Eighty-Five Percent Love Song [ENGLISH Version]

Eighty-Five Percent Love Song

by Yulia Sutjahjono

(Courtesy Google Image)

A day starts so peacefully, very sweet morning. Anne Sanders starts her day playing her flute. She plays it very often, almost every morning. She likes to sing the Irish folk music, just like her favorite band from Ireland; The Corrs. She loves music too, particularly folk music. Because of her passion in music, now she’s studying musicology in University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA. For another record, she’s also passionate to create songs, poems, or stories based on her daily life or what she feels about. For example, when she listens to the birds chirping, then she could make a song about a chirpy bird.

Anne is an introvert girl, so she prefers to let herself alone. Probably because she never knew who her parents are, she only has her grandmother. That’s why she became a taciturn, being closed. Anne loves her grandmother so much, the one who she had since she was kid. But honestly she missed a role model of a parent, maybe that's why she is being introvert. Anne never met her parents because the parents passed away in a car accident. So, she lives only with her grandmother up until now.

Anne is also a shy girl. Moreover something about feeling. When she was in crush with someone at high school, Nicolas White, she couldn’t told her feeling to him. She never done at all. Therefore, she only expressed her feeling through a song or a poetry that she can only do. Every time she falls in love with somebody, she always writes down her feeling to be a song and or a poetry or poem. She prefers to represent her feeling through a word than any other things.

Today, Anne intends to go to the library. It’s been long time for her to not going there. Anyway, there, love comes unexpectedly. Anne suddenly looks so enthusiastic and very happy. She doesn’t get a bunch of money nor a mysterious rose. However because there is a dashing guy which looks so charming and good. This guy helped Anne to put her books up which has been falling down to the floor. By that, Anne falls in love at the moment for instant.

“Oh My God ! This is amazing. He’s so gorgeous. I think I am in love at the first sight to this guy.” Anne said deep inside her heart. But Anne thanks to him with an astonished eyes. “Thank you”.

“You’re welcome. Be careful. Oh! I should leave now. Bye”, The guys replied her and then he left right away.

Anne turns to be crazy immediately. Then, she smiles widely, never ending one. She felt a great joy by seeing that guy for the first time. By that, she might really fall for love at the first sight.

Time for meal. Anne is having her lunch in the cafeteria. As usual, no friends, nobody with her, only Anne and herself. She doesn’t make any friends just because she feels more comfortable to be by herself and do anything with herself as well. While there is a lot of students in the cafeteria, however she thinks it’s better that she is alone, because she doesn’t need to spend fifteen minutes just for having chit-chat with the friends.

After having lunch, Anne has a lecture. She must go quickly. But, before the lecturer comes to give the lectures, Anne waits inside the class but writing romantics words for adding her song lyrics collection. Just because she saw a beautiful man that she found in the library this morning, so she writes down what she felt to be song lyrics. She writes them one lovingly word by one other lovingly words. After several romantics lyrics has been made, the lecturer arrives, then Anne stops writing for a while, nevertheless she’s ready to study new knowledge of the lectures.

At home, in the bedroom, before sleep, Anne keeps thinking about the guy who helped her in the library this morning. She would never forget about him. The handsome guy. He’s tall, wears glasses, and he is just handsome. He also has a very sweet smile. What an amazing man he is! From that moment on, Anne has a good mood more often, she feels happy all over the time. Moreover, every time she recalls to that guy, she becomes nervous. It’s odd.

“His handsomeness is too beautiful to be forgotten”, Anne said while she is watching the stars in the night sky.

In the next day, before going to university, Anne has a breakfast together with her grandmother. They eat baguette and orange juice. Sort of delicious food, even only them. But, there’s something different with Anne this morning. She keeps smiling. So, her grandmother is curious and starts to ask her a question.

“It’s been a long time I haven’t seen you smiling like that. What’s going on? Is everything all right ?”, asked her grandmother.

“Yeah. I’m fine. But, I just feel so happy right now. Maybe because I got something wonderful yesterday”, Anne answered while she’s having a mouthfull of baguette.

“You got money? Or a gift?”, asked her grandmother again.

“No. Not at all”

“So, what? Tell me!”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell you right now, Granny. I will tell to you later soon. Agree?”

“Alright. Oh, No! it’s quarter to seven. You should go to campus now! Or your professor will get mad at you cause there’s nobody in the class.”

“Okay. I’m going. I love you, Granny! See you later!”, said Anne still with joyful.

“See you! Have fun at study!”, responsed her grandmother also with widely smile.

At campus, this morning, Anne doesn’t see that special guy, the one that she met in the library yesterday morning. But after finished the lecture, when she sits nearby the fountain of the faculty’s park, that special guy appears again and what a surprise he is also sitting down in the same place as her, right in front of her. Of course, she feels happy immediately because in the same air she can breath the same oxygen as he does. Oh yes, she finally meets him again! As usual, she expresses her feeling through a song, a love song. She puts a paper out of her notebook and starts to write her expression from the deepest heart. She writes “Here he is again. I am glad. Oh God, he’s so gorgeous, he has a sweetheart smile, and he was so helpful. I adore him.”

The days changed. A couple months also changed, but Anne still adore to that special guy that she met in the library two months ago. Yes, she already adored him for two months, quite long. But she doesn’t know what’s his name. Too bad! In the library, this afternoon, Anne is studying, she is doing her homework. But when she reads a pop music book, all of sudden she thinks something, she thinks about him again. So, she writes a poetry, again and again about her feeling. Maybe she misses him, the feeling for that guy is about getting more bigger and bigger.

