Teratai

how should i start telling my story? should i introduce myself properly or should i go straight to the point? maybe i should start properly. my name is Teratai. i do not know why out of thousands of flowers in this world, my parents decided to settle down with a name as such. Teratai. the flower in which seated by frogs. unlike the real teratai, i am not exactly a fan of frogs. even if it is proclaimed as "so fucking cute" by others. i just don't like them. okay, i am getting side-tracked. let me get this straight again. this story is about me, Teratai, and how i fell in love. 

Kuala Lumpur is a big city, not as great as New York but nevertheless. it is one of the most popular city in our well developed country which was found in the year of 1857 with the size about 243 km². Kuala Lumpur alone in 2010 was inhibited by 1.627 million people, give or take. and i guess by now, the numbers are constantly increasing. and out of those 1.627++ million people in this great city, i had my eyes laid on just one particular individual.

i do not know how can i describe this man as precisely as i wanted to because sometimes when i look at him, i just feel that he is just too big for words and i want you to look at him the way i do so that you will get the picture. he is a soldier. his posture and the way he stands give that away, how proud he stands when no ones watching. not in a proud filled with vanity kind of way but just proud enough. his piercing eyes, i can see them even when i am way behind, stuck between the sea of people finding their way in the city. his stare is so deep that sometimes i find myself drowning in his cornea. the way his hat perfectly covers the top of his head. and his enthusiasm. that is the characteristic of him that is too big for words that i had mentioned earlier. his is just full of spirit and it affects every single person around  him. you cannot walk pass him without feeling pumped. he might not know me but i love him.

everyday after i'm finished with work, i would walk to the place where he usually hangs even if it meant for me to walk another extra mile from work to home. but i wouldn't want to miss him. and everyday, and i will emphasize  on this, everyday as i'm getting closer to him, my heart will just melt. my knees, my very strong knees that hold me upright all day long get wimpy as i see him. my stomach will be filled with more that just butterflies but elephants. gigantic bigass elephants. my head will just go fucking insane. man...... you have no idea what kind of feelings this guy gives me. the way my hands shiver and my pupils dilate. my heart pumping more than once per beat and my very cold feet. how my cheeks flush and my teeth chatter. everyday.

but one day, i do not know where the hell did i get the courage, i approach him. 

"hi." i say. out of gazillions of words i can choose from, i used hi.

"hi."

"nama i Teratai." after hearing my name, his lips starts to curve upward. just, beautiful.

"Ramli. nama i Ramli." 

"askar?"

he nods.

"i selalu nampak you dekat sini. i was curious apa you buat dekat sini so i tegur." dubdapdubdapdubdap my heart goes.

"oh, kerja i memang dekat sini je. that's why i selalu dekat sini. i pun selalu perasan you jugak." and he smiles at me. ohh holy guacamole! he notices me. oh my god..... i just can't breathe. fuhh fuhh fuhh.

"ohh, you kerja area ni ke? patutlah.." come on Teratai, come up with some cute or funny line. come on come on. don't keep on repeating your conversation.

"yep. you kerja area mana?"

from that moment on, everyday after work, i will meet him and talk until it's 9 o'clock then i will take a cab home. i've never been happier.

aku ni jual aiskrim dekat jalan duta. tiap-tiap petang aku lalulah situ. tapi sejak kebelakangan ni aku perasan macam ada benda ganjil ganjil sikit. biasalah duduk bandar memang selalu terserempak dengan keganjilan. sesuatu yang normal tapi, ini lain. tiap tiap petang dari jam 6 hingga 9 malam, akan ada seorang perempuan yang akan pergi ke Tugu Negara dan kemudian berdiri sendiri dan bercakap dengan monumen tersebut. 3 jam lamanya. kadang-kadang, dia capai tangan patung Tugu Negara tersebut dan ketawa sendirian. entahlah. gila kot.

jazminfauzan.