Reflection of “A Sorrowful Woman”

A Sorrowful Woman is a short story by Gail Godwin in which a wife and mother suffers from depression. At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to the unnamed main characters: husband, wife, and child. The wife and mother has a depressive disorder. She doesn’t like the way her husband and child sight. Meanwhile, the husband and father taken over the household chores and taken care of their child. He also take care of his wife like brings meals to his wife's bed and undress her. This situation is very rare in nowadays, especially in eastern culture. In eastern culture, patriarchy is the most common things in any marriage. In some marriage, even when the wife get sick, the husband divorce his wife and married another woman. I can understand why it’s hard to be wife and mother. In my experience, I can see it in my mother. She sacrifice her job to be a full time wife and mother. Thankfully, she did not get into depression but if she tells me that she’s depress, I can understand why. It’s hard to be a wife and a mother in the same time. So, by that I can understand why the wife and mother fell into depression. Then, the story continue with the husband hired a nanny to do the household chores, take care their child, and take care his wife. One day the wife doesn’t want to see the husband and child anymore. Instead, she told them to put notes. “One night, when the husband's note had been extremely short, loving but short, and there had been nothing from the boy, she stole out of her room as she often did to get more supplies, but crept upstairs instead and stood outside their doors, listening to the regular breathing of the man and boy asleep. She hurried back to her room and drank the draught.” I believe that she felt something suspicious with the husband and child with the nanny. There is some affection that the nanny gave to his husband and child due to the wife and mother absence to their life. So then the wife didn’t like the nanny and fired her. “In the evenings, very briefly she saw the two of them. They knocked on her door, a big knock and a little, and she would call Come in, and the husband would smile though he looked a bit tired, yet somehow this tiredness suited him. He would put her sleeping draught on the bedside table and say, ‘The boy and I have done all right today,’ and the child would kiss her. One night she tasted for the first time the power of his baby spit.” At this point, at first I thought that maybe he finally realize that after all this time, her husband and child still loves her. But then, the wife response that she can’t see him anymore. It refer to her child. By this action, I’m sure that the wife still on a huge depression. And then, the man and boy came home and found five loaves of warm bread, a roast stuffed turkey, a glazed ham, three pies of different fillings, eight molds of the boy's favorite custard, two weeks supply of fresh-laundered sheets and shirts and towels, two hand-knitted sweaters (both of the same grey color), a sheath of marvelous watercolor beasts accompanied by mad and fanciful stories nobody could ever make up again, and a tablet full of love sonnets addressed to the man. Also, the house smelled redolently of renewal and spring. The wife do all of this. However, when the husband and child found her, she’s no longer alive. In my opinion, there are probably two scenario, the wife die because of depression or she committed suicide.

Review of Woman Hollering Creek

Summary Woman Hollering Creek is a short story by Sandra Cisneros that published in April 1991 which tells about a woman live in Mexico named Cleofilas who was married to a man named Juan Pedro from Seguin, Texas. Cleofilas is the protagonist in this short story. On the other side, there is Juan Pedro as the antagonist in this story. Initially, Cleofilas used her marriage to Juan as a ticket to leave her hometown because she was tired of living there. When they were married, Juan Pedro took Cleofilas to Seguin. At first, Cleofilas thought her marriage world would be like at the telenovelas (Mexican soap opera) that she likes to watch. In fact, her marriage to Juan Pedro was not as beautiful as she imagined. Juan Pedro often commits domestic violence. Cleofilas was pressured by her husband's domestic violence. She endured persecution from her own husband.Sometimes, Cleofilas thinks of returning to her father's house. But then she thought too much of her neighborhood's opinion when she came home without her husband. She is afraid of the gossips that will be aired on the town. Juan also have a toxic friendship. One of his friend is a criminal named Maximiliano who was said to have killed his wife in an ice-house brawl. It also turns out that Juan Pedro also lied about his wealth. When meeting with Cleofilas, Juan confessed that he had worked at a beer company. But in reality, he didn't even have enough money to support his family. Cleofilas can't even watch her favorite telenovelas because there is no television in their house. She regretted that her life was not as beautiful as in telenovelas. One day, when she was about to give birth to her second child, she was worried because she doesn’t have money to pay the bills. Then, she met Graciela who realized that Cleofilas was experiencing a lot of violence and asked her friend Felice for help to take Cleofilas away and drop her to Greyhound in Santo Antonio, across arroyo. Arroyo is a steep-sided gully formed by the action of fast-flowing water in an arid or semi-arid region found chiefly in the southwestern US. Then, she met Felice which amazed her so much because of her independency. Personal Feedback In my opinion, the story of Woman Hollering Creek tells about oppression of women. Cleofilas as the main character symbolized racial oppression from Americans to people of Mexican descent at that time. In addition, Cleofilas was pressured by her husband's domestic violence. She endured persecution from her own husband. Cleofilas is a dreamer girl. She dreamed of the happily life just like on the telenovelas. Unfortunately, life turns her dreams down. She is afraid to leave her husband and be independent. Then, she met a woman named Felice which amazed her. Because Felice is such a brave woman unlike her. On the other side, there is Juan Pedro as the antagonist in this story. He is abusive towards his wife and irresponsible for his family. He doesn’t have enough money to support his family. Cleofilas tried to defend her marriage to Juan for fear of what neighbors might say. She regrets that her current life is not as beautiful as telenovelas stories. Until she met Felice, woman who help her to across arroyo. She amazed by Felice’s independency without having a husband. Woman Hollering Creek means woman who screams to cross the Creek. I think Creek in this story represents the boundary line of Cleofilas' life. Meanwhile, arroyo is Spanish which means flow. I thought it was symbolic of the heavy flow of life. Cleofilas fought across arroyo, to get her freedom. Her fear of not having a husband vanished when she saw a very brave and independent Felice. And when Cleofilas was about to cross the arroyo, Cleofilas shouted asking for a sudden change in her. What she used to be a woman who gave up, became a new woman. A woman who lives independently. If I were Cleofilas, I would definitely not have been able to bear to remain married to Juan Pedro. I would go back to my father's house regardless of the neighbor's gossip.

