《We Meet Up Twice》 49 Plink...plink...plink, the sound of water dripping in my room''s toilet. It was slow, quiet, and continuous. As the sound grew faster and faster, I began to realize, "He''s chasing me..." "He''s almost there..." "He''s coming!" "Don''t come any closer!" 0 0 0 0 "HIS VOICE IS....... VERY NOISY, IT''S ANNOYING, I WANT......" 0 0 0 No, I didn''t want to break equipment that didn''t belong to me, it would hurt myself and the water faucet too. so I had to buy a new water faucet. I was commented by my roommate about this trivial matter, his name is Rafa. But I just replied by saying "well indeed this is how I am" I said while laughing a little. It was only natural that Rafa commented on me because that day was Monday and Rafa had to go to his high school, because of me he was so late, I forced him to help me first. 07.00 The justification of the water faucet is finished, it''s time for me to clean the room. I swept and mopped the floor, wiped the windows, and brushed the bathroom floor while taking a morning shower. I get ready for the ready, wearing a plain shirt and long cloth pants, wearing shoes while walking out carrying a bag on my shoulder. The clock on the wall showed 07.50, I was still finishing the Fried Chicken Rice provided by the boarding house mother. I often eat the chicken meat first along with the rice, while I eat the chicken skin at the end, it sounds childish but this is how I am. After eating, I brought my dirty plate to the kitchen. There was a housewife who was washing the dishes. "Just put the plate Dc, let''s wash it all at once" said the housewife. "Just leave the plate, let me wash it. I also look tired," I said. "Are you sure? There''s a lot of laundry, you''ll be you''ll be late for Grandma''s again," said the host mother. "I''m sure mom, I''ll do the laundry in one set, I won''t be late for Grandma''s" I said. "That''s it, thank you Dean. I''ll be right back" said the housewife. "You''re welcome mom" I said. I washed the dishes pretty quickly, it didn''t matter that my clothes got wet. While I was still busy washing dishes, the housemother asked me "Dean, why don''t you want to go to school?" I slowed down my dishwashing performance, and was silent for a moment. There was silence as only the sound of the faucet continued to pour out water. "I don''t like it" I replied The housemother looked at me and she asked once again quietly. "Dean, why don''t you go to school?" I was silent once again, bowing my head, wrinkling my forehead and I said "I... I don''t...like it". The housemother who heard my words began to relax her gaze and she said to me "why?" She said "I''m not good at hanging out with friends my own age" I replied. "Don''t make things up Dean!" Said the housemother "You''re not good at socializing? Even though you often treat your own boarding friends." she said. "Ha?" I answered in surprise "You don''t know yourself yet dean, what are you here for? Why do you stay in your own zone? And for whose sake is your action?" Said the boarding mother advising me "Already ... hurry up and clean the dishes, I''ll go to the room first" said the boarding mother. Listening to the words of the boarding mother, of course I was shocked. The boarding mother usually only talked about casual chatter, I didn''t understand. I had decided to quit school when I was going to high school, that was the path I chose. I didn''t pursue anything at school anymore, all I felt was sadness and loneliness. At first I felt fine but as I got older, I realized that the burden I was carrying was getting heavier. It was so heavy that I felt like beating my chest as much as possible. Maybe I could be considered too much, but that''s how I was. "It''s okay, I''ll get through it." I said to myself when I was in junior high school, I kept repeating that sentence when I couldn''t bear the burden I was carrying. Until finally I graduated. Although the graduation I got was not what I expected. "That''s it" I said after I finished washing all the dishes. I went back to my seat, picked up my bag and carried it on my shoulder. I left the boarding house and immediately went to Grandma''s shop on foot. As I recall, the distance from the boarding house to Grandmother''s shop was about 1.2 kilometers. It took me about an hour to get to Grandmother''s shop. Actually, there was one ontel bicycle owned by the boarding house father, but it was quite old and it seemed that the boarding house father would not allow the boarding house children to use it unless it was very close to the boarding house. But I was more grateful for the walk, because Grandma''s shop actually passed two colorful house complexes. Both neighborhoods looked very happy, and it was When I was about to enter the house complex, there were two trees whose names I didn''t know, but they had gradations of leaf color, green and yellow. I think those two trees are a substitute for welcome. This first house complex was named menjari. I don''t know why that name was chosen, but it''s a unique name to me. I walked there with my face down. Don''t ask me why, maybe I''m just not excited. