30 DAYS WITH U
23. BE MY TRUE LOVER 3

“Keila! Keys! Keila!” 

The slightly loud call made Keila aware of her daydream and gasped in surprise. “Ah, what??” 

“I should ask? Why are you suddenly silent?” Andra asked with a worried tone. 

Keila turned her gaze again towards the children playing on the river bank. Something then came to Keila's mind: an old memory that Keila had forgotten all along. “You see the kids playing on the riverbank there?” 

“Yes, I saw it. Why suddenly discuss the children there?” Andra asked in surprise. 

“Something in my mind suddenly flashed. Those kids made me remember something that happened a long time ago.” Keila lied and tried to switch the conversation with Andra because she did not want Andra to keep asking about her freezing attitude earlier. Keila just didn't want Andra to keep asking questions and make her careless about the thoughts she had with Andra. 

“What suddenly comes across?” 

“A few years ago, a year after my father's death, I met a boy here, more precisely on the banks of the river where the boys are playing now.” Keila started an old story that she had forgotten for several years.

“Is there anything special about your meeting with the boy?” Andra asked in a flat tone while looking at the children playing on the riverbank.

“That day. . I came here after a year of not being able to accept my father's death. Because I missed my father too much, I was here to remember all the memories with my father until a scene was caught by my eyes and made me forget my desire to come here.” Keila spoke while recalling her old memories.

“What happened?” 

“The boy with the geeky appearance and thick glasses falls victim to bully by some of his themes and they intend to get the boy into the river. Seeing that, I rushed to the edge of the river and tried to stop the action. With my breath almost cut off from trying to run as hard as I could, I took out a lot of rocks on the riverbank and threatened the group of children who were bullying one boy with those thick glasses.” Keila smiled in light of her crazy actions at the time while threatening the children with a large stone she had taken from the riverbank. 

“You threatened a bunch of kids with stones?” Andra asked with a face of disbelief. “I'm not sure if the action will work?” 

Keila smiled with a proud face and turned towards Andra. “It actually worked. I managed to threaten that bunch of kids by throwing those stones.” 

“Heh. .” Andra still can't believe it. “It worked? I think you were just lucky then, Keila.” 

“Kurasa.” Keila smiled as she turned her gaze back to the children who were playing on the edge of the river. “Either it was lucky or not, but obviously I managed to save the child with those thick glasses.” 

“Then what happened after that?” 

“We both talked for a moment. I asked him why his friends bullied him. I also asked her why she did not fight them and allowed herself to become a victim of bully.” Keila replied while recalling those old memories. 

“The reason the child is a victim of bully is the same as the reason most children are victims of bully in various places: because of a slightly geeky appearance, because of wearing thick glasses and lastly, because they are wearing glasses, because I don't want to fight.” Keila still remembered her conversation with the bully victim's child. 

“Then did you just shut up to see the reason for the bullying?” 

Keila shook her head. “No. If I don't remember wrongly, I spoke to the boy at the time. But it seems, I forgot what I told the boy time.” 

“You forgot about it??” 

Keila nodded her head hesitantly while trying to recall her old memories of that time. “Yes, I can't clearly remember my conversation with the boy. Even his face and apparently, I can't remember even though I'm talking about it right now. Only one thing from his looks I remember: his thick glasses.” 

“Ah after speaking at length, you forgot the important thing and made me curious, Keila.” Andra said in a regretful tone because she was so curious about the story.

“I did forget my conversation with the boy, but I remembered something important. Thanks to that child, I who had been unable to accept my father's death was finally able to accept my father's death with a spacious heart. I don't know what I said to the boy and I don't know what the boy told me, but obviously that day we both had a bad day, got our spirits back.” Keila exhaled a long sigh of relief. “I wonder how the kid is doing now? But. . maybe even if we meet again, I won't recognize him. Even today, I don't remember his face in my memory.” 

“If the incident happened long enough, then no wonder if you don't remember it, Keila. In your eyes, in your memories, that boy is just one of hundreds of people passing through your life.” 

Hearing Andra's words, Keila spontaneously turned her head and looked at Andra. “Yes. Thas right. That day's boy was probably just one of hundreds of people passing by in my life. I may have forgotten it, but I clearly remember that my encounter with him was my reason for surviving my father's death. If I could, I'd like to see the boy again.” 

“Why do you want to see the boy again even when you can't remember his face and apparently clearly? Isn't that a ridiculous hope, Keila?” Andra asked curiously. 

“I want to see the boy's life now. If I don't remember wrongly, that kid promised me to be a tough kid in the future. But unfortunately, I don't remember how the boy looked. Even if we cross paths on the street, I probably won't recognize him. I'm a fool, huh?” Keila smiled slightly looking at Andra.

“A strange hope. But what's with your smile? You smiled since looking at me. Is there something weird about my face?” Andra was astonished by Keila's smile. 

“It feels like a coincidence, I'm here with the man wearing glasses and talking my old memories relating to the boy wearing thick glasses. If Bonita and Hardan had heard that story, they would have thought the boy in my story was you.” Keila laughed at her own words. 

“Bonita and Hardan don't know that story?”

“Yes, they both don't know.” Keila nodded her head. “If I don't remember wrongly, I never told them that story. It seemed like something happened that day until I finally did not tell the story to Hardan and Bonita, my best friend. You're the first person to know that story.” 

Hearing Keila's reply, Andra's smile came back again and made Keila's heart beat back. Dag. . dig. . . dug. . . For the umpteenth time, Keila froze accepting that smile. In his mind, Keila spoke something that Keila did not want Andra to hear. Today is the 18th day I know Andra. In these eighteen days, many things happened between me and her: our first meeting on this bridge, her living right next to my apartment and the times I spent with her. If the day of our first meeting, I consider it a day full of misfortune in my life. So today when I think back to that day, I actually consider that day as my lucky day. She may always stick to me, she may always say that she is my lover but somehow I never avoid her at all, never stay away from her. Could it be that I have really fallen in love with her as she had hoped?