Randa, distracted by the sound of a ringing phone, quickly stopped what he was doing, intending to pick it up.
But before he could answer, the ringing had already stopped.
He immediately checked his phone and saw a dozen notifications from his group chat.
Hengky Tanuwijaya:Come on, guys! Let's hang out tonight—it's been ages since we last met!
Eren Siregar:Yeah, I really miss you all, seriously.
Andi Ardiansyah:I'm in! Where's everyone else? @Randa Ardiansyah, @Yusuf Bayu, @etc...
Curious, Randa opened the chat. Turned out his friends were planning a get-together that night, and the missed call was just their way of pushing him to be more active in the group.
Randa didn't mind and decided to reply.
Randa Ardiansyah:Sure, I'm in...
Yusuf Bayu:Nice! But where should we go?
Rizky Rudi:How about a coffee shop?
Agung Santoso:Nah, I'm not in the mood for a coffee shop. Don't pick someplace fancy—let's keep it simple.
The debate went back and forth. Finally, Randa offered his house as the hangout spot.
After a bit more discussion, everyone agreed. Randa was relieved—no need to go far.
With that settled, he dropped his plan to practice his new skill and went straight home.
Once home, he cleaned up his vending equipment and told his parents.
"Mom, my friends are coming over tonight. Is that okay?"
His mother, Siti, simply nodded.
"Of course, no problem. Invite them over—I'll make some fried bananas."
"Okay..."
...
That evening, Randa's friends really did show up.
Seeing them, Randa greeted them with a fist bump.
"How've you guys been? All good?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we be?" one of them replied.
"Good to hear. Come in, come in..." Randa invited.
"Nah, let's just hang out on the porch, Ran. We wanna smoke too."
"Yeah, porch is better."
"Alright, wait here, I'll grab a mat."
Randa went inside, found a woven mat, and brought it out. His friends helped him lay it down.
They sat cross-legged, chatting casually as laughter filled the air.
The seven of them had been friends since high school. Some were now married, others busy with work, but their bond stayed strong.
Randa looked at them one by one.
Andi, dark-skinned with thick hair, was Bugis.
Eren had a square jaw and broad head, typical Batak features.
Henky, pale-skinned, sharp-eyed, and wearing glasses, was Chinese-Indonesian.
Then there was Rizky—who looked Chinese but was actually from Palembang.
Agung had the typical Javanese look, with warm, tan skin.
And lastly, Yusuf, with his calm and gentle face, was Sundanese.
Randa couldn't help but admire the diversity of his friends—and the unity of his nation.
...
After a long chat, the topic suddenly shifted to work.
"Ran, I heard you had some problems at your old job?" Eren asked.
The cheerful mood instantly turned heavy. Randa fell silent, unprepared to answer.
Sensing this, Yusuf spoke up.
"It's okay, Ran. Just tell us. If we can help, we will."
The others looked at him encouragingly.
That's when Randa realized—the real reason for tonight's gathering was to support him after losing his job. He felt touched.
"It's fine, guys. It's just that... I got blacklisted by HR across all of Batam," he said with a bitter smile.
Everyone gasped.
"Ran, that's serious! How could it get that bad?" Yusuf exclaimed.
"Yeah, tell us—what happened?" the others pressed, shocked.
It was hard for them to believe that Randa—someone they knew so well—could end up blacklisted citywide.
Randa sighed. He hadn't wanted to bring it up, but eventually, he told them everything.
"...And that's how it happened," he said weakly.
When they heard he'd been framed and replaced by Mr. Budi's nephew, his friends were furious.
"What a scumbag! You didn't do anything wrong!" Yusuf shouted.
"Yeah, I didn't think the workplace could be that dirty. Now I'm scared I might get trapped too," Rizky added.
Agung and Hengky just nodded, while Eren and Andi looked ready to explode.
"Let's corner that guy tomorrow—or slash his car tires!" Eren blurted.
"Yeah! He can't just get away with that!" Andi chimed in.
Randa felt warmed by their loyalty but quickly calmed them down. He still remembered the legal threats from the other side and didn't want to make things worse.
"Forget it. I'm fine now. I got paid, and I've already found a new job."
Though still upset, his friends held back.
"Oh yeah, what are you doing now, Ran? Weren't you blacklisted in Batam?" Agung asked.
"If finding work is tough, you can join my dad's workshop," Hengky offered.
Randa shook his head. "No need. I'm very happy with my new job."
"What is it?"
"I'm a farmer now."
The group fell silent, staring at him in disbelief.
"Come on, Ran, seriously? A farmer?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" he replied calmly.
