Lately...

Let's start this weekend email with the weather report; the weather is disappointingly cloudy, black sandy-colored sky up there above my close-to-bald haircut. It is highly recommended not to do your laundry today or they'll go damp and stink and smell the real fragrance of my morning breath. LOL
SO, there you have it, mourning week-end day. ANd the main roads are even less occupied by the pedestrians which usually overpack the main venues and shopping centers. Weird.

NOw, I'm gonna write down things that took place in the few days chronologically:

FOUR DAYS AGO
What day was that? i'm sorry i'm lost in date and day, they resembled to each other that well that all I can remember is the hour because i consistently staring down at my phone wishing I would get sms or a phone call from you. Stupid, i know.
What i clearly remember that day is that I cleaned up the house as usual and little annoying thing happened, as usual, like, Kiko running around and making some dirt marks on the floor as if he were chasing his own shadow or invisible rat. No, he is simply begging for attention, or even a shout or a scream at him. Excuse my French, sir. :)
Got up after the phone alarm buzzed, I walked to the front yard and took all the rubbish plastic bags to the main roadside. Later that morning, i took off to the American library to return my very late books which were supposed to be returned last Idul Fitri.
I left the house when they (Al and Green) were still in bed or whatever, their room's closed and I've opened the windows opend, let Kiko has his little freedom running outside the gate.
Shit. My most-preferred librarian wasn't there behind the desk. I went to the restroom first, walked into poorly lit room because they are more dependant to the daylight outside the so many windows on the wall facing the entrance door. I put my brown bag into the small deposit box and headed for the magazine racks. Outdated issues, no new ones, the latest was last November issue but I read some of them, anyhow. My main purpose was to return those two books and get another one, something fun and light. The E.R Medical book and a Crime Scene Investigation kind of book were enough for the time being. Ah, Reader's Digest magazine! I grabbed it and read some of the pages until I heard this familiar voice of him. There he was, what-his-name friendly librarian of mine. That is my bad not knowing his name, he has a name tag which he hardly put on in front of his shit pocket. I dont bother asking him, after all these years we humored each other and talked this and that stuffs. All I know he has a daughter taking English course at that building and he seems like a very family guy. I waited for a while until he took his working shift and sat at the desk, rummaging the index cards from the small letter-numbered drawers.

"Hallo bang, apakabar?" I took the books and put them in front of him. Without waiting for his response, I walked to the shelves and picked one I decided to borrow, 1989 Winners O Henry Awards stories. Perfect. Short stories at their best!

He smiled at me,stamped the return date in the last page of the books, "Started this year, the fine is increasing; 500 rupiah per day, so you need to watch out the due date, Jerry," he said. I said thanks, I will he said sure but please make sure you dont have to pay for being late I say thanks for that he said you're welcome.
He's been so nice to me in the past few years. He never asked for late due money, ever. He just stamps, looks at me, and put the books on the return shelves behind his chair. He once let me borrowed more than two items, plus a magazine.

"You got old issues of Psychology Today,click on the underline words for the magazine website link (I love this magz) by any chance?" I said by any chance because they dont get the magazine on the regular basis.

"No."

I walked closer to the "return items" shelves behind his desk--something only librarian or their best-known friends can do--and found December issue. I took it and opened it at his desk, in front of him, "What are you doing, anyway?" I asked him who looked so occupied working his hands on the cards. He was soliciting the members' cards who are still keeping books with them for considerably looooong time, maybe dated back in the early of 21st century. LOL He said people dont take the rules seriously probably because the late due fine was nothing, it was only 2000 per item per week. They lose many books and people get away with this wrong thing. Shame on us.

A strong loud man voice was drowning from the stairs to the second floor, a section for International studies guide books and consulation desk. Oh snap! It was my lecturer from the university, Mr. Situmorang, with his son aged who might still in the elementary school, or so it seemed from his small figure. He was talking with this familiar white-skinned fat lady, the abroad education consultant.

