Today I am overwhelmed with the purest kind of joy, it has not yet made any sense to me. Maybe happiness has left for too long that I felt ecstatic, embracing her again for the first time in ages.
Not trying to be melancholic or poetic. Just being real.
The car ride to Baywalk; Danu’s playlist blasting through the car’s speakers. Telenovia by Reality Club playing in the background. Yellow tops and mustard checkered shirts.
Sushi on a round plate as a so-called birthday cake, beef curry katsu donburi, and some miso soup. Warm ocha as the preferred drink. The twin a.k.a. birthday person coming late—who ended up choosing the same meal as yours truly.
Promises made. Expectations high. Let us wait and see.
A friend coming over to enable us playing at Pandora X. The more, the merrier, right?
The escape room. The house that—at the very end—finally belonged to Edward Dantes, the (finally) Count of Monte Cristo. Something he very much deserved. Rooms that made me feel like I was in a Tintin comic, or an espionage movie. Paintings and codes and locks here and there, gathering all the information we needed to find to solve the riddle. Climbing on and off vertical stairs, getting foot cramps and trying not to show it. Him catching my arm before I fell on the second floor where more clues were supposed to be found. Finding more and more clues. Asking the gamemaster for help. And realizing that some things were too obvious to be seen in broad daylight (or this time, low UV lighting). Going back to the first room to find hidden clues. And back again. A good one-and-a-half hours well spent with good -NTJ people. Something I would do over. And over. And over. Again.
Drinks at KOI. A hazelnut milk tea with no ice and no sugar. Danu got the lemon Yakult and Sof got the brown sugar thing. Incidents with the lipstick and wet tissue. Timed photos. Smiles. Laughs. It was the small moments that mattered; and these moments mattered more than enough. These moments were the ones that you’d keep for a million lifetimes. The ones you would not discard, even if your brain’s memory had to throw shit away to the back of your head.
We continued by walking outside, to the balcony, staring at the lights from cruises, boats, and nearby buildings. Talked about the future. Danu wanted to get a cruise ship later on when he’s got some cash; sounds like a good idea. We could always party there. Fun. A party of good friends. And as usual, we’ll go home with a good feeling, a good kind of joy. More timed photos. Laughs.
“Please don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying.”
‘Thank you’s and ‘Goodbye’s.
Slow drive home. Telling Danu I looked like Fathia Izzati from Reality Club. Good laughs. High for the next few hours. Got the best sleep of 2019.
And always… always thankful.
“Emang segala sesuatu butuh proses… dan asal disabarin pasti ada jalannya.”
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