Sunday, April 3, 2011

Chapter II -What Friendship Is-

Chapter II -What Friendship Is-

-------It's 7.00 pm in Venice here, thank god it was a good flight. First thing to do: search for a job! so much job list offered but what will I take? Cooking. Just had cooking learning on junior high school I think quite enough. At least I learned to turn on the oven and the stove, turn it off back, flip the sunny side eyes, frying oil, and stuff like that. I am interested by a cafe named 'Tagliatelle Bella' which means 'lovely noodles' and as I thought it's special dishes are pasta and noodles ((you don't say)). It's a quite nice small cafe on the side of the road. then, I talk to the manager and he's kind. He's 40, his name is Alfonso, he speaks english, spanish, and greece. Besides italian, of course. Before do the job, he instructs one of the employee to teach me how to cook the dishes and to show how understanding Alfonso is, he gives me a month to learn. Even more, if it's not enough. It's not that easy to turn flours into everything on the menu lists. But what I can say is cooking is fun... although it's not as fun as playing guitar or take some pictures. There are about 6 employees who are working for Alfonso, and the one who teaches me is Elario. He is muscular, tall, and a happy man, I can say. I wonder how will I get those muscles just by spinning those doughs over my head.
-------2 weeks already past and I already cook my own spaghetties for lunches and meals. Why do I have to do job when my parents are rich and they send me bunch of money on every first dates of months? Well, I have to feel hardworks before success. on Thursday and Sunday I have my days off unless I want to do more practice with Elario. One day -Thursday- I have my day off and walk around Venice. It's afternoon and it's less polution, than I had in Jakarta. they rarely use gasoline cars. They use scooters, electric vehicle, or walking around. I came to a soccer field and watch from outside cage. Some high-schoolers play soccer. someone on the bench come to me and ask me,"Se vuoi giocare?" then I stammered and then he understands,"Tourist, yeah?" "Yes." "Want to come to join us?" "But... I have no equipments to wear." "Relax, we have some you can wear. what can I call you?" "Call me Richie." "You can call me Carlo." Then he lets me come in and lend shoes, socks, and my favorite italian team shirt, AC Milan! After that, he shouts to his friends and speaks italian to them. I don't know what a single thing he talks about but I believe he's introducing me to the others and luckily they accept me very well. "Do you play soccer?" "Yeah, luckily it's my favorite sports." "Well then, where do you usually play?" "Center midfielder would be nice."
-------So, I play with them. Suddenly I remember when I used to be very short and have brown skin, like Indonesian people in general. Now I'm at average of height and not that 'black'. I can clearly remember when my friends called me 'short' or 'black' or something like that. Very very not suitable to me, that I'm bad-tempered. But as the time goes on I can manage my own anger. Back to the field, we enjoy our play and finished it when the sun goes down. "You have some skills, don't you?" "Not that great but at least I have the basics." "Hey, will you play again tomorrow?" "I've got something to do, sorry. but I think I can do it on Sunday." "Okay then, Sunday it is. Don't force it if you don't want or can't." "It's nice to play with you guys. see y'all on Sunday" "A piu tardi, Richie!" "sorry?" "it means see you late" "Ooh hahaha okay I got it." So that's it, I go back to the lodging and have an afternoon pray. it was an exhausted day.
-------Sunday, 29 April 2012. I'm in a good mood today. Why? I'm almost done my training with Elario and nearly mastering the menu. Beside that, I'm gonna play soccer again with Carlo and the others. 3.00 pm and I go to the field after preparing all the equipments. We play 'til 5.30 pm. from now on in Venice play with Carlo is my week routine. not long as I step aside the bench at the park and say bye, I heard a loud sound and when I look back Carlo is in the air, hit by a car and it's a hit-run. What I see at the moment is the visualization of Kevin. "CARLOOO!" I screamed and quickly approach him, bring him in to a taxi and take him to the nearest hospital. And then, I go home when his friends attend. I don't wanna hear or see the worst thing that could happen.
-------Monday, 14 May 2012. I mastered all in the menu already just in three weeks and Alfonso was so happy and amazed when I showed him on Monday, a day after Carlo had an accident. Good thing that the visitors love my cooking and some of them are Tagliatelle Bella's regulars. "Formaggi a pasta and a cup of cappucino in table 10, Richie!" "Si, Elario." On the table 10 is one of some students that come here after school. This cafe is visited by student almost everyday. It's homie and warm, I don't know how to describe how comfortable Tagliatelle Bella is. Alfonso is a genius man. Okay, back to the story, where were we? Oh yeah, I make and deliver the pasta and cappucino. "Questo l'ordine, signore." "It's only 2 weeks and you're Italiano is getting better, Richie." "Carlo?! how did you get here???" "Dumb, who doesn't know about Tagliatelle Bella?" "I mean how do you know I work here?" "With a simple idea and a little research. By the way, why didn't you look me recovering?" "Elario! give me a break today! I owe you one!" and that's it, I'm very happy to see him alive and in a good shape. I tell him about Kevin and everything we did together.
-------What I did in Italia is just like that. Work hard and play hard. I spend my days by doing some cafe things, eat there when I have my days off and also some photograph experiment things in the cafe, playing soccer with my friends and also take a pictures of them. something I just realize on the team is first, why don't I call them 'Italian' friends? Because they're not all Italian. There were Brazilian, Chinese, Spanish and also African. Second, they're not a rich people and they're very friendly. Third, when I play with them without Carlo, they told me he's the one who gathered all of them. With the same way he did to me. Tiago said Carlo was juggling a ball himself on this field. This field used to be very dirty and was untreated, so nobody used it. When Tiago look at him, he stopped juggling, smiled, and asked me if he wanna play with him. "Until now, we have gathered together for 3 years. Thanks to you Chie, we still have Carlo." Tiago said. A lesson I got here, in Venice, is whoever you are, we are friends, we are in the same world, we are brothers. There's no way we can doubt the fact we are in the very same fuckin' degree.

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