This is a story that I’m sure that most of the readers will find it lame, so please DON’T read it. I’m writing it for the sake of my own satisfaction, my own amusement, which often told by most of my friends that my sense of humour sucks, a lot. It’s a fantasy, and I’ve always fantasized about it but as much as I want it to happen, it won’t. Reality just doesn’t work that way. But still, if u read it and a little, tiny bit of smile is carved on your lovely face or if all else fail, just finds it enjoyable, it is complement enough. *smile*
****
Nafi was late to school, as always. It’s about 8.00 a.m. when he unlocked the key to his bicycle. He pushed it slowly to the front gate, and cycled slowly up the hill. Nafi put up an enormous effort, to ride up, and to make through the day. But like the downhill he soon to come across, Nafi hoped his life will change, just like the terrain he’ll cycled through.
When he came to the school entrance, the gate was shut and it was too late that the prefects are no longer there. Oh, how he wished he could come a little bit early, 5-10 minutes early, 15 the most, just to see that face, the face that had put miseries and fortune tied up as if in packet and stored in someplace called the ‘destiny’ or ‘fate’, the face that will set the mood of Nafi’s emotion box to be ‘energetic’ or ‘dull’ throughout that day, and the face that if it’s related to today’s modern technology term as an ‘Operand’, the codes or instructions for a certain hardware to function properly, or simply said, the face that made him feel at his place, the cloud nine.
He cursed as looked at his wristwatch when he pushed his bicycle into the school’s compound. Suddenly, he came across his greatest fear, um, yeah, the headmaster, Mr. Ali ‘Shocker’ Solomon, simply said Mr. ASS. Since it’s inappropriate to state it this way, this enemy of post-modern-education learners is called Shocker from now onwards. Nafi who belong to this social group of learners had always fought for the right to pursue knowledge in more flexible time, but the Shocker who had always been a consequent objector to all his reforming ideas never agreed. Shocker had this dark, nice pointed nose, which is incredibly sensitive to sense student’s foul actions and his mind which is covered with neatly combed sideways hair is full of hideous agendas and conspiracies to bring down hidden smoking-cum-to-playing-truant places and generate creative ideas to give the kind of punishment to the students who especially seem to be not only demerit tolerant, but a pain in the ass and a jerk too. Yeah, besides that, he wears futsal shoes to classes.
Shocker suddenly came across Nafi’s bicycle tire prints. He followed it and saw Nafi was pushing his bike, in a relax manner. Looks like Nafi’s silky skill of parking the bike behind the surau was easily detected. Shocker shouted at Nafi, but he was deaf from listening to the recently purchased mp3 player.
“Woi, budak!!” Shocker shouted. “Woi, budak!!!” he repeated.
“I wanna know, I wanna know, do you have the balls to ask?!!” Nafi said in a rhythmic manner. “What if they did that to your mother?!” The song he sang was composed by a local indie group who finally made into the mainstream the following year.
Annoyed with the reply, which of course he had it, after all he is the headmaster, Shocker sprint as fast and as silent as he could, thanks to his newly purchased Nike-5 futsal shoes, not to mention it was skid proof too, he managed to get close to him without him noticing. Shocker’s sweaty hands was clenched, and his cheek was red, exhausted from the running one would’ve guess. Nafi who didn’t realize the danger was unaware due to his listening. The headmaster, dab his hands on Nafi’s shoulders.
“You’re not going anywhere, young man!”
“Weih, apa pegang-pegang ni? Geli la, hahaha” For the record, Nafi had this sensitive feeling when someone hold his shoulders especially near the neck.
“Apa geli-geli? Datang sekolah lambat nak buat kepala plak!” The headmaster continued holding Nafi, but now even firmer. Nafi, who misinterpret that headmaster’s gesture of teaching him to be a better person in society as some prank made by his friends decided to make a counter move. Recently, Nafi had been a fan of fighting manga (a type of Japanese comic) and kung fu movies. He tried to remember one of the definitely-kill-but-easy-to-perform karate moves. So, in that instantaneous time, he grabbed Shocker’s hand and pulled it forward, thus throwing Shocker across his shoulder.
