Gado-Gado We're in Love - Fajar Ütomo

In one of big cities of this our beloved country, there was a man who was busy to spend his youth to stand on the sidewalk to sell food. Let’s just call him Mr Patient. He was only a college student who made his living by selling that meal. He went home after school then he opened his stand on sidewalk under the board daylight. He did that in order to pay his school fee and to cure his ill mother who had been lying on her bed for six months. He didn’t bring her to hospital because of the lack of money. Then finally he had decided to sell food. But nobody knew about his thought was. In this modern time like this, why did he still sell traditional food? Who wants to still eat traditional food today? Then, what kind of food was it?

It was Gado-gado, a traditional salad of slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu and tempeh, and lontong, served with peanut sauce.

The first day he opened his stand, he got less costumers. But day by day, his name was heard by almost the entire city. It didn’t take so long time. He just needed around one month to make his stand surrounded by the hungry costumers. He was famous because of the delicious taste of the Gado-gado, the cheap price, the gentle attitude to the customers, and yeah… It had to be because of the gorgeousness of himself, his cool tanned skin, and handsome face with pointed nose and sweet smile. That’s why his majority customers were girls and women.

But who had known that when almost all of the girls in the city were revering him, there was a girl who became rival for him. She was Ms Vanity. She was a business woman who led a mini foreign restaurant who stood not far from Mr Patient’s spot. She fulfilled with fury when she realized that her mini restaurant got less customers day by day. Her restaurant got slack as the result of her rival’s success of selling his goods. The customers preferred Mr Patient’s wares to hers.

Then, she lost her patience and she tried to approach Mr Patient and put him away from business. She tried to make her restaurant in glory again. She, with her vanity, asked him arrogantly and tried to mock him with her poisonous words.

“Uh umm… Excuse me,” she said.

Mr Patient got shock. He never looked a beautiful elegant woman came to his stand before. Then he was nervous, like he would be drowned by his sweat.

“Umm… Yes? Could I help you, Miss? Would you like to buy some Gado-gado?” offered Mr Patient gently. Good attitude was the main way to get customers he thought. Especially, a beautiful customer.

“I am sorry? Do you think I want to buy… this food? Oh, no. I mean… do you think I want buy this… THING?” Ms Vanity’s words flowed arrogantly. But Mr Patient replied with his sweet sentences.

“Why not? This is good salad, Miss. The vegetables can make your skin looks much younger, softer, and moister. It is good for your beauty, and can make your body healthier.” Mr Patient tried to persuade.

However Ms Vanity was full of anger that she just misunderstood what Mr Patient said. She was burned in vain. “What?! How dare you! Do I look so old to you? So I should eat your THING and get younger by that? Isn’t my skin soft and moist enough?!”

“No. No. No. No. I didn’t mean that. You look so young. Your skin and face look so soft and moist like a girl.” Mr Patient felt confused and guilty. He was sorry to say that even though there was nothing wrong with what he said.

“Oh, you are the most impolite man that I’ve ever met. We haven’t known each other yet, but you are so dare to offend me. You said that I look like a little girl? How crazy you are! You must be such a paedophile, mustn’t you?!” argued Ms Vanity. She said what she wanted to say but didn’t care about Mr Patient. Her mouth and tongue worked well, but didn’t her ear and her brain.

“No! You have mistaken. I am not as you said. Pae…pae…what?” Her words just made Mr Patient’s frustrated like he was found in difficulties to speak with this woman. Then he chose to do nothing until it clear.

“Whatever! I am standing here to remind you that you are supposed to realize that you shouldn’t be here. This is my territory. You’ve established your stand too near from my restaurant,” said Ms Vanity to Mr Patient. She pointed his pointed nose harshly. Mr Patient gave nothing to her but silence and foolish poker face.

“And I don’t care about what spell or magic that you use to make your THING sold well. All I want is you’d better stop this. You will never be able to compete with my restaurant,” continued her. Mr Patient was freeze there.

He was trying to reply her and explain all but he was always interrupted by Ms Vanity. She talked with no speed limit. She spoke like she was a football presenter who’s speaking during her match.

“You don’t have any knowledge of business. You got less skill of marketing. And you know what? I am a scholar of Economics and I used to get A in every subject. I was the cum laude.”

“But I need to…”

“Shut up! Don’t interrupt my speech!”

Mr Patient wanted to cut Ms Vanity speech. But actually he was cut by her.

“And you do.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“No.”

“Yes. You did.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I am sorry,” said Ms Vanity while patting her chest.

