It felt like we were going on a picnic. I had been preparing since early morning and made some snacks we could eat during the trip. Arkan loved savory things for breakfast, so I made shredded meat buns, mini pizzas, and pudding.
For a moment, I wondered if I was overdoing it. It was just a trip to Bandung, and once we got there, I was sure the food I made would be forgotten with all the street snacks available.
Still, I packed the food neatly into lunch boxes. What was the point of waking up so early to make all of this if I wasn't going to bring it? At the very least, Arkan wouldn't go hungry on the road.
While I was putting a change of clothes into Arkan's bag, my thoughts suddenly drifted to Axel, whom I had unexpectedly run into yesterday.
Judging by the way he looked at me, I was sure he had been surprised to see me at the Boga Rasa building. Ugh! Why was I even thinking about a man who clearly didn't remember me or Arkan?
I let out a deep sigh and looked over at Arkan, who was struggling to put on his clothes.
"Where are we going, Mom?" he asked curiously. After bathing him, I had purposely asked him to dress himself. He might struggle sometimes, but he was doing a good job.
"We're going on a little trip," I replied, grabbing a comb and starting to brush his curly hair—one of the features that made Arkan look so much like Axel. Arkan's bright eyes sparkled as he looked at me, and I responded with a smile.
"Come on, Mom," he urged impatiently.
"Wait for Uncle Kala to pick us up," I replied, holding back a laugh. Arkan's eyes widened at the mention of Kala's name.
"Then I'll wait out front!" he exclaimed and ran toward the terrace. I didn't stop him. Just seeing how excited he was made me happy.
Even though Kala hadn't said we would be staying overnight in Bandung, I packed a change of clothes just in case. We might end up at a water park or something, and I wanted to be prepared.
I rarely took Arkan out of town unless it was to visit my parents in Bandung. The farthest he'd ever gone was the outskirts of Jakarta—and even then, it was usually with Rere or Dewo while filming one of my videos.
Seeing how excited Arkan was now, I figured maybe I should consider taking him on more trips in the future.
"Mom! Uncle Kala is here!" Arkan shouted, and soon I heard his hurried footsteps approaching.
"Ready to go?" Kala asked, while Arkan clung to his arm. I couldn't help but think that no matter what Kala wore, it always seemed to suit him. This morning, he wore a plain sea-blue T-shirt and black shorts—casual, but somehow still incredibly attractive. Could I really believe the media when they said Kala didn't have a girlfriend? Who knew.
"Ready," I replied, trying to push away those thoughts about him. It was embarrassing—thinking about him while standing right in front of him like this.
"Can I bring the snacks I made for the trip?" I asked, worried he might not like food in his car.
"Of course. Bring them," he said.
"Which ones are we taking?" he asked as Arkan kept pulling on his arm like he was afraid Kala would disappear.
"It's okay, I got it," I replied, grabbing the food boxes from the table. I only brought a small bag with Arkan's essentials. But as I reached for the neatly stacked boxes inside a paper bag, Kala beat me to it.
"Wow, this looks like a lot," he said, sounding just like Arkan when he sees a bunch of snacks.
"Just some light food," I said, following him to the car. Arkan was clearly too excited to wait and quickly jumped into the back seat.
"Mom, I want the pizza you made," he said even though Kala hadn't even started the car yet. I held back a smile and opened the food container. A mini pizza topped with sausage and cheese made its way into Arkan's hands.
"I want one too," Kala said, and I became even more certain he hadn't eaten anything yet.
"But you're driving," I said while handing him a mini pizza too.
"Oh, that's easy—you can just feed me," he replied casually, making my eyes go wide. Still holding the mini pizza, I hesitated, but then he started the engine. Was he serious about wanting me to feed him?
"Here, Kala," I said, my face burning as I handed him the pizza. As if it were the most normal thing in the world, Kala took a bite. Two bites later, the whole pizza was gone.
"That was really good," he said with a full mouth.
"Everything Mom makes is yummy," Arkan added while munching on his pizza. Just those simple compliments were enough to make my heart pound wildly.
"I brought plenty. Just say the word if you want more," I told Kala.
"Can you grab me a tissue from the dashboard?" Kala asked after finishing his pizza. I nodded and pulled out a tissue for him. Since he was focusing on the road, I held onto it, waiting for the right moment to hand it over.
"Mom, wipe my mouth," Arkan suddenly said. I turned to him and saw his mouth and hands covered in pizza sauce. Using the tissue I was going to give Kala, I started cleaning Arkan's hands and mouth instead.
"I want some too," Kala suddenly said, making me turn to him.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"This," he replied, pointing to his cheek, which had a smudge of sauce on it.
"You can do it yourself," I said, handing him a new tissue. He chuckled and began wiping his cheek and mouth.
"Not fair—how come only Arkan gets all the attention?" he said. I gave a half-smile, even though my face was heating up from his words.
"Is there any place you want to visit?" he asked.
"Not really. Just anywhere Arkan can play. He rarely gets to go anywhere," I replied.
"Oh right, I forgot your parents live in Bandung. You must be tired of going there all the time," he said.
"Not really. I barely go home. Maybe once a year. Most of the time, my mom and dad are the ones who come visit us," I answered. I couldn't let Kala know the real reason I rarely went back to Bandung: I had been avoiding running into Axel, who I thought still lived there. But after seeing him at Boga Rasa the other day, I was sure he had moved to Jakarta. So there was no reason to be afraid of going back anymore.
"I miss the food," I admitted.
"You're just like me, then. I only go to Bandung for the food," Kala said, and I began mentally listing all the dishes I wanted to try once we arrived.
"Is Arkan asleep?" Kala asked. I turned and saw that he was indeed fast asleep, lying across the backseat.
"He woke up too early and got too excited," I said.
"He was so happy when he found out we were going on a trip," I added.
"No wonder he wouldn't let go of my hand since I got here," Kala replied.
By now, we had just entered the highway. I took out the pudding I'd put in small containers and started eating.
"Can I have some?" Kala asked. Was he asking me to feed him again? Traveling with Kala and Arkan made me feel like I had two toddlers with me.
I scooped a small spoonful of pudding for Kala. His lips curled into a smile after the first bite. Annoying! That smile made me want to keep feeding him.
"You made all of this this morning?" he asked.
"Just the bread. I made the pudding last night," I replied.
"More," he said. Strangely enough, instead of feeling irritated, I happily fed him another spoonful of pudding.
"Do you want some orange juice?" I offered after the pudding was gone. Better to fill him up with juice before he asked me to keep feeding him. Not that I minded—my awkwardness was just hard to handle.
"Of course," he answered. I grabbed the bottle filled with orange juice and opened the cap. Surely this was something he could handle on his own, right?
"This is the first time a trip has felt this enjoyable," he said after taking a few sips and then handed the bottle back to me.
"Because you're full?" I joked, laughing.
"That's part of it," he replied, laughing along with me.
"I rarely drive myself when traveling out of town," he added. Oh! I had forgotten that I was traveling with a director who probably had a private driver. But as far as I could remember, he'd never used a driver whenever he was with me.
"Are you tired, Kala? We can switch and I can drive," I offered.
"No, I'm actually feeling very energized right now," he replied.
"It's fun because I'm with you and Arkan. I think it would feel different with someone else," he added. I turned to look at him—and he was already looking at me. This is so embarrassing! How could I be smiling shyly like a teenager under his gaze?
"Looks like I'm not the only one having a good time. I think you are too," he said confidently.(*)