Thinking about Past Memories

Chapter 5

The door was opened. Julia Dewi Sofia Luvin was seen standing outside, smiling happily with her full spirit to Erwie Vincent.

Finally Erwie Vincent remembered his promise to have a vacation to Long Beach with Luvin family on that day. He patted his forehead for a while.

"You must have forgot we'll be going to Long Beach today, mustn't you?" giggled Julia Dewi seeing her prince's appearance who was not utterly ready. "Luckily I come the first. Dad and Mom will be following."

Erwie Vincent snapped his smile, "While waiting for them, why don't you come in and wait for me being ready?"

"Yeah, do I have another choice?" said Julia Dewi pretending to be sighing her long breath.

Julia Dewi stepped into Erwie Vincent's apartment. With her casual clothes, she seemed to be ready for a beach vacation. She opened the kitchen cabinet at once, picking up a mug, and later on she seemed to be busy making a mug of hot milk. She had come to Erwie Vincent's apartment for several times, so she had already memorized the interior position of the things inside the apartment.

Erwie Vincent took his towel and got into the bathroom.

"Don't take you so long, Wie… Dad and Mom will arrive in 15 minutes…" said Julia Dewi sipping her hot milk.

"Won't be so long… I'll be taking my bath without using any soap," said Erwie Vincent slightly kidding.

Julia Dewi burst into her laughter. The next seconds were spent by exploring the photos being displayed on the wall in the living room. There were some photos showing Erwie Vincent and his two brothers' experiences in dragon and lion dances when they were still staying in Indonesia. There were some photos showing Erwie Vincent when he graduated his bachelor degree from one of the famous universities in Indonesia. In these several photos, Erwie Vincent had appeared solo, not trio anymore.

Julia Dewi was really sighing her breath this time. She had ever heard the stories about her prince's childhood and adolescence moments before he worked in US. A little bit apprehension flew to her heart and mind.

The door of the bathroom was opened. Julia Dewi's eyes got widened seeing her prince coming out of the bathroom solely rolling his towel from waists to feet. Both of them were staring at each other for quite a few moments in stiff circumstance. Erwie Vincent was the first who broke the stiffness.

"Don't look at me like that, Jul… However, I'm still the normal guy…" Erwie Vincent kidded again.

Julia Dewi instantly turned round her body to another direction and now her prince was standing behind her.

"Please… Please, Wie… Get dressed soon… Although I was born and raised up in US, my dad and mom still educate me with the positive cultures!"

"Yeah… Yeah…" Erwie Vincent's playful grinning was heard when he was walking to his bedroom.

Julia Dewi turned round again. This time she was seen controlling and balancing her breath.

***

Long Beach seemed to be packed with many tourists today. Perhaps summer had not really come, so the weather had not really been very hot. The weather like this was indeed suitable for a beach vacation. Erwie Vincent Makmur seemed to sit and fold his legs by the seashore, solely wearing his black and blue swimming trunks. Mr. Samuel Luvin was also seen wearing his blue and violet shorts. Mrs. Isabella and her daughter were seen wearing their dark red and pink one-piece swimsuits.

Erwie Vincent was seen staring at the Pacific with his gazing look.

"What's the matter, Erwie?" asked Mr. Samuel.

"No… Nothing… I suddenly think I've been really far away from home; my home is across this Pacific, Uncle," said Erwie Vincent a little bit sadly.

Mr. Samuel Luvin smiled warmly. He and his wife also heard about this young lad's past stories from their daughter, how they could meet and know each other. Although he was categorized into the man who did not believe easily anything related with superstitions, he still accepted the story because it was told by his own daughter.

"Gain your spirit… Today we're having our holiday… There will be various delicious food and beautiful sceneries we can enjoy here, Wie Wie…" muttered Mrs. Isabella.

Erwie Vincent smiled calmly again, "Yeah, Aunt…"

A little bit suspicion rose up in Julia Dewi's heart. She gained her courage to ask one question to her prince.

"Can't you… Can't you… Can't you forget that girl having passed away, Wie…?" asked Julia Dewi a little bit anxious. Mr. Samuel and his wife could catch a jealousy tone inside their daughter's eyesight.

"At first I indeed couldn't accept it, Jul… I couldn't accept why 3E could be having the fake relationships with one girl. I didn't accept that because besides loving me, she also loved two other guys. Those two were not others, but my own brothers and childhood friends until now. Who could accept that? I blamed my two siblings why they had to compete with me, even in feelings and love. But, it's been five years now… I've left that thing far behind. Moreover, she isn't around anymore. For what do we have to remember somebody who isn't around anymore, right? The show must go on. Isn't it?"

