Dream | Bits and Pieces of Life

We had dinner at a fancy cafe. I had been missing her, and it was the first time we met after a period of time that felt like eternity. The place was dominantly furnished with chairs and table made out of wood, whose texture was purposely exposed and then crowned with varnish. And although the lights were dimmed, it was enough for the glossy surface of the table constructed hazy reflections of our faces. Her giggles immediately pulled away my attention from the surroundings. She was sitting comfortably to my left and letting her back open like a sitting duck for my eyes to roam. Her sleeveless little white dress was tailored, hence fitted perfectly and fell just above her knees. A belt, made from the same fabric as her dress, wrapped her waist precisely. Soon enough, mutual longing spoke silent language of romance when she slid her back to meet my left chest. I swayed my left arm from the comfort bear of our seat rest to her waist. My fingers slowly grazed her belt inch by inch, from the left towards the opposite end. I remember the linen had an “old world” feel to it, thus complemented her hairstyle just fine. Unraveled, shoulder length, wavy, and dark colored; those locks transmitted an irresistible flowery scent unto my nose. I leaned down my head, closed my eyes, and softly touched them with my lips. When I reopened my eyes, suddenly the room was as dark as the night. I knew I was no longer in that cafe with her when the block patterns on the ceiling became more and more familiar. In the shadows of my bedroom, I realized that it was only a dream.

Early this year I bought myself a motorcycle, an MV Agusta Brutale 675. It is an Italian ‘naked’ bike, specifically designed to penetrate city streets with wild characteristic high performance engine. Up to now, I have been riding it at least twice a week for more than two months. Each time I am on it, every engine start or first gear change is thrilling seconds that never fails to give a grin on the corner of my face.

A grin is a simple expression of joy and gratitude from this so-called personal accomplishment. For me, more than its big purchase, this bike is actually a small dream that took me a very long time to realize. It started when I was only a boy with influences from my dad and his six brothers. Every time they got together, I always heard stories of how they raced the city streets, went a date with girls, and got into an adventure with their Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha. Those stories sat deep in my mind and inspired me to have my own adventure with motorcycles. Currently, I am blessed with a stable job and talent to save money. Eventually the end of 2012 was the moment where I thought I had enough savings and began to look for bikes that suited my dream.

There is a price that needs to be paid from making a dream come true and mine involved a huge sum. Despite being one of the actors of motivation, dad disagreed in me purchasing a big bike. He said that amount of money was better used to buy a car, or even better, made it as a down payment for a house of my own instead. I sensed mother felt the same way, but she did not say much, perhaps because her two-cents was already pointed out by dad. But I said to myself that this bike was a long-time desire and the time is now. So I made arguments and marched on over their critics. Yet at this point here today, I admit that they were right!

I do smile on every engine start or gear change, but most definitely I also frown when passing through Jakarta’s traffic. I specifically chose ‘naked’ bike for its agility, however it is still a big bike that is very challenging to navigate through the small gaps between cars. Not to mention intense heat coming from the radiator. Imagine a car engine; sit on it and holster your two legs on its sides when running. Yes it is that hot! Hence it is common to soak my t-shirt with sweat when riding. Maintenance is another problem. What can I say, with great power (or in this case performance) comes great responsibility. The other day a friend took it for a test ride; he could not balance the bike when taking a U-turn and fell slowly to the left. As a result, the clutch was bent and the left end of the handlebar was also heavily scratched. I decided to change those two items and was charged six hundred thousand Rupiahs in total. So I thought of insuring the bike to prevent paying more huge bills like it again in the future, but the annual cover calculation was almost twelve times bigger and I was not ready to suffer another significant loss from my bank’s balance.

It is not the bike’s fault. I was the one financially not ready with the consequences of owning a big bike. At least now I know that my timing in buying a big bike is incorrect. Yet, I did not regret this mistake. I am actually quite proud. Not many can say that they have the guts to make their wildest dream come true, but I did. There will be time to sell this small dream and give way for bigger ones that I have not been able to fulfill, but for now, I guess I will take the bike out and let some adrenaline kicks-in. vroom!