when i was in Lincoln High School in Brooklyn New York City. I was the Son of New York and led the Lincoln High School to win the New York State Championship 2 years in a row (2001 and 2002)
In those two years, I got Mr. Basketball of New York 2 times, and the best high school student in the United States and i also got other honors.
Even the Owner of the New York Knicks joke about that once i participated in the draft the knicks will pick me. 
*****
follow me on IG @dunknd0nut

A week later I've all but forgotten how I impulsively handed out my number to a stranger.
"Okay, so why am I being dragged along?"
"You just finished your final presentation right? You should have time, come one." I heave a sigh as I'm hauled forward by my taller friend, his afro flopping behind him.
"Did Naya tell you what happened?" His expression darkens and I hold back a chuckle.
"Don't even mention it. She's been gripping about that non stop." Josh and Naya are siblings, twins actually. They're supposed to be fraternal but there's a striking resemblance, both of them being tall good looking African Americans with similarly proportioned features.
"Wait, so why are you volunteering at a book fair? I thought a med student would be too busy for that sort of thing?"
"Well...there's this girl..." Ah, of course. This time I let out my chuckle.
"Hey! What's funny about that?"
"Well it's always about a girl with you."
"It's not!"
"Well, how about that time when you dressed up as a clown for th-"
"Let's not talk about that stuff!" I chuckle again.
"Anyway, we're here." I look up. There's three or four white tables spread out on the lawn in front of the dorms. A handful of students are rushing between them, carrying boxes and table cloths.
"Why are we holding a book fair anyway? Isn't that an elementary school thing?"
"Well...it's not a book fair exactly."
"Then what is it?" Just as he opens his mouth to answer a petite brunette makes her way over to us and he shuts his mouth with a snap.
"You came!"
"Yup, yup we're here to help!" I squint at him, "yup, yup", Really man? 
She turns to me, "and this is?"
"Hi, I'm Ram." I introduce myself in place of my distracted friend.
"Hi Ram! So right now we're just unloading the books and stuff before Sensei and the others get here. Then, you can either stay or leave during the actual event-oh no, not there. Sorry I have to go-" she hurriedly gestures towards some students before rushing off. Sensei, what Sensei? My mind wanders to my third grade obsession with ninjas. 
"Hey, I'm going to see if Mimi needs any help."  I look up but before I can respond, Josh is off. Well, guess I may as well get busy myself. I make my way over to the largest pile of boxes. 
"Hey, do we just unload the boxes on the tables?" I direct my question towards a skinny blonde guy at the side.
"The ones with blue tape go on those tables. Red with red. Black with black."
"Got it." I grab a box and start unloading books, noticing how there's way more of the blue than there is of red or black. Around twenty minutes later, we've unloaded almost all of them. In curiosity, I pick up one of the copies on the blue table.
"Siren's Song..." On the cover is a painting of a woman dancing on a piano. I finger the bumpy ridges.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" I whirl around to see a familiar Asian guy.
"Chen?" I inquire in surprise. 
"Hello Ram." His smile is soft but tired looking. "Do you like literature?"
"Oh, I came here with a friend. I mean, I do like reading though."
"Friend?"
"Josh." His eyelashes lower as he tries to place the name.
"He's interested in Mimi."
"Ah, a lot of people are."
"Are you?" He looks up in surprise.
"Me? Why would I- Didn't I ask you for your number?"
"But you never called though."
"I - that was because -"
"Sensei! When did you sneak in here?!" It's Mimi. "Come on, get to your table! The event's going to start!" She rushes over and drags Chen away. He throws a pleading look towards me, calling "I'll talk to you after the event!" Then, he's dragged to the empty table adjacent to the two with the books, and placed in a seat with a pen in his hand. As if on cue, people start trickling in and lining up in front of him. I notice the skinny blonde standing to one side and I walk over and nudge him "hey, what's going on?"
He looks at me like I'm stupid. "It's a book signing. What are you doing here if you don't know that?" I shrug, fair enough. Then I point towards Chen and the other two individuals - two women - seated at the three empty tables, surrounded by books.
"So they're..."
"The authors, student authors who've already published their own books. This is their student held book signing, open to the community"
"Wow. And he's Sensei?" I point towards Chen.
This time he gives me a really dirty look "How can you not know Sensei? He is like a God, one of his books was on the New York Times bestsellers list and he's still a student". 
"Wow." I look towards Chen and watch as he hands a little girl a lollipop from who knows where. She giggles and he responds with a soft smile.

Note: Volume 1 and 2 are two separate stories happening to different people in the same university. The characters intersect in one chapter. Then, volume 3 involves all three. 

Volume 1:
Twenty two year old Ram has got it all, he's intelligent, athletic, social, and he's just been hired by a well known consulting firm. Life would be perfect...if his grandmother weren't ill and if his mother didn't think she'd be miraculously cured by him getting an Indian girlfriend on the premise of marriage. Still, Ram trudges on...until he meets Chen. Whimsical, openly gay, and following his dreams of being a novelist, Chen is the complete opposite of Ram. Yet, he has nothing to do with Ram until a sudden accident brings them together.
Volume 2:
"I'll be your eyes." Ever since elementary school when the soft spoken brunette said that to him, looking very like the model of a super hero in a comic book, Jason hasn't been able to forget it. And as the seasons changed and everyone faced the inevitable phenomenon of "growing up" Jason kept his slowly failing eyes desperately trained on his hero, following him through high school and onto college. Now, a senior about to graduate, will Jason possibly be noticed by his hero? Or will his love life fail just like his eyes slowly turning blind...
Volume 3
Chen isn't crazy. At least he doesn't think he is. But he considers the characters he writes about real, very much so. He wants his boyfriend to understand this but it's harder than he expects until he and Ram join the literary club for their annual camping trip and...he, Ram, Jason, and Arev are sucked into the world of his books.

Two weeks, four days, sixteen hours, thirty two minutes and four seconds have gone by...

...and I still can't write a summary on Pride and prejudice. 

It's driving me crazy. 

Oliver offered to help me but I wouldn't let him cause I thought I could do it.
But here I am looking at my laptop screen, at a blank screen that has only my name on it. 
Truth be told I never liked the book anyway. 
Don't get mad just yet. I still love Rihanna so that should trump the book. I guess.

I'd call Oli and ask for help but he's at work already. Looking through my contacts, there's no one on here that could possibly help me with this right now. 

I'd call Roxy, but I don't want a B minus on my paper 

Which is better than an F my inner bitch adds

She's right. So I call Roxy. 

"What should I wear for my date with Christian?" Roxy who is clearly out of breath like she's been running, answers on the first ring. 

"Hoodie and Joggie" a say with a huge grin on my face like I just told the world's best joke. 

"Funny" she said sarcastically. "I'm serious Jaz. I have no idea where's he's taking me" 

"Ask Jamie" I say as I type SUMMARY OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE on my laptop.

"He and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment" I can hear her rumble through her closet. She must really be frustrated and she's taking it out on the poor denims.

"You guys fight like what, a hundred times per week?" I say rolling my eyes at Roxy who can't see me doing that.

"He's to blame for this particular altercation." I hear a loud crash and Roxy screaming in pain

"ARE YOU OKAY!!" 

"Not one bit. Sweet Jesus it hurts!" 

"Roxy.."

"I'll have to call you back Jax.."

"No Roxy wait I need--" the line disconnects 

Well that didn't go as planned at all. Now what am I going to do. I lie back on my bed and look up at the ceiling which is filled so many cobwebs. 

Eww!

I have to clean that but I'm so tired I really don't want to get up. If I do, I'll never be able to go back to this very comfortable position. You know what I mean. 

I hear a loud noise come from the living room and sit up abruptly. 

"Jasmine!" 

"In here" my runaway step-mom is back from wherever she ran away to this time around. 
My room door flings open and she stands at the hallway with-- wait what!?

"What on God's green earth are you wearing Kristen?" I look her up and down over and over again.

I shit you not. She's wearing rainbow colored spanks. 

