L I [F] E. A Short Story.

Well, this one is the short story assignment for CREATIVE WRITING class.
This class really courage the student to produce their own masterpiece and wow!
I just realize that all of my friends have the great capacity of writing and they are all impress me with their work. Then, let's show to that master that we're all can be the better student from now in the next year!

Enjoy the story and let me know if you have any comments, I really appreciate it guys! :)
See you in the next masterpiece! :)

L I [F] E

Do you ever like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don’t belong, and no one understands you. Do you ever wanna runaway? Do you lock yourself in your room? With the radio turn on turned up so loud, That no one hears you screaming. No you don’t know what is like.. When nothing’s feels all right. You don’t know what it’s like, to be like me. ~ Simple Plan – Welcome to my life.

Rale plays that song in his café continuously while making the coffee that ordered by some couple of people. Tonight, that feeling comes again to his heart and stay, like a tattoo in his heart. He, again, questioning the meaning of life, why God must give him a life if God just want to send him to the hell. Rale knows that he’s wrong, he did something terrible, horrible. But he also thinks that this is what the God want. God just want to send him to the hell, together with all the people inside this FLIE’S KAFE.

“Oh baby.. What’s wrong with you?” this man’s sound so strong but sexy. He comes closer to Rale’s favorite place when he makes coffee.

“Hmm..?” Rale is still working on his coffee.

“Are you sick?” the man touch his forehead slowly and continue to stroke his hair, Rale touch that man’s hand and see his eyes,

“I always sick.. Sick of you, Keyvan..”

“No, baby.. I mean, the song that you play, the coffee that you made.. Some people ask me what happen with you.. Daniel and Sammie order Rale’s coffee but they said u make it too strong. They taste just like horrible tubruk. So, what’s your problem, My Rale?” Keyvan said slowly, never think to investigate Rale. He wants to know is there anything wrong with his lovely.

“Oh damn it! I knew I should not work tonight! But I still press my own self to make a good coffee just like the same. I knew that my feeling influence my coffee taste. I knew babe.. But I still work tonight! Oh damn!” Rale beat the table in front of him and start to cry.. Keyvan touch his face.

“See.. I know you’re sick, your heart.. There is something happen there, dear..”

“My heart’s always sick, sick of you, Keyvan. Believe me, I’m okay. I just tired, tired with this life!” Rale lied. Keyvan know it.

“Hh.. Okay then stop working. Let’s have some fun tonight!”

“I know you always know me better than everyone, babe..” Rale hug Keyvan. This is not the strange view in Flie’s Kafe. Everyone free to do anything with their partner. Daniel and Sammie are the example of Rale’s best client. Both of them are gay while Rale and Keyvan are about a year having a relationship.

-L I [F] E-

Do you wanna be somebody else? Are you sick of feeling so left out? Are you desperate to find something more? Before your life is over. Are you stuck inside a world you hate? Are you sick of everyone around? With their big fake smiles and stupid lies while deep inside you’re bleeding.. No you don’t know what its like, When nothing’s feels all right, you don’t know what its like, to be like me…… welcome to my life! ~ Simple Plan – Welcome to my life.

Rale plays that song in his car continuously while muse outside the window.

“Honey, are you okay?” this girl’s sound is as beautiful as her face.

“Huh? I’m sorry.” Rale wakes up from his fancies. Try to look at his girl sweetly. “I’m sorry. I’m fine, really.”

“You always play that song since the first time you pick me up with your car. Then you stop talking to me. Is that fine?”

“Shanty honey.. Believe me, I’m fine. I just tired.” Rale smile sweetly to her. Try hard to hide his lie.

“I’m not sure. Something happen with Flie’s?” She asked Rale, try to find something wrong by seeing his eyes deeply.

“Nope. Everything’s just fine. Hey.. What about your day? Do you want some coffee this evening? Hmm?”

“Hmm.. Everything’s just great! I’ve done with that assignment. No more awake in the night! Then you and your coffee.. Complete me!” Shanty tells Rale a lot of story and it’s entertain Rale a bit.

