GREY MARNI
Smoke of Freedom

A few days ago, Rudi started working. Rudi after leaving Andin is very different from Rudi before. Now the man became very difficult to joke with and became very quiet.

The days that he went through he filled with silence and calmed his mind, he still had not touched the things that would damage him. Only cigarettes and alcohol he wrestled with every day, either Erlang or when he was alone. The room was full of bottles.

No one warned or rebuked Rudi to reduce the alcohol and cigarettes he consumed. All his friends just look and accompany him so as not to touch more dangerous items.

Until one day there was a friend who offered a cigarette roll that was filled with other items.

Dimas was a parking guard around the market. Rudi knew Dimas from one of his kernet friends who also gave him a recommendation.

It was Rudi's first marijuana cigarette he smoked in his tightly locked room. He did it after he got home from work. Cigarette marijuana or commonly called as 'cimeng' that he gave to Rudi for free because Rudi just tried it.

At that time, in his room billowing smoke from one cigarette that made Rudi's head feel light and calm. That afternoon no one entered Rudi's room.

One rod he spent in one sitting, after one rod was used up, Rudi immediately slept without making any noise.

The effect given by the cimeng makes Rudi sleep soundly until the sun rises from the east. When Rudi woke up his whole body became very light and his mind was very calm. He eventually intended to buy some from Dimas and would use it every day after he worked.

In the fog, Rudi kept thinking that everything he did did not interfere with his work and did not bother his friends.

Every day after he came home from work, he always stopped by the market first before returning to the boarding house. His new habit lasted for a week. During that one week his mind was protracted began to calm down and could forget Andin. But the bad side is getting more and more days making it unable to escape from the marijuana cigarette. From one day one rod now becomes two stems every day.

Because Rudi had been ordering from Dimas for a long time, Dimas also advised him to buy in the form of a wedge only and mix it himself into cigarettes. Rudi agreed to Dimas' advice and started to buy his wares instead.

Now there was nothing more that Rudi had set aside, every money he could use to pay for expenses, food, cigarettes and some marijuana.

No one knew of Rudi's new habits. Even Laura who recently began to often together with Rudi in front of the porch of her house also did not see any signs of a change in attitude.

Rudi slowly became the figure of Rudi as usual, which is different from him now precisely the larger portion of his jokes.

...----------------...

"Rud, just got home?" Ask Laura.

Rudi who wanted to go to his room broke his intention and approached Laura.

"Yes, Ra. What's up?"

"Nothing, sit here first we talk"

"Hahaha, just talk without coffee? Asem dong!"

"Hahaha, take it easy later on"

"Sip! Make one thermos yes"

"Hahaha, let alone a flask. I made a gallon of it"

"Uhh... So honey..."

"Hahaha, sit down and make coffee"

"Ready mom kos. Erlang's not here?"

"No, he hasn't been here in four days"

"All right..."

Sometimes Laura feels uncomfortable with some of the jokes spoken by Rudi, but she still acts ordinary and tries to understand him for fear of ruining the recovery period of his brain.

Rudi took out his cigarette and hid some of the marijuana he had just bought. Rudi lit a cigarette and waited for Laura to finish making coffee for him.

After a while of waiting, Laura came out with a cup of coffee and some fresh bread.

"Hahaha, what a concern. So embarrassed"

"Hahaha, this is fresh bread. Let me get you the jam first"

Laura went in again and came out with a glass bottle of red jam. After that he sat down and began to mix jam on the bread and eat it.

Rudi followed what Laura did, but he arranged a three-layer bread with two layers of jam inside. His appetite began to craze and Laura just laughed at Rudi's increasingly hilarious behavior.

"Rud, are you okay?"

"Hahaha, who's better?"

"It's not that good, but what about how you feel? Already better?"

"Hahaha, already. Don't worry about me too much"

"Hahaha, fine if so"

"When did you marry Erlang?"

Rudi's sudden question made Laura shocked to make Laura spout a little food that she still chewed.

"Hahaha, why are you asking like that? Not very like you"

"Hahaha, just curious"

"Wait for you, we'll get married together"

"Hahaha, don't wait for me. It's gonna be a long time for me to get married"

Laura's face changed instantly. The woman had just realized that her last statement seemed to offend Rudi. Laura blamed herself inwardly and tried to find another discussion.

"How's erlang? No grandmistakes?"

"Hahaha, no! If you see Erlang when he's driving the bus, you'll definitely be pangling"

"Hahaha, why?"

"So serious! It's hard to joke around"

"Haha"

They continued chatting, Laura thought a lot in that chat. The woman tried her best not to say a few sentences that might offend Rudi.

After quite a while they chatted until the coffee and bread prepared by Laura ran out with no leftovers. Rudi began to feel the itching shared his throat and he immediately left.

Rudi went into the room, closed the windows and doors tightly. He took off his jacket and shirt, went bare-chested and started mixing the marijuana he bought with two cigarettes.

Rudi took out a small part of the tip of the cigarette and put some marijuana into it. After the two sticks were fully filled, Rudi banged the bottom of his cigarette to the ground until the marijuana he had mixed solidified and fused with cigarettes.

One rod he turned on and one other rod he kept in a closet drawer.

Smoke began to rise in his room. Rudi sucked it deep, kept it in his throat long enough and just let it out.

Smoke is like an illusion that leads to freedom and relief of the mind. Slowly his mind began to drift, slowly his entire body lightened up.

Rudi looked for a backrest and his head was starting to be unable to hold. His whole body felt light and limp. Rudi sucked again and exhaled his smoke by looking up at the ceiling of his room.

Rudi flew with the smoke that started to disappear, there were no incriminating thoughts of him at that moment. Rudi felt a sense of freedom without thinking about the side effects of what she had done.