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Good morning dean, want to go to grandma''s house huh?" Said one of the residents "Eemmmm, G¡­Good.. M..Morning.." I answered half-consciously "Are you not feeling well, Deann?" "Eee No ... I''m healthy really, take it easy ma¡¯am" I answered "Ooo .. allright. If that''s the case, be enthusiastic, Your youth is still longgggggggg kid" said one of the complex''s mothers out loud. "Eeee hehehe okay ma¡¯am, thanks for the motivation, I guess" answer me with a little laugh "Thank you again" she replied The residents here know me well, because I often go through here to go to my grandmother''s house, it''s sometimes boring but it''s the fastest route. sometimes bored but that''s the fastest route. There are quite a lot of houses in this Jari complex, maybe there are about 2 dozen. I wonder if my life is as bright and diverse as the colors of the houses here, surely I don''t need to feel the cruelty of myself. wouldn''t have to feel the cruelty of myself. Carrying this heavy burden alone, faking every feeling I have, and sometimes I don''t recognize myself. I guess my life will continue like this, repeating the same thing over and over again. What do you call these events? Ah yes, monotony. I can''t see the beautiful colors around me. No! I was wrong! I have experienced this several times, and indeed the world I see is never colorful anymore, I mean there are no more colors around me. But this is for my own good, right? I''m supposed to be happy, joyful, ecstatic, and partying. Because... up to this point... I was still able to survive, at least for a while I managed to protect myself. Besides, every day I always pass by the bridge connecting the Menjari compound and the second house compound. I feel calm and peaceful every time I pass it. The bridge seemed to understand what I was going through, and the river water below seemed to understand what I was feeling. You could say that maybe they are my best friends right now. The second house complex is not much different from the finger complex. Perhaps the most striking difference is that the second house complex is more active at night while the first house complex is more active in the morning to evening. The second house complex is more filled with shops and craft businesses. Sometimes I also see performances there. On holidays, the residents of the second house complex usually hold festivals. I attended it once with my junior high school friend, in the festival it was very diverse in content. There were people selling food, souvenirs, clothes, and many more. There were also musical performances, dances, puppets, and fireworks Festival. It was the first day I saw the world in full color. It was just that night, the first and the last. After that everything changed and went back to the way it was, I was like being reset again and again. At least the memories didn''t disappear, right? I can still remember how happy I was at that time, especially hearing the beautiful acoustic music. Outside the compound of the second house, I only had to walk about 100 meters to get to Grandmother''s shop. Grandmother''s shop was visible from a distance, the building was quite old, but Grandmother said the wood could last for 100 years. Well, although I certainly wouldn''t believe her words haha. "Grandmahhh... I''m here" I said. "Dean, you''ve arrived... you walked all the way here," Grandma replied. "Hehehe, I''m already addicted to it grandma." I said as I saluted Grandma "How''s Grandma?" my grandmother asked. "Fine, how''s Dean?" Grandma said, "I''m fine, Grandma." I replied. I put my bag on the seat and started to look around the store. "What did grandma eat this morning?" I asked while checking the stock of snacks on the shelf. "Asem Asem Buncis, do you want some? Grandma made it myself earlier." Grandma replied while tidying up the coffee bags. Hearing Grandma''s offer, I suddenly opened my eyes wide and spontaneously said, "No, Grandma, you won''t be able to eat slang if I eat too." "Hahahahaha, you''ve already made a lot, help me finish the bean jam, won''t you, De?" said Grandma, looking at me with a chuckle. chuckling. "okey dokey grandma hehe" I replied with a forced smile and a pretend happy look on my face. I had no problem with Grandma''s cooking, it was really nutritious and quite delicious. It''s just that I''m not too sure about Grandma''s asem asem buncis, the few times I tasted Grandma''s asem asem buncis, last week it was too salty, last Wednesday it was too spicy, and last Friday it was too salty and spicy, even so I still finished my portion. I''m afraid now the asem asem buncis will be too sweet. Well I hope not this time. Grandma is a very good grandma, she will always be always come first in my life. One day, Grandma came to my school just to pick me up, she came on Grandpa''s ontel bike. grandfather''s bicycle. When I saw her, I didn''t know what to do, part of me felt touched but the other part wanted to be angry. From a distance I could see my grandmother waving at me, she was so excited to find me. Her face did not show that she was tired at all, instead she smiled and hugged me, she looked very happy even though for a moment I saw her crying. I couldn''t say a word, kept quiet, and just pondered. At that moment, Grandma immediately took me home, she sat in the front and was about to ride the bicycle again. I spontaneously stopped her and told her to sit on the passenger side, while I would pedal the bike. Although she refused, she finally relented. I pedaled the old ontel bike slowly, because I still couldn''t get over the fact that my grandmother was willing to pick me up by bicycle from the store to my junior high school which was about 2 km away. I asked my grandmother why she picked me up when I had never asked to be picked up. Grandma answered with her trademark smile and while stammering she said "Grandma''s grandson can no longer feel his feet walking 3.2 km under the unhealthy sun" was