K&K (Taste Features)
21. Be late
Kirana takes a taxi to an elite housing complex in the Central Jakarta area. His eyes never turned from looking at the scene behind the taxi window. As if this was the first time for him to see the grandeur of the city of Jakarta.
“Still flooding, Sir?” kirana asked through a piece of paper, breaking the silence between herself and the driver.
“Daddy mbak. But it's a bit lighter than it used to be, ” replied the driver.
Kirana smiled faintly. Ah, he's coming home now. Well it can be considered so. After a long time wandering in the land of people accidentally. He began to imagine how his family would react when he came alive!
A Kirana Badr returned safely. His body was intact, though he was not completely intact. His neighbors will probably come right away. All social media will cover a lot of its existence that was lost. It will go viral and famous!
Moreover, now she became a young woman who became more beautiful without the care of her parents for almost five years.
The taxi stopped right in front of his mansion. Can't wait to enter his beloved house, he paid more taxi fare without change. Hurriedly opening the door, Kirana did not realize there was anything different in front of her house.
Kirana approaches a two-meter-high fence that protects the house with the largest and most luxurious type.
However, a scene that he could not imagine, that in the fence his house there is the inscription “ CONFISCATED BY BANK”.
His knees were trembling and his head was dizzy, he almost fell but had held on to the fence.
The yard of his house looks dirty by leaves that were not swept long. Her house looks deserted even though Kirana tries to repeatedly squeeze the bell. There's no sign of life there.
Where is his family now? how's the family doing? what the hell is going on? why is it like this? big question mark in Kirana's mind. He began to be confused.
He had come all the way to Jakarta by sea route that spent almost a month holding seasickness. Just to just regroup with the family and live in that comfortable house, but why now they all leave by leaving the house seized by the Bank.
Both her cheeks began to get wet. Kirana dizzy looking for clues, or rather neighbors who can be asked for information about the whereabouts and things that happened to the Bagas family. Quiet housing complex. Especially the elite-type block where it is located. The gates are tightly locked. During the day, people are busy working. He had to meet the security guard whose post was at the main gate of the housing.
“Mbak Kirana..” scold an old woman carrying a basket bag containing vegetables and groceries from the market.
Kirana. The old woman was the aunt of her maid first.
“God is right mbak Kirana?” he dropped his vegetable basket and hugged his former employer's son. Kirana welcomes the aunt's embrace.
“Mbak.ya Allah, we think you have died from the accident. It's true our Kirana right?” the aunt stared with tears.
Between fear and happiness. Fear of wrong people, fear if it is incarnate or fear of ghosts that clashed in broad daylight.
However, there is also a happy, happy because if it is true that the figure in front of him is Kirana, he is grateful that his former employer's son survived. Happy because the family of his former employer will again see the warm and bright sunshine.
Kirana nodded. He returned a big hug full of tightly just let go of longing.
“Then where has Kirana been? the whole family was very worried. All the family thought he was dead.”
Kirana takes her note and writes something “ Then what about mom and dad, Bik? what the hell is going on? why is the house seized by the bank?” bibik reads with his eyes slightly squinting and spelling slowly to make it clearer.
“Tragic mbak. Why not nulis ? how can I not say to aunt?” tanya bibik saw it from the tip of the hair to the tip of the foot.
I was worried that something was wrong with the girl. Kirana wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
“I can't talk anymore like I used to bik. My voice was lost due to the accident.” wrote Kirana.
“Astaghfirullah. How can mbak ? go with the aunt first. We'll talk further. It's getting hotter.”
***
Bibik took her to a different house five blocks from his house. Bibik has worked in a type house that is two levels below the family type house of Bagas.
The house is rarely occupied by its owner. He had to clean the house and cook for himself. The owner has apartments and luxury homes in other areas. Occasionally with his third wife he stayed there for several days.
So, the aunt is only in charge of maintaining and cleaning the house covering an area of 80 square meters.
Bibik makes very fresh orange ice in the heat.
“Diminum first mbak. Hungry mom ? I made food first yes,” said bibik while in the kitchen and followed by Kirana. “This is a miracle. When everyone thought that the mother was gone, now Kirana came in good health.” bibik mengolem happy smile accompanied by sobs.
Bibik is busy preparing vegetable soup and fried chicken krispi favorite Kirana.
“Please tell me everything that happened after my accident bik!”kirana said as aunt cooked.
Bibik began to tell a long story without being missed, how the Bagas family first received the news of the accident and until the death of the father who was followed by eyeang.
“As if the grief does not stop there, the madam is losing her way. He just lamented the fate of having to be fired from the office for too long not going to work. The debt that accumulated was not repaid eventually the house was confiscated by the bank. Om and aunty back to Kalimantan, now there is only mbak Citra and mistress.” The aunt paused for a moment to catch her breath and gulped.
He took a tissue and threw out snot. Kirana let the tears flow profusely on her cheeks and did not wipe at all as long as the bibik told her.
“I want to accompany the mistress even if not paid. However, the lady did not allow. They went to Bandung. But I don't know the address they're staying at right now. And it has been two years since I lost contact,” said bibik sadly.
