Holiday Stories Pt.1, The Departure

Friday, August 8th, 2008

6-ish pm

Lari dari kampus-well..ojeknya yang ngebut, sebetulnya, ke stasiun- setelah mengerjakan ujian tanpa benar-benar berpikir (salah belajar, yang dipelajari sama sekali tidak keluar satu pun!!!), otak dan hati sama sekali ga nyambung, tangan menulis tentang perikatan tapi pikiran sudah sarat dengan kereta, mudik, cuti, semua hal yang tidak berhubungan dengan ujian. Sesampainya di stasiun UI, sempat terpikir untuk naik KRL, balik ke gedung itu dulu untuk absen (as always), tapi akhirnya memutuskan untuk langsung ke Gambir. Keputusan yang kurang tepat, karena sebelum ke kampus, sama sekali tidak ingat untuk absen terlebih dahulu (akhirnya gaji bulan ini pun berkurang beberapa puluh ribu karenanya).

Naik KRL ke arah Kota, turun di Gondangdia (si bodoh ini terlalu lama menimbang-nimbang akan balik ke kantor atau tidak jadi dia ketinggalan beberapa kereta ekspres yang sebetulnya berhenti di Gambir), lalu meneruskan perjalanan dengan ojek ke stasiun Gambir.

 

7-9-ish pm

Sampai di Gambir, setelah memastikan tiket masih di tempatnya dan cuci muka di toilet, langsung ke Hokben. Gambir was full of people. Many wore batik, including me. And some familiar faces were around, too. I saw this one guy I know works in the same office, but I didn’t know his name.

Heard earlier that some were going to Solo to attend somebody’s wedding. maybe he was in the group.

I was there, all by myself (had there been no change of plan, I’da been with a friend, but the person couldn’t make it, so there’s just me there).

Sat on that cold steely-slippery-on-the-rear bench, reading Plane Insanity. Laughed a little, the book’s funny, british-y way, which I took as a good one, since I could see the funny part.

Ada satu ibu-ibu yang duduk di seberangku, I had the feeling she’s going the same direction, so I tried to open a conversation, asking the destination and the coach.. Found out that she had just arrived from Medan, had tried to catch a plane to Yk but couldn’t get any ticket, so she decided to take the train instead. I was mistaken for an MD. Ha, that must be the white trousers I wore that day. J

Told her, ‘no Ma’am, it’s DGT, I’m not an MD’.  *wish I were!*

 

9.30 pm-

Bid farewell to the lady -we were not on the same coach- I got to the platform and waited for the train. Getting in, I immediately put my socks on, zipped my jacket up, covered my body with the not-so-wide blanket, and prepared myself for slumber. Mind’s wondering of who would sit next to me that night, since the supposed-to-be-there friend couldn’t make it.

And, not long enough, a lady entered the train, looked at my direction and made it clear that she’d be my company (exaggerating word? Hope not) for the trip by placing her luggage above our heads. A man was with her. Apparently he was the husband (the lady called him “Papah”), that is, unless of course, two friends, opposite sex, would call each other “Papah” and “Mamah”.

Some polite smile, between me and the lady; some hugs and kisses on the cheeks, between them, and then he got out, the lady returned to her seat next to me.

The train was just taking off when she made a phone call. She expressed gratitude to her “Papah” for this and that and said to him, “Mamah sayang Papah”.  Not that I was eavesdropping, mind you, she talked loud enough for me to hear. It made me, well, a little envious, saying this in mind, ‘kapaan ya, punya someone like that..’ I mean, she was not young anymore, but seemed to have a greater love life than I did! (not that it was everything, though,)

Out of envy, I called a friend, telling him that the train had just left the station. Talked a bit about his school, shared some old stories, told him I had forgotten to GoGo my esia, and couldn’t do so because the cell ran outta battery, wished each other goodnite (a sweet one, that was), and hang up.

Entered I the Sandman’s world, stirred twice or thrice due to the low temperature and the not-so-comfortable seat, and the train resumed her almost eight-hour trip to Yk.