"Come give me a hug kiddo" she says walking into my room with outstretched arms. 

"I'll pass" I say getting off the bed and going to sit at my window. "You're back early. Where's Josh?" 

"Still in Mexico." She walks over to my window and sits on the cushion beside me. "You look well" 

"Yeah alive and well" I say rolling my eyes.

"You have bags under your eyes Jasmine. Are you not getting enough sleep?" 

"Not so much" I sigh deeply "Shifts at work are getting really crazy. I'm getting so many homework, it's driving me nuts." 

"No one ever said high school was gonna be easy kiddo. Besides I told you to quit the job at the diner. I have enough money for the both of us." 

I laugh bitterly and walk back to my bed "Yeah money you get from your random boyfriends. I think not"

"No I money I earned" Kristen says with a smug look on her face and raises a brow "You do know I work right?" 

"What do you do?" Kristen does not look a woman who would raise a finger let alone work.

"I'm a writer Kiddo. I've written three successful books. All three are New York Times bestsellers" she laughed as if reflecting on old memories. "I met your father at the release of my first book actually."

"He was a fan of my work. He came to me so I could sign his copy of my book. I was still in college at the time."

"You published a book while in college?" surprised at this sudden revelation. 

"I started writing at a  very early age. I ahd such a wjde imagination. I would write about anything and everything. I spent my allowances buying journals upon journals" she laughed at herself.

"I even tried to publish my books while I was in high school. I printed them and would bind them and sell them to people to read and give a me a feedback." She smiles and look up at me with an expression I could not read 

"Wow" 

"So all this world travelling i do, you really thought I used the money from my many boyfriends?" she laughs sadly.

"I mean you left the impression... I thought.. I mean I kinda thought you had some money of your own... let's just s-say I didn't think you work" I feel so embarrassed. I never thought highly of Kristen and I could tell she was really hurt by this.

"Well I'm sorry I made that impression. Your father ruined my life and cut it short. I had to make up for lost times somehow." 

And like she didn't just say something sensitive, she smiles brightly and said "Wait till I make you this Mexican casserole dish I learnt from fox." With that she's out of the room. 

Just like me, Kristen doesn't wear her feelings on her sleeves. I feel really stupid for the way I thought of her and how she gets her money. 

She sends me money on a weekly basis but I don't use it because I always thought... well you know what I thought. 

I opened my laptop and search Kristen Diaz, Some old lady pops up on my screen holding a coffee mug in her hands.  

So I guess she didn't use my last name. I type in Kristen Maryl and there she is smiling those pearly white teeth of hers. She looks so beautiful. And just like she said she has three New York Times bestsellers novels. 
I scroll down and see a picture of her in a handshake with some guy. I would say he's some random guy but the way Kristen was looking at him made him look like a special dude. I click on the picture to see the caption. And there it was..

J.K Rowling 

Kristen was standing side by side with the best writer on the planet. 

The Harry Potter creator.

A newfound respect for Kristen just bloomed somewhere inside me. This is so cool. 

I scroll down to see more pictures.
There was one with her trying to balance six of her books on her head. I laughed at that cos I know she wasn't successful. 
Another with her at a meet and greet.
Another one with her at the Eiffel tower with a bunch of her fans I guess. 
Another with LEONARDO DICAPRIO!!!!! At the Grammy awards red carpet

You've got to be shitting me right now. 

Kristen was no ordinary woman. 

I continued reading the blogs and looking at pictures, and there he was, wearing a sharp grey tuxedo with a black bow tie. With Kristen who was wearing a crystal gown that hugged her body in all the right places. My father. 

They looked so much in love with each other. 

They were in love. It just doenst make sense why he would leave. 

Closing my laptop, I shut out those thoughts from my mind. They do nothing but cause me so much pain and anger. I practice my breathing exercise. 

In. Out...
In. Out...
In. Out...

After a few minutes, I open my eyes. And then the thought hit me. 

Kristen can help me with my Summary. 

With a wicked grin on my face, I make my way to the kitchen.

____________
A/N:

I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far. I'm doing a new challenge of writing 1000 words per chapter. This chapter is 1360 words excluding the author's note. 

Tell me what you think about the book so far. Which character do you love?.

Just to clear the air.
Roxy and Jamie are also friends of Jamsine and Oliver. They're both twins. Reading the previous chapters I realised I didn't state that. But for those of you who caught on, Bravo;)

Thoughts:
What song(s) were you listening to while reading? 

Who do you picture Austin to look like? 
I personally picture Ian somerhalder just because I have an obsession with him ;)

PLEASE VOTE COMMENT AND SHARE ♡



    Italian Restaurant's Boss Jeff found that these days Eric seems to have changed someone, no longer often stunned, and the whole person becomes radiant. The guests were not as jerky as they used to be, and occasionally with the guests a few harmless jokes, and even one time Jeff found out that Eric was adept at using a somewhat hippie but not offensive tone, with a single lady around more than 30 years old, The cashier received a three times-fold tip and an unabashed wink at the checkout.

    "Eric, is it a good thing, I found out that you have been…abnormal? "After a break, Jeff finally couldn't help but ask, and he was still very concerned about the child left by his old friend.

    "Is it obvious?"Eric groaned and asked.

    Jeff smiled. "Of course, it's written on your face."

    "Maybe, it's because I have found the goal of struggle. You know, once people have ideals, the whole person will become very excited."

    "Oh, what is the ideal, can you tell me?"

    "Of course," Eric replied: "I decided, I will be a Director in the future. Hey, I recently created my first script and finished it in two days. "

    "guide...Director ? "Jeff was a little surprised, and he was subconsciously trying to persuade Eric not to be too tall, but remembered that the child had just emerged from the sorrow of his father's death, found a goal, or swallowed his own words.

    Eric's skin is filled with the soul of a middle-aged man. Jeff just has a slight change in his face. Eric knows what he wants to say, but he smiles and doesn't care. After all, it's Hollywood, and there are tens of thousands of people coming to the world to pursue movie dreams every year, but there are very few successes. It's normal for Jeff to have this idea.

    "That one...Wait until your script is written, you can show it to me. You know, I used to want to be an actor, don't look at what I am like now," Jeff patted his huge beer belly and said: "I was very handsome that year. You have to know that I have also participated in the audition of a small character in The Godfather. It has been around for so many years. "

    Eric is a little dumb, I don't think Jeff has such a past, but it will soon be relieved. Here is Hollywood, the world's largest film factory, nothing is impossible, Stallone also shot "The Party at Kitty and Stud's" It.

    "No problem, you can help me with some advice."Eric replied, just let Jeff help himself see if there are any loopholes in that script.

    Although Eric has tried to modify some of the script's things that appeared only after 1988, there is no guarantee that there will be no flaws. As an outsider, Jeff can easily find some out-of-date things in the script.

    Two people talked and laughed a few times. Several guests walked into the restaurant and Eric quickly greeted the guests.

    One day's work passed quickly, and Eric came home and ate dinner, and began to busy the "Jurassic Park" novels and scripts.

    "Jurassic Park" has basically been written, and now is the final proofreading. Eric plans to take a few copies of the draft to submit to several Publishing Houses tomorrow. The script just writes an outline and some notes that need to be modified. To do this, for Eric, who has a complete image in his mind, it takes only two nights to finish writing the script.

    The next morning, Eric left home at seven in the morning and planned to copy and mail "Jurassic Park". He had already prepared some of the submissions for the famous Publishing House of North America in advance, even though these large Publishing House refused. Eric's manuscript, he will not be disappointed. You know, North America has as many as tens of thousands of large and small Publishing Houses, and one will be willing to publish the novel. Although "Jurassic Park" once topped the list of "The New York Times" bestsellers, Eric didn't care about the "Jurassic Park" royalty, but just wanted to put the novel in his hands after publishing the novel.

    "Hello, can you help me?"Just entering a printing shop, a somewhat thin black female clerk warmly greeted her.

    Eric pulled out the manuscript in the bag: "I want to make a copy of this manuscript."

