5. Tragedy

"Asshole! Asshole! Asshole!" I cried as I hit his shoulder. He was still trapping me in his room and I could only do this. How pathetic!

"Wha... what? Don't tell me this is your first kiss! Eh?"

"Asshole! What do you think I am?! asshole!" I hit him harder now.

Mr. Harold backed off and I was finally able to run outside. I kept running towards the school exit gate. Home. I cried on the way, on the bus, then on the path before reaching home. Right at the doorstep of my house, I wiped away all my tears. No one at home is allowed to know.

From then on, I never saw Mr. Harold again. That's good. I am grateful, but not all the girls in our school protested heavily. Questioning where their idol teacher had gone. My high school days ended sweetly, although some annoying incidents happened. Like Rocky still chasing me. He expressed his feelings repeatedly, but I rejected him every time.

Thanks to Mr. Harold, I hate men, I hate the relationship between men and women. If I could choose, I'd rather be single forever. After all, it's been proven that men only think porn-related about women. Like he's been harassing me. For some people, a kiss like that... is natural? But I'm not one of those people. I wasn't prepared for that incident, and it traumatized me, I hate the man! That's all.

During graduation, Zetta and I enrolled in the same college. She majored in Business while I majored in English. Hahaha... it was just because there was less competition at that time. I was accepted, and Zetta was too. We started college peacefully. Until my second life crisis happened. Then the third, and the next.

It felt like all the tragedies came at the same time. First, my father died, making me the backbone of the family, I quit college, and my sister Sasa was still in junior high school, how could I bear to make her drop out of school, while Mama became an employee at a laundry shop near the house for additional income.

After that, I worked as a part-timer. I worked in a mall and left early in the morning - left late at night. One night, when I was filling up with gas at the gas station, a man reminded me to be careful.

"Take care, ladies, nowadays it's dangerous to go home at night. Let alone girls, for the man it is still a dangerous path.. very dangerous. Later on, on the road, if someone stops you suddenly, or someone asks for help on the side of the road, don't stop 'kay, just do it like that. I'm not saying it's bad, but just in case, don't trust people at night.. on the street." That was the message from the man in line in front of me. I nodded respectfully.

"Thank you, sir." It was already half past eleven at night. The mall closes at half past ten, I clean up and report until ten, go to the parking lot then to the gas station, making me always go home late at night. On that day, the incident that the unknown man had warned me about happened.

Two motorcycles followed me from the side, and then a young lady shouted from beside me, still on a motorcycle. Ah... it happened so fast that when I think back, I get goosebumps. It was exactly like the man at the gas station said. I was distracted, my attention was diverted, and then I was attacked. Fortunately, I was still accelerating, I had the urge to stop at that time, but I remembered the man's message. I continued to accelerate. Perhaps out of annoyance, or irritation, a motorcycle on my other side pulled out a long knife and thrust it at me. From my waist to my knees I was stabbed. I didn't dare stop at that time. I drove the motorcycle with bloodied legs. That was the worst physical tragedy that ever happened in my life.

Focused, and tried to read a lot of calming thoughts. I arrived home and caused an uproar in the neighborhood. I arrived pale, and my body and motorcycle were full of blood. I was taken to the nearest clinic, stitched up., and given first aid. I survived. That's what I'm thankful for. After that, I couldn't work for six months, and yes... of course I was fired. How can anyone take six months off work?