I did not meet my friends for about two years. They are my friends in high school. I met them when I went to a school located in Serang, Banten, Indonesia. It is far from my hometown, therefore I was living in a dormitory so-called pesantren. The distance is about 60 km.
I got a new experience from school in that place. I was born far away from the beach. My hometown is truly different from that place. Initially, it comes from language. The Javanese language is their colloquial. Then for the culture, they way of their life is different too. For instance, they use river, rainwater, and many of them use the groundwater for daily use except for drinking.
The weather at that time was very hot. I went from home to the destination at 11 AM. So I arrived there, Lontar Beach, at 1.30 PM. It was very quiet. No one but shop owner and local residents who are passing by on motorcycle. Beside, my body was full of sweat. Luckily I wore the cloth that was tolerant to the hot weather.
I went together Fauzi. When arrived there, he ordered a cup of coffe while I just need a bottle of mineral water. I went around and got near to the beach water.
Even though the atmosphere is hot, I was not exhausted. The wind was the reason why I stay here with joy.
Meet friends
Time flies so fast that we can meet on this day, with very different circumstances from each other. Some of us have recently married, separated from a lover, have one handsome child, some are enjoying the work they have been doing since their school days, and some are struggling with loans for business capital.
They are good hosts. As a foreigner, I owe them a lot. Difficult times, such as adapting to the local language, I managed to get through. They taught me very patiently.
It feels like just yesterday we parted ways in 3rd grade of high school. Share the time that has passed. It feels so fast. As for facing the future, the journey seemed slow. We remember the past very reductively, while facing the future is very impatient.
This reunion is like a time of release. I probably won't be seeing them again any time soon. I still have to work at a place hundreds of km from where they live.
I'm glad I got this moment. A warm reunion covered by the soothing evening sun. The light is easy on the eyes. Hopefully that's our future. Even if you have to go through a lot of pain first.
Thank you for reading my story. May this story bring peace and hope to our lives. And maybe it can be a cure for longing for our friends who we haven't had time to meet.