    The black girl looked at the thick manuscript, her eyes were slightly brighter, and her smile on her face was even brighter: "Sir, can I have a look?"

    "No problem," Eric handed the manuscript over.

    The black girl did not pay attention to the contents of the manuscript, but skillfully counted the next page: "About three hundred pages, it is better to count three hundred pages." Every time you make a copy of 30 USD, how many copies do you want to make? "

    30 USD ! Eric's mouth was soaked and sighed, and he now has only a few hundred dollars in cash, which is a one-month salary.

    After a bit of bargaining, the two agreed to make four copies of the price of one hundred USD. After paying the money, the black girl politely gave Eric a cup of coffee, then took the manuscript and began to copy.

    Eric boringly holding a coffee cup and watching the black girl operate the copy machine, secretly counted the time, about half an hour to complete, will not delay to the restaurant to work. Although the restaurant started to be really busy after ten o'clock, even if it was late, Jeff's character would not deduct his salary, but the friendship was due, the work was work, and Eric knew that he wanted to maintain a good relationship with Jeff and keep himself safe. The duty is a must.

    After about ten minutes or so, the print shop door was slightly dark, and Eric looked up and saw a brown-haired white man walking into the store with a purse.

    The man is about forty years old, and his height is less than one meter seven, but he looks very strong. His chin has a brown scorpion, his nose is tall, he wears a pair of gold-silk glasses, his forehead is slightly bald, and the whole person exudes a gentle book temperament.

    "Welcome, sir, can you wait a moment?"

    The brown-haired man nodded and politely greeted Eric and sat down next to Eric. The black girl temporarily stopped her work and quickly poured a cup of coffee to the brown-haired man: "Sir, it will be better for more than ten minutes. Please have a cup of coffee first."

    The brown-haired man took a coffee call and thanked the black girl for seeing the thick stack of manuscripts. His look was slight, and there were only three people in the store. The man couldn't help but look at Eric.

    "Trying to ask, is that your manuscript?"

    Eric nodded. "Yes, a novel, I just finished writing, I plan to make a few copies."

    "You look like a high school student, it's amazing. I can't do this when you are so big."

    "Thank you, in fact, this is my first novel, and I don't have much confidence."

    "No, believe in yourself. That, can I have a look at your novel? "The brown-haired man said, took out a business card and handed it to Eric. "Just, I have a small Publishing House."

    Eric took a look at the business card, Michael Claus, Night Elf Publishing House Manager. Eric's eyebrows couldn't help but jump, but fortunately not Michael Crichton. Eric couldn't help but vomit the Westerners' lack of creativity in their names. In the class of Eric High School, there are two in the class called Jack, two in Jessica, and the scope is extended to the whole school. It is. Even the son was born to be too lazy to get a new name, directly called Robert Downey, what is the same, there is wood!

    Anyway, looking at it and not getting pregnant, Eric took the copied copy and handed it to Michael Claus. The other party took the manuscript and took a look at the title, and casually said: "Jurassic Park, a very interesting name."

    Eric smiled and didn't answer. Michael Claus doesn't say anything anymore, just flip it. As the reading progressed, Michael's casual look gradually became serious. He just praised Eric, but he didn't think that Eric's age could write a wonderful novel. In his past experience, the authors of best-selling books are almost all filled with people's experience and rich knowledge.

    After reading the manuscript in his hand quickly and carefully, Michael carefully arranged some scattered manuscripts and looked up at Eric. The eyes were filled with surprise, excitement, happiness and a certain amount of hope.

    "Young people, can I know your name?"

    "Eric Williams," Eric replied without any suspicion. With his rich experience, how can you not see what Michael has in his expression? Although there is no plan to hand over Jurassic Park to the small Publishing House, it does not prevent him from getting to know Michael Claus. In the unlikely event that "Jurassic Park" was rejected by the well-known Publishing House, this is also an option.

    

Wang Jian flipped through the book called "I Am a Grand Master" in his mind, reading it slowly.
This book was about an ordinary high school student named Wu Lai, who was struck by otherworldly lightning and was whisked away into a different world.
But this new foreign world no longer had steam or electricity; it had magic and swords.
Fortunately, Wu Lai was born with a special talent. By eating sweet potatoes, he was able to cultivate and control his immensely powerful and magical abilities. He was able to vanquish powerful beasts and conquer alluring beauties, and become the King of both Heaven and Hell.
In the end, he became the legendary Demon King and lived happily ever after with his wife and concubines.
This book was very interesting because of a few points: it was easy for the characters to gain abilities and improve their strengths, there were a plethora of powerful demons that created interesting fighting scenes, and the princesses of two different tribes—the gods and the demons—were in a heated rivalry.
It was also very interesting to note that in the end, the main character was incredibly captivating, with wings that were half black-and-white, and forbidden magic referred to as Absolute Zero, Earth Bear and so on.
Wang Jian found it to be thrilling but slightly cringeworthy at the same time.
It was truly exciting.
Compared to Aquaman, the comic he had just read, it was like eating a mouthful of garlic and chili peppers, the more you ate, the more addictive it became.
However, it was slightly awkward because the writing was childish; with too many explicit scenes and a few contextual errors.
However, these were all unimportant. The important thing was that Wang Jian thought this book seemed inexplicably familiar.
He quietly looked at the rows of bookshelves in his mind and watched as the second book began to slowly take shape.
Wang Jian's heart throbbed in his chest.
These books were ones he had read in his past life, were they not?
Perhaps he could find predictions on future American developments? Then, he could use the foresight to seize opportunities and rise up to the top of the ranks.
He would be able to make decisions without hesitating.
Wang Jian said to himself once more, "I am a Grand Master."
It felt as though he had special abilities that enabled him to quickly read books in his mind.
After a few minutes, Wang Jian finished reading it once more.
But...
The book had absolutely nothing to do with reality.
Let alone the future of America.
The main character did nothing but fight and fall in love...
This was awkward.
Wang Jian felt that the story would be better off if it had some elements of advanced weaponry or something along those lines, just like in "Aquaman."
The veins on his forehead pulsated slightly as a thought popped into his mind, "Should I publish these novels and make money?"
Though, translating the novel from Chinese to English would be a gruelling task.
Would the Americans even be able to digest such explicit and perverted content in a novel?
Suddenly, the phone in his apartment rang.
Wang Jian rushed to answer it. A familiar female voice was heard from the other end of the line.
It was supervising officer, Lily Rush, who was calling to make sure he hadn't committed another criminal offense and that he was regularly attending his community service.
Wang Jian needed to report to her at two in the afternoon and perform four hours of community service.
Looking up at the clock, it was 1:30 pm.
He was so preoccupied with reading the comics and novels in his head that he had forgotten to eat lunch.
Wang Jian flew downstairs, bought a random sandwich on the way, and caught the bus. He ran towards the assembly point as fast as his legs could take him.
The assembly point was in the Bronx, in one of the more upscale White neighborhoods, and the prisoners who were ordered to perform community service there were mainly petty criminals, they were mostly Yellow and White.
As for the Blacks and Latinos, most of them were ordered to pick up the trash along railroads and highways.
When Wang Jian arrived at the assembly point, it was exactly two o' clock.
Lily Rush was a blonde-haired beauty who was about 170 tall and wore a blue uniform. She looked at him with a slight frown, asking of him to, "Be a little more punctual next time."
"Yes, yes." Wang Jian said breathlessly.
"Grab your tools, partner up with him, and go clean up the neighborhood." She pointed to an old White man who stood some distance away.
Then, she strode off on her high heels and walked back to her car.　　
Wang Jian turned his head and saw the old White man across the street. He was a small, bald man with a wrinkled face and a pair of tiny, light eyes.
"Hello, you can call me Wang," Wang Jian said, "Looks like we'll be partners from now on. What's your name?"
"John Kramer," the old White man replied gruffly before falling silent.
Wang Jian shrugged. It was fine if the old man didn't want to be friendly. He needed time alone to think about how to make more money anyways.
After he was done with the community service tasks for the day, he could go to the bookstore to check out the types of books that were popular nowadays.
Would it be possible for "I Am a Grand Master" to be published so he could rake in some money?
It would be great if he could make money from it. If not, he would have no choice but to continue looking for a job.
Suddenly, the old man, who supposedly went by John, asked Wang Jian, "Why're you here doing community service?"
Caught off guard, Wang Jian was startled at first. Then, he replied in a sheepish tone, "Theft, but it was a first offense. My sentence was suspended and now I'm doing community service. How about you?"
The old man's eyes narrowed, then he said in a gruff voice, "Reckless driving and damaging public property. Why did you steal?"
"Uh—" Wang Jian hesitated before speaking, "I wanted to go to community college, graduate with a diploma, and get a good job. My student loan wasn't approved because of my family's background."
"Oh." Old Man John simply nodded and said nothing more.
Wang Jian noticed that the other man's tone of voice wasn't as bitter. However, he wasn't sure if his ears were simply playing tricks on him.
The gentle breeze that swept the East Coast of the United States couldn't quell the gradually rising temperatures, but at least the sunny weather felt comforting.
Before he knew it, Wang Jian's first day of community service came to an end.
After signing off and saying goodbye to Old Man John, he stopped by a news stand and bought a copy of "America's Best-selling Books—'94–⁠⁠'95 Special Edition."
Then, he made a beeline for his apartment.
He couldn't stop running; the area around the apartment was so chaotic.
The area was full of gang members from the Crips and from the Bloods, who were at constant war with each other. There were countless other small gangs in the area.
The 18th Street Gang, the Aryan Brotherhood, the Jamaican Posse, the infamous MS-13, the Salvadores— any gang that came to mind, you would find them here.
The gangs ran everything from drug trafficking, hiring assassins and killing people, to going door to door selling vegetables and managing garbage disposal.
They were involved in everything you could imagine.
As a result, the Bronx was also known as one of the three most crime-ridden neighborhoods in America, as well as Compton in Los Angeles and the South Side of Chicago.
"Free America, Shoot Every Day" was a perfect depiction of that.
After a stressful run back to his apartment, Wang Jian was determined to work hard and earn some cash so he could move out of the Bronx as soon as he was done with community service.
He looked at the New York Times bestselling rankings.
On the list of bestsellers that weren't categorised according to genre, but instead based on total sales, "Carnegie's Secrets of Success" was ranked Number One.
"The Science of Success" was ranked at Number Two.
The highest-ranking, upcoming bestseller published in 1994–1995 was ranked Number 37 in the overall rankings— the "Conversations with God" series.
The second highest ranking went to "The Federal Reserve," published in 1994, which was ranked Number 40 in the overall rankings.
The third highest ranked book was "The Blood Plague: the Story of Ebola" at Number 44. The book was also ranked Number One in the hard science fiction category.