I didnt feel like talking to him in this particular time of my adulthood. LOL I mean, he surely has questions i dont like to answer like where do you work now? Where do you live? Married?

"Hi. What are you doing here?" exactly his first question when he stood next to me, he borrowed two books. I said hi sir, wow, here you are, and made a delightfully surprised look on my silly face.

That lady turned out to be his ex-student! Wow. She joked a lot and looked at me as if asking for my approval of whatever she said, like, "You are one of those Killer lecturer!" or, "You always got my nerves in the class, sir," or, "you know what, Jerry, I became familiar with all the Bataknese dirty words and expressions in a matter of a month from him!"
I smiled at her and cant help but nodded and smiled, sometimes she made me agree with her, "Yes, you were kind of intimidating in class, sir," I laughed and thank god he smiled and she said, "Yes, you are sir!" and smiled from ear to ear as if it was a great relief to finally say this to him.

God. Help. Me.

I was trapped in this conversation I never wanted to get into. He, indeed, asked what's my job and et cetera. I said I'm looking for a job, which was a stupid answer because he possibly will pass this info on to others. Whatever.
So, he left the library first with his son. He used to go places with his Vespa, this kind of old noisy motorbike but I didnt see him this time. I said thanks to the librarian and left the place a few minutes after my ex-lecturer took off.

Arrived at home, I saw Green was laying on the floor, shirtless as usual (it is only me who is so prudish to exposse my body,) watching Titanic on DVD.

THree DAYS AGO
I spent the whole daytime with Green in the downtown. When We got back home, KIko ran after a grown-up cat, killed it. We hit him with broom stick but he attacked the cat as if he were possessed by a killer ghost. GReen walked out to the yard with his underwear, neglecting the neighbors who were looking at us.
We dragged Kiko inside and locked the door. I felt bad for the cat. I felt sorry.

Mati lampu. We noticed that after I tried to turn on the TV. Al said we had mati lampu in the afternoon before he went to work. When the lampu hidup lagi, the water pump didnt work at all.
I went to bed without any shower.

THE NEXT DAY
It was raining during the nite. I ignored my phone alarm at 5 am because it felt so damn good to sleep. I got up close to 7 am and then put the dead cat into two-layer plastic bag, hid it inside the trash bin.
I looked like a dirtbag, need a shave, felt sticky from yesterday, and the patio was a mess, thanks for the rain.It was still raining pretty hard, and we have the dead pump and some dirty plates and glasses in the sink. I take two buckets and collect the rain drops, washed the dish, mopped the whole room and had Kiko foot-printed them later on.

Two Days AGO
I woke up early and successfully take the dead cat along with the rubish bag to the main road.
Green's dad came that morning and get the pump fixed, in the late afternoon after 4 pm.

YESTERDAY
I met up with Eli and Charles in the afternoon after lunch. We accompanied Ellie to get her new small laptop with a brand name like, ION. THe shop owned by a chinese man is kind of hard to get, many blocks from the main road. We got there at 4pm.
"I'm sorry but we dont process on your form yet. Would you mind coming back again tomorrow."
She was pissed off.
We walked out the shop, stood at the roadside, and funnily,each of us were talking on the phone. Yeah, the typical Asian. I called my ex-classmate in the univ who sent me sms earlier that day, "Sombong Kamu sekarang ya JErry," the sms says. So, to prove he was wrong, I called him and said, "Damn it, Asi. Why did you say I keep a distance? I sent you Xmas sms, remember?" He said sorry and we talked about his life. THe three of us were standing on the roadside in front of the PC shop for more than 10 minutes and then the owner called Ellie's name and waved to ask us to come in.
He wanted us to wait till his employees finish with the forms and stuffs and also add some programs to the laptop.

It was almost 6.30 when we took a becak home. Ellie and I were sitting at the passengers' seat while Charles was sitting at the additional small seat in front of us. We laughed all the way and made stupid jokes, until I dont know how...We were hit hard by a car from the right side of the road.