Reflection of Everyday Use

The story of Everyday Use basically is a story of family reunion. The story take place during the height of Civil Rights in the South America. There are mother, Dee, and Maggie as the family. Also there is Hakim-a-barber as Dee’s husband or boyfriend. Mother is a fighter. She does every man’s work and rising both of her daughter alone. Dee, is her mother’s pride. Mother put every effort to make Dee study abroad. On the other side, Maggie, the youngest, is a shy girl. Her voice always heard low. Maggie live with mother while her sister Dee study at Augusta. Mother really missed her precious daughter, Dee. She is so exciting at the day where she finally met Dee. But unfortunately, Dee has changed. She is not the person she used to know. Dee change her looks and even her name into Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Dee change her name because she said, “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” It turns out that all this time she felt downtrodden by her own family. At the end story, mother opinion about her daughters changed. Dee is no longer her favorite daughter. It is Maggie with her kindness that win mother’s heart so that mother gave her the precious quilt. According to me, Everyday Use means the value of family. Family should be got each other back. Just like mother, who does everything to her family, my mom will also does the same. I guess every mom will also to the best for her daughter. But the point is Dee doesn’t see it. She doesn’t respect her mother’s effort. She forget where she came from. She change her life in order to feel free from her family. And that’s not nice. She might be felt pressure from her mother because she is her mother’s hope. Mother hope that if Dee get a higher education, she can be a better person. The quilt itself as the valuable things become controversial in this story. Because it was made from some tops of grandma pieced before she died, mother really take care of it. Dee sees the quilt as the heritage that she wants to keep. But the heritage itself not the quilt but actually the art of making the quilt. Mother taught Maggie how to make the quilt that has been going from generation so that she can make her own. If I ever have valuable thing in my life, I will take care of it for the rest of my life. And how can I preserve my valuable thing? Definitely, I will put some effort to take care of it. Sample case, I have a gold bracelet that was given by my late grandparents on my sweet seventeen birthday so it has a lot of memory. I can say that the bracelet is my valuable things. I rarely use it, but it doesn’t mean I never use it. I use it several times in the historical day of my life, such as my high school graduation day and in my confirmation day. But other than that, I keep it on the safety box at bank. Every year, I took it out to clean and polished the gold. Just like Maggie that will use the quilt as everyday use so do I that will use my precious bracelet. But the different is I don’t use it every day. If I could choose between Maggie and Dee, I will be Maggie. Because what’s the point to only hang the quilt? It will be useless. I think it is okay for Dee to use it every day as long as she took care of it and be careful when she use it. But if it’s torn, Maggie can fix it since mother taught Maggie how to stitch quilt or she can the new one with her own valuable things. That's just how we look at the heritage, from the finished object or the knowledge we get.

Reading Habit

Reading is one of the most fundamental skills a child needs to learn. In fact, reading is very important for children. Torrijos (2017) states that, encouraging children to read, from an early age, is very important and fundamental. This will create a habit of reading in them which will bring important advantages, especially at the academic level, as they will either achieve better results or have less difficulty reading, creating and imagining. Furthermore, readiness and books will reduce doubts in children who have developed a tendency to read every day and come into contact with books since childhood. Through reading, children can expose themselves to new things, new information, and they also can find new hobbies. Reading can be a great self-therapy to control children's emotions. The more children read, the more enlightened they become. That is the reason why reading habit should be developed since childhood. Reading reduces stress in children. According to Wagstaff (2020), in our hectic lives, a periodic break is an extraordinary help which can be done by reading. A more clear perspective on oneself can, in order, help someone to behave and think in healthier ways and to avoid damaging self-convictions. When you make a habit of reading, it’s easier for your brain to relax and temporarily transport itself to another world. With reading, children’s focus will be on imagination and it will distract them from their mind burden and anxieties. Reading can relaxing and releasing children’s mind from stress. After releasing stress, mind will become relaxed and it makes positive energy come easily. When children put themselves into the story, it helps them to stay positive. While reading, children begin to understand and relate to emotions. A positive attitude opens the door for children to do well but does not guarantee that they will. Children will be confident in their capabilities. However, reading can still make children more empathic towards other and makes children stay humble and makes children think positively. Reading improves critical thinking skills. Reading fiction is the best genre for improving critical thinking skills that can lead a child on their own path which result increase children’s capability to solve problem. For example, while reading mystery book, children will involve in the detective process from the beginning to the end of each book, from uncovering the mystery to collecting the clues and coming to a solution at the end that engaging children to adds the value of the books. With a good reading habit, children will get a lot of extensive knowledge which they will use to face problem in real life and devise strategies to solve the problem. Afterward, reading improve children’s creativity. According to Moran (1988), most of children's imagination centers on ideational familiarity. Ideational familiarity efforts expect children to produce the same number of reactions as they can to certain improvements, as is done in conceptualizing. Ideational familiarity is seen to a large extent as a basic component of the imaginative cycle. Children's reactions may be well-known or unique, with current thinking about evidence of imaginative potential. All of these are great for training kids to brainstorm. Some parents might disagree with the implementation of reading habits from childhood because they think reading habits can be started at any age. However, most parents are not aware of the potential for children's comprehension if they implement reading habits from childhood. Reading helps children adapting to school-life easier. According to Owusu-Acheaw & Larson (2014), children's understanding of academic subjects and graduation assessments are tied together. The tendency to have a reading habit largely determines student academic achievement in general. Both reading habits and academic achievement are intertwined and subservient to one another. It is important to implement reading habit since childhood. In short, the habits of reading should be developed since childhood. Nevertheless, by doing a good reading habit, children will surely growing into positive side. Children who have good reading habit will become open minded because their knowledge is being expand into highest level and it helps them to develop interest in many things. The more variety of books children read, the more information and understanding they gain of the world around them. Reading broadens children’s imagination by stimulating their brain. It literally opens children’s minds to new possibilities and new ideas that helping them experience and analyze the world through the books. In addition, by giving good books to children, it is not only the habit of reading that is encouraged, but also laying a solid foundation for their future learning. As a result, children will become success in life. References Moran, James D. III. (1988). Creativity in Young Children. Eric Digest. 1–5. Owusu-Acheaw, M., & Larson, A. G. (2014). Reading Habits Among Students and its Effect on Academic Performance: A Study of Students of Koforidua Polytechnic. 84–89. Torrijos, A. B., Doctora, M., Cardenal, U., & Universities, C. E. U. (2017). Children’s Literature. Reading habit. 115–119. Wagstaff, J. V. (2020). Benefits of the Habit of Reading. 3(4).