Reborn in the United States in 1995, with all the web novels he has read in his head.

Let's see how he uses online literature to skew America's bestseller rankings and become a popular cultural master like Stan Lee.

In the 20th century, what is the largest IP in Hollywood?

It's comics and web novels!

Netflix? It's nothing without online literature! Disney's CEO later claims.



Aku pernah menulis bucketlist (daftar keinginan) waktu masih kuliah. Dengan kekayaan orangtuaku hal-hal yang bisa dibeli dengan uang cepat sekali terpenuhi. Sky diving di Dubai? Sudah. Makan di restoran gantung di Belgia? Sudah. Melihat aurora, sudah beberapa kali. Safari di Afrika untuk melihat Big Five juga sudah. 

 
 

Yang sulit untuk dipenuhi dan memerlukan waktu lama adalah hal-hal yang tidak bisa dibeli dengan uang. Misalnya mengunjungi semua negara di dunia. You don't just need money, but also time... 

 
 

Jatuh cinta, menikah, dan menjadi penulis bestsellers adalah isi bucketlist-ku yang membutuhkan waktu paling lama untuk dapat terpenuhi. Aku jatuh cinta di umur 24, menikah umur 25 dan menjadi penulis terkenal di usia 30 tahun. 

 
 

You only live once, but if you do it right... once is enough. 

(Kita hidup cuma satu kali. Tetapi kalau kita hidup dengan baik, satu kali sudah cukup.) 

 
 

Aku selalu suka musim gugur di New York. Aku banyak menyimpan kenangan indah di kota ini sejak masih kuliah. Central Park in autumn is a magical place and now it almost feels like home. Untuk menenangkan diri setelah insiden di UWRF, aku terbang ke New York. Seminggu pertama rasanya berat sekali untuk keluar hotel, tetapi kemudian cuaca cerah dan burung-burung gereja yang bernyanyi dari luar jendela mengundangku untuk melangkahkan kaki ke Central Park. 

 
 

Ketika aku mengajak Andrea ke Central Park untuk pertama kalinya, cuaca juga cerah seperti ini. Kami duduk beralaskan selimut piknik dan ditemani wine dan beberapa potong pizza 1 dollar New York yang terkenal itu. Aku membaca buku, berusaha mencari inspirasi, dan Andrea melakukan bug testing pada sistem keamanan baru yang akan ia luncurkan. 

 
 

Setelah bosan membaca buku aku akan membawa sepotong pizza dan memberi makan angsa-angsa di danau dekat situ. Andrea akan menyusul dengan potongan pizza kedua, dan setelah puas melihat angsa-angsa yang kenyang, kami akan berjalan bergandengan tangan ke coffee shop favoritku di Central Park West. 

 
 

Hari ini, aku tak kuasa menahan tangis saat berjalan sendirian menghampiri danau dan mengeluarkan pizza dari kantong kertas untuk diberikan pada angsa-angsa yang segera menghampiriku. 

 
 

Bayangan-bayangan kenangan melintas di depan mata dan membuat air mataku menetes pelan-pelan. Aku malu karena aku sepertinya kurang bersyukur. Aku kan sudah jatuh cinta, menikah, dan menjadi penulis terkenal. Sebagian besar keinginanku, baik yang dapat dibeli dengan uang, maupun tidak, sudah terpenuhi. Aku memang belum mengunjungi semua negara di dunia, karena aku tidak punya waktu... 

 
 

Aku terduduk dan menangis tersedu-sedu dengan membenamkan wajah ke dua telapak tanganku. Banyak orang yang menganggapku sebagai gadis yang memiliki segalanya, tetapi mereka tidak tahu betapa aku merasa bagai orang paling miskin di dunia.... 

 
 

"Ludwinaa..!! Winaa...!!" tiba-tiba terdengar suara memanggil dari kejauhan, "Ludwinaaa..!!" 

 
 

Aku pasti bermimpi. 

 
 

Itu suara Andrea. 

 
 

Aku mengangkat wajah ke arah datangnya suara. Dari balik genangan airmataku aku melihat bayangan seorang laki-laki berlari mendekat. Ia mengenakan jaket abu-abu panjang dan berlari sekuat tenaga ke arahku. 

 
 

"Winaa..." 

 
 

Akhirnya pemilik suara tiba di depanku, suaranya terengah-engah dan lelah, "Wina..." 

 
 

Aku mengenali laki-laki itu. Aku pasti bermimpi. Ini suara Andrea dan aroma Andrea. Ini tubuh Andrea. Tapi kan tidak mungkin ia ada di sini... Andrea tinggal di London. 

 
 

Ia memelukku kuat sekali. 

 
 

"I came as soon as I knew..." katanya lirih. Ia memelukku lama sekali. "Visa Amerikaku sudah habis... Aplikasi visa yang baru perlu waktu satu minggu dan aku langsung ke sini dari bandara. Maafkan aku baru bisa datang sekarang.... Maafkan aku..." 

 
 

Perlu waktu beberapa lama bagiku untuk bisa memproses apa yang terjadi. Ini bukan mimpi. 

 
 

Andrea memang datang ke sini... 

 
 

Dan dia sudah tahu... 

