RENCONTRE LUCILLE: ENLEVE, PROCHE ET PERSONELLE

It was very late at night when my K800 rang. I looked at the caller ID, it was Lucille.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” she asked.
“Nope”
“Let’s meet for a cup of coffee or else, tomorrow afternoon would be great.”

The next day, after I finished writing several materials for my side job, I grab my motorcycle key. It’s almost 5 PM when my bike hit the road. Lucille sent another SMS to me saying that she still in Semanggi after having three business meeting. It’s surely a hectic day for her.

Plaza Semanggi, this is my first revisit after one and a half year. A little bit shock for me to find out that they do not have motorcycle parking lot outside anymore. I used to enjoy those practical illegal parking spaces, a very comfort area and quite safe, it guarded by the local preman, though.

It took me twice to circulating the Plaza, just to find out that the motorcycle parking is located on the basement near the Giant hypermarket.

Entering the Semanggi, I remember my last visit here, one month before my departure, me and my buddy wanted to watch the National Bodybuilding Competition. As a fitness junkie (without single result printed on my body look) it was fun to see your fellow gym member compete on that tournament. Although my girlfriend didn’t want to go with me cause it is disgusting to watch naked-big muscle-dude-full of sweat according to her.

Anyway, I press my cellular phone and called Lucille again, she’s in CD store while I need to grab the latest Newsweek magazine, so we’ll meet in front of the bookstore.

There she is, look tired but still amazing on those outfit. A very warm greets. I can tell that she’s using Caroline Herrera 212.

Lucille has a long black hair which trimmed nicely by layer and a Persian face with slim body, her jeans was size 28. This afternoon she’s wearing a bright cardigan. Luckily she’s not wearing her high heel, so I am taller than her for couple centimeter.

While taking the elevator to the third floor, we discussed what we gonna have for dinner cause the clock is already half past six. We decide to take something new, just to pretend that we are the culinary experts that have a mission to review some new place.

Our step took us to the ChiliPadi, both of us never get into this unstrategic restaurant. The main reason was it said a Malaysian cuisine, the waitress very tempted that they wear a long batik skirt and as you guys know the anti Malaysian sentiment is a hot issue. So it increases our appetite to taste some Malaysian dish for tonight.

First critic, the smoking section. As Lucille and Me step into that restaurant, the waitress asked where do we wanna sit, smoking or non-smoking. Their non-smoking section have cozier chair that attract me. Even though I told Lucille that I think I’ll agree not to smoke this afternoon, she still drags me to the smoking section.

We begin our ritual by commenting on the photo of their specialties in the menu booklet and in the poster surrounding the place. Lucille knows very well about food stylist. Last week we discuss the lousy picture they put on the Café Cartel menu. This restaurant got a better lay out taste compare to Café Cartel. They also give some curiosity by putting ‘best culinary award’ and ‘most recommended restaurant’ on their posters around their wall.

Lucille can’t make up her mind about what’s she will have for dinner, so I take care the selection. We will skip the appetizer and go straight to the main course. Chicken with Sapo, Kung Pao Chicken and Tom Yam with big noodle. You can see that none of this is Malaysian.

Lucille said that at the end of December she will travel to Bintuni, an exotic place in east Indonesia. Lucille was 23 years old, 4 years younger than me, young and independent. She has her own production house and busy with her tight shooting schedule. She’s also a photographer and former host on one of the cable TV.

After 10 minutes, our food came. Nice presentation. But the taste was mediocre. The Kung Pao was OK but the Sapo was a street level, while I gave higher mark to the Tom Yam.

We talk some light topic that night. I talked about my struggle to get the one way ticket to Washington, she talked about moving to an apartment with her friends, and also we talked about our favorite song from The Devils Wears Prada Soundtrack which sadly not included on the Soundtrack album. Suddenly I see by KD Tunstall.

Lucille can speak 4 different languages and right now is taking a private course for another language. She also amazingly speaks English with 5 different accents. I love it when she does the Bombay accents.

“Why we don’t we go backpacking traveling around Indochina?” she suddenly asked.
“Well it’s a great idea. Angkor Watt sound’s exotic. Let’s do that someday.” I replied.

With her profession today, she earns five-six times than an ordinary television labor like me. So I guess traveling abroad it’s easy for her while it’ll cost me my anus.

She’s usually pulled out one from my cigarette and asked me to light it up, but not tonight. Then we discussed about the Jiffest international movie festival. Sounds nice to watch it, to reduce our stress from daily activity. I’ve never been to Blitz Megaplex, I wasn’t here when it open. So I’ll take her there next week.

Enough with the boring atmosphere at ChiliPadi we move out to find other spot. I also wanted to find a laptop liquid cleaner. Unfortunately there are no computer shops that open that night.

She drags me to the ground floor. It’s her fave place, Cup n Cino. I remember this place, but little bit confuse with the location, I find out that they moved the Gloria Jeans next to it with the Cassava. I used to hang out at Cup n Cino with my buddy Mova, to share some thought and surfing with the wi-fi.

It was already 9 PM, when I and Lucille decided to sit on the corner, the comfiest chair. She will have hot Chocó to make her sleep well tonight. Accompany with so called ‘black and white surprise’. I had enough with hot coffee so I chose some of those Frappe. I was tempted with the pancake, remembering the terrible pancake Lucille and Me had last week, this one was looks better. But I decided to skip it for tonight.

I lit the fifth cigarette that evening and Lucille discussed the CD she just bought. An exotic African ethnic band, Alicia Key newest album and some jazzy instrument. Nice selection she had. Meanwhile I was busy with selecting my new ring back tone. We’re laughing when find out that Telkomsel was not providing wide range of western music anymore. So I hardly find a new tone besides those local pop top ten charts.

The drinks was quite OK, the one that they called black and white surprise was a great presentation, the two layer cake come with flower on top made from dark chocolate mixed with white one, spread with the chocolate sauce. Inside of it, it’s only an ordinary tiramisu.

It was already 10 PM when I accompanied Lucille to her car. A very warm goodbye. Another taste of Caroline Herrera 212.

Then I turn back to my own vehicle. I left the Semanggi headed to Thamrin for another meeting.

Lucille, anyone?