Charles fell on his knees and thrown out of the becak whic was facing flat the ground. My forhead hit the asphalt, hurt my knees and my left arm was scracted hard by the becak roof. Ellie was on her knees, too, but she gained control as soon as it happened. Ellie and I walked out of the becak on our knees and suddenly the becak stood up back again with a hard flip sound. I was shocked, speechless. I thought I was gonna die that instant, in that wet road.

Then a car which was parked in front of the hotel--later I looked around, we were hit right in front of Novotel Soechi hotel--hit our becak again.
Double hit.

I asked if both of them were alrite and then along with the valet guy with a whistle on his lips, we shouted at the blue kijang car that hit us first which by now was closer to the carrefour. The becak without saying anything followed the blue car, and the silver car that hit us from the parked lane also followed.

To my disappointment and surprise;
the Blue Kijang ran away,
The becak ran away,
and even the Silver car went away...
Left the three of us and the hotel valet guy out of breath.

Red scratches on my arm and my forehead. NOt bad.

"At least, we are OK, guys," I said to them and they smiled and nodded at me.
We took another becak and fell silent all the way till we arrived at Ellie's place.

"Guys, I wanna go home now," I said, "it's damn to late to give Kiko his dinner."
I took a bus home, still overwhelmed by what's just happened.

Stop here, sir, please, I said to the driver. I was sitting right behind him. There were only the three of us; he, his friend next to him, and me. When he pulled over to the roadside, another bus drove pass, looked at our driver in anger look.

"What the fuck was that?!!" my driver said, the light was red, traffic.

"What?! you shithead dont know how to ride, heh?!" the other driver screamed at him. NOw, the buses are at the same line, side to side.

The exchange curses and challenged each other to have a physical fight. Then it was green light. Other cars honked.

"I stop here, please," I said to the driver. Gave my bus fare from behind and pat him on the shoulder, "Please ignore him, sir. He is an idiot. Just forget it."

I got off of the bus leaving the driver was still angry and talking to his friend next to him.

It was a hell of a day, Pascal. Two hit-and-run, scratches in my body, and then drivers' fight in the traffic. It was too much.

At home, Al arrived first than me. HE welcomed me with ugly look. I knew he was mad at me for coming home late and suffering his dog to starvation.
I put Kiko's food in the patio,"where have you been?" GReen asked. I've been hit by cars, I replied.

I took a shower, forgot my dinner and went to bed. The phone rang, it was Tika, the intruder, my beloved cousin.

"HOw are you doing, sister?"

"I'm fine. I wonder why you pick up my call this time," she said. I ignored what she's just said and said, "Listen, if you would love a meeting, then tomorrow at 11 am will be fine."
Honestly, I've just had too much that day and I dont want to get things more complicated by making her feels offended if I didnt pick up her call or didnt want to see her.

Then, sms from Renata, my elder sister, "YOur ex-landlady relative is not coming to SIbolga because the ship from here will not take him to Pontianak. The final stop for the ship is Jakarta. SO, he'll return to MEdan and take a flight, instead."

Great!! I wanted to call you that nite, having too much things happened in one day, I needed a little comfort but I held off, afraid I'd interrupting your business meetings. I slept with Kiko at the foot of the bed and a lot of mosquitoes and your butterfly lamp on.


TODAY
Got up after six. CLeaned up the house. Fed Kiko. Went to see Tika. Took her to the CHinese restaurant for lunch, gave her some money.
MOm called me this morning saying she's coming to Tebing Tinggi (two or three hour drive by bus from Medan,) for a relative's wedding.
I said I will try my best to make it happen and see her out there next Tuesday, "Maybe I will give the phone to you, mom."

This afternoon, My Ex-landlady relative called me from his village home. He's coming back to MEdan next Thursday, not TUESDAY. URgh!
"Can you give me your mom's phone number or someone else's' number so when their bus approaching my city, I will stand on the roadside and wait for her."

"Sure," I said.

All in all, I'm doing fine, Love. It rained for a few minutes one hour ago and I'm heading back home now.