This morning was nothing like the mornings before it.
From the moment I opened my eyes until breakfast, I was still carrying the resentment from last night, settled heavily in my heart.
Dad's last words kept echoing in my head. He was still stubbornly holding to his position. Meanwhile, Mom, who had perhaps begun to understand my feelings, eventually chose to give in and agree with Dad's decision.
Why were adults always so selfish?
Why was it so easy for them to ignore what was in a child's heart just because they had to uphold respect for their parents?
It was so frustrating!
I tried to get through the final day's exam while staying focused, even though sadness continued to haunt me. No matter what, I didn't want to disappoint my parents.
Today, I deliberately planned to come home late. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my friends. Playing, joking around, and enjoying our last day together.
A goodbye I never wanted in the first place.
“Why haven't you gone home yet, Wi?” Desti asked, puzzled, as she glanced at her watch.
“Ah, it's nothing. I just want to stay with you guys a little longer,” I replied, trying to hide my sadness.
“Thank goodness.”
“Come on, let's play!” I cried.
I immediately put my arms around Desti and Lillah's shoulders. Not long afterward, Erna came running up from behind. She was always the last one to finish her exam.
“Let's play at my house!” Erna suggested brightly.
Desti, Lillah, and I looked at one another.
“Sure,” we answered almost in unison.
That day, we spent hours playing whatever we could think of, from congklak to Monopoly. We laughed, shouted, teased one another, and even had a little fight over one of the games. Five hours passed before we knew it.
Eventually, we collapsed, exhausted, onto the living-room carpet at Erna's house.
Erna's mother came in carrying a plate of snacks and several glasses of cold drinks.
“Drink these first. Don't go home and end up getting sick,” she said.
“Thank you, ma'am!” we answered together.
Erna's mother smiled. She was always happy to welcome us to play at her house.
I looked at my three best friends one by one.
For some reason, a sudden tightness filled my chest.
Maybe this was my last chance to see them like this.
“Girls...” I called softly.
“Hmm?” Desti was still busy grabbing snacks.
“Today is the last day I'll see you guys and play with you.”
None of them responded right away.
They thought I was joking.
I took a deep breath.
“My family is moving tomorrow.”
My hands began to tremble.
“So... we have to say goodbye today.”
My voice grew heavier. Tears began streaming down my face before I could stop them. I lowered my head so they wouldn't see my face.
“Dewi...” Desti's voice changed.
She was the first to realize I was serious.
“Where are you moving?” Lillah asked.
Erna looked at me in confusion too. “But your name is already registered at SMPN 2 Johar Baru. What are you going to do?”
I slowly raised my face.
“I don't know either.”
“You're serious, Wi?”
I could only nod.
The tears started flowing again. My fingers busily wiped them away over and over.
“Aw...” Erna let out a long sigh. “Why do we have to split up? It would've been so much fun if we could've gone to the same school again.”
“Erna, hush!” Desti immediately scolded her. Erna fell silent.
No one said anything else.
For a while, the living room that was usually filled with the sound of our laughter fell quiet.
I looked at them one by one.
Desti. Lillah. Erna.
Three friends who had always been by my side. And that day, I had to leave them all behind.
Not long afterward, Mom called Erna's house and asked me to come home right away.
So I said goodbye.
When I got home, I headed straight to my room. I didn't even greet Mom, who was busy packing our things for the move that night.
I knew Mom watched me as I passed by. But she chose to remain silent.
Maybe Mom understood that I was upset right now.
I shut myself in my room for the entire day.
Until the sound of a car stopping in front of the house made me realize that the time to leave Jakarta was getting closer.
All I could do was surrender.
There was nothing else I could do.
“Come on, hurry up and put everything in the trunk!” Dad called enthusiastically.
“Dewi! Angga! Help Dad.”
I didn't answer at all.
Instead, I hurried toward the car, hugging my favorite teddy bear and carrying a small backpack.
I deliberately stayed silent.
I wanted Dad to know that I was still angry with him.
The car began to leave the house.
Slowly, Jakarta, where I had grown up, disappeared behind the window glass. I stared outside.
Streetlights flashed past.
The tall buildings began to grow farther and farther away.
The sound of traffic gradually faded.
As time passed, the view outside the window grew dark.
I swallowed.
It was terrifying.
What if my new home really was like what I had imagined?
Dark. Quiet.
And far from the life I had always known.
All kinds of frightening thoughts filled my head. I even began imagining that I would have to live in the middle of some quiet village with no entertainment, no malls, and none of the friends who had always been there for me.
My head felt heavier and heavier.
Without realizing it, I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, everything had changed.
I was already in a different city and province. Bandung.
A place I had never known at all.
I looked out the window. There were no more of Jakarta's tall buildings. None of the hustle and bustle I had always been familiar with.
Only unfamiliar streets and houses I had never seen before.
At that moment, I thought my life was bound to be boring. I had no idea...
Behind this city I considered quiet and unfamiliar, so many events were already waiting for me.
Including the people who would one day change my life.
And it would all begin at a new school. SMPN 1 Cicaheum. 🤍🤍🤍