Effects of School Bullying on Children

School bullying must be given more attention. Based on KPAI (National Commission for Child Protection) research in 2018, there still 161 cases of bullying in school. It means that we still have a lot work to do to stop bullying. The latest issue about a girl named Nadia who committed suicide because of bullying in school show us that Indonesia still lack of concern of bullied children in school. It is sad to know children who should still grew up, suffering from bullying and end up to committed suicide. Bullying in schools must be stopped because it will damage the mental development of children, disrupt academic achievement, and reduce the level of self-confidence. The first effect is damage the mental development of children. According to Dr. Andre Sourander, a professor of child psychiatry at the University of Turku in Finland, children who are bullied, has a higher risk of depressive disorders and need psychiatric treatment later in life. They will grow up with a lot of pressure which causes a depressive personality. A recent study of children highlighted the role of disrupted mental illness is one of the factors that contributing to suicidal thoughts. Moreover, they will no longer have hope for life because they will feel worthless and nobody accepted them. In additional, they will start to questioning their existence towards the world whether the world will be fine if they are gone. Therefore, the children who are bullied will grow with a lot of mental illness such as anxiety disorder and depression that can lead them to committed suicide if they are not handled properly with a professional. The second effect is bullying will disrupting academic achievement. According to UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles, CA) study, Jaana Juvonen, a professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study, bullying and low academic achievement are frequently linked. Children who are bullied will think they are not capable to be the top rank. Based on my experience at my little sister's school whose disable, there are many of children who bullying other children with special needed because of their different appearance, saying that they are stupid, ugly, and so on, which can stimulate their brain to be affected by those words. As a result, children who are repeatedly bullied receive poorer grades and participate less in class activity. The last is bullying in school will also reduce the children's level of self-esteem. According to psychological research, when children are constantly belittled about something, they come to doubting themselves and start believing it is true. They start closing themselves from the world outside. Keep silent is the most common things in children when they get bullying. They tend to keep it by themselves. When a children’s self-esteem becomes severely damaged, they tend to avoid friends and family altogether. Consequently, children who are bullied become lonely and have no social life or even lose interest to life. In short, bullying in schools must be stopped because it will cause a lot of damage such as the children mental development problem, disrupt academic achievement, and reduce the level of self-esteem. Afterward, school bullying on children will destroy their future. They will no longer have the joy of life. They will lose the fun of childhood that we used to have. Children who are bullied tend to kept silent. That is why we, as the adult, must encourage them to speak up and fight for their own right. Therefore, we should pay a lot of attention to bullying on children because it will ruin the next generation after us. Reference list: • Dewi Nurita, Rina Widiastuti, Hari Anak Nasional, KPAI Catat Kasus Bullying Paling Banyak, https://nasional.tempo.co/read/1109584/hari-anak-nasional-kpai-catat-kasus-bullying-paling-banyak • Effects of Bullying on a Child’s Self Esteem, https://www.ourfamilyworld.com/bullying-and-cyberbullying/bullying-consequences/effects-of-bullying-on-a-childs-self-esteem/ • Kate Barrington, How Does Bullying Affect a Student’s Academic Performance?, https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/how-does-bullying-affect-a-students-academic-performance • Roberta Alexander, Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide: The Lasting Effects of Bullying, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/bullying-affects-victims-and-bullies-into-adulthood-022013#1 • Winnieati Sutanto Putri, Kasus Bunuh Diri Nadia Bikin Netizen Serentak Cerita Kejadian Alami Bullying Waktu Kecil: 'Sampe Sekarang Masih Membekas', https://fame.grid.id/read/461993525/kasus-bunuh-diri-nadia-bikin-netizen-serentak-cerita-kejadian-alami-bullying-waktu-kecil-sampe-sekarang-masih-membekas?page=all

My School Story

Namanya Alexa. Orang-orang biasa memanggilnya Lex. Lex adalah seorang gadis remaja yang sekarang akan bersiap-siap untuk pergi ke café langganannya untuk menulis atau menggambar. Yap! Memang itulah salah satu kegemarannya. Lex sering memposting tulisannya di blog pribadinya dan gambarnya sering ia masukkan di galeri. Kali ini Lex berpikir untuk menulis kisahnya ketika masih di sekolah menengah pertama. Kisahnya yang bahkan tak pernah terpikirkan olehnya.

“One cappucino please..” katanya kepada pramusaji yang menghampirinya.

Tak berapa lama kemudian, pesanannya datang. Di pagi hari yang dingin ini, memang paling pas kalau di temani cappucino panas kesukaannya. Semalam, ia berpikir untuk menuliskan kisah-kisahnya selama di SMP. Sekarang, ia akan mencoba mengingat-ingatnya kembali sambil meminum cappucino kesukaannya itu.

10 years ago…

“Lex… ayoo… lo ngapain disitu. Bengong aja. Ke kantin yuk!” kata salah seorang temannya yang bernama Cinta.

“Iyaa… bentar-bentar… gua lagi mikirin mau ngelawak apaan nih,” katanya kencang.

Alexa, Cinta, Sovi, Shella dan Ria adalah 5 sekawan di sekolah itu. Ria awalnya hanya bersahabat dengan Sovi dan Shella. Namun, seiring berjalannya waktu, ia pun bersahabat dengan Lex dan Sovi. Ini berawal ketika Alexa yang kala itu sering pulang bareng bersama Ria. Dari perjalanan mereka itulah, mereka menceritakan kekocakkan-kekocakkan yang mereka alami selama perjalanan pulang di sekolah.  Tak disangka memang.

“Eh, lu udah nyari buku fisika belom? Yang di suruh itu gara-gara nilai merah,” tanya Alexa.

