CHAPTER 7 : FLOWERS ON THE GRAVE

"Cut!" Jaka looking at Lev with big smile."What can I say? It's awesome, man!"

"Not one thing in a script I'd mention. Every word improvised."

"It's not based on the script?"

"I forgot what I wrote ... the whole thing…so I simply just...talks."

"But it was great, really! I've told you that you can do that. "

"And that's awful. Everything's out of control. I don't know what to say."

"It's not too bad. Your point is stated in clear. I also surprised with the bouquet…is it part of improvisation?"

"No! It's something I've prepared before."

"Really?"

"If you come to Vianka's funeral you would know that I'm fainted when everyone was put flowers on her grave."

"I did! You almost fall to the grave hole…everyone should carry you out the crowd…"

***

The traffic situation on Tanah Kusir was heavy because the funeral of almost all victims of the Sukhois was set up there, and seven of them were burried at the same block as Vianka. The funeral been done in almost the same time and same day, and it keeps on going even though the funeral running since morning. The funerals actually were done in sequence but somehow the plan arrangement of cemetery management failed to reduce the traffic congestion along the street of Bintaro to Tanah Kusir.

Lev and his parents also had to walk three block unto Vianka's grave so they weren't late to attend the ceremony. The hearse had left the convoy which trapped in frustrated traffic jam. Hundreds of people came to the tomb including a group who did come to mourn Vianka. Those people maybe her colleague, school friends, fans, or just anybody who want to see funeral of a famous anchor, whose became well known after hosting MORNING NEWS in CHANNEL 7, but he wasn't sure because he didn't heed them closely.

Opposites from his sister, he felt uncomfortable in crowd, mostly when they stared at him like that, seems like he's the one who killed Vianka. He also hates being public figure. Therefore he chose to be writer, a fine job that made him always stood behind the scene. On the contrary, Vianka, who always confident to perform, choose news reporter and being anchor of a news program for her career.

He followed his parents with his head down, pushing through the crowd easily because some of the tomb guard made a clear path for the family members. Iron coffin that contains Vianka was waiting there already, lies over the hole of three meter's depth which propped up by wooden beams underneath. In front of the coffin stands a picture of Vianka when she wins Abang-None Jakarta contest three years ago. She looks pretty with her smile, same smile that adorns the screen for recent months.

The funeral procession runs short. The priest gave his words and prayed. Lev didn't remember a thing of his words. During the preaching moment, something his mother says as a touching preface, he's daydreamed on many memories with Vianka. He loves her much. She took care of him in every way but sharing life with her wasn't always fun. Vianka was not a sweet girl; in fact she's very annoyed. That girl loved to suppress him, in all kind of situation.

Like when he's got stuffed, especially if it's new, it could disappear suddenly and turns out it was used by her, and she could done it without regrets. He remembered about his new jersey when he wanted to watch England, his favorite team, playing on World Cup. He should wores that jersey along with his friend on live watching hangouts at some café to support his team but it's disappeared. He looks for it everywhere but he still can't find it until he realized Vianka wore it to conduct her performance as a host.

The story didn't ends on jersey or clothes, it was just a small thing that could make them fight, other reason like gadget, game tools, or food can potentially became trigger. Funny how they were not big deals right now. It didn't worth a bit to ruin their brotherhood but only become a spice to make dynamics on relationship, what made their life ding-dong, and that made him lost her much. Same lost he feel when he's not hearing the voice of Vianka from the days before.

To be honest, since he heard her voice in the dining room and in the coffins chamber at Halim Perdanakusuma, there's some awkward hope to meet her again. That made him got a new spirit to stay alive and listened closely to make sure he's not mistaken about her voice. Too bad, Vianka's voices never heard again on condition he expected most. Vianka shut her mouth up.

After praying, the priest gave an order to bring down the crates into the hole. It takes six men in a good shape to lower that heavy coffin with rope and two others to rid of the beams systematically. Throughout the drop procession, flood of tears not only came from his mom but also from most of the mourners, which also sing one of the psalm songs until the bottom of the crates touched the ground. The priest squatted, took a handful of soil, then sprinkle into the hole, "As we're all created by God from soil and dust, so we will returned to Him as that. Ashes to ashes...dust to dust..."

After that family allowed to stands on the edge of grave and doing same thing as the priest did, pouring hole with dust and flowers. Lev accompanies his parents, carrying basket of flowers in his arms. On that moment, mourner crowd urge forward in order to watch the process clearly. He feels the crowd that filled the place start to choke him. He stood at the edge with a giddy feeling. When he's about to squat to take the soil suddenly someone pushed him forward. It's not hard but the slippery ground managed to make him fell into the pit

Odd, the hole where he fell become more than just three meters to the way down. When he's been tumbling Vianka's voice was heard…louder than ever, "LEV... LEEVVV...HEELLPP MMMEEEE ... LLEEVV."

Finally he landed with big bumped. Dizzy head didn't prevent him to see among the darkness and find him surrounded by earth mound and tree roots that sticking out a little bit. He's not in a grave's pit. That's when he felt burning hit his legs. Lev dares to open his eyes, and he's shocked to find his leg from knee to its boundary's gone. Smell of fishy blood was up from leg to the bottom of his back. Most of his body blackened and charring odor of burning flesh.

He screamed in agony....

His eyes glazed over and saw a hole just a hundred meters above him. Toward the hole, he can see sunlight, blue sky, and there's someone who staring down at him. It was Vianka! A new hope grows in his heart for a moment…a hope that he knew won't cheat him a bit. He raised his hand up…try to reaches her and cried in a whispering tone, "Lev...Lev....helps me…"

It was a voice was coming from his throat. Vianka sore at him and smiled, "Now you know how it feels to be trapped in there, don't you Lev?"

"What do you mean?"

"So you might know…I'm still alive…but probably not for long if you didn't find me as soon as possible."

Suddenly the whole ground shaken as caused by an earthquake and the soil around him began to sag…hoard himself…he tries to get rid of it in panicked but there's too much and he'll be buried in less than a minute…

"Lev…"

The young man gasped, looked at his dad and mom who staring back at him anxiously. His head felt terrible while his sight went dizzy, but it was nothing compares to what he feel when he fall to the pit.

"Are you all right, son?" daddy asked him.

"I don't even start to put the flowers, dad…" said Lev while trying to get up.

"The funeral is over."

"Is it?" he responded like a chump.

"You passed out on the graveyard. We were home now."

"Someone pushed me from behind so I fell into it."

Mr. Anggodo looked at his wife and answered, "No one pushed you. You fainted by yourself while you stand near the tomb. Peoples have to carry you out from there."

"Really? I don't remember anything."

"You must be exhausted. All of this thing…well, you've been doing everything's well to bring your sister back home."

The old man words make him angry, "She's still alive, dad! I see her."

"Sure she does. She's always live in our heart," Mr. Anggodo nodded in sympathy.

"No, you don't understand! She's alive in real. I believe she survived from the crash."

"Search and rescue team evacuate the site and they didn't find any survivor."

"I know it's hard to lose her…" said Mrs. Anggodo tries to put him calm. "…and your loss might be bigger than us. We understand how you feel but I agreed with your daddy, that thought is impossible."

SHIT!

Lev knows it's useless to talk anything about what he's been through. CMC, Russian Embassy, and SAR team convinced everyone that all victims were killed in Sukhoi without a trace, and it would be pain in the ass if he tried to convince different opinion than what had believe by public.

So he chooses to keep quite but one thing for sure, he believes Vianka still alive. Doesn't matter who was buried in that tomb this afternoon but for certain…it's not her twin sister… Vianka…it's definitely not her…