Kirana's shoulders slumped. Then how can he find the rest of his family if the aunt who still lives in Jakarta alone never again got the news even did not know their address in Bandung? What should he do now? Kirana was increasingly clueless with the difficult situation that had befallen her.
“Bibik can take me to papa's grave?”pinta Kirana's. Bibik nodded, but he would do that if Kirana finished the food that was being prepared. After completing his work, his aunt and Kirana headed to the tomb of Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta.
***
Papa's grave is next to his eye's tomb. Fresh rose petals were sown on the graves of both.
“Papa and eyang's death was Kirana's fault. Why is everything like this? Kirana thought papa and mama and the others could live a normal and fine life after Kirana's departure. Suppose Kirana didn't go to Sydney could papa still be by Kirana's side now? if after the accident, Kirana immediately went home, could our family still be intact to this day? Papa.eyang.pardon Kirana. It's all Kirana's fault and selfishness that made our family like this. Why did you leave first without seeing Kirana back? why don't you just hold on for a second for Kirana. Kirana's back, Pa. Now that papa and eyang are gone, mama and Citra also leave Jakarta without knowing where they live. Kirana is completely alone now. What should Kirana do after our family has been destroyed like this by Kirana's own stupidity, Pa?” Kirana screamed inwardly as she rubbed her papa headstone.
He felt guilty more than anyone.
It was because of him that the father fell ill and died. The family's economy deteriorated until the family went bankrupt and the house was confiscated by the bank due to the accumulated debt.
Because she was the mother became desperate and just bemoaned herself. Because he was the eyes could not bear to see the condition of the daughter-in-law who was almost crazy and the family was a mess to come pick up the father.
He could not understand how it was possible that in just four years his family could fall apart like this. He regretted and condemned himself not to return to Jakarta immediately after waking up from fainting. Even run away from reality and embarrassed to admit as Kirana Badr the victim of the accident? Why even play around and feel the comfort and safety zone in the Maroon family?
***
“Then now where are Kirana going?” tanya bibik. Kirana shakes.
“Live here for a while. Later if the mistress and mbak Citra come to the tomb of the master, you can meet.”
Kirana looked around. The type of aunt's house does have four rooms and only one main room is often used by her employer. However, Kirana cannot depend on anyone else anymore after she relies on the Maroon family. He does not want to repeat the same mistake. He must act and move quickly.
“Thank you bik, I'm going to Bandung to look for them. The sooner I look for the better. I don't want to waste a lot of time before it's too late like this.” Kirana.
“But it's been too late, Ma'am. Mbak can stay overnight here and leave again tomorrow,” advice bibik. Kirana agreed. He also needs a rest area for a moment.
***
The next morning, before seven o'clock Kirana had prepared to head for the terminal. My aunt called a taxi for him.
“Be careful ya mbak,” message bibik.
Kirana hugged auntie for a long time. The maid, who served fifteen years in her family, was also part of the family. The aunt brought him some food and unwittingly slipped some fifty thousand bills into Kirana's coat pocket.
What is unchanged from four years ago is that the city of Jakarta still remains crowded and jammed especially in the morning and lunch hour. The terminal that became one of the mobility locations of Jakarta residents and surrounding areas is as busy as other crowd centers.
“Come..Bekasi's....Bekasi..”.
“Come... Tangerang mbak..mau where?” a scalper asked Kirana.
Kirana shakes. He was a little confused due to the changing physical condition of the terminal. He had to find a bus majoring in Bandung.
“Mbak where are you going? Bandung's? Bogor?” ask other scalpers with a pushy tone. Kirana pulled out her notes. And write Bandung. “Oh here I take. Here the goods I brought, Ma'am,” said the scalper.
Kirana followed the tall, black-skinned touts to the bus parking lot towards Bandung and its surroundings.
When going on the bus, suddenly a snatcher courageously grabbed his handbag containing a wallet, mobile phone and the address of his friends in Bandung. The atmosphere at that time was very crowded and crowded.
Kirana screamed as she could. But he looked like a sulking, voiceless madman. The tall calo came down after raising Kirana's luggage.
“Lho what is mbak?” ask the scalper wonder.
Kirana explained in sign language but the scalper did not understand.
She cried because her handbag was half her life. All the money that had been collected in Maroubra by working to help out Joyce's madam at the bar and pocket money that was still in the form of Australian dollars from Mr. Bruce and doctor Smith about five million rupiahs were also there, then his passport.
He needs an identity card, however. His name is Asian P.
The scalper still asked in surprise and tried to calm Kirana down. Kirana picked up her notepad and tremblingly wrote that her bag had been pickpocketed. Calo seems concerned, he takes back the suitcase and Kirana's luggage down from the bus before leaving.
“I drive to the police station, Mbak.” bargain the scalper.
Kirana headed for the police station or rather the guard post because there was nowhere else to go. The officer there just took notes, then asked where Kirana was from and where she was going. In the end, the officer only spoke concerned and advised Kirana to be more careful and told him to return home.
How can he go home while his house is being confiscated by the bank and there are no other families in Jakarta. Out of pity, the officer gave Kirana two hundred thousand dollars. “ For fare home mbak.” said the officer kindly. Kirana smiled thankfully.
***
