The Last Day of January

It started to rain as I just sat back on my comfortable couch, typing my next blog post as a report of my travel journey. Yes, I am a traveller. I gave up college for travelling. Daddy said I'm crazy but I don't care. I used my money for travelling. This evening the sky is beautifully dark, so is my travel story.

I went to Neverbotherland.
It's a small village near an archipelago. I found its name so weird and that's why I went there. I stayed with local, to explore better and to save money. The weather was very nice back there, it was windy but not too cold. I over-brought my coat I guess. The food was okay, plain but okay. From where I come from, spice is a must in cooking, but in Neverbotherland, it was all plain. But that's okay, I always think local food is another experience I should never complain about. Travelling is about learning to adapt yourself to what is not your usual things. Only three days in that house, Nomi's, and I think it was the most interesting place I have visited (considering this is just January lol). Nomi was very friendly but quiet. She listens to my story and asks a lots of questions that make me tell her more. I think she's a bit investigative, but in a fun way. I like her.

Nomi took me to an old castle where the legend of that village began. The history made no sense to me, but hey, history always does, doesn't it? I just took pictures of that castle, very old castle. We ended up in traditional restaurant where we took off our shoes before we got inside and we were served by a very old lady. Her cooking was somehow a bit different than the local food which I thought was plain. Her cooking was very nice with enough spice, different than my own spice but still, it was not plain obviously. Nomi took me to beer place near that traditional restaurant and we drank the local beer, made of grapefruit and lime. The owner was Nomi's geography teacher who turned into a wine-man, and we discussed a lot about interesting places to travel. Nomi herself never really travelled. She was very knowledgeable because of tourists like me who stayed in her place. She must be very imaginative and clever to actually have so many knowledges in her head by now.

We went around some other tourist sites and the day 4 before I left, Nomi handed me a unique photo picture with a dried leaf inside it. She said it's her souvenir for every guest who stays in her place. "You may throw the leaf and put a picture on it if you like, I don't have any magic or spell on that leaf anyway" and she laughed elegantly. I shook her hand and wish her a good bye.



Nomi.
She's around early twenties. She has long thick hair and pale skin. She didn't finish her school because her parents passed away on the same week right the day of her graduation day from high school. They left her with a house to be run for, she chose to become a host for traveller. She was very keen registering herself in here and there website or tourist and travel agent. She also became the member of world's airbnb association, just to get a coverage about her place and be promoted among exotic destinations travellers.

I was one of those travellers she aimed. And she got me, as her place was the only available airbnb near city centre, or should I call it village centre. Neverbotherland has only 1000 population, so no wonder Nomi's competition was very thin and everyone knows everyone.  A few hotels offer a very luxurious package with their rooms, they also offer tour and travel service that I cannot afford. So I chose Nomi, not only because hers is cheap but also I got the opportunity to experience Neverbotherland from the local point of view. Another experience money can't buy.

Nomi reads book and articles, as well as news. She enrich herself to be able to compete with those hotels and their interesting offers. She does not want to lose the market interest, hence she made her own target market. She attracted travellers with her simplicity, her kindness and friendliness. I told you she's friendly but quiet.

She taught me that people want to be listened. People loved to be asked. And at the end people want to be appreciated for what they have done or gone through in their lives.

People need people like Nomi.
And Nomi told me, people love sunset.

Life of a Third Wheeler

Kenalin, nama gue Mulya, 22 tahun, tinggal di Jakarta. Karena gue anak daerah yang lagi mengais rejeki dan memperjelas jati diri, gue ngekost di daerah Jakarta Pusat. Katanya biar deket kemana-mana. Padahal yang namanya Jakarta sedeket apapun tetep jauh rasanya karena cuma deket doang tapi ngga jadian. Eh. Maksudnya deket doang tapi macetnya ampun ampunan.

Temen sekamar gue, sesama anak daerah, namanya Ayu. Pacarnya borju gile, hampir tiap malem kami party dibayarin sama si Gaga ini. Well, katanya sih Gaga ini anaknya pejabat tingga daerah Indonesia Timur. Gaga tinggal sama ibu tirinya di Jakarta, dan ibu kandungnya sama bapak kandungnya di rumah dinas di Timur sana. Nggapapa lah, gue sih ngga begitu peduli sama keluarga orang, yang penting Gaga baik suka traktir minum dan anter kami pulang.

Malem ini, seperti biasa, Gaga dan Ayu akan pacaran dulu di bioskop sebelum party nanti.
"Lu mau ikut ga nonton? Gaga dapet 1 tiket gratis dari bank nih" Ayu bersuara dari kamar mandi kecil kami. Gue yang memang udah mandi dari sore tapi ngga jelas mau kemana, akhirnya setuju ikutan jadi third wheel setelah Ayu bilang filmnya horor. Yes, gue suka film horor. Di tempat asal gue, segala sesuatunya dikaitkan dengan mistis dan mitos, jadilah kalo ada hal berbau horor dan gaib sedikit, gue langsung semangat.

