’s what friends are for. Share the same thing.” I shook my head in disbelief. What did he say? A friend?

“You don’t have to do that. You’ll hurt your feet.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“What do you watch on TV?”I kept the conversation going.

“What?” He tilted his head, “anything like news, movies, dramas, music concert, quizzes, and many more.”

“Do you often watch them?” I asked him those questions simply to keep talking about other things besides friendship. I wasn’t ready to have a friend or whatever it’s called. No one wanted to be my friend until he came into my life.

“No. Not really. I’m just not keen on watching TV.” The conversations paused. Our eyes gazed at the yellowish sky due to the sundown. We kept moving in barefoot. Reno winced and bit into his lips sometimes, trying to kill the pain on his feet.

“Put your shoes on. You can take public transportation from here.” He hurriedly did what I told him.

“What about you?” he asked while squatting and fastening his shoelaces.

“My house is not far from here.”

“Take care.”

“You do too.” I spun around and never looked back.