“Oh iya ya, gua lupa. Besok di kumpul ya?” jawab Cinta terkejut.

“Gua sih tenang aja.. kan gua mah gak merah,” kata Sovi sambil tertawa.

Semua orang langsung terdiam dan melirik satu sama lain. Mereka serempak menjawab, “Lu mah enak. Pinter. Ya kagak merah lah.” Lalu diiringi oleh tawa.

“Yaudah Lex, pulang ke mall yuk. Nyari buku nya. Lu mau nitip gak La?” tanya Ria.

“Yaudah.. gua nitip ya. Besok gua ganti,” jawab Shella.

“Gua sih ayok ayok ajee..” kata Alexa.

“Gua juga nitip dong. Besok gua ganti dah. Gua takut gak sempet beli sama nyokap gua. Please…” kata Cinta dengan muka dimelas-melaskan.

“Kalo gitu, lu bayarin Cinta, gua bayarin Shella ya Lex,” kata Ria.

“Sep itu mahhhh…!” jawab Alexa setuju.

Pulang sekolah, Lex dan Ria pun pergi berdua ke mall. Sampai disana, mereka memilih buku fisika yang paling murah. Setelah membayarnya, mereka berdua memutuskan untuk jalan-jalan di sekitar mall.

“Ke toko aksesoris yuk Lex!” ajak Ria.

“Emang ada?” tanya Alexa.

“Kayaknya sih ada. Cari aja yuk!” jawab Ria.

“Ya ayok!”

Setelah lama mengitari mall, mereka akhirnya kelelahan dan memilih untuk beristirahat. Kaki mereka terasa hampir lepas.

“Woy! Lu serius ada apa enggak nih? Dari tadi kita ngiter-ngiter kagak nemu-nemu dah,” kata Alexa yang mulai emosi.

“Waktu itu ada. Coba lu tanya satpamnya,” kata Ria.

“Kenapa kagak dari tadi non!!!” kata Alexa kesal.

Setelah itu, Ria hanya tertawa memikirkan kebodohannya. Lalu, diikuti kekesalan Alexa yang membuatnya makin tertawa. Aneh.

“Pak, toko aksesoris dimana?” tanya Alexa pada pak satpam.

“Di deket butik. Patokannya toko jam. Kalo udah liat toko jam, jalan aja terus. Gak jauh dari situ,” jelas pak satpam.

“Oohh… makasih ya pak,” kata Alexa.

Mereka pun sekarang terfokus untuk mencari toko jam. Rasanya tadi mereka melewati toko jam. Tapi dimana? Setelah berkeliling mall lagi untuk sekian lama, mereka kembali ke pos satpam di lantai dasar.

“Pak, nanya lagi. Toko jam dimana?” tanya Alexa dengan polosnya sambil cengar cengir.

“Di lantai 2 dek..” kata pak satpam tersenyum.

Ria yang ada di sebelahnya hanya cekikikan melihat kekonyolan sahabatnya itu. Mereka pun melanjutkan pencarian dan sampailah mereka di salah satu toko aksesoris. Setelah lama berada di dalamnya, mereka keluar membawa sekantong kecil belanjaan. Mereka membeli beberapa ikat rambut dan gelang.

“Laper nih.. udah siang… makan dulu yuk!” ajak Ria.

“Ayo! Makan dimana?” balas Alexa.

“Foodcourt aja,” jawab Ria.

Sehabis makan, mereka memutuskan untuk bermain sebentar di area bermain. Setelah menggesek kartu, Alexa memilih lagu untuk dijadikan lagu pop dance nya. Ria tidak ikut karna tidak bisa bermainnya. Tanpa disangka-sangka, Ria datang dan langsung memilih lagu dangdut.

“Nyemottt… kan lu kagak main,” kata Alexa kesal.

“Yaudahlah… udah terlanjur. Lu mainin aja. Hahahaha…” tawa Ria.

Alexa pun yang tak konsentrasi bermain karna selalu tertawa mendengar alunan musik dangdut, kalah dalam permainan. Dan hal itu membuat Ria puas telah mengerjai Lex.

“Ya, ke bioskop yuk. Liat film,” ajak Alexa.

“Oke!” jawab Ria.

Alexa dan Ria pun berjalan ke bioskop sambil tertawa-tertawa mengingat-ingat kejadian tadi. Sampai-sampai, mereka salah masuk tempat. Yang mereka masuki adalah tempat gym. Yang lucunya lagi, mereka dengan pede nya masuk sambil tertawa terbahak-bahak dan sesaat kemudian berhenti karna sadar mereka salah tempat dan keluar sambil menahan malu. Sesampainya di luar, mereka tak tahan lagi menahan tawa. Itu adalah salah satu adegan memalukan dalam hidupnya. Akhirnya, mereka sampai di bioskop dengan baik dan benar. Sesampainya di dalam, hanya beberapa saat, mereka kembali ke luar lagi sambil tertawa. Entah apa yang mereka tertawakan.

“Mending sekarang kita pulang aja,” ajak Ria tak kuat menahan rasa malu.

“Ide bagus. Laksanakan!” jawab Alexa.

Di perjalanan pulang pun, mereka masih tertawa terbahak-bahak. Lalu tiba-tiba mereka berhenti di depan salah satu restoran dan tertawa karna melihat nama restoran itu mirip dengan nama ibunya Sovi.

“Lex, kalo gua bawa hape, gua foto lu di depan situ. Sumpah, ngakak abis gua,” kata Ria.

Mereka melanjutkan perjalanan pulang mereka. Sesampainya di rumah, Lex tak tahan untuk segera langsung meng-update status BBM. Dan, ia pun langsung mengoceh di sana membicarakan tentang kekonyolan mereka tadi.

Keesokkannya, mereka masih heboh dengan kejadian-kejadian kemarin. Tanpa tanggung-tanggung, mereka menceritakan semua detail kehebohan mereka di mall. Sontak cerita mereka menimbulkan canda tawa hangat diantara mereka semua.