her answer. "Then what about you yourself, you pedaled 2 km in an unfit body condition, you realize that, why do you still force it? Grandma could have lost her way" replied me who had started to get emotional "Grandma is already ready with the risk of the actions that grandma did, grandma is indeed an old woman who is no longer fit but, as long as grandma''s grandchildren are as miserable as grandma, grandma cannot forgive herself, grandma will not remain silent until grandma''s grandchildren can live like other children" replied grandma. " Dean, listen to grandma ... Life is Light means you have to be a useful person for others. People who give life more meaning, are very big services, grandma ready pick you up anytime, grandma''s grandchildren are more important than grandma''s life. seeing you reminds me how long I used to want to go to school" Grandma said My crying became more and more, I felt my grandmother''s warm hand patting my shoulder as if to tell me. my shoulder as if to tell me that my grandmother is always near me whenever and wherever. That slang became a colorless slang in my life. Grandma did manage to pick me up but as I expected, her leg was swollen that night and she also caught a cold, so I told her to rest in her room, I had also bought ointment and paracetamol for her to use. I think she became like this because of me, who always showed a gloomy face after coming home from junior high school. This is what finally changed me, to always smile and cheer up in front of anyone even if it''s fake. "Grandma, I''ve checked all the snacks, nothing has expired," I said in front of her cashier''s desk. "Thank you, Dean" she replied. "With pleasure, grandma" I replied with a cheerful smile Today grandma''s shop is quiet, maybe because it''s Monday. "Did grandma sew scarves?" I asked "yes" she replied "That''s strange" I said, still in disbelief. "Shhh... Don''t tell Grandpa. It''s a surprise for Grandpa." "Ooooo.... grandma can count me with that. If it''s with me, it''ll be safe," I said. "Grandpa will definitely be happy with this gift, right, Grandma?" "Sure, grandma will definitely make a scarf that is as good as possible and as beautiful as possible for grandpa" said grandma sincerely until she shed tears because she missed grandpa so much. "Grandpa will definitely come home, we''ll just wait," I said, smiling at my grandmother. My grandmother smiled back at me too. I admire my grandmother, she has a kind, sincere, and wise heart. Although it''s not often that she gets angry with me, but in the end we will always make up. I went back to my seat where I had put my bag. I opened my bag, took my cell phone, and opened chat I saw an irregularity there, yeah right I was put into the class group again. I thought why should I be included again, what difference does the class make with my presence or absence? What do they expect from humans like me? if I leave the group again, they will definitely include me again, and so on. So I chose to stay quiet and mute the class group. I pressed the back button on my phone, and suddenly someone with a new number sent a message, saying "Hey, do you have time? Let''s meet" "I''m your classmate, you must know me" "Tomorrow at 3pm, at the cafe near the hospital." That was the message from one of my classmates. I checked the person''s number and sure enough, it was in my 11th grade group. I just read the message, I didn''t answer it because I didn''t care anymore about anything related. It seems like one class has noticed that I''m always absent from school, maybe it''s been about 2 weeks. I never answered chats from my teacher or friends, I''m done with the school, get out of my life and don''t come back. I closed my cellphone and put it back in my bag. Instead of seeing the ISL class group, I saw grandmother who was very enthusiastic about sewing scarves for grandfather. "Grandma, let''s eat!" "already? what time is it really?" "It''s already half past 12, Grandma. Grandma so busy sewing scarves, isn¡¯t it?" "Hehehehe wow yes, grandma really wants to give grandpa a gift." Grandma replied while laugh "Okay, come on, eat. Looks like Dean can''t wait to eat Grandma''s bean tamarind hahahaha." "Hehehe" I answered nervously. I put up a break sign at Grandma''s shop and then immediately led Grandma to the dining table. At the dining table, grandma sat on the dining table chair, while I took the bean tamarind that had just been heated. I poured it into a large bowl in the middle of the dining table, then distributed it to grandma''s plate and mine. After that I took rice for grandma and rice for me, and we ready to eat. "ittadakimasu" said the grandmother cheerfully. "ittadakimasu" I replied cheerfully too I also ate the bean tamrind made by my grandmother while my heart pound really fast, I put the food in my mouth and "Wow!" I immediately ate it, and I even immediately asked my grandmother for rice. "That''s right, Dean can''t wait hahaha" said grandma "Hehehehe" I answered not focusing because I was busy eating. When I was ravenously eating grandma''s sour beans, I heard the sound of a new message. I also looked at my cellphone notifications, and what I found was a new message from my classmate persuading me to go back to school, so I didn''t open it and turned off my cellphone power. But it couldn''t be helped, I started thinking about school again, all the ambiguities, questions and advice flashed back into my brain. This made me no longer in the mood to eat, I''m sure if it wasn''t in front of my grandmother, I would have slammed my plate right then and there. I couldn''t possibly do that in front of grandma, right? That''s rude, especially since this is Grandma''s delicious cooking, and I''m not maybe taking out my anger on grandma. I also put my dinner plate on the table. Then I looked at grandma, she was still very hungry eating her sour and sour beans. Maybe la got carried away because of me. "Grandma" I called "Yeah?" Said the grandmother who stopped eating and wanted to put her plate on the table. "Grandma, why are you sad when you drop out of school?" To Be Continued... 