Jakarta In Today

A man

Do you want to hear friends, the story of one of a man who is dirty, shabby and skinny, like skin is just a patch.

A man who did not even have the heart to slaughter a chicken when Lebaran Shawalan, because the chicken he had nurtured since childhood to adulthood.

The man who could not even see his mother's tears, when the mother held the hunger for her starving children.

A man who did not even want to buy cookies with his work money as a paddy to fill a hungry stomach, because he did not want his sisters could not eat.

A man who even prefers to say he is full, just to make his mother eat, even though it is limited to a few mouthfuls of rice left after his sisters eat.

Warju bin Suherman.

While in the overseas territory of Jakarta, he was forced to fight with market thugs just to protect a book that his mother gave him.

Warju bin Suherman, the poor man from Pakulaut village who was beaten by thugs because he did not have money to give, and when he wanted to take a yasin book from that hand, he was beaten up by a thug, he defended to a pulp, as if life was no longer important, only wanting to protect his only most precious treasure.

After the initial steps in the city of Jakarta, a few days Warju lived under the bridge and chose to be a roadside support seller. But hard to survive, where the warju was intercepted by a thug who asked for a ration of territory.

Because the money from the sale is only enough to fill the stomach and buy the merchandise back as capital.

Warju prefers to fight, certainly this is not a heroic story about a martial artist who disguised himself as a hawker and beat up ten thugs alone.

Because the truth is that the Warju lost. But it doesn't matter with the random stuffed stuff thrown by the goons. Only one strong determination for him to keep a dull and dirty yasin book when going to be torn by the thug.

Warju adventure in the city of Jakarta, for him like being in a jurassic park film. Risking lives between on the victim and dying of starvation. The stakes are the same as life.

Life was on the bridge, he was kicked out. On the outskirts of the store's emperor, he was flush. In the city park, he was razed. Even inside the mosque, he was mocked by the marbot.

Jakarta in 1997 was indeed cruel life as a human because of the Asian financial crisis, people like crazy, massacre and looting can be seen without anyone caring about human rights.

Warju stepped here and there without knowing the purpose, hung around looking for a place to stay, or even for a moment to unwind in sleep.

Often he saw people falling, the sound of bullets was clear, flames were raging everywhere, along with the cries of protesters with banners of rebellion in a corner of Jakarta

Likewise for Warju who are often chased by police with their dogs because they are considered to be participating in protests. Until he prefers to throw himself into the river with rotten garbage to cover the smell so as not to smell the nose of a sniffer dog.

The clothes that have been cut out are added again with the rest of the garbage attached to the body, making Warju like Rambo who disguise themselves to ambush the enemy from behind.

The body still smells fishy because it is washed with water leftover clothes soaking. So sad, sad and hard life warju as a nomad.

It has been half a year since warju had to mingle with homeless people from all over the country, seeing the face of Jakarta that was filled with the faces of homeless people.

They beat up on the side of the road, begged for alms, begged for food, and licked to stay alive. But not for Warju, he was taught not to beg or steal once, it was an illegal act that was always ordered by the late father.

In the daydream saw a group of protesters who asked for the descent of the president from the seat of the government throne in the new order era. Now Warju is no longer selling groceries, where every merchandise was destroyed when chased by police yesterday.

The money in the pocket only had a few pieces left, a total of nine thousand five hundred silver. It was like the last life for the Warju to remain human, frugally to the point of succumbing to hungry stomach pains.

Sometimes Warju also often sell energy services, whether in the market for manual labor, shouldering rice that is heavier than its own body weight, until the veins sprained once did not stop to continue to lift the rice sacks.

But of the difficulties because they lose competitiveness with professional pelvic coolies, those who wrestle the world of coolies to hard bodies like rocks.

Someone offered Warju a job, when he was about to owe a meal at a newsg near the market.

"Son, rather than kowe rough work, it is better to work in this stall alone, the pay is small, but still profit from having to half-dead lifting the sack to vomit, here can eat twice a day."

Then the figure of Mak Wajem, as the owner of the sembako market warteg who is still busy writing down some of the names of debtors from market porters.

"Tamro, 1,500 orek rice plus 500 bitter coffee.... Yes that's up to you, I'm just concerned about seeing kowe who are both Tegal people in distress ."

What a noble heart Mak Wajem, although it seems a little upset to see how sad the economy of the market porters who every day owe and only them.

Like a cycle, each end of the month is paid and owed again in the middle of the month. It never changes, and sometimes it doesn't come back after the end of the month.

But Mak Wajem still understood and said.

"That's their business people with God, those who are hungry ask for food, there is no way we close our eyes, the altar is not cruel to the government of the child who pretends to be blind, and all around them many died of hunger, but they were more busy with the business of development."

Warju did not blame anyone, even on behalf of the government, he just nodded and swallowed his lunch full of enjoyment.

Indeed, the windfall has been arranged, Warju asked to work in a 'compassionate' warteg, immediately accepted without having to submit a job application or interview first. Because Warju has long helped mak wajem wash dishes because it is not good to owe food in his stall.

That was the first time Warju saw someone helping with the destitution of life in Jakarta as a nomad.

Warju eyes sparkled, how happiness in the heart soared to hit the ceiling, feeling to get a new life after a variety of bitterness approached.

He believes that man still has a conscience that will help him when he is in trouble and Warju will not betray Mak Wajem's trust.