“Apology’s accepted,” then Mr Patient replied with his sweet smile. But then, Ms Vanity’s brain was back in function again. She realized about what she had done.

“What? Wait! Why did I apologise to you? You are the person who should ask apology!” She became dark fairy once again and made Mr Patient more confused and wanted to laugh loudly. But actually, he didn’t.

“Why should I?” He asked.

“Because…” Ms Vanity’s silent for a while. It might be if she had a monitor on her head, it would be show ‘ERROR’ on it. “I don’t know. Argh, never mind. So the point is that you’re not proper enough to be my rival and you won’t be.”

“But the fact is…”

“Who cares about the fact?” Ms Vanity interrupted Mr Patient—again. “You can get so many customers because you use some magic, don’t you? You are wicked! You need to wake up! This is modern time. Magic, spell, or voodoo is useless.”

Then Mr Patient was completely full of embarrassment of being maligned by Ms Vanity like that.

“You can ask the customers about the testimony; about their reasons why they purchase my goods that you call THING. They will tell you the truth,” told Mr Patient. He was brave enough now to break Ms Vanity argument.

“Huh? They’re just foolish people whose terrible tongue. They don’t understand about taste. We have so many delicious foods in our restaurant but they turn they faces and chose this THING that you call food. Hello, Mr Dreamer! We have the best quality of our goods. We import the meats from Australia, the sauce from China, the vegetables from Japan, the fruit from America, the breads from Holland, and we employ some cooks and a chef from France! You have to know it! Then, how come our restaurant can be ruined by a small stand like this? It isn’t logical,” said Ms Vanity with anger. Her chest was up and down owing to her unstable breath. Her forehead was wet by her sweat suddenly.

“That’s it,” Mr Patient spoke. He didn’t mean to debate Ms Vanity but he thought he had to. “You are too proud of foreign products, my lady. You don’t know that we have a beautiful and rich country. Our wealth of nature is unlimited, uncountable. So we—as the people—are supposed to take the advantages, take care of it, love it, and make it well-known as famous as foreign thing. You need to learn how to appreciate your country, learn how to love your country.”

Then, Ms Vanity was just silent. She couldn’t say anything that she realized Mr Patient’s words was right. She turned into quiet woman like she was swallowing all Mr Patient’s statements and got choked because of it.

“Yeah, I know but… It is… umm… I’m just… umm…”

Ms Vanity was out of words. Her sexy red lips couldn’t move elegantly like before.

“Then, I didn’t mean to hurt you or make your customers gone. I’m just trying to earn money so that I can pay my school fee and fulfil my family necessity then I can cure my mother from her ill. I am so sorry if I am wrong. I will move to the other place to open my stand. I really am sorry if I have bothered your business then,” explained Mr Patient in wise. He put his disappointed face to Ms Vanity and took a glance at her.

“So… your mother is ill? Why you didn’t tell me?” asked Ms Vanity. Suddenly, she said.

“But I just did it, Miss.” Mr Patient replied.

But Ms Vanity was still in suspicion. “You aren’t trying to deceive me, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” said Mr Patient.

“Oh, yeah. I know. Umm… I mean what ill does she have?” then Ms Vanity spoke in shame.

“Breast cancer.”

“Oh my God! I am so sorry to hear that,”

Mr Patient just smiled and said nothing. He put his face down that his always glisten and red when he remembered his mother. And slowly, his tears flowed into his cheeks.

Ms Vanity stood in silence there. She never saw a man crying before. But the only thing that she realized was that what she saw was true. The tears of Mr Patient were honest and sincere.

“I am so sorry I didn’t know about your mother. Umm… I had no idea what I have to do. I was frustrated of my restaurant. My father would kill me if I failed establish that restaurant. Then, after your stand is here, I got financial loss. My customers gone. And I can do nothing about it.”

Mr Patient was touched. Then, he trying to cheer Ms Vanity up and stated that he would move his stand immediately.

“You look more beautiful when you’re silent like that. You look more… lovable.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Ms Vanity’s cheeks became red directly.

“No. I am serious. You are beautiful,” flattered Mr Patient.

Ms Vanity was blush and she couldn’t hold her smile on her lips. Then, both of them laughed together.

They finally had a time together and sit under a shade. They talked about their selves, told story about their life, about their family. There were no argument nor were there any anger anymore. They totally changed. They sit like they had known each other for long time.

