"WHO IS HE?" in "SHORTS"

His eyes were so cold, looking at me.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Fearfully I shook my head. My mind went spinning so fast, trying to remember his face …

• // -

“What the hell is this?!”

Alan and Belinda giggled when they saw me staring at my laptop screen. There, my profile and details on a … dating site.

God, this is really not funny!

“Sorry, El,” Belinda said timidly, realizing how angry I was. She nudged Alan, who somehow still had the nerve to grin. “It’s his idea.”

“Hey, you suggested that website,” Alan quickly defended himself. His face looked annoyed. “Our intention is to help Elma find a mate, right?”

“BUT THIS IS NOT THE WAY!” I snapped, which successfully made two creatures in front of me wince. I glanced at my laptop screen. “Now delete my account.I don’t care how! I’ve never recalled registering myself to this site and I can’t believe you did this to me. This is a violation to my privacy!”

“Uh, yeah…sorry.” Alan was about to touch my laptop when I slapped his hand away.

“Use your own!” I ordered roughly. “If that profile still exists in an hour, both of you’d better watch out!”

Without making a fuss, the two who were supposed to be my best friends rushed back to their respective cubicles.

Okay, I know they meant well. According to them, I have been single for a very long time. (Way too long, according to them.) I’m not even interested in dating sites. I’m afraid that I might come across weirdos. You know, the kind that seems perfect online, until you meet them face to face…eeww…

Sometimes Indonesians are too nosy for their own good. Okay, perhaps they’re happy because they have someone special or a partner. But that doesn’t mean the single ones always suffer, right? I can find someone my own when I want to. If they’d had good intentions, then at least they should’ve asked me first before creating that dreadful profile of mine on that dating site. Ugh…

When I checked that website again, my name and picture were gone. Good. Now I feel much better…

— // —

Okay, whose number is this? Why does it keep giving me missed calls on my Whatsapp and asking me to meet up?

I don’t feel I’m that popular, so I chose to ignore it. But hey, why were these messages becoming more impolite and rude?

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“How could you forget after we have chatted for so many times?”

“What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for you?”

Grrrh! I didn’t feel like dealing with this, so I approached Alan and Belinda. I angrily showed them my phone.

“I suspect this is from that darn website,” I went straight on. Yes, I was still cross with them. “I don’t care how, you explain to this person so they won’t bug me anymore. This is sickening, you know?”

“I’ll do it.” Alan relented. He called the number. He looked apologetic as he was explaining to them about this misunderstanding. Well, let him have it. I waited, seeing Alan nod and apologise.

At last…

“Done, El,” he said softly. “He’ll leave you alone.”

“Good.” I turned around and left without giving any of them another chance to speak. Even after Alan had told me that the person was aware, I still blocked the number – just in case.

— // —

Maybe I was too nonchalant, because I’d never felt I was that popular. My privacy is my privacy
That was why I was startled when he blocked my path that night.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Could it be…

Too late. The acid was splashed to my face.

R.

#16daysofactivism , #stopviolenceagainstwomen #16HAKTP