Membatin (Thought)
short story by: ImaRosyi

At a cafe they sit opposite facing each other, near window glass which facing directly onto the highway, separated by a table. They stared at each other and smiled after a moment and hugged each other tightly. Convince each other that ther meeting is real, not just a dream. That the existence of the figure in front of each of them is real, not just an illusion created by their brain and mind because perhaps both of them are crazy and tired of holding longing for five years without ever meeting once.

"What the is this? How long do we want to look like ther? "Momo asked as she held back her bursts of laughter.

"You too. Why did you just smile while looking at me?"

"Okay, enough! How are you?"

The woman in front of her looks healthy and well. Momo did not really know there might be sadness and pain in the hearts of her old friend. But her smile is still the same as it used to be, look so sweet and filled with happiness.

Six years together with her, enough for Momo to know the mood of her best friend without needing her to tell Momo. Because Momo can distinguish the various feelings that her friend felt enough from her eyes and smile. And this time Momo is pretty sure, that her best friend is fine.

Mina was silent for five seconds. Repeating Momo's question in her heart for herself. The last five years of her life have been very happy. Only the longing for Momo that makes happiness is less than perfect. But now in front of her has been present a friend who is very longed for her. So, is not the happiness perfect now? Then she is fine.

 "As you see." She replied with a smile wider, "and you?"

Momo swallowed. There is a longing that has long she buried. Longing for her old friend for five years. During that time, no one knew if she lived as an acute parrot. A friend she missed did not even know it. Because she never said that longing to anyone, because she was too scared to say longing. Even just feels the longing had scared her. So for five years she could only buried that longing without uttering it to anyone including the one she longed for. Storing that longing in a seamless way and never cared for it to rust and made her almost dying.

Momo never took care of that longing because she did not know how to care for the longing. In fact she did not know if longing can be treated, as long as her knowledge longing can not be treated but have the medicine to cut it. And now she has got the medicine: to meet the girl she really missed.

But Momo is not sure if this meeting is the right medicine for the long-rusting longing. After this, they will apart again and live their own lives. After this, she will miss her old friend again.

 Then why did this meeting occur when later returned to longing? Can not miss really thoroughly cleared?

The meeting was just like an anesthetic administered during tooth extraction, no pain when the doctor pulled out her teeth, but an hour later when her teeth were toothless, the pain was just heated. Unfortunately, after the toothbrush the doctor will give her medicine to relieve the pain that can no longer be handled by drugs, while she has no medicine to eliminate the longing after this meeting ends.

"As you see, too. I'm fine. " Momo smiled as widely as possible. At least now she is fine. The matter later she was dying again to endure the longing was another matter, yet the woman asked about this time not later on after this meeting ended.

Again, both are silent. Separating for five years makes both really awkward. Should not the awkwardness be absent, if both claim that the figure in front of each other is a true best friend? They should have hugged each other tightly, shrieking with joy and mutually giving a curse as a best friend.

Mina stared out the window. Out there it started raining. Pedestrians ran for shelter. The bikers stopped their vehicle for a moment to wear raincoats. Those who are in the car or bus just sit quietly on their chairs while staring at the streets. And the air is now slowly turning cold.

"So, how do you work?" Momo asked again, trying to remove the awkwardness between the two that was so ridiculous and suffocating. "How many patients did you inject die?" She continued before Mina answered her question.

Mina smiled broadly until her neatly lined row teeth were visible. "Thanks God they're all alive to this day. What about you? Your fans, how many have been taken to the ear doctor? And how about your students? How many legs are broken by learning to dance with you?”

" You're wrong! Precisely after listening to my music, those who had been deaf so healed. And those who were paralyzed, after learning to dance with me they can run.
Incredible, right?"

"Whoa! It's incredible! "

"You are crazy!"

"You are moron!”

Both laughed together until their stomachs ached, face flushed and tears streamed. One minute later the awkwardness disappears altogether, everything melts away as they have not parted.

***

Both are college friends. At that time Momo is still a pianist candidate, while Mina is still a potential doctor. Both of them know each other when they join their campus choir team and theater club.

Mina did not dismiss, since her first encounter with her best friend, she immediately admired the figure. And she knew very well that she not only admire her colleague, but really adore her and love. Mina had fallen in love with her best friend.

For Momo, Mina is just a friend of a student activity club with her, nothing more. A year went by and Momo realized that the woman who was just a friend of the student activity club had made her feel a feeling that had never been felt before: jealousy. Momo realized that she had fallen in love. Mina had stolen her heart.

For four years they were admired and adored each other in their hearts. Never once expressed their feelings by words. Because, both are afraid to reveal it. Not just afraid to find answers that will hurt feelings. But they are scared if after expressing their feelings, there will be a distance created between the two. So for them, it's better never to say it but can always meet and together.

After reach a bachelor's degree, both continue the struggle for master's degree. Unintentionally both get scholarships to the same country. Same city. Only different colleges. It was decided by both to rent an economy class apartment to live together.

Two years they live under the same roof. During that time, they did not just struggle for a master's degree, but also struggled to keep their mouths shut tight and strangle each neck so that every time the word love was about to be thrown their throats so compressed that the word love never uttered. Only through their actions and deeds can express that love.

Momo never knew, if for those two years, at every breakfast and dinner Mina had made for her, there was a love in it. She never knew, when every day when college was over, Mina always hasten to return to the apartment to get to meet her quickly. And she never knew, every time she fell asleep at the table after doing the task, there always a gentle handover that rubbed her cheeks and her hair.

Momo never knew that whenever Mina treated and cared for her when she injured herself and got sick from exhaustion, there was a real concern for her. There is an extraordinary affection given to each touch of her hand, not just the touch of a physician's hand to care for her patient.

Mina never knew, if Momo was very happy, every time Mina greeted her when she came home from college.

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