The day just dragged on and as I was still not very busy I had time to read more on the internet. When I had time like this, I sometimes read stories about my favourite TV shows to find out what would happen in the next episode. I liked to watch programmes from America mostly. I don’t really like Indonesian TV or films too much. I think the stories in Indonesian TV shows are all the same. In these shows the women are always crying and the men are always cruel. The men always hit the women and make them fall down and then leave the house quickly. I don’t think it is good if the men always hit the women, do you? That doesn’t usually happen in real life.
That’s why I preferred to watch the TV shows from America. My favourite shows are Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, C.S.I, 90210 and Gossip Girl. I think these shows are much more realistic, don’t you? The men and ladies all seemed to be more independent and cool and that made me think America must be a wonderful place to live in because there everyone seems to be so confident.
I started wondering if Charlie was the same type of guy as the men in these shows. I mean, I knew he was from England and not America, and I knew the men in the shows are only actors and that the stories are made-up and not real and everything, but I just imagined all bules must be much the same in real life as they are on TV. I guess I learned the hard way not to judge a book by its cover, though.
Sometimes after work I watched TV with Ari or else went to the cinema with him and we discussed the places in the films and the people. Ari also thinks the films and TV from America are better than the ones from Indonesia but I think he just likes to look at the beautiful bule ladies. I sometimes teased him that he should try and find a bule girlfriend but then he normally just blushed and said he was not a bule-mania. He is a funny boy. I like him and I hope he will have the future he deserves, one day.
I looked up at the clock and saw it was nearly time to go home and until now Charlie hadn’t replied my email. I decided to check one more time and then if he still hadn’t written to me I would go home and look again the next day.
Wow!!!!!!!!!! I had a reply from him!!! See, I knew he was a good man! All bules are good men! Just like in the movies! Just like Matt Damon and George Clooney and that actor who plays Maloney in Grey’s Anatomy and … ooooh, many others!
Right? Right?
My mind was racing and I was gabbling (internally anyway, in reality I didn’t say a word) and a million thoughts and questions were racing through my mind.
What does he say?????? I can’t open it, I’m too nervous.
Maybe he wants to meet me and then he will fall in love with me and want to marry me and take me to England and meet his family and we will have many children and they will be semi-bule and so cute and everyone will know me as a lucky girl with a great life!
I knew I had to calm down. Ok. Take a deep breath. It’s ok. It’s just an email. Just read it and see what he says. Ok. Here we go.
From: [email protected]
Date: 26 June, 2005
Dear Sari,
Thank you very much for your email. It was a nice surprise to hear from you.
What do you do here, Sari? I work as an English teacher in Slipi. Do you know that place? I should think you do as you said you were born here in Jakarta. ϑ
Yes, you are right about Indonesian people being very friendly. Everyone here is always smiling at me and they all want to talk to me. I feel a bit like a film or pop star ϑ but until now I still don’t have any close friends.
Well, Sari, I think I should go now because I have to get back to work.
Take care and have a great day.
Charlie
I read his email many times and I was floating. I was so very happy. I thought that was a very nice email and Charlie was a nice man. He was very polite and kind, I thought. I happily read his email many times and it proved what I was thinking: bule men were polite and kind and this email was evidence of that. I decided to write to him again later. I would like to be his friend. He was a nice man, I thought and he even used smileys, the same as me. In fact, he used two smileys. This showed what a friendly man he was. I had to go home, but already I was looking forward to writing to him again.
The very next day I decided to write again to Charlie. I thought about him a lot in the night.
I hoped he was ok the previous night and not too lonely in his house. I hoped he could find some friends here soon. I worried a bit about him.
Ok. This was my email to him.
From: [email protected]
Date: 27 June, 2005
Dear Charlie,
It is me, Sari. Thanks you very much for your write to me. I am very happy to read your email and you reply to me. Yes, you are right. I do know Slipi because I am live in Jakarta all my life until nowϑ. My office is