Sekarang saatnya mereka untuk fokus pada ujian kenaikan kelas yang akan diadakan beberapa minggu lagi. Semua orang giat belajar.

Setelah beberapa hari berlalu, tibalah saatnya mereka untuk melakukan apa yang disebut orang ‘classmeeting’. Semua orang sangat bersemangat untuk menunjukkan kehebatan kelas mereka masing-masing. Memang hanya beberapa perlombaan saja. Seperti menggambar, futsal, bernyanyi dalam bahasa mandarin, puisi, bola basket, dll. Mereka sangat bersemangat. Namun, hal yang tak disangka, ternyata kepala sekolah mereka memberi tugas kepada mereka. Sebenarnya kelompok Alexa, Ria, Cinta, Sovi dan Shella sudah mengerjakan tugas mereka dengan baik. Tapi, ada beberapa kelompok yang belum mengerjakan. Jadi, se-angkatan harus bekerja keras untuk menyelesaikan tugas menyulam itu dalam sehari. Satu sekolah dibuat pusing oleh satu tugas itu. Tugas itu jugalah yang membatalkan seluruh classmeeting. Banyak dari mereka yang kecewa karena classmeet yang hanya diadakan sehari dalam setahun itu pun gagal. Mereka menyalahkan kepala sekolah mereka. Guru-guru pun dibuat pusing karna banyak dari kelas-kelas yang tidak ada guru pendampingnya karna memang semestinya tidak ada dalam jadwal. Hari itu adalah hari yang merempongkan. Belum lagi salah seorang guru mau keluar dari sekolah itu dan membuat Ria dan Cinta menangis. Terutama Ria.

Pulang sekolah, beberapa dari mereka berkumpul di kantin. Awalnya, ada Alexa, Ria, Sovi dan Cinta. Shella tidak hadir dalam pertemuan itu karena sudah dijemput terlebih dahulu oleh mamanya. Di kantin, mereka membicarakan hal-hal yang tidak penting dan bercanda gurau. Namun, salah satu dari mereka nampak tidak puas tertawanya. Ria lah orangnya.

“Ya, lu kenapa? Dari tadi kok liatin hape mulu dah?” tanya Alexa sambil duduk di sebelahnya dan melongok meliahat isi hape Ria.

“Ah, apaan sih lu. Kepo banget. Ini urusan keluarga,” jawab Ria marah sambil berpindah tempat.

Tak lama kemudian, Alexa pindah ke sebelah tempat duduk Ria lagi dan bertanya hal yang sama. Hal ini membuat Ria tambah marah. Padahal sebetulnya dari tadi tidak ada yang membuat Ria kesal karna dari tadi memang sebenarnya mereka tertawa bersama-sama. Itu juga yang membuat Alexa bingung. Tak lama kemudian, Sovi di jemput. Tinggal Alexa, Ria, dan Cinta. Cinta menunggu kakaknya yang ada di SMA.

Tak lama setelah mereka tertawa lagi, suasana menjadi hening. Kemudian Janice datang.

“Gua kira, tinggal gua sendiri anak SMP di sekolah ini yang belom di jemput. Kalo gitu gua kesini aja dah dari tadi. Lagi ngomongin apaan sih?” tanya Janice, salah seorang teman mereka dari kelas sebelah.

“Ya, sebenernya lu kenapa sih? Cerita sama kita. Kita disini sahabat,” kata Cinta.

Ria hanya menggeleng. Kemudian dia nampak bersedih dan beberapa menit kemudian menangis.

“Keluarga gua kena konflik gitu. Pokoknya gua gak pengen ada di rumah. Gua makanya tinggalnya di apartemen. Disana juga ternyata gua gak bisa tenang,” cerita Ria sambil menangis.

“Konflik apa?” tanya Cinta.

“Kalian harus janji dulu sama gua kalian gak boleh cepu ke siapa-siapa,” tutur Ria.

 “Kita janji. Dan gua juga gak bakalanlah bocorin kalo soalnya kayak gini,” kata Alexa sungguh-sungguh.

Setelah cerita panjang lebar dan nangis-nagisan, mereka tiba-tiba tertawa.

“Yaampun, sat dah. Perasaan lu baru nangis udah ketawa aja kayak kuntilanak baru lepas,” kata Alexa memecahkan suasana.

Selanjutnya, mereka tertawa-tawa menertawakan hal yang tidak jelas.

Flashback end…

Kalau dipikir-pikir, manis getirnya persahabatan sudah dirasakan oleh mereka. Lantas? Apa hanya itu? Setiap persahabatan tak mungkin berjalan mulus. Kalau tanpa badai, tak mungkin tercipta pelangi.

Tak disangka, capuccino yang tadi dipesan Alexa sudah habis. Hanya memikirkannya saja tak terasa setengah hari sudah berlalu. Sekarang, ia akan beranjak mencari makan siangnya. Ia berjalan berkeliling kota London. Walaupun hobinya menulis dan menggambar, tapi pekerjaan Alexa sebenarnya adalah seorang duta besar di London. Menulis dan menggambar hanya dilakukannya di waktu senggangnya seperti hari Sabtu dan Minggu atau hari libur seperti ini.

Ia pergi ke salah satu restoran langganannya. Ia sudah lama sekali tak pergi ke tempat itu. Pekerjaannya menyita banyak waktunya. Tak jarang di hari Sabtu atau Minggu pun ia terkadang masih terlihat sibuk di kantor.

“Hello, long time no see,” sapanya pada pemilik restoran yang sudah lama dikenalnya itu.

“Hey! Where are you going this time?” tanya pemilik restoran itu.

“Well, you know. Working,” jawab Alexa.

“You must be tired right? I’ll make you your favourite fried squid,” kata pemilik restoran.

“Thank you,” balas Alexa tersenyum.

Tiba-tiba, ada seorang pria yang menyentuh pundak Alexa. Lex pun menoleh kebelakang dan melihat paras pria itu. Ia tampak mengenalinya tapi, ia lupa.

“Alexa?” kata pria itu.

“Yes. Who are you? What do you want?” tanya Alexa langsung.

“Hahaha… Alexa… kamu ini masih sama seperti dulu. Curigaan,” kata pria itu.

