A boy and a girl sit alongside each other on their own chairs, together with tens of other children. They seem to enjoy drawing on A3 paper. On the middle of the blackboard and on the top-right side of every A3 paper there is a text written, "My future". The teacher is going around observing the work of students in the class.
Girl: "Why do you look at me?"
Boy: "I am not looking at you. I look at your picture. Your picture is so beautiful. You are beautiful too."
Girl: "Yours too. Your picture is good. What are you drawing?"
Boy: "I am drawing a robot. I am going to be an engineer. Later I will make robots to protect the earth. Beside The Earth, you will too. Rei, what are you drawing?"
Girl: "I am drawing a house. I want to make a big and nice house. Later grandfather, grandmother, I, and you can play together. Your robot can join too."
Teacher: "Nusa, Rei, Silent please!"
Boy and girl: "Yes, Maaam!"
Nusa and Rei smile to each other. Since then they become friend.
Nusa and Rei graduate from kindergarten together. Nusa and Rei continue their education up to secondary school in the same school. Nusa's father is a successful businessman. Nusa father has successfully developed a small store before Nusa was born to become a large company that has many branches in various areas. Rei lives with her grandmother and grandfather since she was small. Rei's grandfather was a building contractor. Rei's grandfather often go to the building project for a visit or to distribute food. Nusa often invited his father to the company for help. Rei and Nusa are still friends until now. Currently, Nusa and Rei are enjoying their adolescence. They meet, travel, and play freely as if there is nothing that can hinder their happiness.
Rei and Nusa graduate from High School together. Rei and Nusa continue their education to the same university. Nusa chooses the management course because of the advice of his father. Nusa plans to become a substitute for his father in the future. Nusa supports his parents' plan. Rei chooses architecture major, in the different department from Nusa. Rei often debates with her grandfather regarding her duties. Rei is busy with the activities of studies, whereas Nusa is busy with the activities of the organization that he is participating in.
Every night Nusa sends a short message to Rei. Every night Rei also waits for the SMS from Nusa. SMS is becoming their connector when they are busy. On days with spare times, they purposely meet each other to do group activities. Nusa likes to go to electronic equipment store, whereas Rei likes to tour various tourism areas, and they often do both together. Nusa becomes a flower is Rei's life. Nusa decorates Rei's life with laughter, weeping, and memories. Rei becomes the moon in Nusa's life. Rei illuminates the life of Nusa through togetherness, encouragement, and sweet smiles.
Nusa and Rei graduate from university together. Nusa is offered to continue the study by his parents, but Nusa decides to have working experiences first. Nusa gets a job as a marketer in an international bank. Employeed by a bank is a dream for many people. Working in air-conditioned office in the city center with all the facilities and a satisfactory salary. Rei receives scholarships to study abroad. Nusa gives his support to Rei. Rei goes overseas. Initially, Nusa and Rei still send e-mails to each other. E-mails from Nusa contain stories about him and his co-worker, his achievement, and many other things including his boredom at work. E-mails from Rei contain stories about her and her study-friends, photographs, and words of wisdom about enthusiasm for Nusa. As time flies, replies from both Rei and Nusa are slower and slower. Phone calls are also rarely returned. Communication between them rarely happens. Chasm between them becomes wider and deeper.
Two years later they have almost never communicate again. The sun begins to disappear and flowers start to become frail. Nusa decides to quit from his job and applies to a famous overseas private university. Nusa feels very saturated and bored with his job. Nusa thinks that higher level of education will open doors to higher positions, heavier responsibility, wider authority, and a more varied activities. Nusa chooses Masters program in Management. Rei has already disappear from his life. No communication between them has happened for ages. In this lapse of time, Nusa's feeling has never been able to be mentioned.
One night, Nusa packs his stuffs and then he begins to organize the contents of his wallet. He finds a picture of him with Rei that was made in a photo-booth five years ago. In the photo Rei smiles. Nusa is reminded about Rei's smiles that illuminated his day-to-day life in the past. Nusa sends a message to the Rei's old phone number:
> Sir/Madam Rei,
> Congratulations, you won the lottery from Bank X!
