Paper Boats

by Dee Lestari

  Upon reaching the front gate of the house, Eko saw his aunt watering the potted plants around the gazebo.

  “Auntie Lena!”

  Immediately, Lena put down the hose and went over to him, arms wide open. “Eko! My goodness! How are you?”

  “I’m well, Auntie.” Eko hugged her back. “Mom told me that Keenan—”

  “YOU GODLESS DEVIL, YOU!” someone yelled from the house.

  “YOU SCREWED-UP TURD!” Eko responded, then saw his aunt’s expression. “I’m sorry, Auntie. I’m just expressing my affection—” Before Eko could finish, his cousin pounced on him and gathered him into an embrace.

  Keenan and Eko hugged each other, laughing and cursing at each other. Lena winced to hear them swearing, but before long, they went into the house and up to Keenan’s room, where they spent the rest of the day swapping stories, each one astonished at what the other had to say.

  “So you’re writing your thesis this semester and graduating this year? Great! Welcome to the real world!” Keenan clapped Eko on the shoulder.

  “Eh, it’s nothing special,” said Eko. “I mean, I’m graduating on time, but that’s not unusual. You know who’s really crazy? Your fellow alien. Kugy graduated last year. Got a job. Successful and everything.”

  Keenan felt something tug at his heart. “Kugy? Where is she working?”

  “In an advertising agency as a copywriter. It suits her major perfectly.”

  Keenan raised his eyebrows. “I thought she wanted to write fairy tales.”

  “Hello? Earth to Keenan. Who writes fairy tales these days? Where do you think we live? Fairyland? And you! Who would’ve ever guessed Keenan would become a big-city businessman?”

  Keenan felt a second tug. “Well, I’m hoping it’s only for a little while,” he said heavily. “One thing’s for certain—right now, I don’t have a choice. Or rather, my family doesn’t have a choice.”

  It was Eko’s turn to put his hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “I understand, man. If I can do anything, let me know, okay?”

  Keenan smiled. “You don’t need to. Just seeing you makes me feel like life is back to normal.”

  “That’s crazy talk.” Eko made a face. “Since when has your life been normal?”

  “Good point,” Keenan said, nodding in agreement. “So when can I meet up with you and Noni?”

  “Anytime! And guess what? Noni and Kugy made up. Perfect timing, huh?”

  “Made up?” asked Keenan, surprised. “What happened?”

  “You didn’t know? They stopped speaking to each other after Noni’s birthday party. Almost three years ago! Imagine that. Now that’s what you call a miracle.”

  The third tug. The memory of that night still affected him. “How did it come to that?” he murmured.

  Eko only shrugged. He wanted to tell Keenan what Noni had told him about the birthday present Kugy never gave him, the feelings she had kept bottled up for so many years, and how those feelings were the main cause of her withdrawal. But Eko was also apprehensive. What was the use? Keenan now had a girlfriend in Ubud. Kugy had her own life. If there was only one thing he could ask for, it would be for the four of them to be friends again. That would be enough. If Keenan has to find out, let him find out for himself, Eko thought.

  “Anyway, good luck for February,” said Keenan, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll definitely be there.”

  “‘Be there’? After disappearing for so long, you think I’m going to let you just ‘be there’?” Eko turned away in mock disgust.

  “So what do you want me to do?”

  “You’re going to be my best man. You know, the ring bear.”

  Keenan burst into laughter. “I’m honored. But just so you know, the best man and the ring bearer aren’t the same thing.”

  Eko thought for a moment. “So what should I call you? The ringman?”

  After weeks of working overtime, Kugy’s body finally conceded defeat and she had to spend her birthday in bed with the flu. Secretly, she was grateful. She’d heard rumors the whole office was planning to go all out with the practical jokes today, and it wasn’t so much because it was her birthday as the fact that she was officially the Big Boss’s girlfriend. Her birthday merely provided a convenient excuse for her colleagues to express how they felt about her new relationship with Remi—whether that meant wishing her the best, pelting her with eggs, dousing her with water, or whatever else they could think of.