“Anda siapa?” tanya Alexa.

“Kamu lupa saya? Hahaha. Memang sudah lama kita tak berjumpa. Sejak kelas 9 kan?”

Alexa mencoba mengingat-ingat wajah orang itu. Pria berkacamata, berperawakan tinggi dan kurus, berpipi tirus. Siapa orang ini? Jangan-jangan Rangga, cinta pertamanya di SMP.

“Jangan-jangan lo… Rangga ya?,” tanya Lex.

“Ternyata masih inget juga,” sahut Rangga.

“Gak mungkin lupa kali. Lo orang pertama yang bikin gua patah hati di SMP. Dan lo mesti tau itu,” jelas Alexa. Kemudian, dia pergi meninggalkan Rangga. Ia berpapasan dengan pemilik restoran.

“Alexa! Where are you going?” tanya pemilik restoran.

“Sorry. I must go now,” jawab Alexa.

Alexa berlari sambil mencoba menahan air matanya walaupun ia sebenarnya tahu, itu tak mungkin bisa terjadi. Air matanya tetap menetes. Ia berlari tanpa arah tujuan. “Lex, tunggu! Aku harus ngasih tau kamu sesuatu,” seru Rangga terhiraukan oleh Lex. Makin lama, semakin jauh berlari, Lex semakin tak kuat menahan air matanya. Ia memutuskan untuk berhenti di sebuah taman bermain yang sepi. Ia duduk di salah satu ayunan.

Tak lama kemudian, Rangga datang. Nafasnya terengah-engah mengejar Alexa. Lex yang sudah terlalu lelah berlari memutuskan untuk menerima kedatangan Rangga dan membiarkannya duduk di ayunan sebelahnya.

“Lex…” katanya pelan dalam keheningan.

“Lo masih inget chat gue waktu itu? Saat gue kirim teks panjang kali lebar ke elo pake bahasa inggris?” tanya Alexa.

Rangga hanya mengangguk pasrah mengingat kejadian itu.

“Saat itu, gue bener-bener sayang banget sama lo. Tapi, ternyata lu lebih bejat dari yang gue pikirin. Gue gak nyangka lu tega banget gantungin gue dengan cara yang nyakitin. Dan lo inget kata-kata gue waktu itu? As a human, I want another human be happy as I did. But as a girl, I don’t want to be the hurted most. Sejak itu, gue udah berusaha ngelupain elo. Tapi, gue gak akan pernah maafin lu. Sorry ya,” jelas Alexa. Ia langsung pergi berlari meninggalkan Rangga sendirian.

Alexa pulang ke apartemennya dengan bersedih. Jelas tampak dalam raut wajahnya, ia sedang bersedih. Teringat olehnya saat Rangga menyakiti dirinya. Dan dia tiba-tiba teringat tentang cerita cinta Cinta. Cinta, sahabatnya pernah jatuh cinta dengan Romi, mantan Ria.

Flashback…

Hari ini rombongan sekolah Alexa akan pergi karyawisata ke Bandung. Mereka mengunjungi salah satu tempat wisata, Tangkuban Perahu dan Ciwalk. Kala itu adalah masa-masa dimana mereka masih sangat kompak satu dengan yang lainnya.

“Cin, lu kenapa? Dari tadi senyam senyum sendiri gak jelas gitu,” tanya Alexa.

“Gak kenapa-napa. Emang gak boleh apa?” tanyanya balik.

“Enggak kenapa-napa sih,” balasnya lagi.

Alexa pun terdiam curiga melihat perilaku Cinta. Namun, tanpa  berpikir panjang, ia membiarkan saja hal itu berlalu. Saat diperjalanan, Cinta tiba-tiba tertawa kegirangan.

“Cin, lu ngapa dah? Udah sarap?” tanya Ria heran.

“Gua jadian,” jawab Cinta singkat.

“Hah? Serius lu?” kata Ria tercengang.

Namun, pertanyaan Ria tak digubris oleh Cinta. Cinta hanya tertawa cekikikan. Perjalanan pun berlanjut dengan lancar. Sesekali mereka berhenti di rest area dan melanjutkan perjalanan mereka lagi. Selanjutnya, mereka sampai di Tangkuban Perahu dengan selamat. Disana, mereka dibagi menjadi beberapa kelompok. Sekarang tiba saatnya Alexa dan Shella yang sekelompok. Mereka pergi bersama-sama dengan kelompok mereka. Saat di atas, Alexa dan Shella membeli sebuah gelang berwarna pink sama-sama.

Beberapa jam berlalu. Semua siswa dan siswi sudah berkumpul kembali di parkiran bus dan siap untuk melanjutkan perjalanan mereka ke Ciwalk.

Sesampainya disana, daerahnya sedang ramai pengunjung. Alexa, Ria, Cinta, Sovi, dan Shella berjalan-jalan di sekeliling kawasan Ciwalk. Mereka menghampiri seorang pedagan kaki lima yang sedang berjualan kalung Dream Cathcer. Untuk kali ini, Cinta yang mentraktir mereka semua. Selanjutnya, mereka pergi ke toko aksesoris dan membeli es krim. Karena waktunya yang sedikit, mereka tidak sempat menjelajah Ciwalk dengan leluasa.

Saatnya perjalanan pulang. Tiba-tiba, entah darimana datangnya, Alexa mengetahui kalau ternyata Cinta jadian sama Romi, mantan pacar Ria dan langsung menanyakannya.

“Cin, lu jadian sama Romi?” tanya Alexa blak-blakan.

“Iya. Baru tau lu?” balas Cinta.

“Hah? Seriusan lu? Dia kan mantannya Ria,” kata Alexa.

“Iya. Serius. Gua udah tau itu juga kali. Kalo gua gak jadian, mana mau gua beliin kalian kalung dream catcher,” jawab Cinta.

“Owh, jadi ini ceritanya PJ nih. Oi temen-temen ternyata ini PJ loh,” teriak Alexa sambil menunjukkan kalung dream catcher barunya. Tapi sangat disayangkan, waktu itu, bis sedang ramai-ramainya. Setiap orang asik dengan dirinya sendiri.