> Please contact this number for confirmation.
> Thank you.
Nusa waits for a while and then he saw the message sending report on his phone. The status message indicates that it is pending for delivery. My guess was correct, Rei has not come back. Nusa sees outside the window. There was no moon in that night. Nusa sleeps.
The next day Nusa goes to the airport with his mother and his father's driver. When he arrives at the airport, he is greeted by his friends and colleagues. They chat for a moment, take pictures together twice, and then Nusa says goodbye to all of them. The queue for getting boarding passes is not too long. Nusa's mobile phone rings.
"Hello!"
"Nusa, where are you?"
"I have been at the airport, Dad!"
"I have been at the airport, Dad!"
"Do not worry, Dad. Although they are pretty, the officials are not stupid. I'll check again before go to the boarding room."
"Tuuut..." The phone get disconnected.
Nusa's phone rings again.
"Sorry, Dad, the phone was suddenly interrupted."
"It's OK, can I confirm my lottery prize now?"
"What?"
"Nusa! Did you forget about me? I am surprised that you have such a short-lived memory."
"Mmm... Rei?"
"I'm your step-sister!"
"Yuck! Peevish step-sister. Where are you now?"
"I just arrived at the airport. This is my father's number."
"What?"
One hour to departure time. Nusa's heart beats very fast. After getting his boarding pass, Nusa rushes to a fast-food kiosk inside the airport. A girl with long thick black jacket sits sweetly. He approaches her.
"Rei!"
"Nusa, did you become taller?" Rei stoods and slaps Nusa's shoulder repeatedly.
"I wear a pair of dress shoes, not light shoes like when we are still in university." Nusa holds Rei's hands and bring her to the seat. "Did you get my SMS?"
"I received it just before I returned here. So, where are you heading to?"
"I am going after you. I am afraid you will be confused. If you stray, how can you ask me for a help there ?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha. I think I am not that worse. Are you really going after me?"
"Yup, but now you are here."
"What major?"
"Management."
"Management again? Your final-year-project was done together with me. I still remember, if you work alone, you never move forward."
"But I finished it, right? I think I need refreshment. New job, new position, new atmosphere, new challenges."
"Do you like your previous work? As I remember, every time you sent me an e-mail, more than half of the content is your complaint. Reading your e-mail hurts my eyes, so does replying to your e-mail. So I became lazy."
"I was also lazy to receive your e-mail. Photos, photos again. Ten megabytes, twenty megabytes again. My previous job, according to me, was good. I worked in a comfortable place, I could save money, I could have careers, there was nothing wrong. "
"Why did you quit?"
"I felt bored. I felt saturated. I felt tired of working there."
"Or.. did you feel like it is not you?" Rei continued, "Do you remember, the drawing that we did when we were still kids."
"Mmm... you drew a house?"
"And your picture was?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha. It is just our past."
"But it is your dream."
Nusa becomes silent. Nusa remembers about the drawing that himself and Rei made. Rei drew a big and nice house, while Nusa drew a robot. Rei chose to learn architecture with her own volition, while Nusa chose to learn management because of his father's suggeston. Rei will be able to design and realize a big and nice house like her childhood dream. On the contrary, Nusa does not want to create robots, but Nusa is actually interested in electronics. He used to work in banking fields, while his actual interest is all about electronics. Nusa is not interested in marketing, he was more interested in technology and electronic equipment. Now, it is almost time to depart.
"OK, I will reconsider my choice again. Rei, ... Thank You."
"Is it already the time?"
"Yes it is."
"OK, see you again!"
Nusa embraces Rei for seconds but it feels like forever. Rei accompanies Nusa to the departure gate. They are separated again. This time, Nusa leaves Rei. Nusa leaves Rei for his future, but this time Nusa says to himself that - It is never too late to change.
The author asks the readers:
1. What is you dream when you are still a kid? Why do you choose it?
2. Now are you on the your way to reach your dream? Why?
