Chapter 7 - Cry me a River Part 2

Part 1.

I had to say good bye to The Damai which carries lots of memories of Hans and myself. It was the best time we ever had by far. We had to cut short our stay since Hans had promised his friend , Johan that they will be participating in the Cyberjaya  Duathlon tomorrow. 

Johan called last night and Hans confirmed that he will make it in time for a final practice. He was so worried that I may be upset, “No, Hans I am alright. It’s not nice to disappoint Johan…we’ll go back, ok?” kata ku seolah memujuk Hans untuk tidak menghampakan harapan Johan yang sudah berhempas pulas keeping fit for the event. Hans kissed my lips and said, “Thank you for understanding”.

The flight to Kuala Lumpur arrived as scheduled. “I will take a separate taxi to my office to pick up my car. I left it in the basement.” Tika bersuara…

Hans was busy checking messages on his cellphone instantly replied, “No babe, I will send you to your office and I will see you go off myself.” Then he slide his cellphone in his jacket pocket and turn to me. Hold on…..strike a post!...............as much as I try to resist you, your charm really melt me, Hans. I wonder how does your brain works…….as he helped me stepped into the taxi first.

We arrived Cyberjaya quarter to 2 and it was a striking hot Saturday afternoon.  Half an hour later we went our separate ways but not after he convince me to come out and support him and Johan.  “Yes of course, I’ll be there….”, I promised.

That night, I made myself 2 slices of peanut butter and jam and sat in front of the TV flipping from one channel to another. Nothing interesting to watch so I switched on my laptop sitting next to me on the sofa. I remembered a video that Hans and I watched the night before of a young Indonesian DJ from Balikpapan on the TV reality program ‘X Factor’. I enjoyed very much his rendition of Cry me a River.  I’ve listen to Ms Fitzgerald’s version, Bublé ‘s version, Connick’s version, Krall’s version and even Sinatra’s version, Agus…….you’re my pick. In my personal opinion Agus look genuine and he made the song sound so sexy. If we talk just for this song , I feel a woman has the  best  interpretation among all songsters. But I still watched Agus sang it again and again…..

Credit to X Factor Indonesia and You Tube

Her concentration was distracted,

Ring……Ring…..

“Hi Atikah, it's me.” said the caller.

“Yeah I know who you are. What can I do for you?” Tika jawab dengan selamba sambil tangannya menutup laptop.

“I tried contacting you the past few days tapi tak dapat? Where were you? “ asked the caller somewhat threatening.

“Why do you care sangat, Ghazz? I thought we’re over and done with?” Tika menyindir.

“I know, it was my fault……I acted immature. We need to talk. I need to see you. It’s about us, Atikah….” Ghazz pleaded.

“Thanks Ghazz but I have moved on with my life and I have started seeing other people too….” kata Tika dengan berani.

“Please Tika, please. Listen...my parent was so mad when I told them that I’ve broken off our engagement. They gave me an ultimatum, if the engagement is off, I will lose my inheritance.” Ghazz explained.

"Oh….sekarang you wanna crawl back to me because of harta?"...Jantan sial! 

“I am sorry Ghazz, I can’t. You have to deal with it yourself. You should have thought the consequences before making the bold decision to let me go. So this is all about the money ya…..and bukan about us?”Tika tidak mahu masuk campur….sungguh rendahnya martabatku sebagai seorang wanita…..

“Please don’t say that Tika….think of our future…..?” Ghazz masih memujuk.

“Future? What future is there for us Ghazz? You don’t love me no more? All you care is about money…and bila you dah dapat apa you nak…., what’s going to happened next? Dump me again or worst gantung I tak bertali……” , belum habis Tika bercakap Ghazz interrupted…..

“Tika….I’ll come over to your house now….” Ghazz said.

“Don’t you Tika, Tika me. I tunggu you lama Ghazz…bukan setahun dua….ten years Ghazz, ten years.  I wasted those years and one day you wanna abandoned ship….ohhh….tak, tak….you ingat I tak ada maruah ke, Ghazz? You ludah kat I and now you nak jilat balik….? Get a life dude. You should listen to “Cry me a River” la….then you know how I felt……menangis darah sekarang pun dah tak guna dah…..” aku melepaskan geram ku and immediately hang-up.

