Putri Kusayang

Prologue

 16 May 2016,

Today is a big day ahead of me, I slept heavily in my bed, dreaming about my plans, where should I go when I graduated, etc. A few minutes later, I heard a ringing sound with a sweet tune began to play, but it was more of a beeping noise than a sweet melody of chirping birds. I tried to resist the annoying sound, but it seems impossible to mute my ears, God, I wish I could just bloody murder that sound with a sledgehammer right about now.

Since that annoying sound won't go away any time soon, I eventually gave up in the end, so I woke up from the bed and disabled the alarm, I checked my phone, I didn't give a damn until I saw the time, it was 6:15, I rushed to the nearest bathroom and take a five-minute shower. I hurried to get dressed and packed all the things I needed for school, notebooks, writing tools, and well, half of the things that's left from my desk. I was in such a hurry, I forgot what today is, it didn't take long for me to realize what today is. I dashed to the kitchen on the first floor, when I got there, I noticed that my mother didn't cook me breakfast this time since my mother worked so hard these past weeks, she must be tired, I decided to cook myself good old fashioned eggs in a basket, it took a lot of courage and creativity into this since it's been so long I cooked for myself.

I started cooking when I was about nine years old, my mom had a limited time at the house, but dad was the one who taught me to cook, the first dish I ever made was a large chocolate brownie cake, it was my mom's favorite. My mom was about to come home after her night shift at work, me and my dad were hesitant to give mom a present for her birthday, so instead of a present, we made her a birthday cake, I can still remember mom's cheerful and relaxed face during that time, she looked more calmed and didn't have a single care for the world, even her job, if it wasn't for my dad, I could've never achieved anything this big in such a young age, I could still keep my family together just like this, but I knew that our family wouldn't be the same anymore.

"Dad" is what I remembered, he was more than just my dad, he was my teacher, my idol, my inspiration, the person that I want to be. But it's been so long since I last saw him, he was going on a trip to Central Kalimantan when I had just turned ten years old, I can bear the news but leaving him was hard for me. Throughout my childhood, the only person who was always with me was my dad, he taught me about a lot of things during homeschooling, help me in my hardest times, and supported me in any way he can, he even brought books for me to study and thought me how to read when I was three, that's all the things a daughter could ask for a better father, but does anyone even know how it feels to be close to someone who is going to leave you that felt like forever?

I still remembered how we arrive at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, we parked our car and walked to the entrance, I kept holding my dad's hand while we were walking. When we were inside the airport, there was a long line waiting for the securities to check their passports and luggage, we stopped there for this will be our goodbye, I looked up to my dad, tears were about to form in my eyes as my dad approaches the securities before I knew it, I ran to my dad's direction and hugged both his legs, embracing my sadness of leaving him. At first, his reaction was either shocked or surprised, he thought it was some giant spider attacked him from behind and strangled his legs, but that expression changed when he saw that I was the spider strangling his legs. He then put one knee and hugged me, he confessed that he doesn't want to leave me, but he promised me that he'll come back home and surprised me with a lot of souvenirs. When he said that to me, my sad expression turned into happiness, he whipped my tears and gave me one last hug before he goes, we said our goodbyes to him and leave the airport. After the plane took off, mom and I walked to the car, on the way home, through the car's window I saw a plane, I was certain that it was the plane dad was on, I smiled to the plane while it disappeared above the clouds, when the plane vanished, I kept gazing at the sky, thinking about my dad throughout the whole trip back home.

So I've waited for my dad to come home ever since, we get in touch by calling him often and sending emails and video calls, but during the passing years he seemed busy, he never seemed to have the time to chat anymore, now he didn't seem to reply at all as if all the communication devices that he has was all shut down with no reason, and until that day, I didn't hear about him since. But I kept sending him emails and chats, if he really is busy, I don't want him to be left out from my life, I want him to know all that's been happening throughout these passing years when he's not here because he's the only person that still cares in this world. I've waited for him since Ramadhan, I've waited for him since Father's day, but he didn't come home even during my eleventh birthday.