Tika

Kak Dra, I’m back in my kos :)

Lmk when you’re here!

Chandra reached up to hold onto the bus strap, smiling at her sister’s text. Kartika had just gotten back from their mother’s house and would be making preparations for her wedding this weekend. She texted her sister back to say that she was on her way. 

The bus was quiet but relatively full of people on their phones or chatting quietly amongst themselves. There were university students and school students alike, whose homes were a little too far to take the angkot, a public van.

The low hum of the bus engine vibrated beneath her feet as the bus made its way through town, away from Elga and Biru’s neighborhood. Chandra leaned her head on her arm to look out the window. 

Her eyes could still feel the slight heaviness of this morning’s cry and the ghosts of her tears lingered in her nose. Her eyelids were now only slightly swollen and she no longer looked like she had cried, though she definitely felt it.

Such was the journey, it seems, to be firm with honoring her heart. She just hoped the swelling would be completely gone by the time she reached Kartika’s kos. 

The bus came up to a stop and Chandra shifted the weight on her feet. There seemed to be a large crowd waiting to board and she made her way towards the back of the bus to make room.

This crowd was much rowdier. There were gossiping aunties and guffawing uncles among the group that came in. Chandra settled into her standing place away from them until she thought she heard familiar laughter. It had a melodic ha! to each laugh that rode the air and reminded her of nighttime skies and iced tea. 

She turned towards the crowd, scanning through the passengers to find the owner of said laughter only to find herself catching the eyes of none other than Kyra Saliem. They both jolted from where they stood. Kyra’s surprise was visible from a distance. 

Chandra managed to wave a hello before Kyra began making her way towards the back of the bus, carefully excusing herself between the shoulders of strangers. 

What were the odds that they would bump into each other again? It had happened one too many times for it to be a simple coincidence. The universe, it seems, was extending its own hand.

Chandra turned away for a moment, patting her eyelids with her fingertips. She squeezed them shut and opened them again, hoping that that would rid them of their swelling. She turned back just as Kyra came near.

“Hi.” Kyra smiled wide. “We meet again.” 

Chandra found herself rooted in place, taking in the grace of Kyra’s smile. It brought her a kind of relief that washed through her chest, almost as if taking her worries by the hand and holding them close. Reassuring her that her heart was allowed to be as it is. She held onto the relief gratefully.

She was pleased to see Kyra more relaxed and at ease today, hoping it was because Kyra had finally gotten some sleep. Her pastel pink cardigan was draped comfortingly over her t-shirt and her hair was clipped lazily away from her face. 

“Hey.” Chandra smiled. “So we do.”

Kyra reached up to hold the bus strap next to Chandra. “Are you heading back to your sister’s place?” 

“I am. Where are you headed off to?”

“We’re heading out to get dinner.” Kyra nodded towards her friends who were also making their way over.

Nadira slung the end of her hijab over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Chandra. “Oh, hey! It’s Kak Cha–I mean, Chandra!”

“Hey, Chandra.” Egles smiled, in a way that seemed she knew a lot more things than she let on. “We meet again!”

All of them were in casual gear today—the usual attire for tired grad students on their day off. But even so, Nadira’s pastel green hijab was still coordinated with her hoodie, and Egles still had a carefully-styled bandanna wrapped around her 4A curls. 

“Hi.” Chandra laughed in surprise. “Didn’t think I’d bump into you guys here. Where are you guys going for dinner?”

“We were thinking of getting saté,” Kyra said. “Nadira was really craving it today.”

“Specifically,” Nadira chimed in with her finger in the air, “the nightly saté stall by the park. Their peanut sauce is unmatched!”

“Ah, they still set up shop there? It’s not too early, is it?” Chandra glanced at her watch. It would be an hour or so until sunset when the nightly food stalls would begin setting up their tents. 

“It is,” Nadira leaned forward and said in a mock-whisper, “but we’re trying to get there before it gets full.” 

Chandra grinned as Egles patted the top of Nadira’s head. 

“You wanna come with us?” Kyra asked.

“Ah, well I'm heading back to my sister’s place…” Though, an opportunity to spend more time with Kyra would be nice. “But I do need to get dinner for us. Would you guys mind if I came and ordered to-go?”

“Of course not.” Kyra smiled, turning to the others who nodded in agreement. “You’re always welcome.”

The bus attendant called out the next stop and the group carefully shifted their weight as the bus came to a stop. The group made way for people to step off and Kyra moved to stand next to Chandra. 

“Are you… doing alright, Dra?” Kyra quietly asked when the bus had resumed its journey. Nadira and Egles were standing near them, chatting about their New Year plans.

“Hmm?” Chandra turned to her.

Kyra was giving her a look of concern. The kind that meant she knew Chandra wasn’t doing alright but wanted to ask to provide support. Perhaps the state of Chandra’s eyes gave away the fact that she had spent the morning in tears.

“Oh, I’ll be alright. Especially once I get food in my stomach.” Chandra smiled, hoping it was convincing enough for now. “Did you get home okay last night?”

“Me? I did.” Kyra’s concern didn’t leave her face but she did smile in return. “The streets were a little busy, but it was fine. Did you get inside Elga and Biru’s kos okay?”

“I did. The hallways were a little busy, but it was fine.”

That made the both of them grin at each other.

“Were you able to rest last night?” Chandra asked. “I hope you didn’t stay up late to look at your thesis again.”

“I didn’t look at it, don’t worry.” Kyra gently bumped her shoulder into Chandra's. “My brothers made sure of that. They called me as soon as I got back and nagged me about working too much.”

“They’re pretty protective of their baby sister, aren’t they?” Chandra teased.

“Yes, sometimes a little too much,” Kyra sighed. “They were trying to convince me that they should pick me up for Christmas instead of me taking the train. I might fall unconscious on the train ride, they said.” 

Chandra laughed. “Your hometown isn't that far away by the regional train, right?”

“Right! It isn’t. It’s only a couple of hours.” Kyra playfully clicked her tongue. “They just worry too much, my brothers.”

Chandra smiled. “Well, I think I can understand them a little bit.”

Egles tapped Kyra on the shoulder to let them know that their stop was coming near. 

When they reached the small park where the nightly food sellers set up shop, it turned out to be neater than Chandra had remembered. The bushes were now carefully trimmed, the grass cut, and everything was planted with better deliberation. 

What didn’t change was the park being a place where people came to gather and spend their evenings. Groups of students, young adults, and families were already sitting among the grass, sharing iced drinks and laughter under the darkening sky.

The saté sellers were still setting up their tents but they waved hello to the grad students when they had arrived. It seemed that it wouldn’t be long until they could order.  

It was a comfortably familiar scene, the evening breeze slowly rolling over the late afternoon heat as the four of them chatted. Once the smell of the grill began filling the air, they went to place their orders and chose a table where the breeze would keep them cool. Their hot tea came in endearingly different glasses that somehow still carried the same amount of tea.

Kyra gestured for Chandra to take the seat next to her and Chandra smiled, moving to sit next to her companion who still faintly smelled of roses.