Sampe di bioskop, gue dan Ayu pake baju yang memang agak ketat dilapis jaket. Maklum mau lanjut party kan abis ini, jadi biar praktis tinggal copot aja jaket kami. Sebelum Gaga dateng, Ayu curhat soal kuliahnya. Iya Ayu ini masih kuliah sambil kerja, soalnya dia masih ada harapan pengen punya titel sarjana, sedangkan gue, pengen juga sih tapi nggak hari ini deh. Ayu cerita dosen Bahasa Inggris dia galak, tapi ganteng, soalnya bule gitu. Ya buat Ayu asal bule mah walau kerjaannya kuli bangunan juga dibilang ganteng sama dia. Gaga ini juga kayaknya ada keturunan bule, makanya Ayu mau.

Ayu bilang kalo nanti putus sama Gaga, dia mau gebet dosen Bahasa Inggrisnya ini. "kalo sampe lu beneran putus, lo sedih gak? Gaga kan baik dan tajir banget!" gue penasaran kenapa sampe Ayu menganggap hubungannya sama Gaga sesimpel dan segampang itu. "Ya sedih lah, tapi kalo jadi sama bule ini kan ada penggantinya, siapa tau gue dikawinin dan dibawa ke negara dia, BYE MUL" Ayu berkhayal ketinggian. Anehnya, semua khayalan dia jadi nyata. Gaga ini juga tadinya khayalan dia, temen kuliah yang tajir dan populer, yang ternyata suka party di tempat kami party, yang ternyata menganggap Ayu cantik dan pinter, akhirnya mereka beneran jadian kan. Canggih juga khayalan si Ayu. Sampe pernah gue minta dia khayalin gue dong biar dapet pacar tajir juga.

Nggak lama setelah dengerin deskripsi fisik bule kesukaan Ayu, Gaga dateng. Mereka bermesraan dari Gaga menyapa "hai, maaf ya aku lama, susah cari parkir" sampe masuk bioskop, sampe keluar studio bioskop, sampe salah satu masuk kamar mandi dan ditunggu di luar, sampe masuk mobil, sampe kita akhirnya berunding mau ke club mana malem ini.
"gue lagi males ke tempat biasa, boleh ngga liat temen gue main di klub sebelah?" tawar gue ke muda mudi kasmaran ini. Mereka sekilas saling lirik dan menengok dengan kompak ke gue yang duduk di belakang sampe hampir kepala mereka saling kejeduk. "klub sebelah?" mereka bertanya penuh tanya dan gue jadi bingung kenapa mereka jadi bertanya-tanya heran. "iya, emang kenapa? temen gue ada yang main di situ, opener pula. Kalo garing ya kita cabut aja, gimana?"

Sebagai third wheeler, gue tau gue ngga banyak bisa bikin decision. Tapi malem ini mungkin puncaknya gue merasa sepi jomblo terus dan harus jadi saksi miris kemesraan Ayu dan Gaga. Akhirnya gue buka kalender lagi dan nemu jadwal main temen gue yang baru jadi DJ di klub sebelah. Setelah mereka heran begitu, gue jadi heran balik sama heran mereka. "Mul, lo yakin mau ke klub sebelah? itu kan isinya ....." Gaga mengingatkan gue pada para mafia dan pengedar yang memang bermarkas di klub sebelah. Meskipun terlihat sangat elit dan berkelas dibanding klub yang biasa kami kunjungi, gue merasa sesekali sebaga third wheeler boleh lah pendapat gue didenger dan tantangan wajib dicoba: ke klub sebelah. Lagian capek juga gue harus selalu ngeliat mereka mesra-mesraan di depan gue. Hampir setiap malem.

"Mul tapi gue nggak mau lama-lama yah.."Ayu memperingatkan gue kayak emak yang anaknya baru beranjak Abege.
"iya rewel, lo kan pasangan, kenapa parno sih? Lagian kan kita bersih, santai deh!" Gue hanya membalas ketus
"ya bukan parno, gila! gue males aja dealing sama para orang gak jelas, yang ada bukan fun malah apes"
"kalo berdua mah fun terus kali, gue nih yang jomblo mustinya parno"
"Lo ngga mau sih Mul sama temen gue Ali" Gaga mengimbuhkan cambuk cambuk kejombloan yang bikin gue makin sakit, "Ali suka loh padahal sama lo, gue udah bilang bahwa lo jomblo dan suka tipe kayak Ali, dan dia mau deketin lo. Tapi elonya pasif gitu. Kenapa sih ngga mau Mul sama Ali?"
"karena gue maunya sama elo Ga" gue hanya bisa membatin menatap Gaga dari kaca spion, sambil menutupinya dengan "Ah, kegantengan Ga, gue minder"


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