"Cry Me A River"

Now you say you're lonely

You cried the whole night through

Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river

I cried a river over you

And now you say you're sorry,

For being so untrue

Well, you can cry me a river

Cry me a river,

I cried a river over you.

You drove me nearly out of my head

While you never shed a tear, babe

Remember, I remember all that you said

You told me love was too plebeian

Told me you were through with me

And now you say you love me

Well, just to prove that you do

Why don't you cry me a river

Cry me a river

'Cause I cried a river over you, over you

You say you love me but you lie

Now, you say you love me

Well, just to prove that you do

Come on and cry me a river

Oh cry me a river

I cried a river over you

I cried a river over you

I cried a river

Now you can too

Cry me a river

Cry me a river.

Puas hati aku….nampaknya ada rahmat disebalik keputusan putus tunang hari tu…..now I know the real Ghazz!

Cellphone Tika berbunyi and she left it unanswered….Five minutes later……

buzz…..buzzz….incoming message

It was Ghazz .

>I am coming to your house<

Tika replied,

>don’t you dare. I’ll call the police<

Then there were no messages….is he really coming? Macamana kalau dia betul-betul datang? 

Ring………ring………Tika terkejut sambil mengurut-urut dadanya.

“I have told you to leave me alone and please don’t come to the house!” jerit Tika. “You tak paham ke?”

“Erk… I faham you tengah marah but I hope not at me….”, and it was Hans voice on the other line.

Aku terdiam. Malu pun ada, takut pun ada….mesti Hans wants to know why I'm acting this way…..

“Tika, are you still there? Who’s coming to the house?”….soal  Hans. Macamana aku nak jawab ni….

“Sorry Hans, I thought you were somebody else….my mistake”, Tika cuba berdalih.

“Obviously you were angry at someone…..anything I should know about?” Hans cuba his calm intervention.

“Don’t worry Hans….I know how to handle my situation. It’s under control.” I tried to convinced him. “Anyway, it was nice of you to check up on me. Are you at home and how was training this evening?". Aku cuba divert to another topic.....

“Of course I will call you from time to time to check on you, babe. Yeah I’m at home….training was good and you jangan lupa datang besok tau….”, Hans ingin kepastian.

“Sure, I will not miss it for the world. Are your children coming?” Tika  bertanya.

“Maybe. You nak jumpa mereka?” Hans sounded excited.

“Ok je I hope it’ll be the right time to meet them kan, Hans?”Tika agreed.

“It will, Babe….you make me happy Tika….”, suara sexy dia dah ternyiang-nyiang di telingaku…” I missed you and can’t wait to see tomorrow”.

"I missed you too Hans….Good night."

Part 2.

I am in a better spirit this Sunday morning. I got my camera with me and hope to get good pictures later.

Ring………ring……..

“Hello…” Nombor siapa ni?

“Hello….?”. Tika said again. Pekak ke orang yang call ni?

She hang-up.

As she was about to walk out of her house, her cellphone rang again….

“Hello….whose on the line?” aku bertanya.

“Atika….it's me….”suara Ghazz.

“What is it now Ghazz?....cukup-cukupla Ghazz. You told me once that you want to move on…and I did. Apa lagi? I can’t talk long. I have to go now.”, aku cuba memendekkan perbualan.

“Atika…I am waiting for you outside of your house. I nak jumpa you, now…..”, Ghazz berterus terang. 

“What? I told you not to come, Ghazz….what’s wrong with you. You tak faham cakap melayu? Or you nak I cakap French? Sortir de ma vie!!!!

Pagi-pagi buat aku hilang mood. Dah la aku lambat ni and he is outside. Apa aku nak buat? Should I just walk out and drive off? I don’t want him to know where I’m going…..think!...think!.... think!.....Tika.

Lebih 15 minit aku masih lagi terperap di dalam rumah. Aku mengintai dari tingkap bilik atas,….”shit, he’s still out there….”

I might as well settle with him once and for all…….Aku keluar dengan perasaan marah yang membuak-buak dan memberanikan diri untuk berjumpa Ghazz. Sampai saja aku di luar gate rumah, Ghazz keluar dari kereta Porsche Panamera….