"So… So… So, why are you still sad at the moment?" asked Julia Dewi again.

"I'm sad, not because of the deceiver girl, Jul…" said Erwie Vincent with his playful grin. He felt a little bit funny inasmuch as he could catch Julia Dewi's jealousy tone inside her question.

"Wie Wie is sad because he's been separated with his two siblings at the moment, Jul," said Mr. Samuel Luvin behind them.

Julia Dewi instantly felt a little bit guilty at the moment. In fact, her jealousy the moment before was totally unreasonable.

"Quite right, Uncle…" Erwie Vincent's relaxing laughter was heard. "Perhaps for the only one child like you, this matter doesn't really affect. But, for us who usually did everything together, usually had the same hobby, and fought together to actualize the hobby into a dream, this matter really affects when we've turned solo. What do you think, Uncle, Aunt?"

Mr. Samuel's sonorous laughter was heard. "I'm also the only one child, Wie… And so is Aunt Isabella…"

"But I at least understand what you're feeling, Wie… In the college, I used to have three other best friends. We're still best friends actually. We used to go everywhere and do everything in quartet. Four of us had the same hobby – it was cooking. Now, when each of us has got married, we seldom gather together again. Sometimes I do miss them. Wanting to have a kind of reunion… Yet, each of us is busy with our own daily lives and activities. We've never found the perfect timing. Yeah, that's it… Sometimes, it feels as though there were some missing memory pieces, doesn't it?"

Erwie Vincent nodded his head while smiling relaxingly again.

"So, until now you're still unclear where your queer and mysterious power comes from, are you?" asked Mrs. Isabella again.

"I don't even know where I come from, Aunt… Where do I come from…? Who are my real parents…? All those still become the unsolvable mystery. Nevertheless, I've already been satisfied with my life at the moment. I've been perfectly happy with my family now, with my parents, with my two brothers. What is mystery remains mysterious. I'm dead certain, when the time has come, it will be solved by itself."

Julia Dewi cut her piece of beef steak. She moved the beef steak with her fork to her prince's mouth.

"Alright… Alright… The sad thing, the thing which brings sadness and grief – we don't think about it first. Today, we're having a vacation, Wie Wie… Eat the steak please, so that you can be happy and gain your spirit again, Wie Wie…" said Julia Dewi pretending to be as innocent as a toddler.

Erwie Vincent gobbled the beef steak at once. Mr. Samuel Luvin gave a kind of gesture to his wife to give the in-love young couple some chances as well as opportunities for themselves. Mrs. Isabella stood up quietly and followed where her husband had gone.

From far away, Julia Dewi was seen lying her head on her prince's shoulder.

"Honestly, I less believe this young lad's stories, Bell…" said Mr. Samuel Luvin sighing his low and heavy breath.

"You American people tend to less believe everything related with superstitions, do you?" uttered Mrs. Isabella clinging coyly in her husband's arm.

"Yeah, that's what I've wanted to say…" eventually, Mr. Samuel found a perfect vocabulary to describe the situation, "you know I'm seldom able to accept everything illogical, everything related with mystic forces and supernatural. He himself doesn't even know where he comes from and who his real parents are. That obviously doesn't make any sense, Bell…"

"I'm sure everything will have their own explanations, Sam," uttered Mrs. Isabella. "What's important is, it's been more than a year that our daughter dates with this Erwie Vincent. Our daughter is happy. She's happy with her present relationship – that's all… If they're indeed serious, that will be even better. You and I will soon be fondling our grandchildren. That's what I'm expecting here…"

Mrs. Isabella's eyes looked very shiny.

"Yeah, it's like what you said… What's most important he's meaning no evil and doesn't want to gain any negative advantage from our Julia Dewi. That's enough for me…" said Mr. Samuel Luvin relaxingly.

Mrs. Isabella flicked her hand towards her husband, "If this Erwie Vincent indeed wanted to take any negative advantage from our Julia Dewi, he could have done it and deceived her at the very beginning. He didn't have to wait for quite a year for his bad purpose, did he? The youths nowadays are all impatient, right?"

Mrs. Isabella was slightly kidding. Feeling that his wife's kidding was quite adorable, Mr. Samuel Luvin landed an intimate kiss to his wife's lips. Both of them kept holding hands each other walking along the sandy beach.

***

Los Angeles, 6th May 2018

The dragon danced here and there at the parking lot of Mrs. Wang's tea shop, which was indeed very wide. Where the pearl went, the dragon would follow it quickly. From the quick movement, the dragon could turn into the slow, medium, quick, slow, and quick movements again.

