I used to like rain. The sound of it. The rain of September, especially. Now we can't really hear the sound of it sputtering on the rooftop. But the sound of rain falling on billions of corn leaves makes a pretty good substitute these days. It’s just not from here. It's just not from here, not from this building where I have to wear the white coat at least ten hours a day. And yet still, the sight of rain can make a decent amount of calm when I get to see how it makes the sky foggy. How it makes everything slow down, even stopped. At least for a while.
Just this morning, without hesitation, that new kid Zaul brings to the school made another noise. The screeching sound that swallows only time I can get the peace around the building. All just because she keeps on forgetting about the snap. The stupid snap.
I was passing the main gate when the alarm triggered by her. I think she saw me stealing a glimpse of that embarrassing scene. I have no clue now whether my success in avoiding eye contact with her will make her reluctant to approach me to walk together to the lab. And it’s not that I hate her, I just don’t like having her making sounds with the entire existence of her. Even when she’s not talking.
Oh, here she comes with that squeaky sound of her rubber sole shoes. I don’t quite get why Zaul seems to be fond of her. Is it because she's from the area where rumor says Zaul originated? Because after all these months, I doubt that her sharp grading skill is going to be helpful without our entire work.
“Hey,” she started, slowing down to follow my pace.
”Another morning, another forgotten snap.”
“Yeah, how did you manage to always make it look natural and easy?”
I saw her fixing the fold on her sleeves. A black line on her inner arm sneaking from under the messy fold she made.
“Well I have been here longer, haven’t I?”
I can hear that she tries to keep her reaction down now with that audible nod in between the annoying sound of her soles scratching the floor.
I keep focusing on my steps, trying not to imitate the sound of Suri’s soles. Making sure I maintain an appropriate social distance while we walk straight to the lab. I know for a fact that the conservation of linear momentum dictates that any two bodies moving on a parallel path will eventually suffer small gravitational fluctuations—a measurable pull. To counteract the inevitable, minor drift that would narrow the gap between us before we hit the lab door, I subtly increase my velocity, ensuring I leave Suri precisely a meter behind.
“What will you present on graduation day?” She asks in a breathless voice. Proving that she’s trying to match my pace.
“I’m still figuring it out,” I said without turning my face and maintaining my movement velocity. “What about you?”
Oh my acres of corn farm. Why would you ask that? Now she is going to think that I care enough about that work of hers that I don’t really understand and that she must think I’m being friendly now.
“You know, same. I’m still figuring it out.”
Now her squeaking step stops. I turn my head before I open the door. She seems to try to sort some words in her head.
”What is it?”
”I was gonna ask you this yesterday in the field. I need your help,” she paused, avoiding my stare.
“If, and this is only if you want and if I’m allowed to ask. I really need your help to assess the board that I’m planning to showcase. It’s not big on variables, I think you can give me some numbers just by giving it a glance.”
The sensor is beeping following my snap on the door.
”What kind of board?”
Now she’s walking towards me. The door is opening. I give the room a little peek and I see Suri is now standing next to me. I can smell a hint of amber from the heat of her presence.
“Show me later. Now I have some reports to finish.”
Oh, not another slipped word, caused, I believe, by my brain pausing there from the scent of whatever perfume she wears. I can see the line on each side of the corner of her lips forming. My lord, she's smiling.
“Thank you,” she mumbled a little with a light nod and walked past me to the lab.
”Alex!” Zaul calls from behind the big table. I show him a little upward curve from my lips. And a little nod. For some reason that I don’t know of.
I have been here for a while. Exactly like what I told Zaul’s little pet earlier. I may have been the daughter of Leandra, the precious founding member of Cytrus. But my presence here isn't because the place was reserved for me. In fact, the great Leandra was always against the idea of me joining the force. Again, for some reason that I don’t know of.
When I graduated junior high in Jayapura, Cytrus was already the big conversation across the nation. Mom would always have these big bright eyes with pupils widened when she talked about it. But when I asked what exactly she did with Cytrus, she always just threw me a smile and said “You don’t need to understand it now”.
When she always leaves me for weeks for work and promises to come back sooner than she did, I keep asking what it was that she couldn't neglect, I would get, 'That’s why you don’t need to know, my little turtle,' for an answer. And it was when I was 17 that I demanded her to stay longer for the holiday which she did but just until midnight. She left for the opening of this very building that I’ve been coming to for the last couple of years. That was the day that she started to have more time with me but everything has changed because apparently my dear mother is the boss of my boss’ boss’ boss. I was the daughter of Cytrus president. And yet I never knew what Cytrus really is. Well not until last year.
Now my mom is not so much in the picture because she is too busy to stay in one country for long let alone a town. Last week, when we had our routine call, my mom was in Cytrus Belarus. She asked if I would consider abandoning this academy and take another year to study in Minsk. And that was asked while she was chewing on the first yogurt flavored gum that her team in Cytrus Belarus made. I mean that was amazing, to have achieved this state of development in flavoring. Well, considering how bad it got since the last typhoon affected the essence we can extract from the kernel.
”You will like it here. It’s not just about the study. I mean you can meet your cousin and join him in that tour you always want to get to know more of and maybe you’ll consider then about joining Cytrus,” she said.
”Mom, that was me being a teenager. I’m grown up now, I don’t care about some band that sings about the climate and how bad our soil is.”
”But I won’t help you with anything about Cytrus,” she was still trying to talk me down.
”I don’t mind because I’m in the academy now even without your help. You know I got the brain of the great Leandra on me, so I don’t really need your help.” I was trying hard to hide my smile when I saw how my mom reacted to what I said. The curve slipped my control.
“Well, in that case I don’t need to remind you to go to bed early, do I?”
”No you don’t Mom. I love you,”
“I love you back turtle. I’ll see you next week.”