Alita

By A. Afidah

“Fitri, who is that girl? Ihaven’t seen before. Is she a new girl here? Is she your friend? Does she live here?” I asked Fitri.

“Hi, speak slowly please. How can I know what you say if you ask me that way?” Fitri answered little bit emotionally.

Fitri and I have been close friends since we were in junior high school.

Fitri inhaled for a moment and then said, “She is Alita. She lives in that house.” Fitri pointed a house not so far from us. “But,” she continued. “She seldom goes out. That’s why you have never seen her.”

It was the beginning I often went to Fitri’s house. I wanted to see this beautiful silent girl. I came there at least twice a week in order to see Alita. Yet, that girl never went out and neither did she go to Fitri’s house.

One night, I came there again with the same hope as the days before. Fitri welcame me and told me that the day before Alita had come to her house. I was regretting myself when someone rang the door bell.

Fitri opened the door. Alita was there carrying a cake. “Would you like to taste this cake I’ve made by myself?” Alita offered.

“Of course,” said Fitri. “Come in.” Fitri introduced me to Alita. The cake tasted as good as it looked. I appreciated Alita’s ability in making cake. She looked happy and thankful. We talked and even debated about many things happened around us. I found that Alita was not as silent as I thought before.

On the way home, I dreamed about her. I dreamed as if I were Alita’s boy friend. “You are a lucky boy, Andhika,” I said to myself. Everything seemed to go right.

When I came to Fitri’s house in another day, she told me that the youngsters on her neighborhood would make a travel to some tourism destinations the next month. Fitri also told me that Alita would join the activity. I decided to join the activity in order to be closer to Alita and would have some chances to express my feeling towards her.

While we were on the beach waiting for the sunset, I tried to make a personal conversation with Alita. “Do you often go to the beach this way?” I began the conversation.

“No,” she replied. “Only if my parents allow me to go with my friends.”

Then, when I felt brave enough I asked her, “Ita, may ask you something?”

“Of course, what is it?” she replied and smiled at me.

“Er… why don’t you introduce me to your boy friend?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Really?” Tyhis was the chance I had been waiting for since I met her. “Er… what do you think if I like you?”

“You like me? Oh, it’s very nice. I want all of my friends to like me and not to hate me. I like every one, so there isn’t any reason for me not to like you either.”

“Of course. But, what about if I like you and want to be your boy friend?” I was somewhat nervous.

Alita didn’t say anything. We kept walking along the beach silently. Then, I forced myself to ask her once again. “Ita, what do you think?”

“Dhika, I am very sorry. I really like you, but I don’t want to have any boy friend yet,” she responded softly.

“Why? Come on, give me a chance,” I begged.

“No, Dhika. Don’t force me. Trust me, I like you too. I prefer to be your friend rather than your lover. It’s better for us two. You aren’t angry with me, are you? You know I don’t want to break up our friendship. As friends, we can always like each other. But, if we are lovers someday we may hate each other.” Alita looked at my eyes, smiled at me. She was trying to make me sure about what she said.

I could not say anything. I tried to strengthen my heart. Alita didn’t have any special feeling towards me, I could not force her to be my girl friend.

The sunset appeared in the west. I saw Alita enjoy it. She kept what she had said that she wanted to be my friend. She didn’t change her attitude. It was still the same as usual. I tried to understand and appreciate and accept her decision.

I am not Alita’s special boy friend but still her friend. “You are still lucky, Andhika,” I said to myself.