50 "Why did you feel sad when you dropped out of school?" I asked her with a serious look. "Hahahaha" she laughed, breaking the ice, "Hmmm....why?" Grandma asked me back immediately. "To answer that question, shouldn''t we first know what school means?" "Then what does school mean to you?" I asked with great curiosity. "School is ...... hmmmm schoolhhh..... school is a place where everyone''s heart is moved to be able to fulfill what they want to achieve, whatever it takes." "When our hearts are set on a goal, we can suddenly become more emotional. Humans are naturally like that. But grandma thought, the sensation was very different when we were still teenagers." "I miss school so much, the atmosphere, the smells, and the noise, they never change." "But I also think school is a scary place, looking at the numbers written on the paper seems like it could be a nightmare, especially if it''s red." "I''m also always worried about how I''m going to get along with my friends... will it change me? Will it make you not recognize yourself? I don''t know, but as long as we''re kind and caring, over time they''ll think we''re a good person, right? "Why do you have to struggle alone, when you have your friends by your side? your friends?" Grandma''s friend said." "The brain and the heart cannot always run together, sometimes we will experience vacillation, deadlock, and also despair, this is where the use of a backrest, this is where the use of a pillow, when we are tired of our thoughts and feelings, that''s where our friends are present. Friends are things that can penetrate the unexpected. hahahaha indeed it doesn''t always work that way, but believe me you are not alone." "Wawawa, grandma suddenly became a lecture hahahahaha, sorry dean..." said grandma laughing "Grandma is not wrong really, sorry for my impolite question." "Hahahaha it''s okay. So, did you answer your question?" "Yes, thanks Grandma," I replied smiling. "Then it''s my turn to ask." Grandma said. "Ok, just ask." I said "Have you gone to school yet?" Asked grandma "Hmmmm.... not yet grandma, it''s still the vacation period, what''s wrong grandma?" I replied I also continued to eat my asem asen buncis while thinking about her answer just now. She seemed to be very honest about her own feelings, unlike me who always hid them inside. Is that wrong? I don''t know either. I honestly didn''t believe what she said about the heart, I thought it was a joke and nonsense. Even in middle school I was ostracized and considered weird, they even set me up too. I didn''t seem to have any self-respect. Is there anyone who wants to share my burden? But, grandma''s words have a point too.... .... Plakkk.... "Ahhhhhhh.... deliciousaaaaa" I said contentedly with my grandmother''s cooking. "Have you finished eating?" Grandma asked while smiling happily "Already grandma, the bean paste is really good." "Hahahaha, you''re happy too." she replied with a chuckle. I stood up from the dining chair, took my plate and grandma''s plate and brought them to the kitchen to wash. Prsttttttttt, the sound of rushing tap water "It''s not usually this loud," I babbled in disbelief. I started washing my plate first and the remaining. I threw the rest of the rice on my plate into the kitchen trash can, then I poured the plate with water, rinsed it with soap, poured it with water again, then dried it. I did the same thing with grandmother''s plate, except that there was no rice left on the plate. After washing the dishes I went back to the shop, took the break board and replaced it with an open board. Then I sat down on the wooden bench where I had eaten earlier. I looked at grandmother who was continuing to sew a scarf for grandfather, she didn''t stop smiling. Seeing her happy made me happy too. I leaned my body on the bench divider, raised my head, and my eyes looked up, seeing the roof of the house that was already dusty, there were spider webs in the corners of the roof and wood that had begun to erode. Seeing all these things, I closed my eyes and widened my mouth, until I realized that "I''m smiling?" I said to myself. "This is crazy... I''m really smiling..." I added Without realizing that my tears were flowing down to my chin, I opened my eyes and felt the amount of water that was held in my eyes. "Am I crying?" I asked myself. I looked at grandma who was gently knitting a scarf for grandpa, "He''s happy... but why am I crying?". I said to myself. I immediately wiped my tears with my shirt, "What''s wrong? I''m a man, I''m not weak.... or maybe I am?" I said to myself. I immediately went to the sink to wash my face so that my eyes wouldn''t look glassy. I looked at myself in the glass of the sink and said "I''m ready!" I went back to Grandma''s shop and saw that it was already 1:20pm. "Time flies like lightning." I said to myself. I quickly returned to my seat, picked up my bag and carried it on my right shoulder. I approached my grandmother and told her, "Grandma, I''ll go first." She nodded her