The Midnight Radio
Episode 55's
Far away you left me
Here I miss you
Now I'm trying to find your replacement
But no longer
like you oh sweetheart
(Living Memories - Gaby)
***
The drizzle that came down after isya made me almost too late for the broadcast this time. Fortunately, Remi and Gia were already preparing so that we could go live, upon my arrival at the studio.
"Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi. Good evening I say to my loyal listeners the Story of Midnight wherever I am. Inoxu was present to accompany the night break of the listeners all from the second floor studio of Radio Rebel Bandung. The rain tonight is pretty good, huh? The power is evenly distributed also in every corner of the city of Bandung. Gini-rich conditions are best enjoyed while lying under a warm blanket, while horrifying the stories that I will feed to all listeners. One song Dini Anis requests from Purple with Created For You will start our story tonight. Stay tuned and don't go anywhere."
I turned off the mic and leaned my body. Running along the parking lot after getting off the Nyx car left a bit of fatigue that made my breath still irregular. After feeling better, I dialed one of the listener numbers Remi had given me. According to him, the number regularly sends formatted messages to whatsapp numbers Story of Midnight. After connecting, I asked the source to wait for a moment.
"Welcome to listeners who have just joined. One song from Purple I just played to accompany the rest of the listeners all in this drizzling night.
And at the end of the connection, there are already our speakers who will share the story. Hello, where's it with?"
"Hello Inoxu Tea, this is with Gaby in Bandung," her soft voice entered my eardrum.
"Where's the airport, Gaby Tea?"
"In Otista, Inoxu Tea."
"OK, Otista aka Otto Iskandar Dinata. Please Gaby Tea, what story to share?" ask again.
"Well you can say, Tea?"
"Byeah, mango," I'd welcome.
"I am very happy Tea, finally can be contacted by Inoxu Tea. I sent messages many times to be a speaker in the Story of Midnight from the first broadcast, but only this time I was contacted. Seriously, I am so happy.
I am a last year student at one of Bandung's high schools. In a moment, I will face the final exam to determine graduation. Unfortunately, I lost my spirit in my last year of school."
"Why Neng? Abis broke up?" manyu tease.
"Ngga is also tea, arguably worse than that. I was forcibly separated through the path of fate."
"Where was the story originally?" ask again.
"I was close to someone who was my schoolmate in the eleventh grade. We often chatted, studied and played basketball together until finally our relationship was colored with affection. In short, I am dating this friend of mine.
For the first time in a lifetime, I just realized how it feels to love people. The treatment I received from him made me feel special. Sometimes, we talk about our hopes for the future. Graduated together, went to college, worked, then got married and had a family.
I love him so much, Inoxu Tea," he said.
"Teh knows what you're feeling, Neng. The first time you fall in love and get special treatment, not experienced by all girls your age. It's only natural that you feel rich. But, it needs to be noted, your life is still long, there are other things you have to think about besides romance," I reply.
"Yes Tea, I know it too. That's why many times I try to focus and divert attention to other things but can't. In my mind, I only thought of her name. How will I live with him, spend time with him, be the one who is always close to him. My world seems to be just spinning with him as its axis.
That's why my world is broken. Destroyed as fate outlines the events that kept us apart forever."
"What do you mean, Neng?" my many. I don't know why I feel like something's gonna happen.
"My girlfriend died in a motorcycle accident, after returning from my home, when we agreed to listen to the premiere of the Story of Midnight and promised to play the same song."
"Innalillahi wa innailaihi rojiun" I said spontaneously.
"Yes Tea. He did not exist, and left me alone. Why do we talk about the future if it turns out that only I have to keep walking towards the next mass while he is immortal in the ground. Make what? The more memories created the deeper also the wound that I felt so to breathe it felt tight. I miss him, Tea."
Though invisible, I'm sure one hundred percent if Gaby cries at the end of the channel.
"Neng, are you okay?" many ensure.
"Ngga nothing, Inoxu Tea. Oh yes Tea, I can't sing?" tanyakanya.
I looked at the wall clock to estimate the duration before confirming it. Before long, the guitar passages that flow, sound soft but give a feeling of sadness simultaneously.
There was never a sense of love
Between us now lives a memory
I wish to forget
All about you
But no longer
like you oh my star
Far away you left me
Here I miss you
Now I'm trying to find your replacement
But no longer
like you oh sweetheart
"It's great" I said spontaneously after Gaby finished singing the song. "If you can tell, what's the title? Is it your own creation?"
"Yes Tea, this song is my own creation for my girlfriend. It's a Reminiscence." Gaby's voice sounded soft. "Teh Inoxu, a lot of makasi already want to contact me. I can talk to Teteh. I'm sorry, Tea. May you always be healthy."
I almost replied to her when I saw that the connection had been severed.
"Thank you Gaby, for sharing your story with me here. Honestly, I love the song Gaby just sang. The effect is very dalem. At least, I can understand the feeling of loss felt by Gaby. For Gaby, the spirit!
It didn't feel like I had been with all the listeners for an hour and a half. Thank you for bringing me to the end. Inoxu pamit, wassalamualaikum warahmatulli wabarakatuh."
I turned off the mic and immediately put my head on the table without even having time to open the headphones. Long enough for me to stay in my position, until Gia and Remi approached and touched my shoulder slowly.
"Sad huh?" ask Remi. I nodded with my head still on the table.
"Anyway to hayu?" take Gia who came back to beangguki and then beegerak put my personal items lazily into the bag. Before long, the studio doors opened wide and featured the figures of Bang Win, Kang Utep and Teh Hani. The three entered with a tense face.
"Barusan abis same broadcast whose name is Gaby?" ask Teh Hani.
I nodded, "yes Tea, why?"
"Our server is almost down because of the many who nge-mention and send messages to Radio Rebel," added Kang Utep.
"What the hell is Kang?" ask Gia.
"Some time ago there was a live on Instagram. It was a girl named Gaby who was calling Radio Rebel. In the last few minutes, he sang a song that he said was his own creation" said Bang Win.
"Yes, he was singing here. What the hell is it?" manya curious.
"On that live, after she sings, she snaps*let on her own wrist. The audience was excited and immediately contacted the authorities and Radio Rebel."
I was wide-eyed to hear Bang Win's explanation. "Bu*nuh selves experiment?" tanyaku.
"No. Bu*nuh himself, because a moment ago he was declared dead," replied Kang Utep.
I sat down for a moment and felt something that didn't look close my neck that made it hard for me to breathe. Tears came out without my command, and made my throat even more choked. I lay my head back on the table and hope that the crying can ease a little bit of the pain inside here because I realize that I was the last person to talk to a young girl who had intended to burned himself without me preventing.
A swipe in the head broke through my defense until the bated cry turned into a sobbing without pause.