Short Story: I Needed That (Smiles)
Call me a narcissist, but I do think my charms perfectly suited to what I do. I’ve barely started, just about two weeks fresh out of my wrapping. Every day from 10:00 to midnight, I touch the lips of all sorts of people, from beautiful actresses to up-and-coming execs (ugh, the smoke sometimes) to jovial expatriates with their well-shaven chins. I don’t know about my fellow siblings (we come from a limited-edition ‘Hand-made in Bali’ set commissioned by the owner), but my sole type of passenger is the Wedang Ronde. She of the colourful rice balls with crushed nuts and spicy ginger water, all sweetness and warmth and Indonesian tradition (so she claims). I may be the epitome of cold white minimalism that would fit perfectly in an Apple showroom, but between W (my nickname for them Wedang Ronde), the eclectic customers and the cosy restaurant overlooking the idyllic bay, like I said, my charms enhance the appeal of W just as much as their warmth and colours bring out a beauty in me that the true connoisseur would appreciate. Isn't this just the perfect backdrop for an appetizing Wedang? Or so you would think. But yesterday noon a certain trendy-looking girl quite blatantly dismissed my W-12 (since they’re all identical, I differentiate them by the hour they are served every day). Now, I take pride in how chic our restaurant’s Ws look as I present them in all my modernist glory, so this takes the cake really. Girl: “Man, I feel old now that I look at all of your lemonades and frapped milkshakes. Am I the only one ordering this?” Friend: “Haha, hey, but it’s supposed to be the restaurant signature and you said you wanted to try it.” Girl: (sips) “I’d just finish this and order hanoman or something.” Well, Hanoman has been very popular among the hip crowd, I admit... Losing to that Hanoman! I was just telling this to W-22, who is being poured into me as I speak. Ever since the past two weeks, yesterday was the first time I’ve heard someone associate W with being old, so W-22 and I were fantasising about what our ideal customer would be to forget that episode. W-22: You think this next customer would be the one? Oh, how I long for a gourmet, a culturist, who truly loves Wedang Ronde! Me: A connoisseur for me, someone who appreciates local heritage, and who notices the fine care taken by our chef and our owner in concocting the perfect W and matching it with the perfect container (a.k.a. me). My guess…someone just back from overseas who misses the taste of home, perhaps? W-22: We need more fans! . . . You know what they say about being lost in fantasy? That did not happen to W-22 and I for long. The moment we got placed in front of The One Who Ordered W-22, I knew we found the reason why Trendy Girl said the things she said. Talk about being true to stereotypes. The geezer has a face as sour as W is sweet. His eyes were bleary-looking and some snot was even dripping from his nose. To rub it in even more, his companion (who ordered coffee) seems like my favourite connoisseur type. Well, to be fair, the old guy is wiping his nose now – I can’t choose my customer, but at least W-22 and I don’t have to deal with snot. The younger companion seems to find all of these amusing. Companion: “Haha, slow down, pak. I can’t believe you asked me to drive you here so late at night. You have the funniest cravings!” W-22 craver (?): “Your mum is so busy now I can’t even get to taste her Wedang except at her restaurant! Plus it always works when I have the flu.” Companion: “If you say so, pak. Hurry before it turns cold!” So with trepidation at our impending fate at the lips of Mr Craver I said my farewell to W-22, like how I do to all my Ws. Me: So long, then, W-22. Too bad you didn’t get your gourmet-culturist, huh? W-22: Yes, maybe, but at least he seems to really like Wedang, huh? I feel a certain affinity somehow, as if he had known me and I had comforted him in the past, many, many times before. Not too bad after all! W-22’s words were still in the air as a spoon started to scoop up the glutinous rice balls and I feel lighter and lighter, until I get picked up altogether and the remaining Wedang is drunk, leaving me empty yet at the same time fulfilled for having completed yet another serving. This time, like any other time when I am emptied, I like to observe the drinker. The One Who Drank W-22 was licking his lips, which are now curved upwards slightly. The simple change softened the lines and creases on his face, to which colour and warmth have been restored somewhat. I think that must be W-22’s gift, just like how the Ws add a healthy glow to my cool exterior. He let out a sigh of satisfaction, and sat back with contented eyes. Companion: “Feel better now, bapak?” The One Who Drank W-22: “Ahh, I needed that. Nothing beats a hearty Wedang to lift you up from the dreary cold. That was the best Wedang Ronde I’ve had in a while…fancy bowl too, huh?” I guess I now get why W-22 seemed content then. All this time I had been priding myself on being the perfect accompaniment to the perfect W, or thinking about meeting the ideal connoisseur who could appreciate me. But really, I know now that I feel most proud when the Wedang I carry fulfils people (be it sick old men who love W, or even image-conscious trendy girls who don’t love us quite as much), and when I bear witness to the goodness brought about by my W friends. Be it Hanoman or warm Wedang Ronde or fancy bowls or the multilingual Balinese working here, there is a raison d'être each of us is needed for, and in giving ourselves to that need and appreciating one another’s purpose do we experience this feeling that makes me just want to curve my lips up too if I had them. I, too, had needed the geezer’s smile. This fancy bowl can hopefully be witness to many more smiles, and serve with good cheer always. Selamat makan, enjoy your meal. Yep, everyone is integral here. The waiter, the customers, the food, the drinks...the smiles :) *Blog post ini dibuat dalam rangka mengikuti Proyek Menulis Letters of Happiness: Share your happiness with The Bay Bali & Get discovered! dengan tulisan The Bay Bali yang di link ke website www.thebaybali.com