“First thing first, when you realize you miss your panties?”
Astrid and I start to scramble our thoughts into a brown paper bag she bought along with the wine. We are a bit tipsy from the worst wine, so we reach whatever we can. It was eco-friendly, not lazy.
The rain drizzled on the window like music while the two of us sat on my yellow two-seater sofa, trying to snap off of our dizzy mind. I wear my cream baggy shirt and black shorts. My long wavy hair is in a messy bun. Astrid is in my clothes, shirt and shorts. She will sleep here.
“While I’m folding clothes after laundry day.”
“Right. You guys get to use the washing machine and the dryer in the basement. Lucky you do not have to walk and bring your dirty clothes to some laundromat. Especially in winter—”
“Astrid, focus.” I need to cut her before she tells me for a thousand times what a hassle it is to do laundry in winter. You need fresh clothes, but the weather can be unforgiving sometimes. As a doting friend, I empathize with her, but my patience is already running so low. So does my energy.
Astrid shakes her head,then starts writing on the paper. “You remember you brought them to the laundry room?”
“I put them in a special washing bag. That red thing would be hard to miss.” I bought the washing bag especially for those damn panties since laces are easily torn. I paid a lot for that and I’m using it only once.
“So the missing panties might be lost between you putting them in the dryer and when you take all of your clothes forty-five minutes later?”
I grimaced. “An hour, maybe. I’m on the phone with my mom. The clothes kinda slipped my mind.”
“Dudeee.”
“I’m in the middle of lying to my mom about a job I didn’t have. Clothes can be damned.” I raised my voice a little to defend myself and remind her of the sense of urgency.
Astrid chuckled in annoyance. “You have a valid point, though. How’s Jakarta? Your parents good?”
“No. She needs to add more rings to her heart.” The only reasons that make me fumbled and lie on the spot when I call her to tell stories about me losing my job. I don’t want to add more than she can chew on her plate. My condition is still doable, right?
Astrid touched the back of my hand and gave it a pat. My sadness comes like a tidal wave crushing me from the inside. See? I have a week from hell. All the bad things stacking on me like a lego.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you need to go home? I have some emergency funds you can use.”
“My dad and my sister are there. I can video call them after the operation.” I want to be there, but I can’t take Astrid's offer when I know very well the reason behind her setting up an emergency fund; she is planning to continue her study next year. I tried to shake the weariness from my heart. “So, do you have any idea about the culprit?”
Astrid looked like she doesn’t want to let go of this topic, but she knows I don’t want to talk about it anymore. “Do you have any idea who is on the same roster as you?”
“Since it was only two machines each, I guess the flat in front of me?”
“The cute guy with black glasses that looks like a Superman dupe?”
I nudge Astrid ribs. It’s weird to talk about your neighbor when all you do when you meet him is nodding. Minimal interaction as much as possible. “Dude, that is oddly specific. I rarely saw him, though. Usually some old woman.”
Speaking of that woman, I haven’t seen her in the laundry room for the last two weeks.
“I’ve seen him a couple of times when I come here. He is cute. But let’s ditch all of that cuteness and Superman’s muscle because he is one of our prime suspects for now.”
I look at my friend like she just grew another two heads. “He doesn’t look like that kind of person.”
“My friend, have you seen a pervert before? All of them looked like a nice guy until they saw what they liked—the pervert switch turns on instantly.”
“I’m starting to be concerned about how you knew that.”
Astrid brushed my words, and with a serious face she said this: “You need to ask him.”
My smile grew, “So, I just need to knock on his door and ask him, ‘Excuse me, did you steal my red lacy panties?’”
She frowned and pouted. “That’s not a good idea, isn’t it?”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
Two knocks on my door cut our conversation. I put my wineglass and open the door to find the Super—I mean the next-door neighbor smiling awkwardly. I tried to be polite by looking only at his face, which already has a lot to see. Like the double dimples, the gray eyes hiding behind those black glasses. Don’t let me start on the firm jaws and high cheekbones. My eyes can’t decide to stop somewhere too long before continuing the journey to roam his face.
“Hi, I know this is too late, but I live there,” he used his thumbs to point at the door behind his wide shoulder, “and I think the mailman made a mistake and put yours in mine.” He scratched the back of his head and continued stammering while giving me a white envelope. “I mean, your mail is in my mailbox.” He looked down on me, like literally down since he is towering over me. He is wearing a Joker shirt with his wide scary smile.
I swallow a chuckle before it slips out of my lips. We were just talking about how he is a Superman imposter, yet he’s wearing my favorite villain of all time.
“Oh, um, thanks. I don’t have yours in mine.” I blink once to realize why he feels the need to paraphrase the sentence. It sounds lewd, and I heard a mocking laughter inside my loft. “The mail! Your mail.” I added hurriedly. I feel the need to fan my face with the envelope.
“I’m Leo. I don’t remember ever coming here to introduce myself since I moved three months ago.”
I shake his hand. It was big and warm and calloused. Makes me wonder what he does for a living. I bite my tongue to hold the question on the tip of my tongue. “Ella. Nice to meet you.”
I closed the door when Leo got inside his loft. I knew what I will heard from Astrid when I saw her grin widely, then proceeded to mock me. “Ella. Nice to meet you. Lame.”