 
 

Aku berusaha melepaskan diri dari rangkulannya tetapi Andrea tidak menyerah. Dia berbisik pelan berulang-ulang dengan suara yang hampir tercekat karena tangis. "Please... please don't tell me to leave... Please, Wina..." 

 
 

"Aku akhirnya menyerah dan mengikuti keinginanmu untuk bercerai. Sesudah konferensi di Bali aku mampir ke Singapura untuk mengemasi sisa barang-barangku. Kamu sudah lama tidak tinggal di sana dan apartemen kita berdebu sekali. Aku memutuskan untuk bersih-bersih terakhir kalinya... dan aku melihat laporan diagnosis kamu tahun lalu di tempat sampah. Kamu nggak pernah ngasih tahu aku... Aku langsung datang ke rumah sakit dan ketemu dokter kamu, and he told me everything... Aku tahu kamu sudah cari second and third opinions ke beberapa rumah sakit di Amerika. Aku tahu diagnosisnya selalu sama. Aku tahu kamu sengaja menjauhiku dan melakukan segala cara biar aku kembali pada Adel. Kamu sengaja tidak pernah membalas email dan teleponku supaya aku menyerah dan meninggalkan kamu..." 

 
 

Andrea sudah tahu semuanya.... 

 
 

Aku lupa membuang dokumen dari rumah sakit karena aku tidak mengira Andrea akan datang ke Singapura... 

 
 

Akhirnya tangisku pecah dan aku tersedu-sedu di dadanya. 

 
 

"Di hari itu Dokter Chou menunjukkan hasil tesku.. Katanya itu kanker rahim, sudah stadium lanjut. Hatiku hancur..." aku berkata sesenggukan, "Aku bukan hanya nggak bisa kasih kamu anak, tapi aku juga nggak bisa hidup sama kamu sampai tua, seperti rencana kita. I know how heart-broken you would be... Tadinya aku akan kasih tahu kamu sesudah dapat second opinions... tapi kemudian aku nggak tega, Andrea. Jadi aku berusaha menyatukan kamu dan Adelina. Aku sengaja menahan diri ga pernah mau ketemu kamu dan membalas email-email kamu. Aku menunggu kamu pergi selama setahun ini.... Tapi kenapa kamu nggak move on-move on juga....? Kenapa.... ? Harusnya sekarang kamu sudah kembali bersama Adelina dan Ronan dan lupa sama aku..." 

 
 

Apartemennya di Camden ditata mirip apartemen kami dan passkey-nya sama seperti passkey apartemen kami di Singapura, kapan pun aku siap untuk kembali...rumah itu terbuka untukku. Aku sungguh patah hati saat masuk ke apartemennya dan menyadari bahwa selama setahun ini Andrea menungguku dengan setia di London... 

 
 

"Kamu berusaha keras mengusir aku dari kehidupanmu, kamu bikin aku berpikir kalau kamu sudah berubah jadi perempuan egois dan tidak mau memaafkan masa laluku, tidak mau menerima Ronan.... Kamu pikir aku nggak kan pernah tahu apa yang terjadi..." Andrea memegang wajahku dengan kedua tangannya dan menatapku dalam-dalam, "And I wouldn't have found out if I didn't come to get my stuff from Singapore... Sekarang aku sudah tahu, dan kamu nggak bisa lari lagi. Kemana pun kamu pergi, aku akan ikut... I promise you, you can't get rid of me this time..." 

 
 

Aku jatuh cinta di usia 24, menikah di usia 25, divonis kanker stadium lanjut pada usia 29, dan menjadi penulis terkenal pada usia 30. Ada beberapa hal lagi dalam bucketlist-ku yang tidak akan pernah tercapai, seperti mengunjungi semua negara di dunia dan menikmati masa tua dengan kekasih hatiku... simply because I don't have the time... Aku tidak punya waktu. 

 
 

But looking back, I think I have lived a good life. I think I have done it right. 

(Menurutku, aku telah menjalani hidup sebaik mungkin. Kupikir... aku sudah melakukan yang terbaik.) 

 
 

Aku ingin menghindarkan Andrea dari pedihnya patah hati bila aku meninggal, karena itulah aku merahasiakan penyakitku. Aku berharap kepindahannya ke London akan memberi awal baru baginya dan Adelina sehingga ia akan melupakanku, dan aku pelan-pelan berencana menghilang dari hidupnya. 

 
 

Aku sudah menerima kenyataan bahwa hidupku tidak lama lagi dan menolak kemoterapi yang hanya akan membuatku bertahan hidup sedikit lebih lama dengan rambut rontok dan penampilan yang jelek. Not worth it. 

 
 

When I was in my darkest times, I was contemplating suicide. The only reason I didn't do it was because I know how badly it would hurt him and my family... 

(Di saat-saat tergelap dalam hidupku, aku sempat terpikir untuk bunuh diri. Aku masih hidup sekarang karena aku tahu, jika aku melakukannya, betapa Andrea dan keluargaku akan sangat terluka...) 

 
 

"I am sorry for keeping things from you." kataku pelan. (Maaf aku merahasiakannya darimu.) 

 
 

"I am sorry that you even felt the need to keep things from me... I'll do better." (Maaf aku tidak becus sebagai suami, hingga kau sampai merasa perlu merahasiakannya dariku. Aku berjanji akan menjadi suami yang lebih baik). Andrea mencoba tersenyum dan melonggarkan pelukannya. "Ayo, kasi makan angsanya.. Mereka sudah kelaparan.." 

 
 

Aku mengangguk lemah, membalas senyumnya sambil menghapus air mataku. "Ah..iya, kita kasih makan berdua, ya.." 

 
 

"Habis itu ke coffee shop langgananmu..." 

 
 

"Iya." 

 
 

"Sesudah itu aku mesti beli baju karena aku ke sini nggak bawa koper." 

 
 

"Iya." 

 
 

"Kamu jangan suruh aku pergi lagi." 

 
 

"Iya, Ndre..." 

 
 

"Kita hadapi bersama... till death do us part." Sampai maut memisahkan kita. 

 
 

"Iya... till death do us part," aku mengulang kata-katanya dengan tersenyum, walau airmata kembali membanjiri pipiku. 

 
 

Kami berjalan bergandengan ke Central Park West setelah puas melihat angsa-angsa yang kenyang. 

 
 

"Kamu capek? Aku gendong, ya?" 

 
 

"Nggak usah, ah.... malu dilihat orang." 

 
 

Dia tidak mengindahkan protesku dan menggendongku di punggungnya, "Orang sakit nggak usah protes." 

 
 

You only live once, but if you do it right... once is enough. 

(Kita hidup cuma satu kali. Tetapi kalau kita hidup dengan baik, satu kali sudah cukup.) 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 


Andrea adalah seorang lelaki baik hati yang bertekad tak ingin seperti ayahnya, seorang pria brengsek. 

Nasib mempermainkan dirinya. Pernah ditinggalkan kekasih yang kaya raya, sang pria bersumpah tak akan jatuh hati pada wanita kaya lagi.

Tetapi takdir berkata lain.

Kehadiran Ludwina, seorang gadis periang dan sedikit manja ini membuka pintu hati Andrea yang telah tertutup rapat. Keluarganya yang baik meskipun kaya, membuat Andrea melupakan sumpahnya. Kedua muda mudi ini jatuh cinta seiring berjalannya waktu dan akhirnya menikah dan hidup dipenuhi kebahagiaan. Sampai suatu hari...

Kekasih lama Andrea, Adelina kembali dari kepergiannya membawa fakta mengejutkan.

Dia...mengandung anak Andrea delapan tahun yang lalu dan kini kembali dengan anak lelaki mereka yang sangat membutuhkan kehadiran ayahnya!

Apa yang akan dilakukan Andrea yang tak ingin menjadi pria brengsek tak bertanggung jawab? Bagaimanakah nasib pernikahannya dengan Ludwina?

Dapatkah Ludwina menerima kenyataan pahit ini?

