LJ Idol Week 1: Jayus*
Reconciliation
“It was a joke, you’re supposed to laugh.”
“It wasn't funny.”
“Of course it was you just weren't listening.”
“I’m always listening.”
“Yeah. Yeah, sure you are.” He readjusts his hand on the steering wheel. “Are you going to stay upset forever then?”
“Maybe.” She sighs and lets her head fall gently against the window of the passenger door.
They drive in silence for another few miles.
She reads the names of the overpasses. She thinks maybe she should write them down; fill an entire notebook with the names of pedestrian bridges and highway overpasses. She looks at his reflection in the window for a moment. She studies the way his brow is slightly creased. It’s not her fault his jokes aren’t funny.
He clears his throat and she quickly flicks her eyes back to the road.
“You want to stop and get ice cream?” He asks. He turns his head to her and smiles but she just shrugs, doesn’t look back.
“Whatever you want to do is fine.” She says.
It takes all of his energy not to let out an exasperated sigh. Instead he continues, “Chocolate chip mint in a wafer cone? With rainbow sprinkles? Huh? Your favorite.”
She doesn’t say anything.
He considers changing the radio station but decides not to stir the pot even more. He steals another peek at her. She’s got her right elbow up on the arm rest and is resting her head on her hand.
He puts on his turn signal to pass a slow moving station wagon and glances in the rearview mirror. He thinks about the night they met, their first kiss, their first Christmas. The antique hair comb he got her for her last birthday. He thinks about that morning and how he’d said the wrong thing and how she’d been sullen the rest of the day. He tried telling jokes to lighten the mood but she’d refused to laugh. He knew she was refusing. Part of why he loves her is because she laughs at his jokes. He decides to try again.
“So an alien walks into a bar and there’s a live band playing. During a break he goes up to the stage and says he can play any instrument.”He pauses and she can see him turn his head in her peripheral vision. She keeps her eyes firmly on the car in front of them.
“So the guys in the band say, Really? and they hand over a guitar and the alien starts playing, better than Hendrix or Page or anybody. And the guys in the band are like, whoa this dude is really good, so they lead him over to the piano and he starts playing better than Billy Joel, better than Mozart and the guys in the band are really impressed and are like, okay how about this? and hand over a set of bag pipes--- Wait. Wait, it’s an octopus not an alien. An Octupus walks into a bar and - ”
She laughs. She laughs without meaning too. A small breathless chuckle that bubbles up in her chest so unexpected that she shakes her head. She moves her left hand to land on his thigh. She finally turns to look at him for a moment.
He looks back at her confused but slightly relieved.
“Let’s go get ice cream.” She says patting his thigh.
He lets a hand fall from the steering wheel to rest over hers and squeezes gently. “I love you.” He says.
She squeezes back. “I love you too.”
He nods. “So an octopus walks into a bar…”
_____________________
*Jayus (Indonesian): a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh.
“It was a joke, you’re supposed to laugh.”
“It wasn't funny.”
“Of course it was you just weren't listening.”
“I’m always listening.”
“Yeah. Yeah, sure you are.” He readjusts his hand on the steering wheel. “Are you going to stay upset forever then?”
“Maybe.” She sighs and lets her head fall gently against the window of the passenger door.
They drive in silence for another few miles.
She reads the names of the overpasses. She thinks maybe she should write them down; fill an entire notebook with the names of pedestrian bridges and highway overpasses. She looks at his reflection in the window for a moment. She studies the way his brow is slightly creased. It’s not her fault his jokes aren’t funny.
He clears his throat and she quickly flicks her eyes back to the road.
“You want to stop and get ice cream?” He asks. He turns his head to her and smiles but she just shrugs, doesn’t look back.
“Whatever you want to do is fine.” She says.
It takes all of his energy not to let out an exasperated sigh. Instead he continues, “Chocolate chip mint in a wafer cone? With rainbow sprinkles? Huh? Your favorite.”
She doesn’t say anything.
He considers changing the radio station but decides not to stir the pot even more. He steals another peek at her. She’s got her right elbow up on the arm rest and is resting her head on her hand.
He puts on his turn signal to pass a slow moving station wagon and glances in the rearview mirror. He thinks about the night they met, their first kiss, their first Christmas. The antique hair comb he got her for her last birthday. He thinks about that morning and how he’d said the wrong thing and how she’d been sullen the rest of the day. He tried telling jokes to lighten the mood but she’d refused to laugh. He knew she was refusing. Part of why he loves her is because she laughs at his jokes. He decides to try again.
“So an alien walks into a bar and there’s a live band playing. During a break he goes up to the stage and says he can play any instrument.”He pauses and she can see him turn his head in her peripheral vision. She keeps her eyes firmly on the car in front of them.
“So the guys in the band say, Really? and they hand over a guitar and the alien starts playing, better than Hendrix or Page or anybody. And the guys in the band are like, whoa this dude is really good, so they lead him over to the piano and he starts playing better than Billy Joel, better than Mozart and the guys in the band are really impressed and are like, okay how about this? and hand over a set of bag pipes--- Wait. Wait, it’s an octopus not an alien. An Octupus walks into a bar and - ”
She laughs. She laughs without meaning too. A small breathless chuckle that bubbles up in her chest so unexpected that she shakes her head. She moves her left hand to land on his thigh. She finally turns to look at him for a moment.
He looks back at her confused but slightly relieved.
“Let’s go get ice cream.” She says patting his thigh.
He lets a hand fall from the steering wheel to rest over hers and squeezes gently. “I love you.” He says.
She squeezes back. “I love you too.”
He nods. “So an octopus walks into a bar…”
_____________________
*Jayus (Indonesian): a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh.