Summer
Heat.
Here we are again, queuing at Deja-Brew.
Bara sudah menyambut dengan senyum kecil disudut sana. “Hey, as usual?”
tanyanya. Kami mengangguk.
“Kecuali aku yah. I need anything on iced
and espresso. Damon being such an ass today.” Bara memainkan matanya sebentar.
“Would Iced Vanilla Latte heal it?”
Cyrus mengangkat alisnya “Then Iced
Vanilla Latte it is. Double syrup please.”
Saya jadi ingat pertama kali Bara menyapa
kami. “It’s Barry actually. People call me ‘Beri’ instead of Bah-ri. Jadi
daripada digodain orang : Dear Beri, elu kaya buah stroBERI. Call me Bara, The
best skilled barista in town.”
Deal. Dengan catatan Bara bakal mengingat
favorite kami : Keith, anything decaf, hot preferably. Me, anything frappe, and
coconut frappe if I come with sad face.
“Eh my shift will end soon, may I join
you guys?” SURE Bara, sure!
--
Pria jangkung berwajah oriental
didepannya sedikit membingungkan Bara malam itu. “I would like to have Caffe
Macchiato with extra hazelnut syrup and rich caramel sauce. Add little bit of
mint essence. For the milk, I want it soy-milk. And… Top it with distinctive
pattern. Most of all, I want it sweet, buttery and intense.”
Bara kagok. Antara terpana dengan sosok
didepannya dan tahu pesanan barusan bakal susah dibuatnya. “Here’s your order.”
He sips it slowly in front of Bara. “Too
sweet, not buttery, and no intense at all. But yeah it’s okay. I’ll be back
tomorrow. I don’t see any coffee shop around, anyway. Hope u make better one
tomorrow. Thanks Ba…Rah.” Ejanya sambil melirik name-tag Bara.
--
Bara membenarkan posisi duduknya. “Dan
dia beneran balik. Seminggu berturut-turut gua salah terus!”
“Maybe he’s just being an ass… Your
creations are full of flavor, Bara.”
“But this guy… I simply can’t read him.”
--
“Hey, haven’t seen you around for a
while.” Sapa Bara dengan wajah menyala.
“Hey Ba-Rah. I forgot to tell you that I
got back to Vietnam for a week.”
“Ahh… That just explained where you got
that exotic face from. Vietnam, always want to go there. Just someday…”
Dia tersenyum. “Then let me know when you
get there.”
“It will take a bit longer than usual.
Some girls just ordered half dozen of skinny latte. I will call out your name
while you sit. Is that okay?”
“Xuan. With ‘X’ on it.” Ejanya sambil
mengangguk.
“Shwan…” rapal Bara balik.
“It means summer, Ba-Rah”
“Cut the ‘H’. Ba-Ra. It means Heat.”
TrueTea
over coffee.
Xuan merapatkan jaketnya. “This city! So
damn cold after eleven p.m! I hate it here.”
Bara tergelak pelan. “Ah that’s why you
always want your Machiatto extra hot.”
“You read me well. I’m a pedestrian who
enjoys walking and sipping my coffee at the same time. Not to mention it needs
twenty minutes walk to get to my loft. And Bara, thanks for accompanying me.”
Bara memutuskan untuk menemani Xuan
pulang malam itu. “No sweat. My house is just ten minutes away from your
place.”
“This Machiatto is getting better. Still
too sweet, less buttery and… oh crap it’s too strong! You’re going to make me
stay up all night.”
Bara frustasi dan merasa gagal sekali
lagi. “I’ll make it less strong next round.”
Xuan menggidikkan alis tebalnya. Terlihat
tampan dan teduh bagi Bara. “It’s okay Bara. I like my coffee like my men. Hot,
strong, steamy.”
Sinyal barusan ditangkap Bara dengan
cepat. “Just like you.”
Itulah dua puluh menit tercepat dalam
hidup Bara. Dua-puluh menit yang ingin diikatnya dalam beku. “Would it be
polite if I ask you to go upstairs?” tanya Xuan.
“Umm… I don’t mind. But what’s the
occasion?”
“Just want to show my first friend in
town what my company-rented-flat looks like. Besides, I just bought this local
cigarette. Want to share it with you.”