Aku pernah menulis bucketlist waktu masih kuliah dan dengan kekayaan orangtuaku hal-hal yang bisa dibeli dengan uang cepat sekali terpenuhi. Sky diving di Dubai? Sudah. Makan di restoran gantung di Belgia? Sudah. Melihat aurora, sudah beberapa kali. Safari di Afrika untuk melihat Big Five* juga sudah. 

Yang sulit untuk dipenuhi dan memerlukan waktu lama adalah hal-hal yang tidak bisa dibeli dengan uang. Misalnya mengunjungi semua negara di dunia. You don't just need money, but also time...

Jatuh cinta, menikah, dan menjadi penulis bestsellers adalah isi bucketlist-ku yang membutuhkan waktu paling lama untuk dapat terpenuhi. Aku jatuh cinta di umur 24, menikah umur 25 dan menjadi penulis terkenal di usia 30 tahun.

You only live once, but if you do it right... once is enough.
(Kita hidup  cuma satu kali. Tetapi kalau kita hidup dengan baik, satu kali sudah cukup.)

Aku selalu suka musim gugur di New York. Aku banyak menyimpan kenangan indah di kota ini sejak masih kuliah. Central Park in autumn is a magical place and now it almost feels like home. Untuk menenangkan diri setelah insiden di UWRF, aku terbang ke New York. Seminggu pertama rasanya berat sekali untuk keluar hotel, tetapi kemudian cuaca cerah dan burung-burung gereja yang bernyanyi dari luar jendela mengundangku untuk melangkahkan kaki ke Central Park.

Ketika aku mengajak Andrea ke Central Park untuk pertama kalinya, cuaca juga cerah seperti ini. Kami duduk beralaskan selimut piknik dan ditemani wine dan beberapa potong pizza 1 dollar New York yang terkenal itu. Aku membaca buku, berusaha mencari inspirasi, dan Andrea melakukan bug testing pada sistem keamanan baru yang akan ia luncurkan. 

Setelah bosan membaca buku aku akan membawa sepotong pizza dan memberi makan angsa-angsa di danau dekat situ. Andrea akan menyusul dengan potongan pizza kedua, dan setelah puas melihat angsa-angsa yang kenyang, kami akan berjalan bergandengan tangan ke coffee shop favoritku di Central Park West.

Hari ini, aku tak kuasa menahan tangis saat berjalan sendirian menghampiri danau dan mengeluarkan pizza dari kantong kertas untuk diberikan pada angsa-angsa yang segera menghampiriku. 

Bayangan-bayangan kenangan melintas di depan mata dan membuat air mataku menetes pelan-pelan. Aku malu karena aku sepertinya kurang bersyukur. Aku kan sudah jatuh cinta, menikah, dan menjadi penulis terkenal. Sebagian besar keinginanku, baik yang dapat dibeli dengan uang, maupun tidak, sudah terpenuhi. Aku memang belum mengunjungi semua negara di dunia, karena aku tidak punya waktu...

Aku terduduk dan menangis tersedu-sedu dengan membenamkan wajah ke dua telapak tanganku. Banyak orang yang menganggapku sebagai gadis yang memiliki segalanya, tetapi mereka tidak tahu betapa aku merasa bagai orang paling miskin di dunia....

"Ludwinaa..!! Winaa...!!" tiba-tiba terdengar suara memanggil dari kejauhan, "Ludwinaaa..!!"

Aku pasti bermimpi.

Itu suara Andrea.

Aku mengangkat wajah ke arah datangnya suara. Dari balik genangan airmataku aku melihat bayangan seorang laki-laki berlari mendekat. Ia mengenakan jaket abu-abu panjang dan berlari sekuat tenaga ke arahku.

"Winaa..."

Akhirnya pemilik suara tiba di depanku, suaranya terengah-engah dan lelah, "Wina..."

Aku mengenali laki-laki itu. Aku pasti bermimpi. Ini suara Andrea dan aroma Andrea. Ini tubuh Andrea. Tapi kan tidak mungkin ia ada di sini... Andrea tinggal di London.

Ia memelukku kuat sekali.

"I came as soon as I knew..." katanya lirih. Ia memelukku lama sekali. "Visa Amerikaku sudah habis... Aplikasi visa yang baru perlu waktu satu minggu dan aku langsung ke sini dari bandara. Maafkan aku baru bisa datang sekarang.... Maafkan aku..."

Perlu waktu beberapa lama bagiku untuk bisa memproses apa yang terjadi. Ini bukan mimpi. 

Andrea memang datang ke sini... 
Dan dia sudah tahu... 

Aku berusaha melepaskan diri dari rangkulannya tetapi Andrea tidak menyerah. Dia berbisik pelan berulang-ulang dengan suara yang hampir tercekat karena tangis. "Please... please don't tell me to leave... Please, Wina..."

"Aku akhirnya menyerah dan mengikuti keinginanmu untuk bercerai. Sesudah konferensi di Bali aku mampir ke Singapura untuk mengemasi sisa barang-barangku. Kamu sudah lama tidak tinggal di sana dan apartemen kita berdebu sekali. Aku memutuskan untuk bersih-bersih terakhir kalinya... dan aku melihat laporan diagnosis kamu tahun lalu di tempat sampah. Kamu nggak pernah ngasih tahu aku... Aku langsung datang ke rumah sakit dan ketemu dokter kamu, and he told me everything... Aku tahu kamu sudah cari second and third opinions ke beberapa rumah sakit di Amerika. Aku tahu diagnosisnya selalu sama. Aku tahu kamu sengaja menjauhiku dan melakukan segala cara biar aku kembali pada Adel. Kamu sengaja tidak pernah membalas email dan teleponku supaya aku menyerah dan meninggalkan kamu..."

Andrea sudah tahu semuanya.... 

Aku lupa membuang dokumen dari rumah sakit karena aku tidak mengira Andrea akan datang ke Singapura...

Akhirnya tangisku pecah dan aku tersedu-sedu di dadanya.

"Di hari itu Dokter Chou menunjukkan hasil tesku.. Katanya itu kanker rahim, sudah stadium lanjut. Hatiku hancur..." aku berkata sesenggukan, "Aku bukan hanya nggak bisa kasih kamu anak, tapi aku juga nggak bisa hidup sama kamu sampai tua, seperti rencana kita. I know how heart-broken you would be... Tadinya aku akan kasih tahu kamu sesudah dapat second opinions... tapi kemudian aku nggak tega, Andrea. Jadi aku berusaha menyatukan kamu dan Adelina. Aku sengaja menahan diri ga pernah mau ketemu kamu dan membalas email-email kamu. Aku menunggu kamu pergi selama setahun ini.... Tapi kenapa kamu nggak move on-move on  juga....? Kenapa.... ? Harusnya sekarang kamu sudah kembali bersama Adelina dan Ronan dan lupa sama aku..."

Apartemennya di Camden ditata mirip apartemen kami dan passkey-nya sama seperti passkey apartemen kami di Singapura, kapan pun aku siap untuk kembali...rumah itu terbuka untukku. Aku sungguh patah hati saat masuk ke apartemennya dan menyadari bahwa selama setahun ini Andrea menungguku dengan setia di London...

"Kamu berusaha keras mengusir aku dari kehidupanmu, kamu bikin aku berpikir kalau kamu sudah berubah jadi perempuan egois dan tidak mau memaafkan masa laluku, tidak mau menerima Ronan.... Kamu pikir aku nggak kan pernah tahu apa yang terjadi..." Andrea memegang wajahku dengan kedua tangannya dan menatapku dalam-dalam, "And I wouldn't have found out if I didn't come to get my stuff from Singapore... Sekarang aku sudah tahu, dan kamu nggak bisa lari lagi. Kemana pun kamu pergi, aku akan ikut... I promise you, you can't get rid of me this time..."

