Caption Bayangan Singkat

On my fifth birthday with Zachary Murdock, I sit once again in front of a full table of cold food, just like every year before. Zachary had promised, as always, to spend the day with me. And, as always, he breaks that promise. This year, it's because his childhood sweetheart wanted to shoot a set of "artistic photos". She invited him and a few of his close buddies to be part of it. Without hesitation, he ditches me again and runs straight into her arms. At 11:00 pm, his childhood sweetheart posts a photo to her social media and sets it so that only I can see it. In the picture, four men are in nothing but black briefs and Windsor-knotted ties. They kneel around her while she is draped in sheer fabric like a goddess. The caption reads, "Some people beg for crumbs, but I own the entire bakery." I take a screenshot. Then, I send it to the girlfriends of all three of Zachary’s best buddies. If they all look down on me this much, let's hope they don't end up on their knees begging me someday.

Ang first love ng asawa ko ay nag-post ng isang video sa kanyang social media. Sa video, nagpapasa silang dalawa ng playing card gamit ang kanilang mga labi. Nang mahulog ang card ay nagtagpo ang kanilang mga labi sa isang halik. Hindi sila huminto—parang nawala sa sandaling iyon, mapusok silang naghalikan sa loob ng isang minuto. Ang caption niya: [Still the same clumsy piggy! PS: Ang mga skills ni Steve ay kasing galing tulad ng dati!] Tahimik kong ni-like ang post at nag-iwan ng komento: [Congrats.] Sa sumunod na segundo, tumawag ang asawa ko, galit na galit na sumigaw, "Walang ibang babaeng kasing drama mo! Nakipaglaro lang ako kay Lanie. Bakit naman ummakto ka na parang baliw?" Noon ko napagtanto na ang pitong taon ng pag-ibig ay walang kahulugan. Oras na para umalis ako.

Embun kembali mendapati pesan singkat di ponsel suaminya. Pesan yang selalu datang tiap awal bulan. Keluarga suaminya selalu meminta jatah bulanan tanpa peduli kabar anak dan menantunya di perantauan. Padahal bulan ini, Embun dan suaminya yang bernama Bumi, berencana meminjam uang di bank untuk dipergunakan membeli sebidang tanah. Mereka ingin membangun kos-kosan sekaligus tempat tinggal mereka. Kelak, itu akan menjadi sumber penghasilan kedua mereka. Tapi apakah mimpi itu bisa terwujud? Jika sebagian besar gaji Bumi dikuasai oleh ibunya?

Jenny posted a picture of me and her brother, who had an intellectual disability. The caption? "Finally, a happy ending!" The comments were all the same: "Is this your sister-in-law? She’s gorgeous!" I simply replied with a question mark, but Jenny ignored me and responded to someone else instead. "She's kinda my sister-in-law, yes!" It didn't take long for Steven to call me, his tone full of anger. "It was just a little edit, do you really have to blow things out of proportion?" Half an hour later, Jenny posted another photo of her sitting in Steven's luxury car, and even tagged me in it. "We may not be related by blood, but this big brother of mine has always been my rock!" Steven commented. "I'll always be here." I knew he was trying to get a rise on me on purpose to appease Jenny, but I didn't grace them with a reply this time. All I did was like the post and file for divorce.

A few weeks before our wedding, Rodney Luther's stepmother, Jessica Flaine, posts a photo on her social media. In the photo, she's wearing the wedding dress I picked out, holding a bouquet of red roses, and shyly leaning toward Rodney, asking for a kiss. The caption reads—"Dreams fulfilled." I don't call Rodney in tears or throw a fit like I used to. I simply like the post and leave a comment. "Screenshot sent to Rodney's father." Not long after, Jessica deletes the post, and Rodney's phone call follows immediately. "Ivana, you're being so petty! The rest of my days belong to you. It's only today that I'm fulfilling a small dream of Jessica's. Hurry up and explain things to my dad! "Come on, be good. I've got a gift for you." A scoff escapes me. "Rodney, do you hear me clearly? Go explain it to your father yourself!"

On the same day I was admitted into the hospital for my pregnancy, my husband, Charles Page, received 108 missed calls on his phone. It was from Sue, his mentee, a girl who had cancer. I asked if he was going to pick up, and he replied impatiently, "All she does is call me all day! Doesn't she have any other family? She's so annoying." Later, that very girl posted a photo of herself on the hospital rooftop, wearing a white dress. The caption said: [If I jump down from here, will I become a butterfly in my next life? Maybe then, everyone won't hate me.] Charles only glanced at the post before chuckling mockingly. "What does she mean, turn into a butterfly? Is she delusional?" But after that, he grew visibly restless, before rushing out and not returning all night. That night, I hemorrhaged and was taken into emergency care. When the nurse asked if I wanted to keep the baby, I looked at the empty space beside me and answered calmly. "No, I don't."

In my tenth year of marriage, my old childhood friend, Joshua Sears, posts a photo on social media. Both Joshua and my wife, Sabrina Lawson, are hugging his son, Andy Sears, and my daughter, Tiana Jenkins, in it. The four of them look very close to each other. The caption accompanying the post says, "Blessed to have the perfect son and daughter." I leave a comment below the post, saying, "Looking good together." A few seconds later, the post is deleted. The next morning, Sabrina rushes home and yells at me. "Ashton Jenkins! Joshua was finally feeling better for once. Why did you have to trigger him again?" Tiana shoves me hard and snaps in an accusatory tone, "It's all your fault that Andy's crying now!" I take out a copy of the divorce agreement and slam it down before them. "Yes, it's all my fault. That's why I'm stepping out of the picture now. Then, the four of you can form the wholesome family you've always wanted."

Zee merasa gagal dalam kehidupan rumah tangga setelah suaminya terlibat hubungan terlarang dengan wanita lain. Ia memilih bercerai dan kembali ke kampung halaman tempat kedua orang tuanya tinggal. Membawa dua orang anak, Zee bertekad untuk sukses dalam bisnis dan membahagiakan buah hatinya. Dalam rentang waktu yang singkat, ternyata ia bertemu dengan Handi yang mencoba masuk dalam hati dan kehidupannya. Namun, berbagai kejanggalan mulai muncul dalam setiap pertemuannya dengan lelaki itu. Akankah Zee menitipkan cinta berikutnya pada orang yang tepat?

Nilna hidup dalam pernikahan yang tak pernah benar-benar ada. Namanya tak disebut, keberadaannya tak diakui, tapi tubuh dan waktunya selalu diminta. Bagi Renji, Nilna adalah perempuan yang selalu sama, diam, patuh, dan tak pernah pergi. Sampai suatu hari, sesuatu berubah. Renji mulai menyadari ada jarak yang tak pernah ada sebelumnya. Apa yang terjadi pada istri bayangan ketika ia tak lagi sama?

Kinar Dewi melongo ditempatnya. Katakan padanya sekali lagi kalau dirinya baru saja dilamar dengan cara yang tidak elegan. Lamaran yang jauh dari kata romantis yang bahkan untuk dirinya seorang penulis tidak pernah menuliskan adegan sesimpel ini. Tapi dirinya mengalami lamaran singkat, jelas dan padat tanpa adanya saksi. Memang boleh seperti itu? Anan Pradipta mengusap wajahnya frustrasi. Mulut dan hatinya tidak sinkron. Tapi demi istrinya, Ivana Wijaya, Anan berharap Kinar menjawab ya tanpa banyak drama di dalamnya.