head and said to me, "life is like a light, someday you must be a lamp" she said, still focused on knitting. Then she turned to me and said "be careful on the road, dean." She said smiling "Always, Grandma." I replied confidently. I left her shop and started walking to my workplace. I worked at a cafe near my junior high school. It was the only place that would accept me as an employee there. I had been rejected almost 10 times for the same reason, not being old enough. I was tired by then, all the reasons I gave were always broken by my age. I was at a loss as to how I was going to live, I had no money, the savings I had accumulated were already very low so I was very grateful when they accepted me to work at their cafe. Even so, they still gave me special rules because of my age. The boss said that I could only work twice a week from 2pm to 10pm. In addition, I wasn''t allowed to deliver online orders and there was also a pay cut. Well, it''s only natural that it''s deducted, at least the salary I get can be used for a whole month. "Huh..huh..huh..huh..huh... Sorry I''m late," I said, opening the cafe door hastily. "Ha? Dean? What''s wrong with you?" Tera said surprised by my condition. "I''m late, sorry. I''ll accept the consequences." I clarified my words while bowing my head. "Dean... What the fuck, You broke through the heavy rain, you realize that right? What exactly happened to you, I don''t understand." "Ah, that''s not important. "YOU WERE RUNNING ON THE ROAD WITHOUT AN UMBRELLA IN THE POURING RAIN YOU IDIOT!!! What is it that make you say sorry to me? WHAT THE FUCK!!" Angry Tera snapped at me. "Ee..hm..te..calm down..a..I..." Tera approached me, pulling my collar forcefully to the back of the cafe, more precisely the cafe''s staff toilet. he pushed me into the toilet. "Hurry up and take a shower right now." "b.. but.. the cafe?" "You don''t want me to hit you, do you? Dipshit?" Tera said seriously looking at me. "Ee..huhhh..fine" I said relenting. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I can handle the cafe so hurry up and take a shower." Tera said as he left the staff restroom. I closed the toilet door and took a shower. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked myself. After finishing the shower "It''s still raining, isn''t it?" I said while wearing a special cafe apron. "Alright it''s ready... time to work!" I added I started walking, every step I took sounded like it was asking me. Is Tera going to yell at me again? Is Tera still angry with me, or has he forgiven me? I''ll accept whatever the consequences of my delay are, no matter how severe they are, because I promised. "Let this iron sliding door decide my fate." I sucked in as much breath as possible, slapped my cheeks, and closed my eyes. "Yosh, let''s go!" I said confidently. I slid open the metal door, and quickly picked up the broom in the corner of the cafe, but it wasn''t there. "Are you looking for this?" Tera asked. "Ha? Broom, give me the broom, I''ll clean up." I said with a bit of bravado "I''ve already swept the cafe." replied Tera casually "Then I''ll just wipe the glass." I said while looking for a chamois "Are you seriously wiping the glass in the pouring rain? Well whatever, but it looks like the thing you''re looking for is attached to my hand." He said casually "Alright then I''ll..." "Wipe the table?" Cut him "Ha?" My reaction was shocked to see the vine in Tera''s hand. "Alright alright, what do you want?" I said relenting. "Sit in front of me." Tera said. I followed Tera''s orders, sitting in the chair in front of him. "Don''t look down! Raise your head and look at me!" Tera ordered. "I can''t, especially after making you angry" I said honestly. "You idiot! Fucking Hell" Tera said with a forced smile and a sigh. "Drink the hot coffee." he said as he gave me his hot coffee. "Eee... Thank you, I guess" I said a little worry. "Is the burden of your life too heavy, 0ean?" Tera said with a sigh. "You did something reckless this time, it''s not a matter of you being able to handle it, but it''s a matter of underestimating. I''m telling you, even strong people have limits, don''t go too far, don''t think you can do everything. Every action always has a risk, you should be able to think about the risk." "I''ve thought about the risks before" "Oh yeah? Then why don''t you dare to look at me?" "E.. hmm...I don''t know, but I don''t want others to be hassle because of me." I replied "I understand your stance, but at the expense of yourself, do you have to?" Tera asked. "....." I didn''t answer him "Huh... take this paracetamol medicine after dinner" said Tera who was about to stand up from his chair. "Hmm, what about the consequences?" I asked "For what?" he answered while walking towards the kitchen "Because I''m late, my assignment is yours to do." I said "If I say no?" He asked "I''ll insist, I won''t be able to calm down if you do" I said with a forced look "Huh... you''re this, alright! Buy me tofu later after the rain stops." He replied with forced "That''s it? You''ve told me to buy tofu so many times before" I asked "That''s enough to make up for my high blood pressure 30 minutes ago" he replied turning his back to me. "Fine if that''s what you want." I replied with a face moody and confused. "I''ll go to the kitchen first." Tera said while sliding the metal door behind the cashier. I shifted my gaze, looking outside. I saw cars passing by in the The rain was still very heavy, the sky was already quite dark, even though it was still 3pm. I leaned my head on my