Panduan Mempersiapkan Perpisahan

Hello, strangers.

I don't know where to start this story.

There are too many things I want to share,

but sometimes what I want doesn't feel matter.

Our farewell is too bitter to be remembered,

but our togetherness is too precious to be forgotten.

I, then, asked to the memory of you.

I'm glad that we met.

Memories are just something I carry.

My life was colorful with her.

But now everything is black and white.

Are you sure you still want to go there?

Of course. We're already here, anyway.

Okay.

But we only have enough gasoline to go home.

Are you sure you don't wanna go home?

I still remember our way home.

Seriously? We're here already.

Let's just go. I think we're almost there. Come on.

How do you know we're almost there?

I don't know. I just feel it.

Let me summarize what this story is about.

This is the story of my encounter with a woman.

The sweetest woman I've ever met.

The woman I thought was gonna be my fate.

You and I.

We both have a problem with direction.

I'm leaving.

Are you?

To Taiwan.

When?

Next week.

I knew it.

You only came to say goodbye.

How long will stay in Taiwan?

Three months.

Are you gonna miss me?

Maybe.

Thanks.

Thank you for being patient,

for being with me

and staying by my side.

I think I love you.

Too bad, I don't.

Yes, this is a story of a woman.

The woman I loved,

but then we separated.

Maybe what I try to share this time is a guideline for farewell.

A GUIDELINE FOR FAREWELL

I don't know why I wrote this book.

My psychologist recommended it to me.

He said writing is a perfect therapy for me.

There are a thousand reasons to write.

One of them is to remember.

Or to forget.

- Excuse me, Sir. - Come in.

Please, come in.

Please, sit down.

Thank you so much for coming.

- Thank you, Sir. - Yes. Please.

Here...

I brought you the latest draft.

Yes.

I've read the previous draft.

When I read it,

I got a feeling...

that it is a personal story.

So, is this your own story?

Eminus Dolere.

What does it mean?

It means grieving from afar.

"Grieving from afar."

CHAPTER 1 THE ENCOUNTER

Do you always bring cat food wherever you go?

Yeah, sometimes.

Do you like cats, too?

I do.

I like dogs, too.

Do you believe that the movie was romantic?

I do.

I think...

a lot of memorable moments...

are easier to happen.

With digital movie, we can capture a lot of moments.

We'll have more time, more memories.

An 8 mm can only give you 15 minutes, right?

It's so limited.

Don't you think? So, the momets recorded are like,

"Let's record something."

So, it's not raw, not spontaneous, not natural.

- You've got a point there. - Right?

Sorry, have we met before?

I don't think so.

Sorry for acting so friendly.

It's okay.

Cats at this age are the cutest.

Yeah, they're super cute.

What should we name it?

Hey.

You said you wanted to check out the camera.

- You have it? - Yeah. I brought it.

Okay. Wait a minute.

Why don't you give it a name. What? Potato. Sweet Potato.

See you.

I think we've met before.

Do you still have cat food with you?

No. Not today.

How's Sweet Potato doing?

Sweet Potato.

- You still remember. - Of course, I do.

What book are you looking for?

Nothing specific. I'm just looking around.

But here is a good poetry book.

Poetry?

I'm looking around, too.

But I'm looking for a book about management.

Management?

So serious.

I have to. It's my thesis.

Do you study here?

In Jakarta.

What about you?

I study Finance here.

Finance? So serious.

But my dream is to be a writer.

What do you want to write? Fiction, non-fiction?

More to fiction,

but sometimes poems, too.

- Something like that. - Poems?

I don't like poems.

Language is complicated.

It's like you give someone something,

but you throw it first to a pile of hay before you give it to them.

What are you laughing at?

Don't you realize?

You said you didn't like poems, but you said it in a poetic way.

- I did? - You did.

That part about throwing it first to a pile of hay?

That's very poetic.

No, it's not. It's an argument. It's called an argument.

Okay. Let's agree that your argument is poetic.

Yes, agreed. Just to end it quickly.

So, do you write everyday?

Yup.

But sometimes I don't.

What about after this?

I plan to write.

Where?

At a cafe over there.

There's a cafe over there?

- Yup. - Really?

Can I bother you while you're writing?

Okay, I won't. I'll just be quiet. I swear.

I'm just looking for something to do.

- Okay. - Can I?

- Sure. - Really? Okay, let's go.

Where is it?

I don't know why I pictured you drawing a cat.

Yeah, anything random. Draw whatever comes to your mind.

Talking about writing, have you watched this movie?

An Indonesian movie. An old one.

It's called, "Apa yang Kau Tjari, Palupi?"

If I'm not mistaken, it's a...

'60-ish movie?

- Yeah, in the '60s. - Am I right?

Yeah. So, Palupi married a writer.

The writer was very idealist. He was a man of principle.

It's fine for him to live a humble life.

Palupi, as a housewife, may get bored.

So, she told her husband that she wanted to be an actor,

she wanted to be a movie star.

Her husband then introduced her to a movie director.

Eventually, Palupi fell for the director.

The director even left his girlfriend for her.

But after the director did that,

Palupi dated a businessman, someone else.

I think

I can relate to Palupi's quarter-life crisis.

Her confusion, I really get that.

Don't you think so?

And what I like about this movie...

is that it made me wonder.

Why can't a woman look for her own happiness?

People would seem to judge her.

"This woman doesn't seem to know what she wants."

"It seems like she doesn't have a goal, she's confused."

On the other hand, if Palupi were a man,

people would cheer on him.

"He may be exploring his life, looking for his true self." Right?

It annoys me.

Deep inside, I think a movie is very personal to its filmmaker.

That' right.

Right?

Do you think it's important that a work should be personal?

It is.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Come back tomorrow.

Promise?

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