  She remained in bed the entire day, surrounded by a heap of pillows, enjoying her rest very much indeed. Suddenly there came a knock on the door. Kugy glanced at her watch. It wasn’t even seven in the evening yet.

  “I’m not hungry! I’ll eat dinner later!” she called.

  But the door opened, anyway. And there was Remi, his face shining, illuminated by a small candle. Kugy sat up a little. Remi? A cake?

  Sure enough, Remi entered, bearing a small chocolate cake with a candle in one hand and a bunch of fresh daisies in the other. He sang “Happy Birthday” in a low voice.

  Kugy sat up fully, startled but also on the verge of laughter. She forced herself to wait until Remi finished singing, then blew out the candle. “You! What are you doing, parading into my room with all this?”

  “Why? Is there a problem?”

  Kugy shook her head. Her cheeks were red. “I’m just embarrassed,” she said softly. “Being treated like this makes me feel awkward.”

  “Strange,” said Remi, amused. “Imagination is your trade, but you’re thrown off by a little something like this. Been single for too long, huh? Happy birthday, my Kugy.” He kissed Kugy’s forehead. “You still feel a little warm.”

  Kugy pressed her palm to her forehead. “I guess. But I feel better. Especially since you’ve come here bearing cake and flowers.”

  “I have something that’ll cool you down.” Remi took a slim black box from his pocket. He opened it and Kugy stared in amazement at what was inside—a bracelet made of small glittering blue stones.

  “It won’t go with your Ninja Turtles watch. But wear it anyway, okay?” Remi fastened the bracelet around Kugy’s left wrist. “They’re sapphire,” he explained. “Their blue is like the blue of the ocean. So whenever you find yourself longing for the sea, just look at this bracelet.”

  Kugy was speechless. She swallowed.

  “What is it now?” Remi smiled as he stroked Kugy’s cheek.

  “I don’t know what kind of trick you’re pulling,” Kugy whispered, “but this is the most beautiful present I’ve ever received.” Her body still felt weak, but she leaned in and embraced Remi as tightly as she could. “Thank you. I’ll wear it every day.”

  “This isn’t a trick,” Remi whispered. “I love you. It’s as easy as that.”

  As Remi held her, Kugy realized something: Keenan was the prince she’d dreamed for herself when she was eighteen. Someone out of a beautiful fairy tale. But now reality—plain and simple—had woken her from her long slumber. Remi was her true prince. He was real. He was here. And he loved her.

  CHAPTER 36

  A REUNION OF FARMERS

  February 2003

  It was Friday evening and Noni’s and Eko’s wedding ceremony was starting in two hours.

  Because she wouldn’t have time to go home and change, Kugy had brought everything she needed to the office. She emerged from the restroom, where she had changed her clothes and done the best she could with her makeup, and did a final check in the mirror. She was wearing a dark-blue velvet dress that came down to her knees. It was the first dress she’d bought in a long time, and she’d fallen in love with it because of its cut. It was simple enough so that she wouldn’t feel embarrassed leaving the office in it. But it was also elegant enough so that she wouldn’t feel underdressed at the reception. Last of all, she put on the sapphire bracelet. She smiled with satisfaction. It was the perfect finishing touch.

  Kugy found Remi in his office. “Remi, it’s five o’clock already. The traffic’s going to be terrible an
d the wedding starts at six thirty.”

  Remi quickly concluded his phone conversation and gave Kugy a panicked look.

  “Shall we go?” asked Kugy with a broad smile. “Why do you look so surprised?”

  Remi took a deep breath and bit his lip. “Because of two things. First, you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

  Kugy’s smile grew even brighter. “And the second?”

  “I can’t come.”

  “What? But you promised!”

  Remi gave her shoulders a squeeze. “I know, I’m sorry. But remember the project we’re doing with Vector Point? Their top guy leaves town tomorrow, so he and I have to give the final presentation to our client tonight. I can’t do it any other time.”

  Kugy felt like she was going to cry. “But these are my childhood friends. I wanted to introduce you to them. And it’s such an important event.”

  “If there were any way I could go, I would. But I really can’t. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  There was no point whining or complaining. Remi couldn’t come and she had to try and be realistic. Slowly, she nodded.

