"THE GIRL WHO WON'T MAKE IT EASY ON YOU" in "WRITER@WORK: Stories From A Lone, Urban Girl"

You probably see her roam around Jakarta alone. Day and night, she’s mostly on her own. She’s okay with it. It’s the people around her who often make a fuss about her being alone.

It’s not that she’s always alone. Once in a while, you can see her with another person – man or woman – hanging out together. If it’s a man (especially an attractive-looking one), she has learned to ignore how some people would shamelessly stare at them both.

People, she usually scoffs in annoyance. They’re always full of assumptions. Just because she hangs out / is seen with a guy doesn’t mean it must be her boyfriend or whatever.

Then again, that’s the risk of living in Indonesia. They always pry.

Sometimes she’s seen with a group of people she calls ‘family’ or ‘friends’. Sometimes they are both. You can see from the light in her eyes and the smile on her face. Those are the people who make her feel safe. She can be real with them, no pretenses. She’s a terrible liar anyway.

Speaking of liars, that girl is so fed up with them. Let that be Rule No.1 if you ever consider being an important part of her life. Wait, that’s not it yet. There’s more about her that you need to find out. One thing’s for sure, though:

She’s not going to make it easy on you.

She’s stopped caring about her age. She’s decided not to bother so much with what they may think of her. That’s none of her damn business anyway. For too long, she’s realised: this is the real world she lives in, where she can never really win. Whatever she does, she still can’t please everybody.

Don’t be too surprised if she says no the first time you ask her out. It’s nothing personal. It’s not you. It’s the society around her, telling her to be careful with men but calling her paranoid and picky at the same time once she is careful.

Do you find her first rejection cruel? You should see the other guy before you. He was beyond cruel. He made her believe that she was something special to him. He left her feeling stupid.
Never again. She’s had enough of men like him.

No, I’m not sorry. She won’t make it easy on you, especially after what happened. She may question and second guess every word you say and everything you do. The question is:

How far can you handle it?

R.