"Like the stars that hanged above me shining through
Like they see upon me make me feel so blue
My mind was set up to the memories of you
All the things that we've been through
Me and you..."
- Flop Poppy, Rest Of My Life
I gazed at the swelling water from Penang Bridge. It was 2.30 in the morning, and I sit on my bike with complete boredom – a solid tedious, lack lusting upbringing. I’m trapped between the choices, of having my dreams fulfilled, or seize every best opportunity to make the best out of life.
“Setelah engkau pergi
Tiada apa yang ada di diri ini
Ku harapkan kau berubah hati
Semoga kau kan kembali di diri ini…”
The song Masih by Flop Poppy enchanted from my phone. It was An. He’s one of my schoolmates, the best I’ve had. We were like twin – together everywhere seen. He’s my rider when I was a mechanic, running away from home, journey to the south and east, running away from cops – and this so-called life has pulled me down to a catastrophe of my life. But we climb back. He’s an assistant programmer in Astro, and currently studying under Cisco. Me? A lecturer-to-be…^_^
“Hello bro… Ada mana? Senyap jek lepas masuk U.”
“Ada Penang Bridge. Heh… Busy bai… Tak penah aku tau assignment berlambak macam ni… Amacam hidop? Ada baik?”
“Hidop macam oren la… Masam-masam pahit. Running sana sini bukan senang. Dah la kuli, junior plak…”
“Eh brader, ulat ari ni, besok rama-rama. Apa ada hal… Ni ko ada mana?”
“Perak. Tapi on the way balik KL jap. Bosan beb tido hotel sorang2…”
“Perak mana bai?”
“Ipoh maa…”
“Naik kereta ke moto ni? Jenuh aku nak kejar kereta ko…” An’s using a ’97 Civic EK-6, considerably fast for a bike like mine.
“Moto beb…. Kawasaki ni je la peneman hidup aku…”
“Orait. Tunggu sejam aku sampai. Jangan gerak dulu bai…”
“Tadek hal…”
I ignite my engine, pull out the last of my cigar, and gibe a nice spit to the water, as I wear my helmet. I rammed along the bridge and take the turn Kuala Lumpur.
One nice thing about driving a bike is the feel when you ride. I can think about anything and arrive before I knew it – fully aware of every turns and signs most drivers pay no heed to. I don’t know when my speedo reach 120km/h, so I accelerate back to 160km/h, when suddenly my HP iPaq beeps – noticed via headphone.
Zatil : Jauh jalan
I pulled back my speed, with intention to reply the instant message.
Amin : Mana ko? Aku tak Nampak.
A Myvi urged me. Damn… I’m not really in the mood for girls.
Amin : Aku nak pegi KL. Jalan dulu.
I thought it was going to leave just that. But…
Zatil : Follow?
Amin : Aku nak jumpa kawan aku kat perak dulu. Gerak saing.
Zatil : I don’t mind. Aku nak rilekskan kepala otak. Tekanan.
I didn’t reply. I sped up to the maximum of 180km/h, leaving a long gap between me and her, and then slow down and maintaining the 160km/h. All of a sudden, her car passed through me. I think she might blow the throttle up to 200km/h, which is absurd, for a girl. Then she slowed down.
Running away from a speed maniac is sure a game. I got sick of this running, so I turned to RnR Sungai Perak. I full my fuel, just in case. I bought a can of Nescafe, while puffing the best cigar ever made- Benson & Hedges.
She parked next to me. Wow… A supercharged Myvi with 19” SSR. She must be rich. Even the plate number is about the same as me. Mine is JKG 9645 while hers is JKG 9654. She leaned by her car, and start making a conversation. I looked at her, frowning, because I never talk to her, when she tried hard to talk to me. Ah, forgot to mention, she was my schoolmate, when I was in JB. I left when I was in form 4, because of disciplinary problem.
“Jangan tengok aku macam tu. Nanti aku terpikat.”
“……..” drinking my Nescafe… Staring at hear with uneasy look. She was perturbed.
“Hani tak ikut ke?”
“Ko ingat aku dengan dia kembar siam?”
“RIleks la. Ko ni…benda camtu pun nak marah…”
“…..” I kept my silence. I know people wouldn’t like what came out of my mouth. I’m sarcastic, and tend to make people annoyed.
“Tadi aku nampak Aril naik moto dengan pompan lain. Dia nampak aku, tapi dia buat bodo je. Aku nampak dia jugak. Aku…”
She couldn’t manage to finish her sentence when I started on my bike and go away. Girls… they bitch about anything…everything… I looked at the side mirror; she’s still looking at me, with a surprised look. Then I get myself to think, how come I let a rich, good-looking girl like her stranded alone like that? It’s not my thing, but I’ve got half an hour. Asking her out might be a good idea.
I pulled back and go to her.
“Jom. Kawan aku dah tunggu lama tu…”
“Aaa…ah…ok…” She’s still in her haziness.
“Bole ikut 180km/h?”
She smiled. Concurred. I rammed all the way and surprised by her driving ability. Perak is a tough road to speed up for cars. I do sometime make indistinct, but she was able to catch. Real deal, if I can say so.
TO BE CONTINUED…