“Haha, padan muka, kacau aku lagi, orang dah la tengah lambat ni” he shouted back. He didn’t realize that person is the headmaster until he felt Shocker’s hand.
“Jap, napa tangan ko ni berurat semacam, tak pakai uniform skolah lak tu, ingat bapak ko nyer skolah ke?”
“Bukan bapak ko gak sampai ko boleh nk datang sesuka hati ko je!”
“Weih, ko ni Sh…sho….sho…Shocker?” Nafi was trembling.
“Yeah, and you’ll…” Shocker didn’t finish his reply when Nafi had taken the initiative to make his crucial move, the sacred ancient move that was once taught and passed down by shaolin monks in Barcelona to the chosen ones, the One Thousand Steps move. And in seconds, Nafi was nowhere in the Shocker’s visible surrounding vicinity.
“…and you’ll pay for this, darn it!” Shocker cursed. Nafi who arrived at his class slowly knocked the door and gave salam, a polite gesture he thought. He also thought it’s important not to make the teacher upset so he could have their blessings in study and at the same time respecting the living-burning candle. As soon he sits on the wooden chair, putting away his bag, he felt exhausted and slept throughout the class. Hmph, talk about respect and blessing!
Ever since that day, hatred and anger had built up, and now Shocker had an unbearable grudge against Nafi. From that day onwards that Shocker stays by the school gate every morning, waiting for Nafi to come. But he never showed up unless it’s 8.30 a.m. Nafi on the other hand decided to go to school even later than he used to and park his bicycle on the field and get into the school compound from the back gate.
This keeps on happening until one day, from some undeniably trustworthy source, Shocker had found his enemy’s vital weakness, his love interest. No one really knew that Nafi had a crush on this girl, but no one knew either that the prefect, the girl was Shocker’s daughter. Yeah, a slap in the face one would’ve say. So, Shocker used his final secret trump card to win against Nafi, how sneaky of him!
First, he assigned his daughter, Sarah to be in charge of the front gate in the morning, only on Mondays. He wanted to give not only Nafi, but other reformative-post-modern learners to come to school punctually. Killing two birds with one stone, he thought. Then, he called a few students with high demerit points and threatened them to do his dirty job, to spread rumors that someone is having a grudge against Sarah and he will do something to her this Monday, at the school front gate. Deep inside him, Shocker had a feeling the day of redemption, the day his for his revenge is finally arriving around the corner.
The following day, after finished his Subuh prayer, Shocker quickly get ready and arrive at the school earlier. He hides in a bush nearby the front gate staring continuously at Sarah who’s about to come few minutes later. After almost half an hour, he looked at his watch. It’s almost 7.30, but Nafi was nowhere to be sighted. So, he moved in his pawns, the students to approach his daughter. They started disturbing Sarah, poking her with tree branches, and made loud noise.
Suddenly, Nafi came into the picture. “Yeah” Shocker whispered joyously. “The prey had made its way into the trap!”
Nafi, with trembling hands, his body shivering, tried to raise his stuttering voice. “Ddd…dddonn..don’t do it!” He said.
“ What? You’ve got problem with us?”
“Nn..no. No problem, just don’t do that, she doe…doesn’t…like it”
“Who cares? She’s just too cute, why don’t you join us too?”
“Serious? No, no, that’s not right. Please, lea…leave her alone.” Nafi still stuttering.
“Arggghh!! Banyak songeh la ko ni, orang dah ajak bukan nak join!” one of the students replied and punched him in the stomach when he received the signal from Shocker. “Hei, stop it, jangan la pukul orang lain!” Sarah interrupted but it didn’t stop Nafi from hitting the ground. Nafi had always felt that her voice, even with a high pitch tone and pain in his stomach, was mellifluous and miraculously soothing.