"But this is Batam, an industrial hub. Where would you even farm?" Rizky asked, confused.
"Of course I can. On my own land."
They didn't know what to say. Some even felt sorry for him.
They tried convincing him to look for another job, but Randa stood firm.
Just as the tension was rising, Randa's mother came out with a plate of freshly fried bananas.
His friends quickly straightened up and greeted her politely.
"Good evening, Auntie. Sorry for bothering you this late."
"Yeah, we hope it's not too much trouble."
"No, no. Make yourselves at home. Here, have some fried bananas—these are from Randa's own banana trees."
Everyone immediately glanced at the fried bananas, then at Randa with puzzled looks.
Was this what he meant by "farming"?
"Alright then, I'll head back inside. Enjoy the snacks. If it's not enough, I'll make more."
"Thank you, Auntie. Please don't trouble yourself."
After she left, Randa's friends stared at him, curiosity written all over their faces.
"So... this is your farm produce?" Eren asked, emotions mixed.
"Yes. Why?" Randa replied casually.
"How many trees do you even have?"
"A hundred."
They all fell silent. They knew that to make real money from farming, you needed far more. A hundred trees might sound a lot to regular folks, but for a farmer, it was barely anything.
Before they could probe further, a noise caught their attention—Agung and Rizky had already started eating without hesitation.
The others grew annoyed—not because they ate first, but because they seemed to ignore the serious talk, focusing only on the food.
But Agung had been tempted for a long time; the bananas gave off a strong fragrance even before ripening. Once fried, he couldn't resist. Rizky, initially hesitant, was swayed after seeing Agung devour them.
Eren and Andi were about to scold them, but the look of sheer delight on Agung and Rizky's faces made them pause.
Especially Agung's expression—it was almost too tempting.
Gulp.
Eren and Andi swallowed hard.
Soon, Yusuf and Hengky gave in too, grabbing some.
Eren and Andi grew restless. They didn't want to lose face, but also couldn't resist.
Randa noticed.
"Eren, Andi, come on. What are you waiting for? You'll regret it if they're gone," he said, grabbing one himself.
Still, they stayed stubborn.
Agung laughed, "Leave them be, Ran. The more they hold back, the more I get. Yum~"
That was the last straw. After exchanging a glance, Eren and Andi finally snatched some fried bananas.
"Hey! Those were mine!" Agung protested.
They ignored him.
The moment they bit in—crispy batter, sweet fragrant banana, no oily aftertaste—they were hooked.
"Good, isn't it?" Randa asked with a smile.
They nodded rapidly, already grabbing for more.
Soon enough, the whole porch was filled with laughter and playful bickering as they all fought over the fried bananas.
In no time, the plate was empty.
"Ahh, it's gone already..." Agung sighed in regret.
The others said nothing, but their faces showed they wanted more.
Randa chuckled.
"So? Promising career choice, being a farmer, huh?" he teased.
Even Eren and Andi, who had opposed him the most, nodded reluctantly.
"Hahaha. By the way, did you know each of my bananas sells for five thousand rupiah?" Randa added.
"What?! That's expensive!" Agung exclaimed.
Rizky, Yusuf, and Hengky nodded in agreement.
Eren and Andi still looked skeptical—until Randa pulled out a video as proof. After watching, they had no choice but to accept that Randa's venture was doing just fine.
The atmosphere lightened again.
Right then, Randa's mother returned, carrying a second batch of fried bananas.
"Still not enough? Here, I made more."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Eren quickly took the plate. "Oh, Auntie, you really shouldn't have troubled yourself..." he said politely—yet he was the first to grab one. The others groaned and joined the scramble.
Siti chuckled at the scene before heading back inside.
As the group got louder, Andi suddenly muttered, "Too bad there's no sambal. With Sambal, these would taste even better."
[Ps: Sambal: Indonesian chili paste]
The others stared at him in disgust. Who in their right mind eats sweet bananas with spicy sambal?
But Randa knew—that was a Bugis thing.
Eren, ever competitive, scoffed, "Sambal? That's nothing! If there were fresh chili peppers, that would be a real challenge. Even better with chili powder on top!"
The others just rolled their eyes. They knew he was bluffing.
"Hmph, poser," Rizky muttered, still chewing.
Just as things settled again, Randa's mother reappeared.
Everyone expected a third batch of fried bananas.
But their jaws dropped when they saw what she brought.
"Here you go, I brought sambal and some fresh chili peppers," she said with a warm smile.
A smile that, to some of them, looked more like the devil's.
Randa burst out laughing at the sight of his friends' horrified faces.