Bara terbuai. “Coffee and cigarette.
That’s one of my weakness.”
--
Here I am, in your ridiculously
overpriced-small rented room and we laid down on your bed and talking some
more. We seemed to have so much in common : same age, same height, we both
looked tanned and we had the same army cut. You said you would like to have
Macchiato every single night, and I offered u to delivery it by myself right to
your door. You were smiling in shy, and I mesmerized. “You sound like a
milk-man.”
“It’s way more exclusive. I deliver
coffee and you’re the only client.”
Then our hands touched. As I touched your
chin, I told you many times that you’re so my type : raw, strong, sweet and
dark. “Just like Hot chocolate.”
“I don’t understand you. A barista, but
not drinking coffee? It’s like sex without sex.”
I still hypnotized. I touched your
nipples through the thin fabric of your shirt. You took off your shirt after a
second I removed mine. Then I kissed your lips. I can’t hold it anymore.
“Bara… I can’t.” suddenly you moved away.
“I want to stay faithful to my monogamous
relationship. Yes I have a boyfriend in hometown.” There it is. He dropped the
BOMB.
I’m stoned. “Well, it could just be a one
night stand.”
“Do you promise not to tell anyone,
Bara?” once again, he’s tempted and hypnotized.
“Who can I tell it to?” I don’t know how
you’re already on top of my body.
Right before I could take another step
towards, you suddenly asked me to put back on my shirt and chased me out of
your room.
Now I wonder : was I the devil who had
tried to tempt you from being faithful? Did you set up the whole scene,
inviting me to your room, doing this adultery thing, so you could later call
your boyfriend and prove to him that you had stayed faithful?
SO AM I THE BAD GUY HERE?
Goodbye
Summer.
“Don’t. Ever. Blame. Yourself.” Rutuk
Keith.
“What can I say. Shit happens. He never
appeared any longer. He was like a decaf coffee : dangerous to dilute my
caffeine stream.”
“Well, its his loss. Bayangin aja betapa
kesiksanya dia ga minum coffee sebulan lebih gara-gara takut balik kesini. I
don’t know how people live without coffee, I really don’t.” saya jadi ikut
gemas.
--
Five nights later, Xuan appears. “How’s
everything?”
“Not too good. Still not too good. My
head’s keep re-projecting every scenes from that night.”
“Bara… I came here to say sorry… and you
don’t need to deliver free macchiato every night in front of my door any
longer.”
Then he dropped the last bomb. “I head back
to Vietnam tomorrow morning. For good.”
Ada semacam selongsong dosis caffeine
berlebih yang menderasi seluruh nadi Bara. “Just wait here. I’ll be with you in
five minutes.”
--
The streets are dry. But still, you wore
that leather jacket. “Bara, this is the finest Macchiato I ever tasted!”
“Wow, finally. There’s no hocus pocus
here. I just added extra sweetened milk.”
“And I named it Summer Macchiato.” I
added.
“Bara, sorry for what happened…” Xuan
takes another sip and stares at me with those teary eyes.
“It is okay.”
“Show me that you are okay…”
I widely smile at him. He smiles again.
We sit quietly at the bench near the park and sipping our different favorite
drink.
“Will you be back here?”
“I don’t think so. My business is done
here.”
“But I like this city. The atmosphere is
great but not warm and not heat enough for me.”
“Heat sits beside you.” I correct him.
I looked at his laugh-line. God must be
in a great mood when He creates Xuan. “Hahaha. The milky moustache that clings
to your upper lip is proof that I made your coffee right.”
Xuan laughed back at me. “Now I look
silly beside the skilled barista who pour foamed milk over my macchiato.”
“Yes. And my I say, you wear it well.”
I accidentally yawn. “Sorry it’s been a
long night.”
“I’d like to stay in touch with you,
Bara.” He says, and smiles again.
I smile back. “You know where to find
me.”
“It’s going to rain. First rain for this
year. You better run cuz drizzles starts pouring down.”
“Goodbye Bara.”
“Goodbye Summer.”
And we walked to the different streets.
Not looking back. Before our hearts decided to start to love again.
By.C
