NOT JUST ANY SPICES

Tuhan tolong, tolong aku

Jatuh cinta pada kekasih orang

Ingin lupa ku tak bisa

Sayang sayang dia ada yang punya

Sayang sayang dia ada yang punya

(God, please help me

Fall in love with someone's lover

Want to forget I can't

Darling dear, he has one

Darling dear he has one)

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Hira stopped her fingers that were playing on the keyboard of her laptop.

Bu Yulia sang again in the morning. The lyric was like no other song. This was definitely not satirizing her. But on purpose.

The kitchen window was located just behind the wall, next to the connecting door so that the conversations that took place in the kitchen often crossed over to the ears of the living room of the boarding house. If bu Yulia wanted to sing that song, why did she sing it in the kitchen, close to the wall, if the purpose was not to convey a message?

Hira leaned her back. It was like being hit with a bitter reality, too bitter to feel, a reality that made her realize that Billy already had a family with whom he had a good relationship. Bu Yulia also realized that behind the walls of her house a flower garden had grown. Flowers of romance that cannot be left unattended. She cannot just ignore the flowers of romance amongst the residents of this house.

Since then, Hira has slowly limited herself not to linger sitting on the sofa. She has primarily stayed in the room, especially when the host wants to pass by, whether it's Yulia or Billy or the occupants of the main house; as naturally as possible she tries to back in, and avoid it. She also restricts herself from giving other people access. There wasn't much to do in the LOCKDOWN period like this.

And it turns out that something is missing. The smart, clever little girl never hesitated. Winda knocked on Hira's door, "Bu guru, what are you doing? Can we play?"

And now Winda moves to play more often in Hira's room. Sometimes fall asleep in her room.

The term "Bu Guru" means Teacher initially came from Winda's small lips. No one taught her. Maybe she was inspired by the cartoon character on her YouTube kids from her mom's phone, which she always carries. Kids nowadays.

Then it was her mother's turn to knock on Hira's room, "Kak... Isn't Winda there? How quiet is it?"

Or Bibi comes to deliver freshly harvested vegetables.

Or auntie came again, "Sorry bu, can I ask you a favor? I want to call Tris... I have something to do."

Then Hira called Tris, her daughter, for Bibi.

And all sorts of other business

Yulia's voice is no longer heard.

Now The voice of Billy more often.

Every time he passed in front of Hira's room, there was always something to talk about. Sometimes just calling out "A Jay..."

Or telling A Jay to drain the fish pond...

or wash his official car...

or sometimes the kring kring kring sound of his bicycle when passing in front of her room,

and so on.

But Hira's room door is now always tightly closed. Even when the universe forced her to come out, she didn't care.

Like what happened that day, the flower pot brought from Papua when Billy was on duty fell from the 2nd floor and broke right in front of Hira's room. Maybe Bibi nudged while doing the washing, but Hira was sure she was just an intermediary. It's 'something' that causes it.

Hira heard Yulia, Billy, Icha, and her brother, who had just returned from exercising, gather to discuss flower pots with A-Jay and Viny in front of her room. But Hira didn't budge, sitting inside her room, uninterest in making small talk even though just asking what was wrong.

The next day, Winda threw the kitten from the 3rd floor. It fell again in front of her room. Oh, Winda. Luckily the kitten didn't die. Hira was talking to herself.

Hira heard the father and son discussing the victim in front of her room. But Hira was lazy to open the door. She wasn't in the mood to meet that family.

Likewise, the following Saturday, when Billy came home, Hira disappeared.

The quote appears on her IG screen as if Hira heard Billy say,

'IF YOU SEE ME HAPPY,

PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE

I DESERVE THIS SHIT'

***

"Where have you been all Saturday and Sunday? We didn't see you, bu?" Bibi greeted Hira when she reached the third floor with a laundry bucket. They'd never meant to meet in that place, both doing their national duty.

"It's a secret. Why, bi? Do you miss me...?" Hira teasingly while wringing clothes and hanging them one by one on the clothesline.

"Yesterday bu Yulia asked, where is Ibu?' I just answered I didn't know. Then she said, Why Viny knows? I responded again. Maybe Viny asked, so she knows. I didn't ask, so I don't know, I said," Bibi reported while hanging Icha's clothes.

Hira smiled. Already guessed. Apparently, this is the CCTV. Such a Bland ya bi, no seasoning. Hira thought, amused. "Why is she looking for me?" She asked to bait.

"Maybe ibu lonely... Bapak didn't come home last Saturday and Sunday."

Oops. Why disappeared too, Hira thought. "Loh, why didn't he come home? Did he ask for permission? Or can't she call?' Hira said, trying to be as neutral as possible.

"Maybe they had an argument because at that time Bapak yelled at ibu until she cried."

Now Hira was completely silent. She didn't want to continue the conversation. She didn't want to gossip, because whatever she said would definitely reach Mrs. Yulia's ears.

And for sure it could sound different.

"That's what call household, isn't bi....? if there's no fuss, there's no fun."

Hira and Bibi laughed at each other.

***