Festive Collection

EPS 76'S. MAN IN THE RAIN

I stood in the corner of the window, I was carrying dark green curtains, my gaze was straight on the grains of water that kept coming down to wet the ground. As if defying the sky, my unblinking eyes stared at the dense clouds with a fairly high rainfall accompanied by occasional lightning strikes.

The rain is flat, almost in all areas. Now it has entered the rainy season, but for this year, rain and heat come and go, if today it rains, the sun shines so hot tomorrow, sometimes even in one day the rain and heat come almost simultaneously. Along with the rain, Mas Danu's shadow slipped into the corner of the window where I was standing, I saw my man's face in the rain. Sometimes he smiles to see my loneliness, my right hand touches his face, until finally our eyes meet each other, I also return Mas Danu's smile, a gentle smile that hints at how missed he is to me, likewise, I always miss Mas Danu who is now unclear where he is.

I wanted to say a thousand words, but my lips felt dull, and I could not wait to talk to him. I want to tell him a lot, about everything that is here, about me who is still faithful waiting for him, and about me who is still waiting for him to come to my house as he promised a year ago. Slowly, I began to string word by word in front of Mas Danu who was reflected in the window glass.

“I miss you, Mas!” I sobbed, my tears bearing witness to my longing for her.

“Back, Mas. Don't let me wait for you too long at home” I sulked begging expectantly. Mas Danu nodded along with his trademark smile, his sweet face with dimples on the left that made my heart beat faster, really, I miss him a lot.

“Having entered the rainy season, I waited for Mas Danu” I whispered among the murmurs of the sound of rain, for the umpteenth time I stared sharply at Mas Danu's face, again, he nodded as if he understood what I whispered to him.

Waiting for Mas Danu is a routine activity that I often do since the last few months. In the corner of the window, when it rained, I began to calculate the time, starting from seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, until now one year has gone Mas Danu. I realize Mas Danu will never come home, but I have confidence Mas Danu will come back, no matter when.

—

“What's up, Dik?” the voice of the phone from across excited my work spirit.

“Custom, Mas. Still preoccupied with the work of the office” said me with a slightly spoiled tone

“Jaga health yes, this December Mas has finished duty. When Mas comes home later, Mas will propose to Adik” to hear the words of Mas Danu I almost cried, between haru and happy.

“Yes, God's Insha. Pray Mas ya, may all our plans run smoothly, and our good intentions be facilitated by Allah”

“Amin, Yes. I always pray for Mas Danu there. Hopefully Mas can run the task of the country well and amanah” my voice back spoiled, my energy began to be excited after almost six hours I struggled with the office routine.

“Mas wants to return to duty” he said closing our conversation.

I met with Mas Danu two years ago, my job as a teller at one of the government-owned Banks received Mas Danu as one of the Bank customers where I work. The routine meeting finally made the two of us acquainted. After five months of knowing each other Mas Danu asked me to be her lover, because it felt suitable I agreed Mas Danu's invitation, until finally we met together dating.

I've been in love for two years with Mas Danu. In our mid-year relationship, Mas Danu gets a stint out of town. As a state servant, of course, Mas Danu cannot refuse the trust he must carry. His duty as a soldier in this country requires him to be away from both parents, including me, his lover. The long-distance relationship between Surabaya and Wamena did not make a meaningful issue for both of us, we were loyal to each other, mutual trust, and mutual trust, because we both want to end this relationship immediately to the next level, which is marriage. Every time we got in touch over the phone, Mas Danu always promised me that if his job was done, he would propose to me right away.

In December Mas Danu had the opportunity to return to Surabaya. As a lover who has not met for a long time of course this news is very happy for me, not least my parents who since we dated they have blessed our relationship. But alas, the destiny of God is more powerful than all the thousands of human plans. Mas Danu never came to my house. Not because Mas Danu broke his promise, but because God had first picked up the body of Mas Danu from my embrace. The plane carrying Mas Danu and his entourage to Surabaya suddenly lost contact just as the plane was over the waters of Kalimantan, the weather was heavy rain. According to the news source I got, there were some locals who had seen from a distance an object falling into the middle of the sea accompanied by the sound of an explosion that was so loud, not long after that, fire broke out between them. On that day this news became breaking news on all television stations, and had become a trending topic on social media. I who half believed that it was the plane carrying Mas Danu with his entourage tried to calm down by continuing to contact Mas Danu's phone, but all that sounded was an inactive tone.

My worry was answered already, because among the twelve passengers of the TNI's Hercules plane there is the identity of my lover, with the name Danu Prasetyo, male gender, from Surabaya, aged 30 years. My legs instantly limp, all my joints seem numb. Yes, Mas Danu was actually in the plane that crashed, one of Mas Danu's family had contacted me to give this sad news, while I could not say a word when I knew Mas Danu had become one of the victims of the plane. All I did at that time, I just wanted to negotiate God's destiny, if I was given the chance, I want to see Mas Danu's face for the last time even though it has been stiffened into a corpse wrapped in a shroud. But my negotiations in the form of prayers have never materialized until now, because Mas Danu and twelve colleagues including the pilot and co-pilot could not be found the body, he said, except for the wreckage of the aircraft that is no longer clear shape has been found by the SAR team.

My soul is shaken, my heart rejects destiny, tears are no longer a grain of water, but rather like a frozen rock. Both my parents always assured me that God's decree was the best in my destiny, between ready and not I had to accept this harsh reality.

Half an hour already I was standing in the corner of the window, I was still staring at the shadow of Mas Danu in the rain, for the umpteenth time my long-buried longs were starting to get a little healed. I looked back at the sky with the rain, the atmosphere was getting quieter, suddenly I remembered a favorite song of me and Mas Danu entitled Leaving On A Jet Plane, spontaneous, my lips moved to sing it;

“So kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you’ wait for me, hould me like you’ never let me go, ‘cause I’m leaving on a jet plane, etc, don’t know when I’ll be back again, oh babe, I hate to go”