Rendez-vous part deux
It was a warm day in Milan, even warmer than the already spring Berlin, the city he depart from two hours prior. He knew Milan like the back of his hand, he told himself as he rolled and light cigarette underneath a scaffolding. There seemed to be a construction work--or is it merely a renovation work, for the facade of Bergamo. He paid no mind, which is absurd since he was an architect. He couldn't care less to any architecture related activities happening around him. He did, though, care more about the urban qualities of Milan, especially its mobility.
He eyed the bus that would take him to Milan Central station.It would cost him €5, if he remembered correctly. From there he would take the red colored metroline to later stop at Pasteur, walk several block to find his hostel, check-in, ask for wifi, then asked her for a rendezvous. Today is not his maiden voyage. he knew Milan like the back of his hand, again he said to himself.
So he executed the plan. He did try to bypass the necessity for a wifi by trying his old Italian number he once bought the last time he was there. But alas, to no avail. Once the connoisseur gave him the wifi password at dinner time, he immediately message her.
prima: aku baru sampe yaang. kamu makan di mana?
shelda: ahsoo
prima: belom ketemu makannya di mana? kamu di daerah mana?
shelda: lagi di sekitar belakang duomo yaang. gimana yah ketemunya? metro ada sampe jam berapa sih yaang? btw, hostelnya gimana?
prima: udah cekin nih. aku ke duomo skg kalo gitu ya.
shelda: wait yaang. masalahnya ini jalannya masih ribet lagi dari duomo. takut cari2an malah gak ketemu. aduh gimana yaa aku bingung.
prima: kamu mau kemana sekarang? udah makan belom jadinya?
shelda: belum yaang. masih nyari, muter2 gak juntrungan gini.
prima: coba telpon ke nomer jerman aku yaang.
shelda: coba yah.
shelda: gak bisa yaang, pulsa telpon aku udah abis. line aja bisa gak?
prima: bukan, mau tau bisa nelpon apa engga. biar tau aja nanti makannya dmn.
prima: sms?
shelda: gak bisa jugaa, pulsanya abis.
prima: hoo. kamu pake wifi nih sekarang?
shelda: aku pake nomor sini. bisa online di mana aja yaang
prima: hoo. sekarang masih cari2?
shelda: iyaaa. eh kayaknya ini nemu resto deh.
prima: coba kamu kirim lokasi
shelda: location: http://maps.google.com/?q=45.46968,9.185119.
shelda: wait, ini sekarang jalan lagi dong, belum nemu tempat makannya. aku udah lapar bangett, terus gempor.
prima: haha. yaudah kalo udah nemu restorannya kasih tau ya, aku samperin.
He waited as he listened to the teenager in his room telling stories teenager told to their peer. He decided to take a shower, since he should wait anyway. As he collected his showering artillery--not really it was a tiny soap complimentary from the hostel, his phone vibrates.
shelda: ini udah duduk di resto yaang. tapi kok aku takut kamu gak nemu ya, gak ada di peta soalnya. atau kalo aku udah otw pulang aku kabarin kamu deh. terus kamu langsung ke apartment aja deh.
prima: aku juga laper yaang. kamu makan sekarang?
shelda: iya lagi nunggu makanan dateng. aku bungkusin aja ntar kamu makan di rumah gimana?
prima: gitu yaa.
shelda: mau gak?
prima: boleh
shelda: ntar aku pulang naik taxi kok abis ini jadi cepet
prima: bapak2 itu makannya cepet?
shelda: sepertinya gitu pada kelaparan soalnya. kamu mau dibungkusin apa?
prima: gak duduk2 dulu?
shelda: kayaknya gak soalnya udah pada tepar
prima: gitu yaa. oke kalo gitu.
shelda: sabar ya yaang bentar
prima: kalo pulang kasih tau yak
shelda: iyaa. mau dipesenin apa? pizza? pasta?
prima: yang enak pokoknya. dan banyak.
shelda: atau mau risotto?
prima: bebas yaang
He resign to her plan. As he close the bathroom door a foursquare notification with her name and a restaurant located really close to Duomo appear. A plan was hatched. He cancel his shower and messaged her.
prima: udah pada mulai makan?
shelda: udah, baru aja makanan dateng.
prima: kira2 setengah jam di sana ada gak yaang?
shelda: kayaknya ada deh
prima: hoo. pelan2 aja yaang. jangan buru2. aku mau mandi dulu dll
He lied. It would take 20 minutes to reach Duomo from his place with the same metroline he took minutes ago. Another 10 would be enough to find the restaurant she checked in via foursquare. He stalled her. The plan mustn't fail, since he has no other means of communication. But it won't failed, he knew Milan like the back of his hand.
shelda: kamu udah tau kalo ke apartment naik apa? ciee mau ketemu aku mandi dulu.
prima: akuuu. iya udah tau kok.
As he took the Metro, his mind wander to what would happened if he saw her. She once said that she could cry if she ever meet him in person. He imagined how he would find her sitting in the restaurant with her back against him and smoothly walk behind her back to surprise her. The girl in his imagination would jerk of her seat reaching for him as she cried to his shoulder. He would said something that would measure to Shakespeare or Dante or whoever poet that could cross his mind. He smirked and nodded as he approve of this imagination. You little Casanova, you! He think to himself. The travel to Duomo is filled with permutation of how he would greet her, but all filled with the same she cried, and him being cool.
As he reached Duomo, he learns that it took 30 minutes to get there--longer than he thought it would. Too long, he might have missed her. So much for knowing the back of his hand. But she could probably still be there in the restaurant, so he crept across the street of the restaurant she dined, keeping in his mind the plan to caught her off guard.
But lo and behold, tis her who walks before me and caught me off guard. Her travelling group must have decided to cross the street. They may want a different view, being new in town, he reasoned. As she walks toward him, he compose himself to summoned the ghost thousand poets; none reply. He cursed himself. Say something clever! Say something clever! As she walks closer, their eyes met.
prima: hi, shelda!
shelda: lho! prima? lho? lho? lho? kok bisa nemu?
Say something clever!
prima: akuuu!
Oh, god! What has he done! He may screw up the greeting, he should amend that horrible greeting to a wonderful embrace. Should they embrace? Within a split second a decision was made; They then high-fived.