Eventually, the background music would slow down and enter the final phases. The dragon's body was also ready to enter the final post.

The guests watching the dragon performance put their money into their red pockets. One by one red pocket was put into a small box positioned on a small table beside the front door. It had been Chinese people's tradition to give some red pockets after watching dragon or lion dance performance as good luck or prosperity symbol.

The final post was over. The dragon pearl player, the four dragon dance musical instruments players and all the dragon players started to arrange back their stuff and appliances back to their own places. The fatty Mrs. Wang was seen giving a bigger red pocket to Erwie Vincent. Erwie Vincent was seen bowing his head for several times. Julia Dewi could guess her prince might be expressing his gratitude for several times seeing the red pocket which was bigger than usual. No wonder, thought Julia Dewi in her mind. This Mrs. Wang was indeed a wealthy and generous boss in this China Town residence.

Erwie Vincent smiled broadly waving his big red pocket when he was walking towards his mates. The dragon trainer who was an overseas man from Taiwan, was also curious how much they actually received this time.

"How much?" asked Li Ming Neng, the dragon trainer coming from Taiwan.

"Six hundred dollars, Neng…! Added with what was given by the audience just now, altogether is around seven or eight hundred dollars," said Erwie Vincent waving his big red pocket in the air again, followed by the yell and clapping hands from the other members of the team. Julia Dewi was also seen smiling broadly inasmuch as their recent practice and hard work did come to satisfactory fruition.

"Okay…" said Li Ming Neng arranging back all the stuff and appliances. "Arriving at the studio, we divide it equally…"

Erwie Vincent kept quiet instantly. He and Julia Dewi looked at each other for a while. Then, Erwie Vincent pulled the Taiwanese guy's sleeve so that they could be slightly further from the other members of the team.

"Dividing equally is a must… But, are you sure with the same and repetitious method, you can boost up your team's morale?" asked Erwie Vincent frowning his forehead.

"The money is divided equally and fairly, that's all! What's more anyway?" said Li Ming Neng now also frowning his forehead. "This team was founded with our money together, and every member joining the team must pay their monthly fees. Okay, that means this team belongs to all of us together. Now we've got a profit like this; the money is divided equally among all of us. What's possibly less here?"

Smiling skeptically, Li Ming Neng would pass by and leave Erwie Vincent alone.

"Lack of togetherness if it's like this…" this sentence instantly stopped Li Ming Neng's steps forward. "No wonder your members keep going in and out these times, like snot. Those who have been able and think they've been seniors already, will be out looking for other studios with the more spectacular breakthroughs, or even they'll establish their own studios. You start again from the new members, start again from zero teaching them again. Despite this, I also seldom see you get yourself involved in teaching them. If it's not me, you often ask the other senior members to teach the new junior members. I can merely see your shadow when the day of the rehearsal has come. Do you know what your role during the day of the rehearsal is? Your role is merely getting angry, criticizing this and that, and absolutely nothing is correct in your eyes. That's all about your role, Ming Neng… Nothing more…"

"You know I'm very busy with my work, Wie…" said Ming Neng. "Sometimes I have to work in the night shift."

"So, sometimes I don't work in the night shift, do I?" asked Erwie Vincent again with his skeptical smile. "Nobody is really busy, Ming Neng. All is just a matter of priority. Sorry… Sorry… I'm not talking about hobby here. I'm talking about dream, Ming Neng. Do you know what the difference between a hobby and a dream is?"

Ming Neng was now seen frowning his forehead.

"What kind of dream can you achieve from this merely dragon and lion dances hobby?" uttered Ming Neng laughing relaxingly, "Moreover, I less believe with what's so-called dream. Dream…? What on earth is that? Can it be reckoned as rice to satisfy your hunger or as water to quench your thirst? Of course not, isn't it? The dream itself is tasty and enjoyable – but the work is half death, isn't it?"

Erwie Vincent laughed sonorously, "It's indeed difficult talking to somebody with no dreams at all, with no destinations at all, with absolutely no targets. Waking up in the morning, going work. Coming home in the evening, sleeping… Tomorrow, waking up again, going to work. Coming home again in the evening, sleeping again… Living like a computer… Whether yes or no in doing something depends on the commands inserted via Enter and Escape buttons."

Li Ming Neng's face got redder and redder listening to Erwie Vincent's blunt and straightforward argumentation.

"Yeah, it's like the circumstance in our studio recently… The senior members, who have been bored with the repetitious and same condition, will be out. There come again the new junior members, we teach them again from zero. When they've been able and have been seniors, will be out again. There come another group of new junior members again, and we teach them again from zero. We absolutely can't find the members with the same solidarity, same soul, hearts and words."