She writes, “Two months flew away. I don’t know yet. Your name, I don’t know. Your first name. Who are you? I love you…”

Afterwards, she obviously sees that special guy right in the right side of her. He sits down there alone. He looks doing something like doing a homework from the lectures, because there’s a lot of books beside him, politic books. He might be a student from department of politics. As usual, Anne still silence, do nothing, but keep staring. And then, the phone from that guy is ringing. He left for a while but he left his books on the table behind. This is a good chance for Anne to know what that guy’s name through the books. His name might be written somewhere inside the book. And yes, finally she got it! She is so relieved but then, she got an idea. She continues her romantic poetry and put that guy’s first name in it.

She adds but changes little bit, “Two months flew away. I don’t know yet. Your name, I don’t know. But now I know. It is you. I love you … Mario”

A week later, when Anne goes to the library again, she is passing by an information board. She reads a displayed announcement flyer. There is a writing song contest, a love song one. The theme is “Amazing Love Experience”. No doubts, Anne registers herself to the song contest right away. 

The contest will be held in two weeks. But, Anne is ready with her song and she will chant her own song, the song which has been made by herself. It’s great. She puts title “Harmony For You”. This song has been already created after she knew about the guy’s first name, the special man that she adores so much, Mario. She adores more and more after she got his name. What a love!

The day of the song contest begins. Anne got a turn number 8. She will sing her song and play flute as the instrument. She doesn’t put an high expectation to be a winner, because basically this is her passion; create a song and singing, and she likes to do so. Moreover, she likes to write a love and romantic song and poetry just for Mario, her idol that already been admired for more than two months now.

In this moment, it’s Anne’s turn. She is singing while playing flute as an intrument so that the music will be more perfect. She sings it very well, her song is also melodious.

           “Such a long time I’ve written this love song

For everyone who I’m loving to

For every birds who always chirping too

Everyday, every morning, every night, I write

But since you’re there, it’s more than fine

I have no idea, but this is so peculiar

You live, and gave me the spirits to my soul and my heart

I’ve made so many songs for everyone

But when I met you, I made this only for you

I’ve made only eighty-five percent for you

Even I made this only that eighty-five percent, but my love is one-hundred percent for you

From the deepest of my heart, only for you…

Mario... I adore you…”

After finished the song, audiences and the judges give a big appreciation to Anne. Unbelievable! Everyone give her a huge applause. Of course she is very happy and relieved because she sang it easily, without any problems. In the end, even it’s a secret from everyone, the most important thing is that she already expressed her feeling to Mario through that song. And she made it!

The result of the winner is being announced in the same day. Anne didn’t win the contest, but she became a winner for category of “The Best Song Lyrics”. She is excited but never imagined that she got that.

Afterwards, from far away, a special guy, Mario, approaches Anne without any doubts.

“Congratulation!”, Mario said.

Anne surprised all of sudden because the guy is there, the special one, the guy who she admired to, like a lot; Mario. He congratulated her.

“I am sorry. Who are you? To what for the congratulation is?”, answered Anne with an innocent disguise.

“You are the winner for the best song lyrics category, aren’t you ? I am Mario”, said Mario.

“There’s a lot of people who named Mario”, added Anne.

“Well, I always go to the library. I study law which I hate. I prefer to read stories from Victor Hugo and Guy de Maupassant. I love to write a poetry too. That’s why probably you’ve already seen me to do so. And me, a guy who helped you tidy up your books in the library as well. I know, this companionship is so strange, isn’t it? Just like in the drama movies. Anyway… Nice meeting you”, explained Mario.

Anne impressively happy with her cheek that turns red. She doesn’t really know what’s going on there.

After that moment on, they’re sitting together outside like in the park, then knowing each other. The meeting is so odd and strange. But thanks to Anne’s love song, they’re getting know each other right now.

“However, I like your song. It has a harmony inside the lyrics and also the music arrangement. It’s beautiful. I like it”, impressed Mario about the song.

Anne is in her silence. They are both silent until couples minutes. But, Mario will say some words.

“Hey, you know, I found this paper in front of the waiting room.”, Mario gives the paper to Anne.

“What is this? Oh God! No! You found it? You read it?”, Anne's panicked. The paper should’ve not be read by anyone.

“Yes. But, it is kind. You are kind. I thank to you cause you are being my secret admire. I appreciate it”, Mario thanked to Anne.

There is a wonderfulness, a surprise, and a silence that Anne only can express. Sun sets down slowly, it shows the end of the afternoon. The today’s first meeting of Anne and Mario is very awesome. But, they don’t know what will happen between them later. Are they becoming best friend or more than that? Actually, the paper that Mario found is the writing from what Anne expressed and hoped before, even when she didn't know Mario in advance.

The phrases that she wrote is,

“I don’t love you as much as 85%. But my love is up to 100% for you, Mario. I don’t know why…”

END


Disclaimer : This story is 100% fiction. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. 

Note : This story won an award from FBS Award of Semarang State University (Indonesia) in 2013 for category "The Best French Short Story". The writer, Yulia Sutjahjono, was in the fifth semester of the college, in majoring French Studies (for pedagogical purpose).

Fun Fact : Yulia Sutjahjono is passionate in Irish folk music, mainly listening to the Irish group band; The Corrs.