𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞🌹

[You are The Rose]

   Anissa took the airplane earphones and decided to listen to music. There are several choices of songs in the airplane's offline playlist. She found her favorite song, the song of the popular American singer, Taylor Swift.

You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like a nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You, picking on the weaker man
Well you can take me down with just one single blow
But you don't know, what you don't know...

   She glanced at Rhea beside her who was seriously reading a fashion magazine. Her nose almost touched the page of the magazine. She remembers that before becoming her manager, Rhea was also the editor of a fashion magazine in Singapore.

   "Excuse me," one of the stewardess who passed get Anissa's attention. "Snacks?"

   Anissa glanced at Rhea who immediately observed the food trolley, tracing every snack that the stewardess brought. "I'll have a coke and—tuna mayo buns, please."

   "Okay, here you are," the flight attendant gave her order to Rhea and turned to Anissa. "Wait, are you really? Are you really Anissa Rose?"

   Anissa laughs awkwardly. "Yes, I am. And I'll have... Oh, just the same as her. Thank you."

   After the stewardess left, she tooks a sip of her cola. Rhea asked her, "Are you uncomfortable? Want to switch seats with me?"

   Rhea sat by the window, while Anisa sat further in the middle, and she could get more people's attention.

   She shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine, Rhea." After finishing his bread, she fell asleep until the plane landed in Indonesia. Taylor Swift's voice is like a whisper in her ear and becomes her lullaby.

  They took a taxi which took them directly to the hotel they had booked. Anissa returned to using Indonesian after a long time. The taxi driver brought Anissa to have a fun chat. He compliments the beautiful Anissa and they talk about Anissa's work and activities. Rhea, who didn't understand anything, just listened silently.

  Arriving at the hotel room, Rhea breathe out loud. The woman lay down after cleaning herself. "Ugh, Anissa, I hate it."

 "Hate what?" replied Anissa while sticking her clothes out of the suitcase.

"I really don't understand your conversation with the taxi driver. You talk too fast!"

 Anissa laughing out loud. "You better improve your Indonesian language! Not just 'Terima kasih'."

 Rhea remembered something. "Oh, no! Will I also not be able to chat with your parents?"

 "You need to calm down, girl. They can speak english," Anissa then walks to the bathroom. Soon enough, the warm water from the shower soaked her body.

   A few hours later, Anissa and Rhea went to Anissa's house. The girl had already informed her mother that they would be arriving soon. Before leaving, Anissa curled her hair and wore a blue bandana. Rhea's appearance is no less sweet than Anissa's. She was wearing her orange cardigan.

   On the way, Anissa saw the situation outside the window. Many things have changed during her stay in Singapore. The people in the market are busy with their own business. The street vendors are making the street slumer. The sound of horns and the crowds of the city accompanied their journey.

   The taxi entered Anissa's yard and she could see her father standing on the porch, waiting for them. He gives some money to the taxi driver who drove his daughter and Rhea safely. Then, the taxi left them. 

  "I miss you, dad," Anissa uttered. She kiss her father on both cheeks.

  "Darling, you're taller than the last time I saw you!" 

  Rhea feel both confused and relieved because they speak English, not Indonesian. She can understand it.

  "Hi, Rhea, how are you?" asked Anissa's father, staring at her.

  "Never better," she replied. Soon, Anissa's father brought them in.

   Anissa's mother had just walked out the kitchen, carrying a tray full of jar of cookies and hot teas. Seeing them, she welcomed them happily. 

  "Anissa, honey!" Margareth, Anissa's mother hugs her longingly. "Kamu sehat-sehat aja, kan?"

  "Sehat sekali! Aku kangen mama," Anissa indulges in her mother's arms.

  Rhea smiled. Although, she do not understand all of their conversation, she feels that they missed each other.

  Margareth turned to her. "It's nice to see you again, Rhea. Here, sit down! Make yourself at home."

  Rhea once met them when Anissa's parents visited their daughter in Singapore. However, this is her first time goes to Anissa's house in Indonesia. She was quited surprised to see Anissa's house is spacious and clean.

  "Just take it, Rhea! Don't be shy!" Anissa's father opened a jar of cookies for Rhea. Rhea nodded shyly.

  For a few minutes, Anissa and her family talked a lot about everything in Indonesian. Rhea gets diggy because of it. She didn't catch their conversation at all. Only a few words that she could understand the meaning. Anissa had taught her some vocabulary in Indonesian, but how did she could understand them right away?

   "Kamu sudah ke mana saja?" asked her mother while sipping a cup of tea in front of her.

  "Belum ke mana-mana, tujuan utamaku pulang kampung, kan ketemu mama papa dan reuni SMP. Banyak yang berubah ya selama aku di Singapura. Jadi makin ramai."

   Both Anissa and Rhea shocked when they suddenly heard a lot of noises from the backyard. From the back door, a white-haired dog ran in and stopped right in front of Anissa. He looked at her with a strange look and barked at her.

  "Are you forgot me, Cal?" Anissa walks closer to her dog. The dog sniffs her. Immediately, Cal howled with joy and licked Anissa's hand affectionately.

  "Of course he's forgot you. You've changed a hundred and eighty degrees," his father respond.

    Rhea frowned in confusion. After all, how much did Anissa's appearance changed so that her own dog doesn't recognize her? she thought.

    As if reading her mind, Anissa pulled Rhea and asked her to look at the photos hanging on the wall. There was a girl about fifteen years old with a graduation cap on top of her head. She's very fat. Rhea was wide-eyed, unable to believe that the fat girl was the same Anissa as Anissa who was standing in front of her now.

    "Surprising, isn't it?" Anissa looked at Rhea who was still gaping.

     Anissa's mother approached them and asked her daughter. "Are you sure you want to meet them?"

    Anissa sighed. "I'm not sure. Actually, the pain still lingers when I remember their words."

   "Do you know why I blessed you with the name 'Rose'?" asked Margareth softly.

   "Why?" 

   "Because I want to see my daughter to grow up to be as beautiful as a rose. I want you to bloom beautifully and to people like you. Besides, the rose doesn't grow beautiful just like that. The rose grows with thorny stems. And without those thorns, she wouldn't be as beautiful rose she is today."