A tall, broad stranger...

Note : This short piece is inspired from a story written by my Bahasa teacher from highschool. I find it interesting to find different perspective to write about. Credit to him.  I am stuck anyway....

The night I wanted to leave the city, a stranger sat next to me and asked, "What's going on, dear?" I am not the friendliest person on earth, neither the grumpiest. Or maybe, I was the most bitter at that time. I just did not feel like talking. She could not stand the fact that I looked so weary. Not at all cheeky. Such a darling, she was for showing that she cared. Because I thought, no one would understand me. So I told my story.

It was all continued when a tall, broad and blonde stranger walked the exit. Only few meters ahead from where we were sitting. From the airplane seats where we were sitting on. Then, he walked through the immigration check. He grabbed his huge 40-kilos-of suitcase out of the moving belt. He went through the last customs check. At last, he went through the last exit.

He was a tall, broad and blonde stranger in the sea of short and tiny people--people like me. But he was no alien to me. He was my anticipation. He was to await for. And when he kissed my lips, right in front of the public, right in front of those goggling pair of dark brown eyes. Then, I became a stranger too. An instant stranger to small groups of people before us. Who stood less than his height of shoulder. Or at least a local who needs to learn moral.

"This Mike Young. He'll be staying here for three days." I introduced him to the village chief. When I mentioned village, I was referring to the Kubu village. It was six hours drive from downtown Palembang, North Sumatra. The city is my hometown, but I was nothing more than an acquantaince to the Orang Rimba tribe who occupied Kubu. But I was acquainted enough to help Mike with his research.

When we stood before three men of the tribe, somehow we felt a connection. Because we--especially Mike, did not feel as estranged no more. We, in fact, were all strangers.

"He is an anthropologist who comes all the way from Queensland, Australia"

...and a boyfriend too. Said I, in mute

The chief was such a kind-hearted man. With a puff a smoke he cleared from out of his throat he granted a kind permission. "In fact, you don't have to ask. Help your own selves. This is your home now."

He said as he took another drag of his cigarette. As the chief of the tribe, he was the most privileged man in his neighborhood. He dressed in t-shirt and pants, rarely seen bare-chested as his comrades. He received basic education from social volunteers. People like me. I was his teacher once. Helping him to learn basic calculation and language. I had spent sometime with him and his family since these five months. They treated me more than a visitor, but as a family. And there was also Rinjani, the eldest daughter.

She appeared in a drape of long sarong, covering her slim curve when we met her that day. She stood five inches taller than me, even though she was only 16. We were ten years apart and she had always been a little sister to me.

The look on Mike's face upon knowing how clear Jani spoke English was priceless. It seemed like he got a clue where his research could be going. Thus we spent hours before the sun descended, and the dark ascended.

It felt like a first time again when I slept in Mike's embrace. Pressed against his warm and thick skin. I soaked up all the sweetness out from his lips and down to his throat and down to the chest. Wrestled what all I have missed. The night I felt so lucky to feel his presence near me. I spend almost a year without him... and I did not think to ever survive if we are about to separate again. But in fact, we will.

Those blue marble eyes were locking on pair of dark brown of mine. He leaned closer to me and whispered,

"I love you."

I spend almost a year without him, and I believe I could not even survive if we are about to separate again.

And what he said was not meant to be a statement only. It was a statement that I had to response to...

Yet, I stared up at those blue marble eyes that locked against mine.

Yet, I do not know what to say...

To be continued