Nafi gather himself together and try to rise again, but he was kicked like Fabregas taking the free kick, his body flew just like the ball flew into the corner of the goal post, and punched, repetitively. His about to reach his limit and tried to run, but when he’s about to use his One Thousand Steps move, he couldn’t let himself to see Sarah fall into this prankster’s dirty hands. In that instantaneous time, he flashed back to all the moments in life he had run away. ,
The moment when his grandpa really needs him when he fall in the bathroom, and he run away playing in the garden. The moment when his friend was in danger and chased by the dog, he ran away. The moment when his mom’s purse was snatched and he ran away when he should’ve chased the thief instead. And now, it’s the time for the girl he had a crush on. Will she let this go, chickened out and run away again, or at least do something about it? “C’mon Nafi, this is your time, rise and shine baby!” he whispered to himself. He did rise for few seconds but was kicked until the sunrise shine brightly enough. He fell to the ground again just like Almunia, the goalkeeper who collided with one of the Red Devil’s player but manage to secure the ball in his chest during one of the English Premier League weekly match. But unlike him, Nafi didn’t secure or save anything, only his pride was shattered. Shocker who was silently observing gave his signal to stop the beating. His heart is contented enough, but suddenly the guilt was overwhelming him. As a teacher, as a headmaster, his act is childish, and had violated his principles as the, well, a principal.
Nafi rose up again. His stomach was hurt badly. Sarah had run to ask for help and at that time Shocker crawls out from the bush and walks towards Nafi.
“Why, why didn’t you run?”
“I don’t…know”
“Who do you think you are? Superman?”
“Suparman…”
“Serious la, aku henjut kang….”
“O…okay, no…nobody.”
“Then, why? Why did you get yourself injured? Especially for someone who barely know you?”
“I…don’t know.”
“You’re lying aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not. Maybe…maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe it’s because I had a crush on her…” he replied blushingly.
“Haha, just because of that?”
“Maybe, maybe I REALLY wanted to meet her…”
“Any other reasons?”
“Em…I don’t think you need a reason to help someone especially the one you had a crush on. If you’re in my shoes, I’m sure you’ll do everything in your power to help her, and getting my ass kicked, was…worthy enough as long as she doesn’t hurt”
“Yeah, I guess so, kiddo”
****
Salam, yeah, it’s me again. So, how was the story? Haha, whatever it is, thanks for finally reading it until this part. You see, as far as I can remember, every time I do my prayer, I’ll always pray for mak, atuk, my dad, my brother, and my frens, like Sufian, Adam, and Fatin. I also pray that one day, I’ll marry someone great. The reason I did this is because firstly, when I wrote this, it was around Ezaar’s death. May he rest in peace, amin. Suddenly, I feel it’s important for people to know what I had felt, especially when you’re no longer around. Harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama or so they said. I wish you guys will live your life to the fullest and will move forward in life with no regrets. Second, my school life was never this awesome, or nothing like this ever occurred. It had always been a dull, boring life. My senior year? Sucks! If I could turn back time, I’d go straight back to the girl and said how much I liked and admired her, I’d mentioned things like her mellifluous voice, white radiant face, how she had turn my life to be better, with purposes, and how much seeing her face motivated me to study, to run, to give my best shot until today, and how I’ve always mention her name in my prayers (haha, the list will go on and on) though I know her reply will most likely “Ew! You sweat macam banyak gila kot. Get a towel la, damnit!” er…okay, its kinda exaggerating, but u’ve gotta prepare for the worst kan? Third, as you see in the end, Nafi, the protagonist was beaten, tho I don’t really fantasize about this part, I made it this way in order to tell you that no one’s perfect, but doesn’t mean our imperfections could deter us from our beliefs, and to achieve it, we have to fight, like hell to deserve it. To my beloved friends, to ‘the one’, I wish you success in life and may you find your DOS (Definition of Success) LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAD.
Date: 8 December 2008
Time: 2.30 a.m.