Jelang beberapa minggu kemudian, Romi dan Cinta putus. Cinta yang dilanda kegalauan pun mencari cinta barunya. Lalu, bertemulah ia dengan Aldi. Cinta akhirnya jatuh cinta pada Adli dan mulai mendekatinya via BBM. Namun, sangat disayangkan ternyata Adli tidak memiliki perasaan yang sama dengan Cinta. Cinta yang patah hati curhat dengan para sahabatnya.

“Gila, gua gak nyangka. Yaudah deh, gua mau move on aja,”  curhat Cinta.

“Emang kayak gitu deh harusnya Cin,” sahut Ria.

“Mungkin dia emang bukan jodoh lu kali,” kata Sovi.

“Iya, Cin. Gak usah dipikirin lagi tuh cowok,” balas Shella.

“Tuh kan kata gua apa. Emang tu cowok gak gentle. Lu harus cari yang baru lagi,” kata Ria.

“Lu pada ngomongin apa sih dari tadi?” tanya Lex.

“Bodo amat Lex,” kat Cinta, Ria, Sovi dan Shella bersamaan.

“Hehehe… maap. Otak gua lagi mampet nih,” kata Alexa.

“Bukannya otak lu emang selalu mampet ya,” kata Ria.

“Wah, parah banget lu Ya,” sahut Sovi.

Curhatan Cinta yang tadinya begitu serius pun dipecahkan oleh kebolotan Alexa yang katanya sih lagi gak nyambung. Atau memang ada korsleting listrik di otaknya? Jadi ya gitu deh.

Flashback end…

Tiba-tiba, Alexa tertawa mengingat kejadian itu. Entah kenapa sekarang ia baru merasa sangat bodoh. Dia lalu pergi ke salah satu kamar di apartemennya. Kamar itu tampak gelap, berantakan dan berdebu. Sejak hari pertamanya pindah ke apartemen itu, memang dia hanya menjadikan kamar itu sebagai gudang dan tak pernah membereskannya.

Alexa nampak sibuk membongkar setiap kardus. Dia seperti mencari sesuatu. Tumpukan debu pun tak terhelakan olehnya. ‘Kayaknya gue emang harus beresin ni gudang,’ pikirnya. Setelah lama mencari akhirnya Alexa menemukan barang yang dicarinya. Sebuah buku dengan judul ‘Memory Keeper’. Alexa membawa buku itu ke ruang tamu dan meninggalkan gudang yang sekarang nampak sangat berantakan, bahkan melebihi sebelumnya.

Sambil memakan spaghetti dan meminum teh manis panas, Alexa membuka satu per satu halaman dari buku itu. Buku itu menceritakan tentang kenangan-kenangannya selama bersekolah. Mulai dari ia TK hingga lulus. Terkadang, dia tertawa geli melihat foto atau tulisan dirinya. Lucu memang. Namun, tiba-tiba ia teringat akan perpecahan sahabat-sahabatnya. Tapi, ia tak ingat penyebabnya. Ia mulai berpikir keras untuk mengingatnya.

Keesokkan harinya, tibalah saatnya Lex harus kembali masuk kantor. Kantornya yang megah disertai dengan banyak karyawan sangat serasi dengan penampilan Lex hari itu.

“Morning ms..” kata salah seorang karyawannya.

“Morning,” balasnya tersenyum.

“This letter belongs to you, Ms. Alexa,” kata karyawannya itu.

“From who?” tanya Alexa balik.

“Your ex-school,” jawab karyawannya.

Tanpa basa-basi lagi, Alexa langsung membawa surat itu ke ruangannya. Ia penasaran, surat apakah itu. Tanpa pikir panjang lagi, Alexa langsung membukanya dan membacanya. Ternyata itu adalah surat reuni sekolahnya. Segera ia menghubungi sekretarisnya untuk mengecek jadwal-jadwalnya. Sangat disayangkan, tepat pada hari itu, ia harus pergi ke China. Lalu, ia memutuskan untuk berangkat ke Indonesia sekarang juga. Ia akan melakukan reuni itu terlebih dahulu.

Di pesawat, Lex mencoba mengingat-ingat lagi apa yang membuat persahabatannya terpecah-pecah. Seingatnya, di penghujung kelas 9, mereka tak bersatu padu lagi. Alexa dengan Ria, Sovi dengan Lisa, Shella dengan Janice, Cinta dengan Anti. Apa yang menyebabkannya ya.

Oh iya, semua ini bermula ketika Ria jatuh cinta dengan Adli, mantan gebetannya Cinta. Awalnya, mereka hanya chatting di BBM. Ria chatting dengan Adli hanya untuk membuat Cinta cemburu. Namun lama kelamaan, ternyata Ria dan Adli saling suka. Dan tiba-tiba, Adli menembak Ria.

Flashback…

“Lex, menurut lu, gua terima Adli apa enggak ya?” tanya Ria.

“Gak tau. Kalo masalah kayak gitu jangan tanya sama gua. Tapi, gimana nanti sama Cinta,” jawab Alexa.

“Kata Sovi sama Shella sih terima aja. Karna emang Adli tu dari awal gak suka sama Cinta. Gua sih udah ngomong sama Cinta. Katanya sih dia gak papa,” kata Ria.

“Ya tapi kan tetep aja sih namanya juga cewek. Pasti sakit hati lah Ya. Lu kan sahabatnya,” balas Alexa.

“Jadi gimana dong? Anak-anak sih pada bilang ke gua suruh terima aja,” katanya.

“Ya terserah lu sih. Terima aja juga gua gak masalah,” jawab Alexa polos.

Setelah Alexa menjawab Ria, ia langsung menyesal. Tak seharusnya ia setuju. Karna benar apa yang ada di pikirannya. Setelah Ria menerima Adli, hubungan Ria dan Cinta menjadi awkward. Dan Alexa menjadi kasihan dengan Cinta.

Flashback end…

Ya, dari situlah persahabatannya pecah. Cinta yang merasa semua orang yang sudah sibuk memilih mundur dari persahabatan mereka dan memilih Anti sebagai sahabat barunya.

