Monkey Love (X)

I had a very close friend, his name is Dharmawansyah , I called him Iwan. His parents were also from West Sumatra. I was so close to him that I spent so much time with him. We were like brothers where ever he was I was there too. We used to spend time learning the guitar and flute together and we had a very similar signature with a very slight difference as both signatures were created at the same time. His mommy was the teacher at our school, but she didn’t teach us, his daddy was an entrepreneur. We used to go to the National Monument on Sunday to join the rollerblade class, he joined the club I didn’t but I always accompanied him for exercise, he was very good at playing the skate, I could but not very good at it but I was good at playing skateboard. He was in my age but he was so tall and big for his age. Iwan’s dad got a tumor on his neck until the death came to him. His dad was also buried not too far from my dad’s grave. At school we sat together, we were once suspended from school because we skipped the class and caught in singing and playing in the class.

I don’t know may be it’s just too quick to be interested in the opposite sex, I was in my 5th or 6th year of elementary school. She was my classmate her name is Nowiawati or we called her Novi. I really got crushed on her, but I was too afraid to tell her. She knew that I liked her so much and my friends used to tease her and me. Even though we never really got a “relationship” since we were too young for that but it was so sweet to remember those moments, every time we went back home then we kind of promised each other to go back home “together” I usually waited for her so we could go back together. From our school we walked together but from different side, she walked on the left side of the riverbank and I was on the right side, the point is we walked together and we could still see each other and got separated coz she had to turn left and I had to turn right.

I would miss her at home and sometimes I was imagining living with her as a couple, c’mon…..I was too young to imagine that…….we had some extracurricular after school such as swimming, math class, etc. She always made me excited to be involved in those extra activities, if she didn’t show up then there would be something missing. One day we had a swimming class at Bujana Tirta Rawamangun and I was kinda showing off leaping from a three meter height board, it didn’t do well that the lifeguard had to give me a help, I was so embarrassed that time but I never regretted it though, at least it showed that I had guts to do it. In class we would exchange little notes me and Novi and my close friend Iwan with Entin (Supriatin) she was just so special to me, she used to love the song ”manuk dadali” it’s the region song from West Java, our teacher ever asked us to stand in front of class and sing a song, she picked that song, and I had loved that song ever since. After all it’s only a monkey love, I am sure most people ever experienced this kind of feeling. I don’t have a clue why it’s called a monkey love and why not elephant or gorilla love???

It was a graduation day, we were so overwhelmed, and cheerfulness and sadness were blended as one. Except for those who didn’t pass, I didn’t remember how many of us who failed, might be none. We signed our name on each other’s shirt. Me too. My shirt was so full of signatures, markers everywhere and so colorful as though there’s no space left. I had Novi’s signature on my inside collar, and there’s only one name there, it’s hers.

to be continued...