THE ROOMMATE

Kiss roam around the city. With a high hope that he will find a vacant job. buildings to buildings. Opening every fiber glass door from one after another, asking the store manager or even a sales clerk, seeking for every possible work he can apply. But none of them is willing to take him in. All he received is refusal. Saying no vacancy, no availability, no longer need of human services. He almost wanted to give up but thinking about what will be the point of being a human if he cannot surpass the trivial challenge of life. What will be the point of being a big brother if he cannot attain the needs of his baby brother. As soon as he thought about his baby sibling, tears almost fall out of his eyes. He misses him so much. The laughter of his baby brother that echoed the whole room everytime they spend together playing around. The smile, the blissful moments. He missed them all. But alas, if not for the fact that his father is a shit, he will never be in this kind of situation. Being poor is the least thing he wanted to be but as soon as he was out of his mother's womb, his terrible life started. Since young, he had been forcefully carry a boulder. The heavy responsibility that a father must do is what he's actually doing just to survive. For his baby bother not to starve. Collecting waste such as bottle and cans. Old news paper and plastic wares. Everything. As long as it can exchange into currency that's all that matters to him. He don't care if the people around him felt disgusted about his work, about his way of living. He thought that it's better to dig in a mountain of garbage that robbing someone off that sometimes can risk his life. For him, it is a decent job. For him, it is better than nothing. He simultaneously do his studies at morning while junk hunter at noon. He endured the tiredness he felt. The roaring aches of his body. The burning heat of the sun. All of them just for his baby brother.

It is already sunset when he decided to walk back home. Though it takes him hours and hours of walk, it is better for him than spending money in riding transportation. Parsimonious he may seems to be but in his own vocabulary, it is being thrifty. Carefully spending every single penny he have, into the rightful needs.

As he trail his way back home, his phone suddenly rang that it almost shocked him to death. Just how perfectly the timing is. For a second, he wanted to call Conrad and beg him to let him in into his work but now seems he no longer needed to since the man himself called him. He immediately press the green button and put the phone into his ear. As just as he did, he regretted doing so.

He heard loud moans and whimpers of a woman in the next line. Though he already know what's going on and wanted to hang up the phone, he force himself to calm down and waited for the man to answer him. A minute had passed before that same irritating voice appeared.

"kiss I have an urgent meeting to tend. But before that I have a good news for you. I already found you a new roommate. He is what exactly you want" Conrad said, almost without a pause. The visible urgency of his so called meeting is so noticable that Kiss thought of killing him over.

"Is he rich? Is he generous enough to pay the whole rent?" Kiss replied boredly. He wanted to end up the call asap since he hear constant moans of the woman in the next line. The bitchy voice that he thought is a pain into the ear.

"dude you are asking too much. I barely found one and yet you asked me about generosity? what about you? Where did you put your generosity in?"

"I flushed it in to the place where I can only deposit but cannot withdraw"

"eww dude gross. Learn some manners"

"talking about yourself. Anyway is he at the apartment right now?"

"oh yes I almost forgot. He will arrive tomorrow morning since he needs to travel all the way there. and before I also forgot, do not messed up with him or you might not lose your job but I will"

"I don't have a job you idiot"

"that's why I'm telling you in advance so that atleast you won't blame me if something goes wrong. anyway I'll gonna hang up. This business of mine is too huge for me to handle"

"okay..amm by the way, Conrad, i just wanna say" Kiss mumbled. He is too hesitant to spout those two words.

"huh? what is it?" Conrad asked. He wanted to tease his friend much longer but the bitch grinding above him seems to have more vigor than he is.

"I mean, thank you for helping me" He finally said. His heart palpitates wildly. When it comes to giving thanks, he always have a hard time saying so. It is not because he don't want to but because he is too ashamed to say so.

"dude, that's too gay. There's no need to thank me with that. it's nothing. What are friends for? Besides you also help me before, it's the only thing for me to repay you back" Conrad uttered in a joking manner. He knows full well that Kiss is someone whom appreciate help even for the smallest, he just don't know how to show it.

"atleast make it as a cash" Kiss replied with the hint of reality into his words..

"you bastard. I'm gonna hang up.. though, you are always welcome. gonna go bye"

Conrad hang up the phone. It is usually him who initiates the hanging up. Yet now, Conrad actually did it. That is how urgency his meeting is.

"haha silly"

Kiss continue his pace. As he thought of how he meet Conrad is one of the most blessing in disguise to him.

It was rainy day. The people in the city of Meyhem took shelter in their every extravagant roof. Heating up their body in a fireplace or wearing million cost leather jacket. But to those poor human being, just a simple thin quilt of cheap sweatshirt is enough to atleast give them warm. At that time, Kiss was walking all over the city. Searching, seeing for a place to live. Caring his bags of clothes and other necessities, he trail his way all the way to his listed possible apartment. But to his surprised, the cost is more than what he could imagine. Though, wet and cold, the rain didn't stop him from trying to find a roof to stay. Until he reach the secluded area that only for a commoner like himself lives. The place is not as ugly as it seems. In a first glance it is like of a village. Peaceful and pleasant to the eyes. Even with the pour of the rain, I didn't stop him from appreciating the beauty of the said place.

He continued his pace, on the way to enter the site. On his way in, something caught up his sight. He noticed a man lying in the ground. Drenched with blood. He draw closer to him. And despite the fact that he is scared of blood, he remain sitted as he felt the pulse of the unconscious man. It is still alive. But atmost, almost died from chocking in the water of rain. Without a choice, he dragged him up to where he found a little cave that they can shelter with. Without a second thought, he took his bags off. Took out necessary things to treat the wounds. Good thing he know how to deal with minor lession. With the help of first aid treatment, he can atleast prolong the life of the dying man.

He took the scissor and rip of the man's shirt. To his surprise, a huge wound was implicated into the man's stomach. It is deep and fatal. Though,he know how

to sew it up it is still best for the man to be sent directly into the hospital. But the situation they in, it is hard to find transportation in this weather. All he can do for now is to stop the bleeding. The man won't die from his wound but from loosing too much blood. He clean the wound first, then trying to surpass the surging blood out of it's body by putting pressure into it with the used of cotton cloth he have. He wrapped it up using the rip shirt of the man and make sure that the wound is atleast won't killed him. He search for his spare shirt for the man to wear, in replacement of the ripped one. He gently rise up it's head and slowly putting it in. It took him minutes to fully dressed the man. Though, he felt wet and cold, the feeling of saving a life gives warm to his heart. Without his knowing, the rain stops, while the two life soul peaceful sleep inside the cave.