"Yeah of course the situation is like that," said Li Ming Neng. "Or else, what kind of other situations do you expect, Wie?"

"You aren't bored running at the same spot for these five recent years, are you?" asked Erwie Vincent in his skeptical tone. "Haven't you ever followed the news about the dragon and lion dances in the US, Neng? There have been many other studio focusing their members to join the local, national and even the international tournaments as well as championships. Meanwhile, what are we doing here? Still teaching some new members, who are still blank about dragon and lion dances. You think, based on this circumstance, when can we start to join the tournaments? Oh, sorry… These times you're reckoning dragon and lion dances merely as a hobby, not as a dream. It's me who has misunderstood."

Li Ming Neng kept quiet. Erwie Vincent's quips were just like hard slap waking him up from his long slumber these times.

"So… So… what are you going to do at the moment?" asked Li Ming Neng starting not to figure out where Erwie Vincent's conversation was heading for.

"Talking about dragon dance, perhaps I'm inferior from you, Ming Neng," said Erwie Vincent with his relaxed smile, "But, talking about friendship and socialization, there's still a lot you have to learn from me."

Erwie Vincent approached the crowd of the other members who were mostly done with their stuff and appliances.

"Tonight we'll be having a feast and karaoke, Friends," said Erwie Vincent relaxingly, but full of spirits, "Brother Ming Neng and I will treat you all."

Ming Neng was astonished with Erwie Vincent's idea to celebrate the success of their performance that evening. He pointed to himself while wondering and wondering… Why was Erwie Vincent brave enough to bring along his name to treat all the team members? Erwie Vincent winked his eye at him. Sighing his long breath, he just followed Erwie Vincent's game insofar as he did not want to be ashamed in front of all the team members.

"Surprise, Brother Erwie… Really a surprise…. It's really like seeing the rain falling on the Sahara," said one of the members with his enthusiastic face.

"At the present, the rain has already begun to fall on the Sahara," replied Erwie Vincent as he liked. "Okay, let's arrange all the stuff and appliances. Put them all onto the car. We'll unload them at the studio. Afterwards, we'll have dinner and karaoke."

"The dragon has been uninstalled and put back into its big box, hasn't it?" asked Li Ming Neng again. As his eyes bumped into Erwie Vincent's playful grinning eyes, he could just keep quiet and snap his lips.

"Already, Brother," answered most team members in one voice.

All the appliances were loaded onto the pick-up. There were four members going up to the pick-up to take care of the stuff. The rest of them got in their own cars, including Erwie Vincent and Julia Dewi. Julia Dewi could not help laughing and giggling even when she and her prince had got in their car.

"I haven't thought before that you'll also apply your socialization system here," said Julia Dewi still could not stop laughing. "Did you see how the stingy Li Ming Neng's face looked like?"

"Of course I did. But, I also knew that he's a man with the high prestige and dignity. If I've announced it in front of his members, he won't be brave enough to say no again. He doesn't want to lose his pride in front of his members," said Erwie Vincent ogling his naughty eyes here and there.

Again Julia Dewi burst into laughter seeing her prince's silly behavior. Along the way, once in a while, Julia Dewi would take several sheets of tissue to wipe away the perspiration which had beaded largely on her prince's neck, face, and forehead.

Erwie Vincent was a little bit startled. He looked at his princess for a while.

"I've wiped away your sweat for several times, and you've just realized it at this moment, haven't you?" asked Julia Dewi pretending to be a bit irritated.

"Of course I've realized it since the first time you wiped away my sweat with tissue, Jul," said Erwie Vincent again in his calm and cool smile, "Yet, tonight I've just realized that it's been so long I haven't been massaging and wiping away one another's sweat with Erick and Erdie…"

"If only Dad and Mom allowed me to, I'd fly you back to Indonesia and make three of you massage and wipe away one another's sweat until you're satisfied – until three of you make up and don't quarrel with one another again," said Julia Dewi a bit annoyed.

Erwie Vincent laughed sonorously, "Oh, Jul… You've been 80% similar to my mom. Whenever we have quarrel with one another, Mom will always make us embrace one another as our making up and peace symbol."

"It indeed has to be like that, doesn't it?" said Julia Dewi straightforwardly. "Humans sometimes require an embrace to neutralize their anger, hatred, and all the other negative emotions. I've ever read a research. A hug isn't only for the in-love couples, but sometimes it's also for parents and their kids, for brothers or sisters, or for best friends."