And finally Ms Vanity changed 180º and she needed to swallow her pride and said sorry to Mr Patient once again that she cancelled her request to Mr Patient to move his stand away from her restaurant. She permitted Mr Patient to establish his stand and sell Gado-gado there, but in one condition. Mr Patient had to teach her and her cooks and chef to make Gado-gado and sell it in her restaurant.

But it wasn’t free of course. Mr Patient would be paid every month by Ms Vanity because of his idea and secret recipe of the Gado-gado. That was the contract that they finally deal with.

She did that because she wanted to help Mr Patient to cure his mother from her ill. Because actually, she had ever felt the same way as Mr Patient did. She had been lost without the existence of a mother. She was so sorry and burst into tears when she told about her beloved passed away mother to Mr Patient, her mother who had had the same ill with Mr Patient’s mother; breast cancer. She wanted to feel like she had a mother once again. She wanted Mr Patient’s mother became her mother, her second mother.

Then Mr Patient took her to his house to meet his mother. There, a woman was lying on bed. She was Mr Patient’s mother. She was skinny and so pale. Her hair had been white in every inch of it. Ms Vanity—in doubt and with pity—approached that woman and tried to caress her. But she was so shock after she looked up Mr Patient’s mother. Then she burst into tears and held that woman tightly.

Mr Patient had no idea why she did it. He just stood in the door at watched. He didn’t know whether he had to be happy or had to cry too. He’s just silent. However then, after that finally some words came out from Ms Vanity mouth again.

“Aunty Cavi, it’s you, isn’t it? I couldn’t believe that I can meet you here,” said Ms Vanity in her cry.

Mr Patient and his mother were shocked about how Ms Vanity could know Mr Patient mother’s name, in fact he hadn’t told her anyway. And the way Ms Vanity held Mr Patient’s mother was just like she had been known her for long time. Then Mr Patient realized that there had to be some connections between Ms Vanity and his mother.

“Then who are you, my lady?” whispered Mr Patient’s mother to Ms Vanity.

“Aunty Cavi, I hope you remember me like I remember you. It’s me. I am Paras, Madia’s daughter, your best friend,” replied Ms Vanity while crying.

“Paras? Madia? I remember you. You’ve grown up and you become a beautiful lady,” Mr Patient’s mother smiled to Ms Vanity and put away her tears from her soft cheeks.

Apparently, Ms Vanity was named Paras and she was Mr Patient mother best friend’s daughter. Then she told everything about her life to Mr Patient’s mother and told about how her dad’s life after her mother passed away. Mr Patient’s mother—or Aunty Cavi—was touched. She cried after she known the true story.

But the most shocking thing that made her cried hardly was… Ms Vanity’s mother request to marry her with Cavi’s son. It was the last words that her mother said before her death.

“She wanted me to be married by your son. That’s what she wanted. That’s why I have been looking for you for years, Aunty Cavi. Please, make her last willing become true,” b begged Ms Vanity.

Aunty Cavi was burst into tears. So was Mr Patient. And all what Ms Vanity wanted was just to make her mother’s last request become real. That’d been just because Ms Vanity’s mother had known that Mr Patient was proper to take care her daughter and became her husband, because she hadn’t believed anyone else and wanted her friendship with Cavi turned into family.

Then finally after before the summer goes, they were agreed to hold a wedding ceremony soon, a ceremony in simplicity. They didn’t make big party or something, just a simple traditional wedding that could combine their love together.

There, Ms Vanity was elegant and beautiful with traditional wedding dress sitting on her chair. Next to her, Mr Patient looked very dashing with costume and sword. Both of them looked like a king and a queen. And everyone who came there was happy and gave their blessing to them.

After the marriage, they were back in business. Mr Patient finally became a cook in Ms Vanity’s restaurant. There, he made Gado-gado and sell it. It became the main menu of the restaurant. And then the restaurant changed from foreign restaurant became traditional restaurant that only sold traditional food. They got so many customers even from the foreign countries. And they had they restaurant famous until abroad and they had branches there. They got a lot of financial advantages and they could cure Cavi from her ill.

And if the story tales ends with Happy Ever After with the Princess and the Prince live in wealth, the story of Ms Vanity and Mr Patient live in a simple life in spite of their wealth. Because truthfully, they love more their culture and traditional life.

♥ The End ♥

This is my second short story that I write in English. I wrote this in order to perform a story-telling performance at my campus event; English Night Performance.

But unfortunately, I did a huge mistake. Guess what?! This is not a story-telling story. It's totally a short story. So I couldn't tell this story to the audience because this story was so long and need long time.

Then, my performance needed to be cancelled. LMAO. I felt stupid but happy. Okay, just forget 'bout that! :D