  Remi took Kugy’s hand and kissed it. “Tonight this little blue fellow will just have to go in my place,” he said, stroking the bracelet around her wrist.

  Keenan hurried out of the car and sprinted into Eko’s house. Auntie Erni, Eko’s mother, was already waiting for him at the back door.

  “My goodness, Keenan!” she exclaimed “Did you run into traffic? Lucky for you, everything’s still a mess. Come this way. We’re just starting. Here’s the ring. Hold on to it.” Auntie Erni pressed a small box into his hands.

  Keenan squeezed his way through the crowd and took his place beside Eko and Noni.

  At the sight of him, Eko’s face relaxed. But there was no time to chat. They gestured and smiled at each other from afar.

  Meanwhile at the front door, Kugy had just arrived and was fighting her way through the throng. The line of relatives in front were the most difficult to break through, but Kugy didn’t want to miss out. She wanted to get a good view of Eko and Noni exchanging rings.

  It was Noni’s turn to relax when she saw Kugy suddenly emerge, pushing through the crowd with a little wave of her hand. She made it after all, Noni thought, relieved. She didn’t know what she would have done if Kugy had disappeared again and missed her wedding.

  Kugy sighed. Noni looked so beautiful in her pink kebaya and Eko looked very handsome in his suit. The exchanging of rings was about to commence. Everyone watched, waiting for the little box to appear and for Eko to open it. And then . . . her heart stopped. Kugy blinked, trying to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. There was no doubt about it. Kugy knew the person standing beside Eko—the person handing him the box containing the rings. She knew the sound of his laugh, the warmth of his gaze. Kugy shook her head. It can’t be.

  At that very moment, something made Keenan look in Kugy’s direction. He froze, unsure what he was seeing. A warm sensation spread throughout his entire body. He felt whole and at peace. Only one person was able to make him feel like that, and all she needed to do was be present, to be. Yet Keenan still couldn’t quite believe his eyes. It was too good to be true.

  Only when their eyes finally met did they both know: this was no mirage.

  Even then, Kugy felt like running as fast and as far away as her legs would take her. But at the same time, her feet seemed rooted to the floor. Kugy remained in this state of paralysis until the ceremony was over and Keenan made his way toward her.

  It was as if he were walking through the sea during a storm. But his feet kept moving, as if he were hypnotized. “Kugy?” he called out. “How are you?” That was all he could manage to say.

  “Good,” Kugy answered, simply. For that was all she could manage in reply.

  Suddenly, the crowd began jostling them. All the guests were coming up to congratulate Eko and Noni. People were passing between them, and their view of each other was obscured.

  Kugy’s sudden disappearance startled Keenan. In his panic, he grabbed for Kugy’s hand, and she screamed in surprise as she was jerked forward.

  “Sorry. Did I scare you?” He was bewildered by his reaction. He had felt a sense of loss that he wasn’t willing to experience ever again.

  “I’m okay.” Kugy tried to smile.

  Keenan smiled, too. It was the first time they had smiled at each other in a very long time. “Let’s go congratulate them,” he said, keeping her hand in his.

  At the sight of Kugy and Keenan coming toward them, Eko and Noni waved. They were grinning madly.

  “Hey!” exclaimed Eko. “My ringman! And you!” he said, hugging Kugy. “My ringworm.”

  “Wow, this is great!” Noni exclaimed. “The four of us are back together!”

  Kugy looked at Eko and Noni and laughed, even as her eyes revealed her bewilderment. “Yeah, huh? Who’d have thought? The four of us together again, without any warning.”

  “You’re right,” said Keenan, staring in Eko’s and Noni’s direction. “Whoever orchestrated this reunion was awfully clever.”

  Hastily, Eko gave Noni a nudge. “Okay, we have to make the rounds and mingle. You two get something to eat. Catch up. When things are quieter, the four of us can hang out, okay?” And in a flash they were gone, leaving Keenan and Kugy alone in all their awkwardness.

  “Hungry?” asked Keenan, trying to make conversation, though seeing Kugy had made his appetite vanish.