“Tika, I missed you….”, dengan sayunya suara Ghazz….

“Stop being foolish Ghazz. I want you to leave, NOW! Maintanent! (in french)” . Tika meninggikan suaranya sambil tangannya mengarah Ghazz beredar dari situ. 

Kedengaran salakan anjing jiran sebelah juga memecahkan keheningan pagi ini.

“Ok….ok….tak payahlah you treat me macam sampah….”Ghazz cuba memujuk….

“Funny thing, Ghazz,…..I said the same thing once upon a time masa you dump me….or you dah lupa…masa you blah and tinggalkan I kat restaurant dulu….I still had hope of reconciliation dengan you….but you mendiamkan diri and left me dangling….terkontang kanting cari kat mana silap I selama ni…..cukup you malukan I and then you malukan family I…… no enough is enough….”aku meluahkan perasaan yang selama ini terbeku di dalam hati.

“Please Tika….I merayu sangat, kita give it another try…..” Ghazz merayu again and again….

“I am sorry Ghazz if it were a month ago or perhaps 3 weeks ago, mungkin...., mungkin ya, I boleh terima you Ghazz…but now I can’t….I have someone else in my life now”. Aku cuba memberi alasan kukuh supaya Ghazz faham yang aku tak perlukan dia lagi dalam hidup aku.

“Cepatnya you dapat pengganti I….” air muka Ghazz tiba-tiba berubah menampakan kejantanannya tercabar…..

Sambil mencekak pinggang aku berkata, “ You ingat I nak tunggu you lagi? Sorry Ghazz pada mulanya I felt sorry for myself but bila I tengok sikap you sekarang, I feel sorry for YOU….now, please leave sebelum I call the police….”.

“Tak pe Tika, how could you do this to me….you’ll see one day what I will do to you!” Ghazz melepaskan geramnya….sambil berjalan semula ke kereta mewahnya…..Hmmm hidup pun mak bapak yang tanggung…..

Tika membongkokkan badannya ke bawak sedikit sambil berteriak, “Is that a threat Ghazz? How low can you get?”

Ghazz switched on his engine and drove by me while pointing his pointer finger to me as though he was giving me a warning. Tiba-tiba aku terasa seram. Is he capable of hurting me?

Part 3.

Damned! I am late.....aduh ramainya orang....mana nak park ni? 

Finally she found a spot 50 meters away from Burger King Cyberjaya....urgh...jauhnya nak jalan....

It's almost 9 a.m. and ramai dah sampai ke garisan penamat. I wonder how Hans and Johan did? Aku pun merayau-rayau and tried to get to a higher spot kalau-kalau boleh nampak Hans. 

Yes....found him...."Hans, .....Hans, look up here.....click. Hmm...dapat pun ambil gambar Hans. Hans melambai ke arah aku...."Babe, come down....".

Hans was so happy that both him and Johan managed to get a finishing medal for their effort. He was all sweaty and my world,...how can someone this sweaty still looks hot....hmmmm.

He kissed me and introduced me to his friend, Johan. "Tika, this is Johan....and Johan this is Tika...." he looked deep into my eyes as though reading my mind and that made me blush. 

"I heard so much about you..." aku memaling kepala menandang Johan. We shook hands. "Ah, Hans are your children here...?" Tika mengalih pandangan semula ke Hans.

"Sorry babe they are with Joe but I get to have them during this school holidays." Hans console me and squeeze softly my tiny fingers. It's really reassuring.

"Well not me...It is also....nice to meet you. Tika right?". Johan tersengih. Aku dan Hans serentak  memandang Johan.....lalu tergelak.

"So you kerja di mana?", Johan was digging information on me.

Aku berterus terang...."I kerja around here and it has been 8 years." ....Johan bertanya lagi,..."And tinggal di Cyberjaya jugak? "

"Aku menjawab, "Tak, but I live close to Cyberjaya....".

Hans yang tadi memerhatikan conversation aku dan Johan mula nampak jealous....."Excuse me, I'm still here.", Hans said and slowly slide his right arm around my waist.