This is what Rale love from Shanty. She always makes Rale happy and smile loudly by her story and joke. This is what makes Rale can’t stop loving her even though Keyvan always ask him to end his relationship with Shanty but Rale can’t do it. It will hurt Shanty deeply and he doesn’t want to hurt her heart. Keyvan try to understand Rale, he know Rale is such a heterosexual while Keyvan is only love a man. Then actually, Rale find Shanty first before Keyvan and before they make a relationship, Rale let Keyvan know that he already has a girlfriend and that’s not a big deal for Keyvan. But now.. Everything’s flow more complicated. Rale know when everybody said he’s wrong, Rale know he should choose his way of life. But He doesn’t care what the people said. He enjoy this lie. He believes that everyone has their own right to life and this is what he called Rale’s life.

-L I [F] E-

Flie’s Kafe crowded in this Friday night. The boss sit in his favorite chair, it is in the corner of this café. Some baristas busy to make some coffee order. Sade sings Kiss of Life through the music player. The boss enjoy the music. He intentionally plays many songs that have the word ‘life’ in the title. Something wrong with him lately, it is still tattooed in his mind, life.. life.. and life.

“Rale’s coffee! Three cups!” Ghandi, one of the barista said to Rale. Rale is still busy with his mobile phone, updating his twitter and facebook account. You can guess it, he has two accounts. For Rale’s life with Keyvan and friends then another one is for his life with Shanty and friends. That’s sometime makes him spent lot of times with that. You know, updating two accounts.

“Boss! Wake up!” Ghandi scream to him louder. Rale is a good boss, he never make a gap with his worker. That makes Ghandi and other baristas enjoy working here.

“Yes?” Rale wakes up from his virtual life. Look at Ghandi questioning what he should do. Ghandi smile first,

“Three cups, my boss..”

“Three cups of..? What?” Ghandi knit his forehead. Everybody knows the answer of that silly question.

“Oh.. Sorry, Ghandi. How stupid I am!” Yes, Rale only make Rale’s coffee. The order like cappuccino, frappuccino, and other general coffee are made by other barista. But Rale’s coffee.. It’s only in Rale’s hand.

“Something wrong with you, Man.. Shanty or Keyvan problem?”

“Nope. I’m fine. Thanks, Ghandi..” Rale try to hide that feeling again, nobody knows what happen with him.

After making the three cups of Rale’s coffee, he enters his private room inside this café. He got confused with what this life’s bring him to this situation. Even when he knows it’s wrong, he can’t do anything to fix that and he enjoy that. Having Shanty’s life and Keyvan’s life are interesting and he got the sensation of life in both of them. Slowly he writes the word ‘L I F E’ in his note. Then he circles the ‘F’ and add the ‘u’, ‘c’, and ‘k’ after F. He’s angry, angry to this life. Why this things happen to him. Rale only can cry. He just like a bird that lost his mom. He doesn’t know what to do except cry and continue circle the F until the paper broken. Then he throw it away, away from him. It’s not so easy to be a hetero. It’s not so easy to facing Rale’s life.

-L I [F] E-

“So you can accompany me today, Dhasia?” Today’s Rale’s birthday. Shanty has a big plan for his lovely one.

“Absolutely, Shantyyy!! I don’t want to miss your beautiful moment today and really, I’m so curious of Rale’s expression tonight! He’s so lucky having you, my friend..”

“No.. I’m that lucky girl.” Shanty smile sweetly. Suddenly she miss Rale so much.

“Okay. Let’s start the show!” Dhasia then drive the car and Shanty sit beside her.

-L I [F] E-

“Okay, Ghandi.. This is Rale’s big day. I just want you to make sure that today, Flie’s only mine and Rale.”

“Okay, man! I’ll handle it. Hopefully it will change Rale become the ordinary him. He’s so weird lately.”

“I know, I know it, Ghandi.. Even I don’t know what happen with him..”