Aku jatuh cinta di usia 24, menikah di usia 25, divonis kanker stadium lanjut pada usia 29, dan menjadi penulis terkenal pada usia 30. Ada beberapa hal lagi dalam bucketlist-ku yang tidak akan pernah tercapai, seperti mengunjungi semua negara di dunia dan menikmati masa tua dengan kekasih hatiku... simply because I don't have the time... Aku tidak  punya waktu.

But looking back, I think I have lived a good life. I think I have done it right.
(Menurutku,  aku telah menjalani hidup sebaik mungkin. Kupikir... aku sudah melakukan yang terbaik.)

Aku ingin menghindarkan Andrea dari pedihnya patah hati bila aku meninggal, karena itulah aku merahasiakan penyakitku. Aku berharap kepindahannya ke London akan memberi awal baru baginya dan Adelina sehingga ia akan melupakanku, dan aku pelan-pelan berencana menghilang dari hidupnya. 

Aku sudah menerima kenyataan bahwa hidupku tidak lama lagi dan menolak kemoterapi yang hanya akan membuatku bertahan hidup sedikit lebih lama dengan rambut rontok dan penampilan yang jelek. Not worth it.

When I was in my darkest times, I was contemplating suicide. The only reason I didn't do it was because I know how badly it would hurt him and my family...
(Di saat-saat tergelap dalam hidupku, aku sempat terpikir untuk bunuh diri. Aku masih hidup sekarang karena aku tahu, jika aku melakukannya, betapa  Andrea dan keluargaku akan sangat terluka...)

"I am sorry for keeping things from you." kataku pelan. (Maaf aku merahasiakannya darimu.)

"I am sorry that you even felt the need to keep things from me... I'll do better." (Maaf aku tidak becus sebagai suami, hingga kau sampai merasa perlu merahasiakannya dariku. Aku berjanji akan menjadi  suami yang lebih baik). Andrea mencoba tersenyum dan melonggarkan pelukannya. "Ayo, kasi makan angsanya.. Mereka sudah kelaparan.."

Aku mengangguk lemah, membalas senyumnya sambil menghapus air mataku. "Ah..iya, kita kasih makan berdua, ya.."

"Habis itu ke coffee shop langgananmu..."

"Iya."

"Sesudah itu aku mesti beli baju karena aku ke sini nggak bawa koper."

"Iya."

"Kamu jangan suruh aku pergi lagi."

"Iya, Ndre..."

"Kita hadapi bersama... till death do us part." Sampai maut memisahkan kita.

"Iya... till death do us part," aku mengulang kata-katanya dengan tersenyum, walau airmata kembali membanjiri pipiku.

Kami berjalan bergandengan ke Central Park West setelah puas melihat angsa-angsa yang kenyang.

"Kamu capek? Aku gendong, ya?"

"Nggak usah, ah.... malu dilihat orang."

Dia tidak mengindahkan protesku dan menggendongku di punggungnya, "Orang sakit nggak usah protes."

You only live once, but if you do it right... once is enough.
(Kita hidup  cuma satu kali. Tetapi kalau kita hidup dengan baik, satu kali sudah cukup.)

****

Buku sudah tersedia di Google Books/Google Play. Bisa juga membaca versi lengkap  buku ini di Webnovel dengan judul:

"Kisah Cinta Ludwina & Andrea"

******
SINOPSIS

Andrea adalah seorang lelaki baik hati yang bertekad tak ingin seperti ayahnya, seorang pria brengsek. 

Nasib mempermainkan dirinya. Pernah ditinggalkan kekasih yang kaya raya, sang pria bersumpah tak akan jatuh hati pada wanita kaya lagi.

Tetapi takdir berkata lain.

Kehadiran Ludwina, seorang gadis periang dan sedikit manja ini membuka pintu hati Andrea yang telah tertutup rapat. Keluarganya yang baik meskipun kaya, membuat Andrea melupakan sumpahnya. Kedua muda mudi ini jatuh cinta seiring berjalannya waktu dan akhirnya menikah dan hidup dipenuhi kebahagiaan. Sampai suatu hari...

Kekasih lama Andrea, Adelina kembali dari kepergiannya membawa fakta mengejutkan.

Dia...mengandung anak Andrea delapan tahun yang lalu dan kini kembali dengan anak lelaki mereka yang sangat membutuhkan kehadiran ayahnya!

Apa yang akan dilakukan Andrea yang tak ingin menjadi pria brengsek tak bertanggung jawab? Bagaimanakah nasib pernikahannya dengan Ludwina?

Dapatkah Ludwina menerima kenyataan pahit ini?

>>>>>>
Silakan membaca versi lengkap buku ini dengan membelinya di Google Play. Klik Cari, dan ketik "Ludwina", nanti akan kelihatan bukunya. Hanya seharga Rp 41.500 untuk 400 halaman.

***

Follow FB Page "Missrealitybites" untuk ngobrol dengan saya tentang novel-novel saya:
1. The Alchemists
2. Ludwina & Andrea
3. Katerina
4. Glass Heart: Kojiro - Nana
5. 1912-1932
6. Kisah dari Kerajaan Air
7. Altair & Vega

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Aku pernah menulis bucketlist (daftar keinginan) waktu masih kuliah. Dengan kekayaan orangtuaku hal-hal yang bisa dibeli dengan uang cepat sekali terpenuhi. Sky diving di Dubai? Sudah. Makan di restoran gantung di Belgia? Sudah. Melihat aurora, sudah beberapa kali. Safari di Afrika untuk melihat Big Five juga sudah. 

Yang sulit untuk dipenuhi dan memerlukan waktu lama adalah hal-hal yang tidak bisa dibeli dengan uang. Misalnya mengunjungi semua negara di dunia. You don't just need money, but also time... 

Jatuh cinta, menikah, dan menjadi penulis bestsellers adalah isi bucketlist-ku yang membutuhkan waktu paling lama untuk dapat terpenuhi. Aku jatuh cinta di umur 24, menikah umur 25 dan menjadi penulis terkenal di usia 30 tahun. 

You only live once, but if you do it right... once is enough. 

(Kita hidup cuma satu kali. Tetapi kalau kita hidup dengan baik, satu kali sudah cukup.) 

Aku selalu suka musim gugur di New York. Aku banyak menyimpan kenangan indah di kota ini sejak masih kuliah. Central Park in autumn is a magical place and now it almost feels like home. Untuk menenangkan diri setelah insiden di UWRF, aku terbang ke New York. Seminggu pertama rasanya berat sekali untuk keluar hotel, tetapi kemudian cuaca cerah dan burung-burung gereja yang bernyanyi dari luar jendela mengundangku untuk melangkahkan kaki ke Central Park. 

Ketika aku mengajak Andrea ke Central Park untuk pertama kalinya, cuaca juga cerah seperti ini. Kami duduk beralaskan selimut piknik dan ditemani wine dan beberapa potong pizza 1 dollar New York yang terkenal itu. Aku membaca buku, berusaha mencari inspirasi, dan Andrea melakukan bug testing pada sistem keamanan baru yang akan ia luncurkan. 

Setelah bosan membaca buku aku akan membawa sepotong pizza dan memberi makan angsa-angsa di danau dekat situ. Andrea akan menyusul dengan potongan pizza kedua, dan setelah puas melihat angsa-angsa yang kenyang, kami akan berjalan bergandengan tangan ke coffee shop favoritku di Central Park West. 

Hari ini, aku tak kuasa menahan tangis saat berjalan sendirian menghampiri danau dan mengeluarkan pizza dari kantong kertas untuk diberikan pada angsa-angsa yang segera menghampiriku. 

Bayangan-bayangan kenangan melintas di depan mata dan membuat air mataku menetes pelan-pelan. Aku malu karena aku sepertinya kurang bersyukur. Aku kan sudah jatuh cinta, menikah, dan menjadi penulis terkenal. Sebagian besar keinginanku, baik yang dapat dibeli dengan uang, maupun tidak, sudah terpenuhi. Aku memang belum mengunjungi semua negara di dunia, karena aku tidak punya waktu... 

