From the Cup to the Curve of the Lips

The city is like a dead city, but the city is not really dead. There is still the pulse of life until early morning. In this city, people live their lives in no hurry. People in this city do not want to get old. The cafes are open till midnight, some even open 24 hours, but no one is pounding a power pole or telephone pole as a sign of time.

People walk on the sidewalk with regular steps. The dimly lit street lights make the shadow faint. Niara had just entered the cafe. The cafes whose lights are not very bright, flooded with instrumental music. Niara always chose to sit in a chair in the corner of the cafe. Tables and chairs are neat. While waiting for what he has ordered, occasionally Niara reads messages coming through the WhatsApp network and responds.

A cold November night and a light drizzle, a man in a jacket and a hat on the sidewalk outside the cafe. The man walked unhurriedly, his footsteps regular. The man continued walking south. Will he meet his lover? Is he going to his lover's house? Or maybe he went home?

A waiter served a cup of robusta coffee and two donuts in front of Niara. The table in front of him is now no longer empty. The cafe waitress wore a black dress with small, vertical stripes of red on the chest. "Please".

Niara smiled with a little nod. "Thank you."

Time seemed to be slow. Niara inhaled the scent of robusta coffee in front of her. Steam drifted, clinging over the cup. Niara really feels relaxation. Niara sipped Robusta coffee slowly after several times inhaling it. Niara seemed to enjoy it a lot, she's a coffee connoisseur since youth. Now he is 40 years old. The enjoyment of coffee does not fade.

The town is not small, but also not big. The city became a tourist destination for tourists. The ancient European-style buildings are preserved to attract tourists who want to know the history of the inhabited city of about 24,000 or 25,000 souls. The city is widespread because the inhabitants are not many. But tourists who visit this city, according to official data from the government, more than one million tourists each year. Besides having ancient European-style buildings, the city also has beaches and city forests to attract tourists. Beautiful beach with white sand. If noon, many tourists are sunbathing on the beach. The city is almost as large as the city of Jakarta.

At 8 o'clock. Drizzle was still splattering. Niara still survives in the cafe. Enjoy a cup of robusta coffee and donuts. She sipped robusta coffee again. This time he felt a bitter tingle on his thick lips. Yes, he also felt a bitter rattle on his tongue. Her mind started to falter again, but she tried to calm down. He must be in control of the situation. The bitterness and bitterness he had felt 20 years ago.

Robusta coffee is not too bitter and bitter actually, but the events 20 years ago that's what makes bitter and bitter. Events still in his memory. Naira actually wants to throw it away and forget about it, but he still fails and fails again. Wulung, the man he loves, goes without word after meeting and accompanying him for coffee. There was no argument or dispute. Wulung went as if swallowed by the earth. No trace. The contact number can not be reached. Not active again.

Drizzle is still down outside the cafe. People were walking on the wet sidewalk. Occasionally there are several bats that bersliweran among the trees on the edge of the highway.

"I feel someone is following me. I do not know what he wants ...., "said Wulung while accompanying Niara enjoy coffee. Her fingers took Niara's hand. Niara did not take his girlfriend's words seriously. "I'm serious. I'm not kidding, "she assured Niara.

"What do they want? What do they want from you? "Asked Niara.
"I do not know."
"How is your work going? What about your co-workers at the office? All right?

Wulung just nods his head. The expression on his face looked puzzled.

Niara heard the moaning in the cup hole. He was forced to taste repeatedly suffering for a moment in his mouth cavity. Bitter twitches and bitter creaks repeatedly felt like a thousand needles pouting his lips and tongue. Cold air wanders outside the cafe. She looked at her lover's face. Her lover still looked confused.
Wulung is slowly sipping her favorite arabica coffee.

This cafe provides plenty of coffee menu. This cafe is truly a pampering place for coffee lovers. Coffee lovers linger here. This cafe is also an ancient European-style building, the owner deliberately maintain the original form of this building. Instrumental music is still playing. Inside the cafe, people were sitting in teak chairs, in front of him cup-cups of coffee placed on a teak table. Some people talk lightly, occasionally exhale each other laughing, while waiting for drinks and snacks that have been ordered.

"What next will you do?" Suddenly Niara's voice interrupted her beloved daydream. "You have to do something," her said again.

"Yes, I have a plan. I'm strategizing. I want to know who they are and what they want from me, "said Wulung.
"Faster, better," said Niara quickly.
"Yes."

The wet roads glistened in the glare of the car's lights. The wind blows slowly. The cars drove slowly with a speed of 30-40 kilometers / hour. Niara and Wulung still survive inside the cafe. In this city there are canals that are still crossed by boats with tourists on board. Many tourists are amazed at the clean canal conditions, with views of ancient 18th century European buildings.

Inside the cafe, people sat talking lightly, not wanting to talk hard. People talk without burden about their life story. People, at present, just want to relax in the cafe with friends, lovers and relatives. It seems that they just want to spend time to be fun, laugh off without being burdened by philosophical theories.

This city looks minimalist. But not all uniform. This city does have many ancient European-style buildings with a variety of functions: there are used as hotels, restaurants, cafes, museums, painting galleries, government offices and so forth. But the city also has contemporary buildings that serve as hospitals, schools, modern housing, city parks and more.

Outside the cafe, the sky was black with no shadow. 10 pm will arrive in 5 minutes. The smell of perfume scattered on the wet highway and along the sidewalk there were still people passing by. There are also some bats hanging around.

Wulung had already left the cafe. Walk through the drizzle. Niara was still sitting in a chair, inside the cafe. Niara looked at her beloved's back to disappear in the crowd. The nightlife of this city began to throb and stretch. Nightlife starts from cafes, discotheques and karaoke rooms.

People crossing the highway in a designated place. The people in this town obey the rules. This is what makes life orderly. Life is rhythmic and dynamic. Though joking and joking, the people of this city appreciate time. Time is something that keeps moving forward. Drove to the future.

Niara took a cold, robusta coffee. Coffee in his cup stayed half. Two donuts were gone. She was worried. Very anxious. He starts to imagine the bad things that will happen to his lover. Although he really did not want it to happen to his lover. He stared at the lights hanging from the ceiling of the cafe. The people in the cafe did not escape from view. Suddenly her eyes wild, staring at the objects around her.

The sound of the horn had interrupted Niara's mind, breaking her sad memories. He wiped his face with a tissue. He regulates his breathing. He wanted to soon forget his sorrow, forget the bad memories that sometimes suddenly appeared in his mind. The sadness and the bad memories that made her cry. She hopes there is still good news about her lover.

Niara wished her lover would suddenly come, stand right in front of her, and hug her tightly.
As it is composed on a line of cliches, which has already happened, yes. It can not be repeated. Niara began to enjoy the bitterness and bitter creak of the cup hole to her lips. He glanced over his eyes at the cafe. Drizzle has subsided.

The highway is still wet. The sidewalks are like foggy. A man in a jacket and a hat walked in front of the cafe. The man who is tall, he is about 41 years old. The man is very familiar with the night life in this city. The man often paced in front of the cafe, occasionally glancing at Niara. Yes, his eyes stole a glance, but when she looked at him, he immediately looked away. The man did not want Niara to recognize his face.

The man stood in front of the cafe, as if he wanted to pick up his scattered memories, his eyes still steal a glance. He wanted to go inside the cafe, meet Niara, the woman who was enjoying a cup of robusta coffee and two donuts, always choosing to sit in the corner of the cafe. But he always took his step. Every time she looked at Niara's face, her heartbeat grew louder, like holding back the longing. The longing missed. ***

Depok, November 2017