Listening to his princess' argumentations, Erwie Vincent's mind flashed back to a moment in the past.

"Why can this flight be delayed for so long?" Erick Vildy started to grumble inasmuch as their flight back to Medan had been delayed again until two hours ahead. At that moment, they would fly from Jakarta to Medan after joining a national dragon dance championship.

Erick Vildy was seen massaging Erwie Vincent's back while he kept grumbling and grumbling because their flight schedule back to Medan had been delayed. Nobody really cared of them anymore insofar as it had already been six in the evening. Each member had already been busy with looking for dinner to satisfy their own stomachs.

"Don't worry, Rick… Die Die has come bringing our soup noodles which will fill up our stomachs," said Erwie Vincent again with his relaxed smile.

From far away, Erdie Vio was seen with his small running bringing a tray along with him. Both Erick Vildy and Erwie Vincent were looking forward to their soup noodles bought by their youngest brother. However, it was such an unfortunate day for three of them! The soup noodles managed to be bought by the youngest brother was only one bowl!

"Hah…? Why…?" Erick Vildy was confused and disappointed simultaneously.

"The seller would close already. She said it'd been already six o'clock. There's only one bowl left. I bought again some chicken from KFC and some pieces of bread from Bread Talk," said Erdie Vio also in his disappointed face. "We share all of these, shall we?"

Erick Vildy and Erwie Vincent snapped their lips.

"Yeah… Okay… No more choice then…" said Erick Vildy.

"Yeah… Sharing is better than eating nothing at all. We can reach home at eleven later on. Eating nothing at all, we can even pass out I think," said Erwie Vincent.

Thus, again Erick Vildy massaged his second brother's back. Erdie Vio started to feed himself with the soup noodles. Later on, he fed his two brothers. Occasionally, Erwie Vincent took out several sheets of tissue from Melisa Rayadi's bag which was coincidently put beside his seat. He wiped away his two brothers' perspirations. In solely several minutes, the soup noodles was over insofar as it was shared among three persons.

Next, it was continued with some chicken from KFC. The three brothers were seen feeding one another. Now it was the turn for Erwie Vincent to massage his elder brother's back. Erick Vildy put one by one of the KFC chicken into his first younger brother's mouth. Erdie Vio also put some of the KFC chicken into his first brother's mouth. And now it was the turn for Erick Vildy to massage his second youngest brother's back.

The KFC chicken was over. It was then continued again with some pieces of bread from Bread Talk. This time it was the turn for Erick Vildy to feed his two brothers. Again Erwie Vincent took some sheets of tissue from Melisa Rayadi's bag, wiped his own mouth, wiped his elder brother's mouth, and wiped his younger brother's mouth.

Melisa Rayadi and Sabrina Marcelina returned to the waiting room. They had just been from the airport cafeteria. Suddenly, both of them stood still with their broadening lips inasmuch as now 3E were seen sleeping soundly on the chairs in the waiting room.

The second brother was seen sleeping soundly on the first brother's laps. The first brother was also seen sleeping soundly on the third brother's laps. The third brother himself was seen sleeping on a small green pillow which he brought with him from Medan.

Melisa and Sabrina Marcelina giggled looking at how queer 3E's sleeping positions were.

"Look at how they sleep, Mel," said Sabrina Marcelina covering her mouth with her right hand.

"A little bit queer indeed…" said Melisa trying not to laugh too loudly, "But that's 3E… They indeed look very solid with their overlapping sleeping positions."

"How nice to have solid brothers or sisters, with the same words, hobbies, and visions. Unfortunately, I'm the only one child. I don't have any opportunity to enjoy that," said Sabrina Marcelina sitting on a chair in front of 3E.

Melisa Rayadi sat beside Sabrina Marcelina.

"Same with me, Rin. I'm also the only one child. Because we have the same destiny, why don't we sleep as well, with our heads sticking to each other?" said Melisa Rayadi pretending to be a bit sad.

"Okay, Mel…" said Sabrina Marcelina also pretending to be a bit gloomy.

Erwie Vincent's mind came back to the real world. Shortly afterwards, they would reach the eating and karaoke spot.

"You must have been thinking about your two siblings, Wie," Julia Dewi guessed correctly.

"I'm not thinking about them. I'm missing them," said Erwie Vincent again in his relaxing smile.

The cars got to the side of the road. They entered a wide parking lot. All the team members got off their cars. Again Julia Dewi bumped into Li Ming Neng's gloomy and unhappy face that evening. Again Julia Dewi could not help laughing. She turned away and laughed instantly.

That evening was spent by all the team members until eleven o'clock.