A few days ago I wrote about how I was so stressed and unable to do anything but watching Friends. Fortunately, there was one thing that I looked forward to: Mafia meet-up. Knowing that this would be the last time we hung out together before Didi and I leave for England, everyone made it (except Iti, who has been in Rote Ndao since June), thank God.

We were supposed to meet at 11 am (since we planned to have lunch), but we finally left at 2 pm (thanks to Ikhsan, who — as Zahra had predicted — has 6 hours time span when it comes to attending an appointment. Zahra told him that we were supposed to meet at 8 am, instead of 11, and he showed up at 2 pm. Really, six hours, no less). Once he showed up, we drove to Legoh for lunch, where the waitress had us impressed by memorizing our long orders (trust me, it was REALLY long) and got everything correctly.

We had no idea where to go next. Up in the line was The Ranch and the floating market in Lembang, but we didn’t really want to drive to Lembang, knowing that the traffic in weekend would be murderous. Then Didi suggested Lawangwangi, so we headed there. Us the first-timers were stunned by the breathtaking view. We spent a long time wandering around and admiring the art pieces and the view while waiting for our table.

By the time we sat down, it was already 5 pm. We spent another long time there, catching up and telling each other what we’re gonna be doing in the next one year. Eight of us had graduated, and the rest is working hard for this October, except Qinan (tons of luck for you, guys!). The fact that I won’t be there for their graduation makes me really sad, because I want to see them in the gown and cap, hand a bouquet of flowers along with some paraphernalia, and take lots of photos with them.

Iti called in the middle of the chat, and we listened to her astonishing stories (like how she got locked in the classroom, slammed the table, taught her students how to sing, etc.). I laughed hard when she said she taught her students to sing Tulus’ Tuan dan Nona Kesepian. Way to go, Ti!

We talked until we had to go — the karaoke room was already booked in certain time. We came in a little late, but they still held the place for us (lucky us, considering it was weekend and the place was packed). We spent another two hours singing our hearts out, choosing extremely depressing songs (not the entire time, though. We also sang another songs, some made us sing at the top our our lungs and the rest was just normal, sing-along-ish songs).

Finally we wrapped the day by having late dinner at Igelanca, freezing and sleepy.

It amazes me how by the end of the day I didn’t remember that I was having a rough week. By the time I got home and changed into my pajamas, it felt like it was a long time ago that I cried myself to sleep in the exact same pajamas, not just a few days ago. And after days, it was the first time I laughed out loud until my stomach hurt.

Sometime during dinner, Ai said that after this, it would be hard to hang out without leaving anyone out. And that was when I felt blue, because suddenly I realized that I had been depending on them a little bit too much to cheer me up when I didn’t feel alright. They had been my dose of happiness, which I was keen to use from time to time to keep my sanity straight. For more than two years, I’ve been telling my stories to them, along with some secrets with happiness or grief within.

As I’m writing this, I’m feeling something similar to what I felt when I wrote this. I’m sad because from now on, there won’t be occasional meet-up and hang out. And I think my mind is doing somersault in there, because I keep thinking about these crazy things. Like how I wish I could have mini versions of them that I could carry around in my pocket, so I could see them anytime I want, if not everyday. And who knows, maybe mini Qinan would still be able to crack me up, or mini Timothy would still scold me for being late, or mini Faba would still tickle me with her laugh, or mini Ai would lend his mini shoulder for me to cry on when I got my heart broken (while still being hairy), and so on and so forth.

See? These people altogether is my remedy.