You are Colorless [English Version]

Chapter 02

    There's a job vacancy!

    Singgih half-ran steps towards the announcement paper stuck to the glass wall of a coffee shop. Her puffy lips immediately curved downwards when he read the maximum age limit that he was no longer friends with.

    Unsteadily, Singgih walked along the courtyard of the shophouses on the side of the road. Hoping that a vacancy will fall right into his hands.

    The sound of the horn - from a pick-up truck - which had stopped on the side of the road suddenly startled Singgih. A man younger than Singgih stuck his head out of the car window while showing off a smile.

    "Singgiiih!" Reas exclaimed.

    "Hurry up!" ordered a man with a fierce face from behind the steering wheel. We have to transport goods to Mijen.

    "I've been fired..."

    "Who fired?" Fadil rebuked.

    "Her watch was lost because of me."

    "She had found her watch," said Reas.

    "After all, you work with me," said Fadil. "It's me who has the right to fire you. Not the gossip mouth."

    "But the gossip mouth is still Bang Fadil's wife." Reas reminded.

    Fadil snorted, then called Singgih. "Hurry up!"

    The curve of Singgih's lips expanded again. His job was back in his hands. A second later he had jumped into the back of the car.

    The car drove away who knows where to take him. Of all the jobs he has had in the past two years, he likes working with Bang Fadil the most. According to him, he was the only man who understood his situation the most. He felt accepted; needed and appreciated like humans.

    Singgih jumped down when the car stopped right in front of a fairly luxurious house painted brick red. Singgih and Reas followed Fadil into the house, it seemed that Fadil already knew the owner of the house well.

    They started transporting things, for example: a large suitcase, two medium-sized plastic cupboards, a study table, and finally a small nightstand. Singgih and Reas tied the items with rope.

    A man was seen continuing to observe Singgih through the bedroom curtains. Because he was filled with curiosity, the man left the house and immediately approached Singgih.

    "Singgih - right?" asked the man to make sure between doubts.

    Singgih stopped for a moment, then returned to tying. Reas was still pulling the rope, but his eyes glanced alternately at Singgih and the man.

    "You, Singgih - *SMA Pelita Abadi, right?"
(*Senior High School).

    Singgih's hand movements stopped again for a moment, then tightened the rope again.

    "When... out of prison?"

    "Recently."

    Reas who was there forced his ears to hear what they were talking about.

    "Rolan will be very happy to see you are free."

    The rope's grip on Singgih's hand tightened. A name he didn't want to remember at all, but today his friend - he didn't even know his name - forced his memory to remember that name again.

    "Now he's very successful."

    Singgih straightened his standing position while looking at his friend. "Success?" he asked, not understanding.

    "You've never met Rolan?"

    Why would Singgih meet that person - if his life is now miserable because of that person's actions?

    "Last night Rolan just appeared on TV as a successful young entrepreneur."

    "He inherited his father's business?"

    His friend laughed amusedly. "Rolan has his own company. It's called Landsoft. Did you know?" he sneered.

    Singgih Just ignore it. "Noe?" he asked another.

    "Noela?" his friend asked just to make sure.

    Singgih nodded.

    "Never saw her again after graduating. She didn't even come at the reunion."

    "Ajeng?"

    His friend's face turned panicked. "Wh - why are you asking Ajeng?"

    "Have you ever met Ajeng?" Singgih's sharp eyes accidentally scared his friend.

    "Ne - never.. Reportedly... Ajeng moved to Germany."

    Singgih's fists tightened on the rope.
   
*

    The goods have arrived at their destination, Mijen - a sub-district in the city of Semarang. The owner of the house serves iced syrup which is perfect for quenching thirst - even though the air here is cool, but because they are carrying things - it makes them sweat.

    Reas sitting next to Singgih.

    "Why do you want to be friends with me?"

    "What kind of question is that?" Reas groaned. "We are outcast people. If Bang Fadil hadn't picked us up, maybe by now we would have been homeless on the street. My past was trash, but now I don't want to be society's trash. If I could fix my past, I would have fixed it a long time ago."

    Singgih really understood what Reas said. "You think... justice exists?"

    "Currently prisons are full of criminals. This means that justice exists."

    "If there was justice," Singgih paused in disappointment, "I should have gotten justice. It wouldn't have ended tragically like this."

    "Then what do you want?"

    "It's like you said. If I can fix the past, then I will fix it. I also have the right to live in peace and get a job. Not down like this. Insulted. Mocked. Humbled. I'm human too. There were times when I also felt pain... when I heard them ridicule my status. Who wants to live like this? Who would want to choose a path like this? I don't think anyone would want to."

    "This is our fate."

    "Our fate can change."

    "I also want to change my fate." Reas subconsciously raised his voice. "But they don't want to accept us. Which company will accept us, we're stuck," he snorted in annoyance, "it's like this. Do you think I don't have any effort to move forward? Every time something goes missing at my workplace, they always accuse me."

    Reas' chest began to tighten.

    "I don't want to steal either..."

    Clear glass began to pool in Reas' eyes.

    "But the situation was pressing for me. I didn't have enough money to pay for my mother's medical expenses. And, I was forced to take a little money at the cashier..." Reas opened up about his bad memories. "That kind of money means nothing to my stingy boss. Do you know what that stingy fat bald boss said?" The tightness in his chest turned to anger. "He said poor people shouldn't get sick. Troublesome. I patted his face. And, I got two demands at once. Theft and beatings."

    Singgih was silent. What Reas was wrong. But it is still the law that speaks.

    ***