  Kugy shook her head. Her mind was in such turmoil she couldn’t even think about food. “Maybe later. How about you?”

  “I don’t feel like eating, either,” Keenan confessed.

  In the end they wound up sitting on the veranda in Eko’s backyard, supplied with two glasses of fruit cocktail, which neither of them touched.

  Kugy was the first to speak. “I never would have guessed I’d run into you like this,” she said, trying to dispel the almost crippling awkwardness between them. She smiled and gave Keenan a sideways glance. He was wearing a black jacket and a dark-colored tie. His hair, which he had always worn long, was now short and neat.

  “Doesn’t suit me, huh?” said Keenan with a low laugh.

  Kugy didn’t reply, unwilling to give him an honest answer about how different he looked and how he never ceased to amaze her.

  “You’re not the only one. I never would have guessed that I’d run into you in a . . . dress.” You’re even more beautiful than before, he added, in his heart. “You’ve convinced me: Charles Darwin was right. Evolution really can happen.”

  “You monkey!” Kugy sputtered, laughing.

  “Yes, that’s it exactly,” said Keenan. “From an unkempt monkey to a beautiful human being in a velvet gown.” He burst into laughter.

  Soon, they lapsed into silence again. There were so many words buzzing around inside their heads. But how difficult they were to utter!

  “Where did you go?” Kugy asked finally. The question had been on her mind for a long time.

  “Bali,” Keenan answered simply. Too much had happened. He didn’t know where to begin.

  Kugy smiled bitterly. “That’s it? You disappear without telling anyone—just like that—and all you can say is that you were in Bali, like you just came back from vacation?” She spoke evenly, but there was a sharp, accusatory tone in her voice.

  Keenan looked annoyed. “No, it wasn’t ‘just like that.’ I didn’t leave just for the heck of it. And I didn’t ‘disappear’ and take a ‘vacation.’ I left to make a fresh start. I wanted to go where my heart chose to go. However I chose to leave, it was the right decision at the time. I don’t regret anything,” he finished firmly.

  Kugy didn’t feel like she could ask him anything else. He had decided to leave them all behind, leave himself behind, without saying a word. But that was his choice. He hadn’t done anything wrong. No, it wasn’t his fault, thought Kugy. I shouldn’t have hoped for so much.

  “So why did you come back?” murmured Kugy. �
�Did you follow your heart again?”

  “No,” said Keenan matter-of-factly.

  “Then why are you here? Why stop following your heart now?” Kugy’s voice betrayed her hurt feelings. She looked away.

  “I came back for my family,” said Keenan. “My dad was unwell, paralyzed because of a stroke. Honestly, if it wasn’t for that I probably would have never returned. I’m working in my dad’s office now. He spends all his time in therapy. His condition has improved a lot. Even though I’m taking his place now, hopefully it won’t be for long.” He sounded bitter.

  Kugy was genuinely shocked. “I’m so sorry, Keenan. I hope he recovers. I had no idea he was unwell.” She turned to him. “But once he gets better, will you leave again to follow your heart?”

  Keenan was quiet. As she gazed at him, he realized there were two places his heart wanted to be. He had been diligent in keeping his heart faithful to her—that certain someone, waiting for him in Bali. But his brief encounter with Kugy had taken everything he had built up with such care and effort and turned it upside down.

  At Keenan’s silence, Kugy took a deep breath. Inside she was screaming. Why did he come back? Why appear, only to disappear the very next moment? In the space of a few minutes, Keenan had plunged her heart into chaos. Kugy’s fingers moved to the chain of small jewels encircling her left wrist and clutched it, as if it would give her the strength she needed.

  “Nice bracelet. Are those sapphires?”

  She merely nodded, and found herself powerless to resist as Keenan took her wrist and examined the bracelet more closely.

  “A perfect accessory for one of Neptune’s secret agents,” he said. He glanced at Kugy and gave her a small smile. “Neptune didn’t give it to you, did he?”

  Kugy shook her head. “It’s from my boyfriend,” she said. The sooner he knows, the better.

  “Oh,” said Keenan, trying to hide the tremor in his voice. “He must know you well. Someone from work?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is he a copywriter, too?”