Aku terduduk dan menangis tersedu-sedu dengan membenamkan wajah ke dua telapak tanganku. Banyak orang yang menganggapku sebagai gadis yang memiliki segalanya, tetapi mereka tidak tahu betapa aku merasa bagai orang paling miskin di dunia.... 

"Ludwinaa..!! Winaa...!!" tiba-tiba terdengar suara memanggil dari kejauhan, "Ludwinaaa..!!" 

Aku pasti bermimpi. 

Itu suara Andrea. 

Aku mengangkat wajah ke arah datangnya suara. Dari balik genangan airmataku aku melihat bayangan seorang laki-laki berlari mendekat. Ia mengenakan jaket abu-abu panjang dan berlari sekuat tenaga ke arahku. 

"Winaa..." 

Akhirnya pemilik suara tiba di depanku, suaranya terengah-engah dan lelah, "Wina..." 

Aku mengenali laki-laki itu. Aku pasti bermimpi. Ini suara Andrea dan aroma Andrea. Ini tubuh Andrea. Tapi kan tidak mungkin ia ada di sini... Andrea tinggal di London. 

Ia memelukku kuat sekali. 

"I came as soon as I knew..." katanya lirih. Ia memelukku lama sekali. "Visa Amerikaku sudah habis... Aplikasi visa yang baru perlu waktu satu minggu dan aku langsung ke sini dari bandara. Maafkan aku baru bisa datang sekarang.... Maafkan aku..." 

Perlu waktu beberapa lama bagiku untuk bisa memproses apa yang terjadi. Ini bukan mimpi. 

Andrea memang datang ke sini... 

Dan dia sudah tahu... 

Aku berusaha melepaskan diri dari rangkulannya tetapi Andrea tidak menyerah. Dia berbisik pelan berulang-ulang dengan suara yang hampir tercekat karena tangis. "Please... please don't tell me to leave... Please, Wina..." 

"Aku akhirnya menyerah dan mengikuti keinginanmu untuk bercerai. Sesudah konferensi di Bali aku mampir ke Singapura untuk mengemasi sisa barang-barangku. Kamu sudah lama tidak tinggal di sana dan apartemen kita berdebu sekali. Aku memutuskan untuk bersih-bersih terakhir kalinya... dan aku melihat laporan diagnosis kamu tahun lalu di tempat sampah. Kamu nggak pernah ngasih tahu aku... Aku langsung datang ke rumah sakit dan ketemu dokter kamu, and he told me everything... Aku tahu kamu sudah cari second and third opinions ke beberapa rumah sakit di Amerika. Aku tahu diagnosisnya selalu sama. Aku tahu kamu sengaja menjauhiku dan melakukan segala cara biar aku kembali pada Adel. Kamu sengaja tidak pernah membalas email dan teleponku supaya aku menyerah dan meninggalkan kamu..." 

Andrea sudah tahu semuanya.... 

Aku lupa membuang dokumen dari rumah sakit karena aku tidak mengira Andrea akan datang ke Singapura... 

Akhirnya tangisku pecah dan aku tersedu-sedu di dadanya. 

"Di hari itu Dokter Chou menunjukkan hasil tesku.. Katanya itu kanker rahim, sudah stadium lanjut. Hatiku hancur..." aku berkata sesenggukan, "Aku bukan hanya nggak bisa kasih kamu anak, tapi aku juga nggak bisa hidup sama kamu sampai tua, seperti rencana kita. I know how heart-broken you would be... Tadinya aku akan kasih tahu kamu sesudah dapat second opinions... tapi kemudian aku nggak tega, Andrea. Jadi aku berusaha menyatukan kamu dan Adelina. Aku sengaja menahan diri ga pernah mau ketemu kamu dan membalas email-email kamu. Aku menunggu kamu pergi selama setahun ini.... Tapi kenapa kamu nggak move on-move on juga....? Kenapa.... ? Harusnya sekarang kamu sudah kembali bersama Adelina dan Ronan dan lupa sama aku..." 

Apartemennya di Camden ditata mirip apartemen kami dan passkey-nya sama seperti passkey apartemen kami di Singapura, kapan pun aku siap untuk kembali...rumah itu terbuka untukku. Aku sungguh patah hati saat masuk ke apartemennya dan menyadari bahwa selama setahun ini Andrea menungguku dengan setia di London... 

"Kamu berusaha keras mengusir aku dari kehidupanmu, kamu bikin aku berpikir kalau kamu sudah berubah jadi perempuan egois dan tidak mau memaafkan masa laluku, tidak mau menerima Ronan.... Kamu pikir aku nggak kan pernah tahu apa yang terjadi..." Andrea memegang wajahku dengan kedua tangannya dan menatapku dalam-dalam, "And I wouldn't have found out if I didn't come to get my stuff from Singapore... Sekarang aku sudah tahu, dan kamu nggak bisa lari lagi. Kemana pun kamu pergi, aku akan ikut... I promise you, you can't get rid of me this time..." 

Aku jatuh cinta di usia 24, menikah di usia 25, divonis kanker stadium lanjut pada usia 29, dan menjadi penulis terkenal pada usia 30. Ada beberapa hal lagi dalam bucketlist-ku yang tidak akan pernah tercapai, seperti mengunjungi semua negara di dunia dan menikmati masa tua dengan kekasih hatiku... simply because I don't have the time... Aku tidak punya waktu. 

But looking back, I think I have lived a good life. I think I have done it right. 

(Menurutku, aku telah menjalani hidup sebaik mungkin. Kupikir... aku sudah melakukan yang terbaik.) 

Aku ingin menghindarkan Andrea dari pedihnya patah hati bila aku meninggal, karena itulah aku merahasiakan penyakitku. Aku berharap kepindahannya ke London akan memberi awal baru baginya dan Adelina sehingga ia akan melupakanku, dan aku pelan-pelan berencana menghilang dari hidupnya. 

Aku sudah menerima kenyataan bahwa hidupku tidak lama lagi dan menolak kemoterapi yang hanya akan membuatku bertahan hidup sedikit lebih lama dengan rambut rontok dan penampilan yang jelek. Not worth it. 

When I was in my darkest times, I was contemplating suicide. The only reason I didn't do it was because I know how badly it would hurt him and my family... 

(Di saat-saat tergelap dalam hidupku, aku sempat terpikir untuk bunuh diri. Aku masih hidup sekarang karena aku tahu, jika aku melakukannya, betapa Andrea dan keluargaku akan sangat terluka...) 

"I am sorry for keeping things from you." kataku pelan. (Maaf aku merahasiakannya darimu.) 

"I am sorry that you even felt the need to keep things from me... I'll do better." (Maaf aku tidak becus sebagai suami, hingga kau sampai merasa perlu merahasiakannya dariku. Aku berjanji akan menjadi suami yang lebih baik). Andrea mencoba tersenyum dan melonggarkan pelukannya. "Ayo, kasi makan angsanya.. Mereka sudah kelaparan.." 

Aku mengangguk lemah, membalas senyumnya sambil menghapus air mataku. "Ah..iya, kita kasih makan berdua, ya.." 

"Habis itu ke coffee shop langgananmu..." 

"Iya." 

"Sesudah itu aku mesti beli baju karena aku ke sini nggak bawa koper." 

"Iya." 

"Kamu jangan suruh aku pergi lagi." 

"Iya, Ndre..." 

"Kita hadapi bersama... till death do us part." Sampai maut memisahkan kita. 

"Iya... till death do us part," aku mengulang kata-katanya dengan tersenyum, walau airmata kembali membanjiri pipiku. 

Kami berjalan bergandengan ke Central Park West setelah puas melihat angsa-angsa yang kenyang. 

"Kamu capek? Aku gendong, ya?" 

"Nggak usah, ah.... malu dilihat orang." 

Dia tidak mengindahkan protesku dan menggendongku di punggungnya, "Orang sakit nggak usah protes." 

You only live once, but if you do it right... once is enough. 

(Kita hidup cuma satu kali. Tetapi kalau kita hidup dengan baik, satu kali sudah cukup.) 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 


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