Battlestar Galactikar

When I was in primary school, we lived in Petaling Jaya, in SS2/4. At that time it was pretty much OK for us to play with friends freely without parents having to really think about any lurking dangers. Somehow at that time serial rapists or paedophiliacs or kidnappers did not exist. Not even on TV as well since all we had was science fiction and fantasy. Saya selalu berangan nak ada bulu kening telur lipas macam Maya dalam siri Battlestar Galactica. Original series please. Circa 1978.

Well anywayyyy that's not the real issue here. The nostalgic reference is made as an intro to the real story, which is the crush I had on a boy when I was living on that street. Masa tu saya rasa dialah budak lelaki yang paling cun sekali. Bila dia lalu depan rumah naik basikal chopper dia, saya terus lari ke pintu pagar dan sengih-sengih. Bila saya tengok dia, saya terus teringat kepada pelakon Richard Hatch yang jadi Captain Apollo dalam Battlestar Galactica.

Nak tahu kenapa saya rasa budak lelaki ni hensem sangat?

Sebab dia sorang je yang sikat rambut middle parting. Dan bila dia speeding naik basikal chopper rambut dia mengerbang ditiup angin.

Budak-budak lelaki lain semuanya rambut side parting yang sangat lurus (macam bila sikat guna pembaris). Dan rambut pulak berminyak sebab Mak suruh letak brylcreem. Kalau diaorang kena gantung terbalik pun rambut masih melekat di kepala. Eeeww.

Again I digress.

One day my mother was mopping the floor and since she didn't want me to be anywhere near the floor surface area that was to be cleaned I was shooed outside to play. Geng sebelah rumah pulak tak ada. Terpaksalah main sorang-sorang. Belek kereta sorong, belek basikal, main teng-teng, upgrade skill batu seremban...Bila dah lama berjemur tu mulalah saya rasa dahaga. Hajat di hati nak masuk rumah bukak fridge tapi teringat pulak mak cakap jangan masuk nanti tapak kaki penuh satu rumah. Dalam fridge ada air ais. Tapi jalan menuju ke sana penuh dengan onak duri. Dan ada dragon besar tengah mop lantai.

So I did what any normal 70s kid would do. I went to the nearest water tap, turned it on, picked up the rubber hose dan togok air paip. Gluk gluk gluk.

And it was also at that time that Richard Hatch wannabe passed by my house and saw me on the ground, bercangkung, tangan kanan tengah pegang rubber hose dan cuba mendapatkan angle yang paling baik untuk menogok air, tangan kiri tengah adjust water tap untuk mendapatkan optimum water volume.

Dia berhenti mengayuh. Dia tengok je apa saya buat. Saya pun tengok je dia berhenti depan rumah. Sambil terkebil-kebil.

Saya tutup paip dan lambai-lambai padanya.

Dia senyum, betulkan rambut middle parting dan terus beredar. Macam nak cepat je saya tengok.

Kemudian dari dalam rumah saya dengar mak saya jerit tanya kenapa ada sudu kecik dalam tin Milo. Ala kantoi la pulak.