"Aik, tak kan nak berkenalan dengan mata air kau pun tak boleh....so inilah the main reason you moved to Cyberjaya 6 months ago...?"Johan membuka rahsia.

Hmmmm....six months ago.....? why does it feel so important to me  to know what happened six months ago?... 

"Johan ini romeo....dah jangan banyak sangat tanya.....jom kita lepak jap and have a few drinks...Starbucks ok?"Hans suggested.

"On....aku on saja kalau orang belanja....", gelak Johan. Kami pun beredar dari Burger King dan menuju ke Starbucks. 

Sedang Hans beratur membeli minuman di dalam...Johan mengambil kesempatan untuk 'interview' aku..,"So you kenal lama dengan Hans?" sambil menghembus asap rokoknya.

"You are very interested to know about me...and I wonder why is that...? perli aku.

"Well it's like this ....Hans banyak berubah the past one year ni..... Dia pindah ke Cyberjaya secara tiba-tiba and sanggup travel to KL, his office, on daily basis....and basically he is now not the same old Hans...", Johan seolah-olah menunding jari kepada aku sebagai penyebab utama perubahan sikap Hans. 

"Johan right? Content and calm is the Hans I gotten to know. He has not shared much of his past and I am not going to asked. It takes a MAN to open up...", me imitating Johan..... aku belum habis bersyarah....

"And don't you think people change for the betterment of themselves? Ramai orang yang tinggal dari Nilai, Seremban and in fact Melaka pun berulang alik kerja di KL. What's so weird about travelling from Cyberjaya to KL, 45 minutes saja....", aku argued....

"Wah you ni quite spicy ya....?, Johan hampir mengalah. Hah, he called me spicy?

"And you, Johan, berapa lama you sudah mengenali Hans?", Tika bertanya sambil ingin menyalakan sebatang rokok.

"Oh you're a smoker....". He instantly light my cigarette and warned me, "You do know Hans doesn't smoke, right?"

Aku menjeling tepat ke arah Johan sambil menghembus asap rokok tepat ke muka Johan....."I smoke occasionally. Depending on the crowd I'm with....". Tika menjawab selamba....

"You masih tak jawab pertanyaan I tadi, how long have you known Hans?", Johan tak berputus asa. 

"I have known him for 2 years. We meet occasionally until recently. Happy with my answer.....?" seolah-olah memerli Johan.

"Yeah, yeah....you're alright....", as though Johan was giving his approval. "I think we can just get along fine.....", dan mengangguk-anggukkan kepalanya.

Aku tersenyum puas. "You're married?", aku pula jadi busy body.

Belum sempat Johan menjawab Hans arrived with our drinks. "Johan masih belum jumpa the perfect woman for his taste bud.....baik-baik tau dengan Johan ni, girlfriend keliling pinggang". Hans menyampuk sambil mencium dahi aku. "Your Caramel Latte, babe".

"Aku bukan tak nak kahwin Hans,....bukan nak cari yang perfect but I takut bila dah kahwin I'm tied down...itu je...", Johan menjelaskan.

"Kalau kau fikir macam tu sampai bila-bila pun kau tak akan kahwin." Hans tergelak. Aku hanya tersenyum sambil memikirkan situasi yang agak similar pernah aku alami....

Tiba-tiba cellphone aku berbunyi. Aku menjeling ke arah skrin cellphoneku.

Ghazz...

No way! Damn you Ghazz!

Aku terus mematikan cellphone ku. Hans memandangku, "Who's that?" and lantas aku menjawab, "I don't recognized the number...". 

The conversation went on for another hour and soon after we decided to head home. Hans asked me, "You're coming to my place right?", tiba-tiba dia menjeling ke arah Johan and seolah-olah terasa seperti terlepas cakap....."my sister is back from MMU...", pandai Hans cover line. Aku perasan Johan asyik memerhatikan aku. Apa agaknya yang difikirkan....He look so curious about my relationship with Hans.

"Sure, I'll follow you from behind....Johan do you wanna join us?"saja aku cuba mengambil hati Johan.

"Oh no you guys go a head. I have a dinner date.....Hans kau ada dinner date ke malam ni?, lawak Johan.

"Dinner and supper....", Hans jawab.

I giggled.....

Johan tersenggih.....