right hand, looking at the vehicles going in opposite directions, I slowly began to close my eyes, a little more, "TINNNNNN!!!" The sound of a car horn brought me to my senses, but there was something strange. The street I saw this time was very quiet, there was not a single car near me but why was there a car horn sound. As I approached the glass of the cafe, I was surprised to see a black figure right across the cafe. she was only looking at me from a distance, I couldn''t see her clearly. ''Is she angry?" I thought, "Why are they angry?" I asked, ¡°Is it because of me?" My guess she''s going to say something TINNNNNNNN!!!! BRAKKKKKKKKKK!!! "HA?" I was so shocked, I opened my eyes wide. I saw it, the shadow stepped into the street which suddenly became crowded. she... she... got hit... NOOOO! B... B... WHY?" Suddenly I heard the sound of car horns, the sound of zinc, the sound of a piano being played with a high frequency ringing sound. I heard the noise of the people, I heard the sound of a heartbeat. All in unison, very noisy, and unpleasant to hear ''AAAAAAAAAARRGHHH!!"I SCREAMED, covering my ears. "WHAT? WHAT?" I said while looking in all directions. My breathing was already irregular "SOUND!... RAIN!... ZINC!.... STREET!.... VEHICLE!.... CLOCK!.... ME..." I added, guessing everything I saw. "MUSTS" I said already half on my knees while holding my head which felt heavy. NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... NG/NG... "MUSTSS...." "HAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!" "Prssttttttt" the sound of automatic air freshener "Hah...hah...hah...hah.." the sound of my messy breathing. I can also feel the beat of My heart is beating faster than ever. I started to open my ears again, the ringing sound is still there, my sweat is still pouring out. I slapped my right cheek and I felt pain. "This is real!" I said softly. I started to stand up slowly, drinking water and adjusting my breathing which was still chaotic. I also remembered the voice that woke me up earlier, the automatic air freshener. "This time is different!" I said softly. "RINGGGG" the sound of the cafe doorbell opening The first customer of the day finally arrived, I started to catch my breath, stabilize my heartbeat, wipe off all my sweat, and focus on serving the customers. Today I work together with Tera. Tera is my senior, he''s 10 years older than me. I don''t really know his background, but my assumption is that it''s not good. It can be seen from his hard attitude, assertive, and also stubborn. For him, responsibility is number one but health comes first, which is why I was scolded. I don''t know how long he''s been working here. On my first day, Tera was already working here, in the kitchen to be exact. "Huuuh, I guess we''re out of luck today." I said to Tera sitting at the counter. "Rain?" he replied looking at me who was cleaning the counter. "He,um" I replied "Whether we''re lucky or not depends on how dependent they are on us." Tera said, turning her gaze to his cell phone. "Ha? Eee." My response was confused by Tera''s words "Alvin is on his way here, he''s free today." "You see, my shift is until the store closes today." Tera just shrugged her shoulders, showing that he didn''t know either. "The boss said you''ll be home at 7pm today." Tera said, looking at the message from the boss. "Why?" I asked. "I don''t know, maybe the boss knows you broke through the torrential rain this afternoon." Tera said while joking a little. "You gave..." I was cut off. "No, I''m not like that, Dipshit. Tomorrow you just ask the boss, the boss comes tomorrow afternoon at 2 o''clock." Tera said to me as he walked towards the kitchen. "Cih, I''m not that weak" I whispered. I proceeded to clear the table, carry plates and glasses to the kitchen and restock the coffee supplies. 6.30 pm "Hoy Dean, don''t forget to bring the medicine I gave you earlier." Tera shouted from the kitchen. "Okay." I half shouted back as I sat on the cashier''s chair. I just stayed silent after finishing my work earlier, no customers came again until now, it was still raining heavily outside, the water had started to rise, fortunately the cafe building was made higher. I sat leaning against the wall, reading Tera''s book, Tera''s taste is always different from the others, the book I read is about the concept of time. In it there are many discussions about crossing time, modifying time, alternate dimensions, branching time, and also the dangers of time paradox. ''Did Tera really read this book? "I asked myself. "Great," I added to myself. 6:46 p.m. Plink....plink....plink.... "The rain stopped?" I asked uncertainly. I opened the door of the cafe and checked outside, "it finally stopped" I said with relief. But, as I looked down, the cafe seemed to have a new fish pond. "Teraaa, the water has reached the second step, how?" I shouted a little so Tera could hear me. "Just open the stone that has a handle next to the stairs" Tera shouted, I guess. "Okay" I replied briefly. I searched for the stone Tera was referring to, because the water was quite murky I had to feel the rabbits by hand. "Found it!" I said while holding the handle of the stone. I pulled the square stone and at that moment the water was absorbed into the sewer that I had picked up earlier. "Yep, bye bye fish pond. Wait, maybe a fish pond could be a good aspiration for this cafe" I said while holding the stone handle "What do you think Tera?" I asked excitedly. "I''ll bet the boss will reject it before you finish your speech." Tera said with a little laughing. "Ha? How so?" I replied confused. "I don''t know, I said that before, the boss prefers fountains and carvings to decorate the cafe." Tera explained from a distance. "H mm mm mm" I put the stone covering the water channel back to its original place. I just realized that the buildings around the cafe were dimly lit, only a few of them seemed to be shining. The sky was still overcast and very dark, I didn''t see the moon today either. There was also a power outage around the cafe, the heavy rain today was the cause, but it felt like the rain was really stabbing because it was so strong. I raised my right hand to the sky, looking at my palm, everything was very visible in one palm! I also put back the stone covering the water channel and entered the cafe. To Be Continued.... 