30,000 Feet

Bab 22

KLIA - 2:45 petang

"Jom break. I'm starving." Clarence mengetuk meja cashier dimana aku sedang bertugas.

"Awal lagi."

"You had your breakfast, I didn't maa. Comelah. Lapar already ni."

"Yalah." Aku kemudiannya memanggil James untuk coverkan cashiet sekejap. Jarang-jarang dapat sama shift dengan dia ni.

"Actually, today aku bawa bekal. Ada untuk kau sekali. Do you eat sotong?" Dia bertanya dengan mata bersinar.

"Makan. You masak ke?"

Dia mengangguk. "Salted egg squid dengan white rice. Ada kuah sup sekali. Okey?"

"Okey je."

Dia kemudiannya pergi ke pejabat dan kembali dengan dua tiffin di tangannya. Kami kemudiannya berjalan seiringan ke ruang tinjau KLIA yang surprisingly hari itu, sedikit lengang berbanding kebiasaan.

Kami berdua duduk bersebelahan memandang ke arah lapangan tempat kapal terbang itu bersusun. Bekas makanan dibuka dan kami mula menyuap ke mulut masing-masing.

"Sedap?" Dia bertanya sebaik aku menghabiskan suapan ketiga.

Aku mengangguk pantas. Memang sedap.

"I cooked myself tau."

"Pandai."

"Of course I am."

Aku pandang muka dia lama. Sebenarnya, dalam kepalaku, ada satu soalan yang sedang menantikan untuk aku soalkan. Tapi aku tahu, dia tak ada jawapan untuknya. At least yang tepat.

"Gor, gor, nak tanya."

"Shenme?"

"Your sister dated a cabin crew eh before?"

Dia terdiam sekejap semasa mendengar soalanku itu. Kemudian dia memandang aku sebelum menyambung menyantap lunchnya.

"Yeah."

"Oh, how long?"

"If tak salah, almost their 8th anniversarry. But the guy is an asshole so yeah fuck him!"

"Wow!"

"James told you is it?"

Aku senyum sahaja.

"Yeah, I hate him."

"And is it true that he left your sister for a boy?"

"Betul. I hate that fucking bitch as long as I live."

Aku anggukkan lagi.

"Why do you hate your sister's ex so much?"

Dia senyum. "I mean, actually I played a role jugak in their breakup."

"Really?"

Dia mengangguk. "Yeah. I kinda regret it at first."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple. I was selfish. Very selfish. I thought when I wanted it, I could just have everything." Kemudian dia jeda seketika. "But to think about it, I was the victim also."

Aku rasa macam aku faham tapi aku tak faham.

"If I told you one thing, promise you won't judge me?"

"Sure. I won't."

Dia mengambil nafas berat. "Well, actually..."

Semasa dia baru hendak membuka mulut, aku perasan ada seorang lelaki berdiri di belakangnya dan menepuk belakangnya sederhana kuat.

Dia berpaling dan aku nampak matanya bersinar semacam tatkala dia memandang lelaki yang menepuknya itu.

"Lao Ban!" Dia terus peluk lelaki itu yang nampaknya redha sahaja dengan apa yang diperlakukannya itu. "What are you doing here?"

"I nak balik Sarawaklah jumpa my family. You kerja sini lagi eh?"

Clarence mengangguk. "Qasy, this is my mentor, Dr. Ashim. He was my senior masa I study dulu."

Aku pandang Dr. Ashim itu. He doesn't look like he's in his 20s.

"Hi, Qasy. Inilah bao bei I dulu, kan Zii Jia?"

"Suka panggil nama tu. You know you je yang panggil I with that name?!"

"Of course tahu. Dulu pun you panggil saya 'gor gor' kan?"

Aku tak tahu siapa lelaki ni tapi aku mula cemburu.

"Ini you masak ke, Zii Jia?"

"Ya lor! Who else lagi? Think I still cannot cook meh?"

"Nolah. Dulu kan kalau saya suruh masak you mana mahu punya. Goodlah now know how to cook. Untunglah who would be Mrs. Chen tu."

Aku nampak air muka Clarence berubah sedikit sampai di part tu. Okay mungkin kawannya ini tak tahu.

"Nanti ada sales you tell melah. I also want to buy something for my mother as well. Her birthday is really around the corner."

"Sure, lao ban. Will let you know."

Dia memberikan senyuman pada aku dan Clarence. Semasa dia berjalan pergi, aku perasan mata Clarence tak turun langsung dari memandang dia. Macam dia adore gila dengan lelaki itu.

"Siapa tu?"

"Dr. Ashim. When I first year dulu, he was my mentorlah. Dia tengah HO masa tu. So yeah, he's old already. Tak salah pun currently dia baru habis buat specialist."

Aku anggukkan saja. Rasa cemburu tapi kena sabar.

"Anyway, about my story tadi, just so you know, I was not a good person. Apparently my bestfriend was even worse."

"You mean?"

"My sister's ex had an affair with me when he was with my sister. Nothing intimate as he clarified to me that he was straight."

"And your bestfriend?"

"Well, I told him about the sneaky affair. I know I shouldn't have but he was my bestfriend maa. Of course I believe him."

"Well, what happened then?"

Dia menarik nafas dalam. Kemudian dengan bibir terketar-ketar dia membuka mulutnya.

"He stole that guy from both me and my sister. If only I knew his intention, I takkan tell him. I know what I did to my sister was bad but never have I ever dreamt of stealing that guy. Yes, I asked him to choose between me or Catherine but of course I kinda make him choose my sister. I behaved badly just so he know that I can't be together. But that fucking bitch fuck I hate him!"

Damn! This story is getting very out of hand.

"May I ask?" Perlahan aku bersuara.

"What now?"

"Is your friend Nicholas?"

Dia mengangguk. "Of course Catherine told James and James told you. But yeah, after that, we lost contact. Good riddance, though."

Hmmmmmmmmmmm this story huh...