Meet me in the Summer, Athena [e book reader pc .txt] 📗

July 8, 2011

Central Park, New York City - Shakespeare in the Park performance, 08.30 pm, Romeo and Juliet

“(Romeo) Lady, by yonder blessed moon, I swear,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops.—

(Juliet) O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circle orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

(Romeo) What shall I swear by?

(Juliet) Do not swear at all;
Or if thou wilt, swear by the gracious self,
Which is the god of my idolatry, And I believe thee………………”

I am stunned by the performance of this theater. It’s been years that I haven’t seen the play of Romeo and Juliet on the stage. This love tragedy still gets me.

Slowly, I hear the sound of the crowds cheer. For a second, I don’t realize that the play has ended. I get up from my seat to give the standing ovation to the performers.

Standing beside me, Andini, is also cheering the performers with her applause.

“It was excellent! Wasn’t it, In?” ask Andini while we were walking to the car park.

“It was, Ndin”, I smile to her.

I take Andini to her hotel.

“Thank you, In, for taking me to see the play of Shakespeare in the park. It was amazing, beyond my expectation. You never change, In, you always know how to make me happy”, said Andini, before I leave.

I just smile at her.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bring your girl friend with you. I want to know her, the lucky lady”, said Andini again.
“I will. Good night, Andini.”
“Good night, In.”

I drive my car and leave the hotel. This night brings me back a lot of memory.
_____________________________________________________________

July 9, 2011

In a coffee shop, at Lafayette Street, 03.00 pm

Andrea and I meet my high school friends, who I haven’t seen for almost two decades.

“Andrea, these are my friends from Indonesia, Marina, Lucy, Andini and her husband, Matt. And this is their daughter, Alma. Everybody, this is Andrea, my girlfriend.”

Andrea greets my friends with a warm tender voice. She smiles at them. Her cute lefty cheek’s dimple surely melts everybody’s heart.
Andrea sits by me, and opens a conversation, “Welcome to New York, ladies, and of course gentleman. I am sure this is not your first time visiting New York”.

“It is for me and my husband. But not for these two ladies…”, said Andini graciously.
“How long have you known each other?” ask Andrea again.
“Too, long..”, Marina immediately answers it and laughs.
“Some of us, even, have been friends since elementary school…”, add Lucy.

Soon the atmosphere becomes more enjoyable. Andrea always knows how to break the ice. She blends right away with my friends. They chat like old friends. Her green eyes sparkles every time my friends tell a silly story about me.

Andrea listens to my friends attentively. Her head slightly slanted. The afternoon sunshine reflects in her brown long hair which falling down her shoulder beautifully. I choose to be more silent while Andrea are having talk with my friends, but enjoying every minute of it.

Once in a while she looks at me and smile, asking for a silent confirmation when my friends ask about our relationship.

Sometimes she holds and gently caresses my hand, to give me a soothing feeling.
_____________________________________________________________


July 10, 2011

Upper West Side Apartment – 07.00 a.m - The city has not waken up yet

Andrea and I have just finished our Sunday breakfast on our bed. As my stomach has been full, I start to sleep again. Unexpectedly, Andrea asked me a ‘hit’ question, which makes my eyes open wider.

“So, tell me darling, among those ladies of your friends that we met yesterday, which one was your first love?” Andrea asks me in softly calm tone of voice.

Silent.

“Ok, I’ll make a guess..”, said her again, still in the soft tone.

(No, don’t you dare!)

“I think… she is the woman, who was with her husband and her daughter…”
“What’s her name again? …ah Andini”, she answers her own question.

Silent.

“Am I right?”

Silent.


“Tell me in the eyes if I were wrong!” Andrea overthrows her body and faces me.

(Damn she is right!)

I turn my face.

“Yes! I know it.. She is the one…”, Andrea laughs in satisfaction.
“Honey you can’t hide it from me… I always know”.

(Shit!)

“Do you still have a feeling over her?” ask her.

(People say first love never dies)

“If one day she’ll turn back on you, would you rather be with her?”, ask her again.

“Don’t be ridiculous. She has a happy family”, I answer Andrea’s question hardheartedly.

“Darling, I could see her eyes were glowing every time she looked at you, yesterday”.

(Really?)

“She still has a feeling for you. I can tell you that…”

(I don’t believe it)


Silent.


“You haven’t answered my question!”

“What?”

“If she turns back at you, would you be with her?”


Silent.


“Honey!!”

“No, Andrea, no, for God sake!”

“Why not? Don’t say it because you have been with me!”

“She is my past.”

“But, she can be your future, too…”


Silent.


I get up from the bed and walk to the sofa to turn on the TV.

“I never look back. What happened in the past remain in the past. Because time never runs backward”, I answer Andrea’s question while switching the TV channel.


Silent.


There’s no interesting TV show, this morning. I turn off the TV and get back to my bed.

“Honey, do you love me?” Andrea holds me.

(What kind of question is that?)

“Just answer me!”

(If I don’t love you, I won’t be here with you, laying in the bed, talking nonsense)

“You don’t answer my question!”

“What?”

“DO YOU LOVE ME?”

“I do. I do, sweetheart”, I caress Andrea’s hair.


Silent.


My mind flies to my high school years, twenty years ago.

Andini was the prettiest girl in my school. But unlike the other pretty girls in our school, Andini was never acting like a bitchy queen. She was calmed yet sporty. We never officially dated. But our friends saw us as girlfriend and boyfriend. Andini and I both had never confirmed or deny it. We loved to spend our time together at the local theater in our town, to see poetry’s reading and stage play. We were both crazy of Shakespeare’s greatest love story of Romeo and Julie, and tried so hard to read the book of it.

Andini and I shared the same dream, to pursue literature study at one of Britain's oldest university, Oxford. Unfortunately, only Andini who finally managed to fulfill her dream to go there, because my father insisted me to study business management at Stanford University. Something I never dreamed of.

I still remember, back then, before we left Indonesia, Andini and I made a promise to meet in the summer.

And my summer time meeting with Andini took place two days ago in Central Park, after 20 years later.


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Publication Date: 01-10-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Dedicated to Andini