Ronica, AYL yang Datang Bukan untuk Reuni… Tapi untuk Memastikan Semua Masih Hidup!
Reuni SSEAYP di Bali tahun itu terasa istimewa karena kedatangan Ronica dari Brunei. Berbeda dengan yang lain, status beliau bukan PY (Participant Youth), melainkan AYL (Assistant Youth Leader). Namun setelah lebih dari 30 tahun tidak bertemu, Ronica tetap merasa wajib hadir.
Ketika tiba di lokasi, Ronica langsung memandangi satu per satu wajah teman-temannya.
“Aduh… untung masih kenal,” katanya.
Seorang teman bertanya, “Maksudnya masih kenal siapa?”
Ronica menjawab cepat, “Masih kenal wajahnya… namanya nanti saya cek di name tag.”
Semua langsung tertawa.
Selama makan malam, suasana semakin ramai. Cerita tahun 1980-an bermunculan. Ada yang masih ingat nomor kabin di kapal, ada yang masih ingat lagu favorit di Nippon Maru, bahkan ada yang masih ingat siapa yang paling sering terlambat saat briefing.
Tiba-tiba seseorang bertanya, “Ronica, kenapa jauh-jauh dari Brunei datang ke Bali?”
Ronica menjawab santai, “Saya cuma ingin memastikan kalian semua benar-benar ada. Soalnya selama 30 tahun terakhir saya kira sebagian sudah berubah jadi legenda.”
Meja langsung pecah oleh gelak tawa.
Melihat teman-temannya tertawa seperti anak muda lagi, Ronica menggeleng sambil tersenyum.
“Ternyata tidak ada yang berubah. Dulu kita ngobrol sampai tengah malam di kapal, sekarang ngobrol sampai lupa minum obat.”
Tawa semakin keras.
Malam itu semua sepakat bahwa waktu memang berjalan cepat. Rambut boleh berubah warna, kacamata boleh bertambah tebal, dan grup WhatsApp boleh penuh pesan yang tidak dibaca. Namun persahabatan SSEAYP tetap sama hangatnya seperti tiga dekade lalu.
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Ronica, the AYL Who Didn’t Come for the Reunion… She Came to Check If Everyone Was Still Alive!
The SSEAYP reunion in Bali was extra special because Ronica from Brunei made the trip. Unlike most of the attendees, she was not a PY (Participant Youth), but an AYL (Assistant Youth Leader). Yet after more than 30 years apart, she felt she absolutely had to be there.
As soon as she arrived, Ronica carefully looked at each face around the table.
“Oh good… I still recognize everyone,” she said.
A friend asked, “You recognize everyone?”
Ronica replied, “I recognize the faces. The names—I’ll check those on the name tags later.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
As dinner continued, stories from the 1980s filled the room. Some remembered their cabin numbers on the ship. Others remembered favorite songs from Nippon Maru. A few even remembered who was always late for briefings.
Then someone asked, “Ronica, why travel all the way from Brunei to Bali?”
She smiled and answered, “I just wanted to make sure all of you still exist. For the last 30 years, I thought some of you had already become legends.”
The entire table erupted with laughter.
Watching everyone laugh like teenagers again, Ronica shook her head and smiled.
“Nothing has changed. Back then we stayed up all night talking on the ship. Now we stay up all night talking and forgetting to take our medicine.”
The laughter grew even louder.
That evening everyone agreed that time moves quickly. Hair may turn gray, glasses may get thicker, and WhatsApp groups may be full of unread messages. But SSEAYP friendship remains as warm as it was more than three decades ago.
