"Where have you been?" I don't know why suddenly her mother cares about Salsa, maybe she's aware, maybe.
"Mama? Salsa is out of cam-" Before Salsa finished speaking, Mama quickly cut her off.
"Not you, where's Sabila? Why aren't you two together? And yes, why don't you take a car instead of a dirty motorcycle taxi like that." Salsa turned out to be wrong, she thought Mama was paying attention to her but she didn't.
"Sis Sabila? Salsa thought he had gone home first, after all, Sis Sabila just left Salsa like that."
"You are never useful, aren't you! Go on! Go to your room. And don't ever go out hoping to get food," Mama snapped and left Salsa, definitely looking for Sabila, knowing her favorite child.
With a very broken heart, Salsa ran up the stairs. He no longer cared about the blood that kept running down his knees. It was nothing compared to the wound in his heart. Salsa has been like this for ten years. She will always cry, she is a crybaby, isn't she? What child doesn't want love from their parents? If his brother could feel that way, why couldn't he?
With a very angry feeling, Salsa destroyed all the things in her room. Suddenly Sabila came in, looked at Salsa flatly and started to take her medicine. He continued to stare blankly then saw the blood running down Salsa's knees.
"We both have wounds, the difference is that your wounds are more than the wounds I feel." Short, clear, and concise, that's all Sabila said, then he threw the bandage at Salsa.
Salsa turned, surprised at her brother this time.
"Sometimes, not all wounds have a cure. But the problem with your knee wound has a cure," continued Sabila, then opened the window of their room which led directly to the balcony of her house.
"The wound on Salsa's knee is only a small wound, in fact? There is a wound that hurts more, want to know? In this heart," Salsa replied which made Sabila shake her head.
"You're weird, you're tough, you're strong. And you're alone? You're stuck with all the roles you show people." Sabila approached Salsa and began to treat the wound on her knee.
"Those words should be for Brother, there's no need to act so indifferent, cold, and strong. Even though there's attention like this."
"I'm not paying attention, I just want you to learn from today. That everyone has wounds, so don't think you're the only one who gets hurt the most. In fact, it's wrong." For some reason today Sabila is very wise, so that makes Salsa hug him.
"Lo, that's my sister, every sister wants the best for her sister and so do I. I also want my little sister to be the best among the best," continued Sabila again, but while gently stroking Salsa's head.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door, it was clear that it was their housekeeper, Bi Inem.
"Non, madam sent red medicine and also chicken porridge," said Bi Inem while putting it on the table. He was a little surprised to see the messy state of the room, then Bi Inem's eyes caught Salsa's bandaged knee, she smiled slightly at the wrong way of wrapping the bandage.
"Thank you, Auntie can go now," replied Sabila.
"Non Salsa, can Bi Inem fix the bandage? Because the way Non wrapped the bandage was wrong," asked Bi Inem as she approached Salsa who was sitting on the bed.
"Yes, thank you, Bi," said Salsa, trying to smile. She just didn't want anyone else after Sabila knew she was in a lot of pain today.
It turned out that, from behind their bedroom door, someone was eavesdropping on the conversation, occasionally wiping the tears that flowed down his cheeks. He also turned out to be just as hurt, maybe even more badly hurt.
He used to believe in God, when his little family was still complete, there were Aditya, Sabila, and Salsa. But why did he have to be so badly injured? His household was destroyed because of another woman who was more seductive. Why does it have to be like that? He had tried to forget the events clearly eight years ago, it was all over, but not with bitter memories forever.
But what does it all mean now? It means nothing anymore, she has been hurt enough by her husband's departure, she has also lost her beloved son Aditya. It was all over eight years ago.
Yes, he really wanted to tell a story. Tells about the sweet duku of his life. Then, the bitterness is now his life. Yes, he really needs a friend, a friend who can always listen to his complaints without having to say much about his life. He really needs it now, either to just relieve the burden he's been carrying all this time, or just to make it easier.
He wanted to scream while saying that life was unfair to him. He is a man who obeys all his gods. But lo and behold, he was blown to pieces. Her life is black and white, there is no light whatsoever, she is confused and doesn't know what to do but work and earn money to continue living.
Here it is, with all the complexities involved. With all the riddles of his life. He wanted to tell a long story, maybe there will be a time later. There came a time when he would tell a very long story about his life which suddenly lacked any light.
*****
"God knows when we are happy and when we are hurt, sometimes we just forget to be grateful."