-L I [F] E-

Shanty follow Rale wherever he go today. Dhasia drive the car while Shanty brings her video camera, she shoot Rale and collect some comments for his birthday greetings from Rale’s friend. Shanty starts this from Rale’s apartment. She also collect some comments from Rale’s neighbor in apartment and keep it in her video camera. Then, whenever Rale go today, Shanty always follow him. Sometime, she just want to out from the car and meet him when Rale text Shanty a message and call her. She know Rale miss her so much, so many times he ask where Shanty is, when can Rale meet her today, and what she doing right now.

“Easy, Shanty.. It’s just about one hour to go. See.. Now he’ll go to Flie’s.” Dhasia follow the way that Rale chose. Dhasia know this is the way to Flie’s Kafe. Shanty sometime invites Dhasia to Flie’s Kafe. And this is always become the hard time for Rale when Shanty comes to Flie’s. He must make sure that Keyvan can’t go to the Flie’s at the same night with Shanty. That will be horrible. And Keyvan always understand that. That’s what makes Rale really love Keyvan so much.

“Okay. Here we go, Dhasia.. You can park the car far enough from his café?”

“I will, princess.” Then they walk to the café and start the last show.

-L I [F] E-

Rale enters his lovely café and he just got shocked with what happened inside.

“SURPRISE!!!!!” He sees Keyvan so cool tonight. He see Ghandi and other baristas, he see some of his best client, and he see big brown tart in the center of Flie’s which smell the fragrance of coffee. He see his watch for a while, 08.08 PM. Beautiful number but the beautiful one.. He can’t find where she is along the day. He just miss his Shanty so much.

Keyvan move closer to him while bringing two cups of coffee. Rale’s speechless. He know this surely Keyvan’s idea.

“You know I love you, babe..” Rale speak slowly close to Keyvan’s left ear.

“And you know I love you more, baby.. This, call it Keyvan’s coffee! Cheers, for our relationship!” Rale smile to Keyvan.

-L I [F] E-

Shanty crash her video camera. She doesn’t know what should she do right now. She just crying and can’t believe what already she saw. Dhasia want to come in to Flie’s but Shanty ban her. Dhasia still want to do what exactly she has to do as Shanty’s friend.

“Rale! How dare you! How dare you do this with Shanty!!” Dhasia scream aloud while enters the café. All eyes looking at Dhasia.

“Dhasia? Shanty???” Rale shocks for the second time. He sees her lovely girl beside Dhasia. She’s crying.

“Shanty.. Honey.. What do you do here? I’m looking at you along the day you know..” Rale come closer to Shanty and touch her face. Try to stroke her cry but Shanty move his hand.

“I can’t believe you did it to me, Rale.. Why didn’t you told me from the first time? What kind of café actually is this?!” Shanty look around Flie’s and only can see a couple of gay, lesbian, and other strange people. She runaway from Rale’s face and Dhasia follow her.

“Shanty!!!!” Rale try to catch her but Keyvan stop him.

“Babe.. I know this thing will happen and tonight is the day.. It’s time to face the truth. No more lie..” Keyvan try to chill him.

“No Keyvan.. Not tonight and not this way. Damn it, I broke it in my birthday! This is not what should happen!!!” Rale screams. He’s angry, angry with this life and he’s tired, tired to hide the truth.

He goes to his private room, search his note. He find his note when he wrote F L I E ’S K A F E. He remembered the time when he was trying to find the name for this café and he got that name. He got it by arrange the words, actually that’s not the real name for this café. The real arrangement words for that is: L I F E ‘S F A K E. He always believes that his life is only a fake. Life is only the stage of drama and all of his life is a lie. He believes that before God create the word life, God maybe thinking about the word lie and to hide that fact and truth, God add ‘F’ between lie. That’s smart. But for Rale, the F is just stand for FAKE!

Rale locks the room and crying inside while raining outside. Keyvan screams and knocks the door continuously. The music player in Shanty’s car play Simple Plan song: Welcome to my life. Rale texts a message to Shanty: Welcome to my li(f)e, shanty honey. I’m terribly sorry. Love you always. -R-