(Ringtone of a mobile phone)
(Ringing for one minute)
I wake up. Half-asleep, I search for the source of the sound. The ringtone is coming from my phone. To the right. To the left. Got it-under my pillow.
Damn. Who's calling this early in the morning? I look at the screen. Sinta.
"Ugh, what's up, Sin?"
I answer the call with a groggy, just-woken-up voice.
"You just woke up, didn't you?"
"No, I haven't even woken up yet."
"Am I talking to zombie?"
"What do you want, Sin?" I ask with a lazy voice, yawning.
"I want to set you up with someone."
"Ugh, no need, Sinta. I can find someone on my own."
"Hey, listen first. I'm sure you'll like her. She's one of Rio's close friends. Beautiful, smart, around your age, and she's a doctor. Perfect match. Maybe she'll mend and heal your heart that's been broken for so long."
"Shut up!"
"Hahaha, just kidding. Anyway, see her at 4 p.m. at Titik Temu Café, okay?"
"We'll see, Sin."
The call ends. Sinta probably didn't hear my last words. Typical Sinta. She's in such a rush to get married. When she wants something, she moves quickly.
I look at the clock. It's 7:53 a.m. The sun is already a third of the way up. I head to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and wash my face. Then, I prepare breakfast-toast and a warm cup of cappuccino. While waiting for the toast to be perfectly done, I open the balcony door of my apartment. I look outside from the 32nd floor. The city is crowded and busy. Instead of fresh air, I inhale carbon monoxide.
It's so noisy. Thousands of cars and motorbikes are jammed together on the asphalt roads. There must be the sound of impatient car horns blaring at each other. The usual scene that happens every weekday morning, Monday through Friday. In the midst of all that chaos, on top of their own personal issues-family, work, finances-they also have to deal with traffic jams every time they go to work. It's funny, they complain about a problem they created themselves. If they don't want traffic, they should take public transportation. Don't use personal vehicles. Haahh...
Click. The sound of the toaster from the kitchen.
My toast is ready. I'd better eat breakfast.
***
By midday, the clock's hands form a 90-degree angle. I check my phone, there's a message from Sinta.
"Don't forget about 4 p.m. later."
The message came in 30 minutes ago.
"Sorry, Sin. I can't make it."
I send the reply.
Ten minutes later, a reply from Sinta.
"It's okay. Turns out she can't make it either."
Actually, I could have gone, but I don't feel comfortable being set up. One or two years after breaking up with Rachel, while I was still in college, my friends tried to introduce me to a few women. Maybe Sinta's right-those memories are what's closing my heart to someone new.
***
There was a time when I got close to a Russian woman. Her height was about 165 cm. Fair-skinned, with a slightly full figure that made her look cute. Not to mention her slightly chubby cheeks. She was beautiful, smart, and adorable. I met her in the campus library.
I was looking for references for my final finance project. I asked the librarian for the location of the book I needed.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where to find this book?"
I handed over a note with the book title.
"Here it is."
"Wow, that's fast."
"A girl just requested the same book. Unfortunately, there's only one left. You might want to race her for it."
"Ahhh... nice info, thank you very much."
I hurried to the book section. Hopefully, the book was still there. Although it was unlikely. No harm in trying. I was 90% sure she had already taken it, but I could only hope.
When I reached the aisle, there she was, holding the book I needed. I was five seconds too late. Our eyes met briefly. I walked past her and checked the shelf. Empty. Only one book left, and I desperately needed it.
I saw her sit down, pull out her laptop, and open the book. I approached her, hoping to borrow it.
She noticed me coming.
"Yes?"
"Could I have that book before you? I'm in a rush to finish my final essay."
"This one?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry. I'm also in a rush to finish my assignment."
She then ignored me and focused back on her work. I was up against a deadline, and so was she. I could have taken the book and run off with it. But no, that would've been a terrible move and might ruin my reputation on campus.
"How long will you take to finish?"
"It depends. If you keep your mouth shut and leave, I'll finish in five hours, by the time this library closes."
Ouch. Her words were sharp. But I kept my patience. I can't possibly wait for her for five hours. That would be frustrating. Hmm...
"I can help you."
"Hmmm?"
"I'll help you with your assignment. It'll be done in less than three hours if you let me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Of course. It would bore me to death just waiting."
"Okay. As you wish."
And so, I helped her. Her assignment wasn't that difficult (not to sound arrogant), especially compared to my final project. We finished in two hours and forty-seven minutes. It was just a matter of re-explaining Capital Structure Theory in her own words and developing it with original thoughts.
"Wow, you really are so smart. Just like everyone says."
"Ah, never mind. Now, can I have that book?"
She was about to hand the book to me.
"Ah ah, not yet."
She pulled the book back just as I was about to grab it.
"Why? I already helped you."
"Yes you did, and I want your number too."
My friends said I had a lot of female admirers. You could tell by the way they greeted me when passing by-polite smiles, sometimes a bit flirty. But I didn't care and just greeted them back warmly. Maybe if I acted the way I did with this woman, they wouldn't hesitate to ask for my number.
"Okay."
She handed her phone to me.
"Here's my number."
She took her phone back and hit the call button. I pulled out my phone from my pocket.
"Is this you? Okay, I'll sa-"
"Pick it up."
I followed what she said.
"Hi, Wisnu. It's me, Sofya. Don't forget to save this number and call me soon."
Haha... I laughed at her playful behavior.
Since then, we often chatted, called each other. She was fun to be around-we joked, laughed together, and she had a broad knowledge base, which kept our conversations interesting. We went on dates to local entertainment spots. She talked about her family in Russia. Her parents. Her younger brother, who loved karate and dreamed of being as tough as Vladimir Putin. She also mentioned how her other classmates were envious of her for being with me-haha, I was flattered. She talked about her professors A, B, and C. She even asked me to tutor her in some of her assignments. We exchanged languages-I taught her Indonesian, and she taught me Russian. She once brought me Borscht (a traditional Russian soup). She reminded me not to overwork myself on my final project.
Without realizing it, we had been in a relationship for three months. I almost forgot that I had once been heartbroken. But when that memory came back, I decided to end things with Sofya.