51 7:20 p.m. "Sluuurrrppp....hmmm, not spicy!" I said to the chicken curry dish that Tera bought "Indeed!!" replied Tera "Why don''t you order something spicy? I prefer the spicy one" "Don''t you remember how long you were in the toilet of the cafe last Friday?" Tera replied sarcastically " it''s just a little diarrhea" I replied. " A little bit, but the next day you stay in the hospital, who gets scolded, me too," said Tera who was also eating in front of me. "Hehehehe" I laughed remembering the incident at that time. "Alvin hasn''t heard from you?" "He''s at the intersection, he said he''s about 10 minutes away." "Okay." I finished my chicken curry, then washed my plate in the cafe''s kitchen. In the kitchen, I realized that there was a picture of Tera''s family on the shelf next to the dishwasher. Tera once said, "Every time I look at that photo, I see sadness." That man is full of mystery. I''ve heard that he screamed at himself, that he beat himself so badly that he had to be taken to the ICU. taken to the ICU. Lately, I heard him saying "I''m sorry" over and over again. I came out of the kitchen and sat on the cashier''s chair. "An, get ready, I have a feeling Alvin is about to arrive." Tera said. "I''ve been ready since an hour ago," I replied. Brrrmmm... brrmmm... brmm. Alvin finally arrived at the shop, just as the rain had stopped. He went inside the cafe. "Yo, Ter, An...." Alvin approached Tera and shook hands with his, as well as me. We fist bumped. After that he went into the kitchen, probably to get ready. A few minutes later... Alvin came out of the kitchen already wearing the cafe''s signature appron. I, who saw that Alvin was ready, lazily said goodbye to Alvin and Tera to go home. "I''m going home first, Vin, Ter." "always Watch your step, snail" Alvin said. "Hmmm" Tera said. I walked to the exit of the cafe, but just for a second when I was about to open the door, 3 sedan cars stopped right in front of the cafe, Me, Tera, and Alvin immediately looked at the cars outside. They got out of the car one by one, from what I could see, they seemed to be around 18-24 years old. "Ter, were you told about this?" "They seem to be more than 13 people," I added, "I will call the boss for a while. An, Vin serve them first" Tera said as he quickly walked to the kitchen "fired up, snail.." Alvin said. "Yoshh!" I said excitedly as I opened the door for them. The people from the sedan car entered and filled the cafe from one end to the other. I went straight to the cashier''s desk, put down the bag I was carrying earlier, and took the menu list and a piece of paper to write down the order. I distributed the menu list and paper to all the occupied tables. I didn''t expect the caf¨¦ to be so crowded in a split second. I have to thank Alvin for being late, I was able to stay longer in the cafe and meet the group of students that filled the cafe. One by one, orders arrived at the cashier''s desk. Me, Alvin, and Tera were working hard to complete a lot of orders. Tera seemed to be getting emotional, because the food ingredients were running out. Likewise, Alvin didn''t stop making drinks for customers even though he was tired. I was the same way, walking here and there to deliver orders while also topping the drinks, it was really frustrating. Shout after shout was heard quite harmoniously, this was not a shout of anger, but this was a shout to remind each other. "An, don''t forget the fried rice". Tera shouted from the kitchen Stolen novel; please report. "Gotcha" I replied, focusing on topping the drink. "Ter, hot water yet?" Alvin shouted "2 more minutes" Tera replied. "Vin, look at the notes again, there is cold coffee and hot coffee". I said to Alvin The atmosphere of the cafe kitchen is really heating up, there are only three of us, while customers come simultaneously in large numbers, making us emotional. "An, that''s it, you give the order to table 14, Hurry up you snail" said Alvin. "Son of a bitch the oil is spraying the dog" Tera cursed quietly in the kitchen. "There the Greedy one, Dipshit" I said when I saw the note for table 16 which used a lot of toppings. "The gas''s out, this shit make me feel want to fuck myself" said Tera while running outside the cafe to buy gas outside. "Wait a minute sir, the food will be ready in a minute" I said trying to reduce the anger of customer no 21. "Servant, this is sweet coffee, I ordered bitter coffee!" Said customer number 13 "Sorry sir, I''ll change it. I¡¯m really sorry" I said while taking the sweet coffee. "Just do the right thing when you work, Idiot" said customer 13 . We really worked hard today, not only physically but also mentally. It''s excruciating, but seeing the three of us working together again, it doesn''t matter to me. After all, none of the customers commented on the taste of the food and drinks we made. While we were working too, I saw the joy in the hearts of the customers, some of them were singing, some were streaming movies, some were playing card, and of course there are those who are preaching because our cafe has free wifi. They''re all laughing happily, which is why I never want to leave the cafe, because even when I''m tortured, there''s still positive energy that breaks the tension. tormented, there was still positive energy that broke the tense atmosphere. 