Waktu tak terasa berlalu dengan cepat. Alexa sudah sampai di sekolah lamanya sambil memakan es krim yoghurt favorit nya.

“Lex? Alexa kan? Kemana aja lu?” tanya seseorang.

“Pak Gembel?” jawabnya.

“Hahaha.. lu ngapain disini,” katanya.

“Kagak ngapa-ngapa. Gua gak bisa ikut reunian ntar. Sibuk gua. Jadinya sekarang aja gua reunian. Hehehe…” jawab Alexa.

“Alahh… sok sibuk lu. Emang sekarang lu ngapain?” tanya orang itu.

“Kerja lah gua. Gua di Inggris. Kok lu masih disini aja sih pak?” tanya Alexa balik.

“Weh, serius lu? Jadi gembel lu di Inggris? Hahaha… iya nih. Gua masih disini-sini aja,” katanya.

“Yaudahlah… dasar gembel. Gua mau chaw dulu dah. Kapan-kapan gua traktir dah lu,” kata Alexa yang kemudian pergi.

Hari-harinya di sekolah terasa terulang kembali. Masih teringat dalam benaknya saat dirinya bersama ke-4 sahabatnya yang lain terjatuh di koridor, berlari di lapangan, tertawa di tangga, bernyanyi di kelas, dan ngobrol di kantin. Rasanya, hari-hari seperti itu tak mungkin dapat tergantikan. Tapi ia masih tak menyangka hanya karena seorang cowok dapat merusak persahabatan mereka. Ingin rasanya suatu hari nanti, ia duduk reuni bersama dengan yang lainnya sambil bercanda gurau seperti dulu.

~THE END~

Sinopsis Film Drama Korea "Wedding Dress"

Ini dia film Korea yang yaa.. dapat dibilang cukup menyedihkan dan mungkin dapat buat elu elu semua pada nangis 7 hari 7 malem(lebay). Oke deh.. kita liat aja gimana sih drama Korea yang satu ini. 

Judul: Wedding dress

Pemain:

Song Yoon-ah 송윤아 sebagai ibu, Seo Go-eun (엄마, 서고운)
Kim Hyang-ki 김향기 sebagai anak perempuannya, Jang So-ra (딸, 장소라)
Lee Ki-woo (이기우) sebagai Ji-hoon (지훈)
Jeon Mi-seon (전미선) sebagai Ji-hye (지혜)

Sinopsis:

Film ini dimulai ketika scene nya lagi ujan. Nah, terus ada seorang wanita di toko baju pengantin gitu. Terus, di lain sisi ada seorang anak perempuan namany Sora. Si Sora lagi nunggu di jemput ibunya. Gara-gara hari itu hujan. 

Tiba-tiba, bos nya go eun, ibunya sora, dapet panggilan dari bosnya. Ternyata di sebuah pernikahan, gaun pengantin wanita nya ketuker. Terus, si go eun langsung cepet-cepet ke kawinan tu orang buat nganterin bajunya lagi. Pas lagi di jalan, dia nelpon kakak iparnya alias tantenya Sora. Go eun nanya, "Sora dimana? Dia udah pulang belom?"(gitulah kira2nya). Kakaknya bilang belom. Terus langsung deh, dia ngejemput Sora. Di sekolah, Sora nya tinggal sendiri gara-gara dia lupa bawa payung padahal ibunya udah ngingetin. Temen-temennya udah pada pulang deh. Abis ibunya jemput, mereka langsung nganterin baju pernikahan itu. Udah di selesai, ternyata bucket nya lupa. Untung bos nya bawa. Tapi bosnya kejebak di tangga. Bucket nya itu dilempar ke go eun. Eh, malah yang nangkep Sora tanpa sengaja. Yaudah, Go eun nya senyum aj.

Singkatnya film ini berceritakan seorang single mom yang memiliki seorang anak perempuan. Karena ibunya selalu sibuk bekerja sebagai designer baju pengantin anaknya ini terbiasa untuk selalu sendiri melakukan segalanya sendiri. Hingga akhirnya dia tidak memiliki teman sama sekali. Suatu ketika ibunya berubah sikap menjadi sangat baik, sangat perhatian, bahkan selalu ada bersamanya. Hingga membuatnya bingung dengan tingkah laku aneh ibunya. Pada akhirnya ia mengetahui kalau ibunya sakit dan bisa kapan saja meninggal dunia. Si anak yang awalnya tertutup terhadap ibunya ini, mulai terbuka.

Sora mulai mengindahkan kata per kata yang di ucapkan go eun. Dia juga berusaha mewujudkan impian go eun. Supaya Sora bisa mempunyai banyak teman dan dapat melihat Sora tampil ballet di atas panggung. At the end, Sora berhasil mewujudkannya. Tapi sayang, setelah malam dimana Sora tampil, Go Eun meninggal dunia. Awalnya Sora yang pertama kali bangun, membangunkan ibunya. Karena ibunya tak kunjung bangun, Sora berusaha beranggapan bahwa ibunya terlalu capek dan membiarkan ibunya istiraha. Namun sesungguhnya, ia tahu bahwa ibunya sudah meninggal dunia. Para dokter yang datang untuk mengecek ibunya di pagi hari, tak diperbolehkannya masuk. Dokter-dokter itu pun menjadi curiga dan lalu mereka memaksa masuk. Scene akhirnya itu, Sora lagi di kelas main alat musik, terus dia ngeliat bukunya. Ternyata di sana ada catatan ibunya supaya dia gak lupa bawa payung. Akhirnya, pas bel pulang, Sora pulang sendirian pake payung itu. 

Sedih banget yaa.. pas dia pulang sendirian itu loh yang mengingatkan kita waktu awalnya yang tadinya dia dijemput sama ibunya sekarang harus pulang sendiri tanpa kehadiran seorang ibu. Gue gak ngebayangin kalo nyokap gue gak ada. Bisa mampus gue. Makanya, untuk kita yang masih diberi kesempatan untuk berada di deket nyokap tercinta, jangan di sia-siain deh. I love u, dearest mom. May God bless you.