21.47 "This is for your change, thank you" I said. The last customer from the sedan finally left the cafe and got into the sedan outside. The last sedan finally left the cafe. I immediately went to the exit of the cafe and turned the open shop sign into a closed shop sign. I immediately went back to the cashier''s desk, my legs felt very heavy, my eyes were already 1 watt. "Dakkk" the sound of the chair I was sitting on "Huuuuuuffffffffff..... finally able to relax too, ¡°Dammit.." said I who was brutally tired "Fucking Hell" said Alvin who was already half lying on the floor. lying on the floor. "......." said Tera who was sitting in the middle of the sliding door. The three of us fell asleep until finally woken up by the store closing alarm at 22:00 "Ha? It''s 10pm!" said Tera while looking at the big clock in the corner of the room. "Vin, An, wake up! Clean up the shop first, lets go ladies.." added Tera who started to stand up and walk staggeringly. "I''ll stay here, Ter.... tired badly.... hoammm" I said as I straightened my aching body. "No!" replied Tera briefly and clearly who was in the kitchen. "Tsk bye..." I said while trying to sit up. "Vin... vin... wake up Vin! Let''s close the cafe first!" I said while shaking Alvin''s hand. "Ha? ....Ha?... What? What was I told to do?" Alvin said half-consciously "Close the cafe first, so you can lie down flat, Big Dog" I said while trying to stand up. "Okay...okay....help me stand up An!" Alvin replied while extending his right hand up. I also held Alvin''s hand and pulled him until he sat on the floor "I can''t help you stand up..." I said as I left Alvin. I picked up the tray at the cashier''s desk, and one by one I picked up the dirty glasses and plates from the customers'' tables. Even though my walk staggered, I was still able to carry some of the dirty plates and glasses to the kitchen to be washed by Tera. Thise were about 15 tables that needed to be cleaned, so I gave each of them a spray of sanitizer and wiped them down at the same time. I also replenished the sugar packets and the spoons, forks, and straws on each table. Finished with the table business, it''s time to deal with the floor. I took the broom behind the cashier''s desk, where Alvin was restocking the coffee beans, tea, mineral water, and drink toppings. The sound of water from the kitchen is also still clearly heard, I think Tera is not in the mood anymore anyway. Well, who wouldn''t be in a bad mood if suddenly multiple orders came at the same time. But it feels like a moment like that is a fun, tense, worrying and touching moment. When the three of us are together, I imagine that the three of us are avengers ready for war. Hahahaha... whatever it is, it''s an honor for all of us, right? For me too? And for myself. "Huh...." "Just mop it up tomorrow, when it''s time to open" said Tera while putting on his jacket to get ready to go home "Oki doki" I replied. "Ter, what did the boss say?" Alvin asked while putting on his jacket too. "No answer" replied Tera "An, you''re with me, we¡¯re going on the same direction, right?" Tera said "Yeah" I said as I returned the broom. "Okay... let''s final check first yo..." said Tera "Floor, table and equipment? Tera asked me. "Check, it''s all safe, just mop the floor tomorrow" I replied while carrying my bag. "Ok.... drink ingredients and toppings are safe?" Tera asked Alvin. "Check! Some of the toppings have run out, besides that for sweetened condensed milk is still 1 full can in the refrigerator, as well as tea, mineral water, coffee beans are all safe, but tomorrow needs to buy more anyway." Alvin said remembering the urgent ingredients. ¡°Tomorrow I have to buy that" said Tera, explaining the kitchen supplies. "Well, let''s discuss tomorrow, it''s getting late. Let''s go home" said Tera. I turned off the cafe''s lights, fans, and AC before the three of us left the cafe, locked the door, and lowered the rolling door. The rolling door was still locked too, for extra security. The three of us went our separate ways. During the trip, Tera didn''t talk much, because he wanted to focus on the road. 40 minutes passed Tera stopped his motorcycle in front of the boarding house, whise I was staying. I got off the bike, returned his helmet and said "Thanks Ter" I said "Bye, get some rest, you dipshit!" Tera said "Haha got it, boss" I said. "tch, idiot.." replied Tera. As soon as Tera left, I immediately walked to the top floor of the boarding house. Faintly from the stairs up I saw someone there sitting on the balcony, and I was sure I knew him. And it''s true that it''s a friend who lives next to my boarding room, one the only one I can trust, and maybe only he knows, he raised his right hand and his fingers started talking "HOW WAS YOUR DAY" I replied, with my right hand too M-N-O-T-D-A-B-" hmm is that true? He laughed, it seems like I''m not completely proficient yet. I could only respond by laughing too. He is Rafa, and he cant hear anything from this world. To Be Continued...