Owner of Heart #1
Chapter 15
I've been out of the hospital for two days but I still can't do my usual activities, and it's very boring. I just sleep in my room, listen to the radio or watch TV like now, and what's with the show on Indonesian TV? Either I have a weird taste or a weird TV show? I don't know, but I don't think there's a show I can watch. I don't know if it's a music show, variety show or reality show or a show to expose people's disgrace? Why do they laugh when talking about people's disgrace and insulting others? I don't know, but I don't think it's very educational at all! Do they not feel guilty for having received such a high fee but giving such an unreasonable spectacle? Wallahu’alam, only Allah and that person know, hopefully they quickly realize.
Lazily I moved the TV channel but nothing caught my attention until finally one of the TV stations was airing news about Garuda troops invited by the President to the State palace because it had managed to run his job very well.
My eyes were without command looking for the figure of the man I should have forgotten, but unfortunately I could not forget it. And finally my heart skipped a beat, my blood rippled violently as if to recognize the figure of the Lieutenant even from a distance.
She had returned home as Leona had said, and now the entire media crew was more interested in highlighting her as Leona's lover than any TNI member who contributed to world peace. Now that everyone has known him, it even went viral in cyberspace because of his prowess when wearing army uniforms.
“Truly went viral,” whispered with a smile when I remembered the reason the Lieutenant did not have a sosmed even though it seemed joking, but now it became a reality.
I turned off the TV and went into the room, opened my sosmed account just to see the photos of the Lieutenant who was in the netizens out of nowhere. Stupid act, right? Oh, believe me I know that, and I hate myself for it too! I hate myself who still thinks about it, I hate myself who secretly still keeps his picture in my phone, I hate myself who still misses him as much as I do now.
Hate but miss.aahhh I hate myself!!! It's my first time like this, when I was in High School I was dating twice but when I broke up, I used to never be like this. Oi! It's not even a break up, we've never dated just meet time in Ciwidey for a while, we just chat by phone, never even go to watch or walk together, but why does it feel like this?
“Not from how long we know the person but how big and deep the taste we have, it's what makes us hurt when we lose him.”
That's what Arga said when we talked about my feelings for the Lieutenant at the hospital a few days ago.
“But it's not the first time I like guys, Ga.”
“Yes, but the rate is different. if you used to still love monkeys, if now maybe already love gorillas or orangutans, which are a little bit better than monkeys.”
“Hahaha... if it is bigger again what dong?”
“Love kingkong.”
“Hahaha.”
I lay down hugging a roll remembering the conversation that night. Arga may be right, but now the Lieutenant already belongs to another woman which means I must, must forget. That afternoon I fell asleep with the strong intention to forget the Lieutenant but ended up dreaming about it.
****
Four months passed and I began to forget about the Lieutenant, I had also returned to active in the OASIS. I changed my appearance by cutting my hair short over my shoulder, everyone looked surprised when I first saw my new hair but they said it looked like it fit me which looked fresher.
We are currently preoccupied with a fairly large project themed “Indonesia Pintar” that will work with the Department of Social Affairs and the Ministry of National Education. This project involves not only OASIS but also several institutions that have the same vision and mission, especially in the field of education. Coinciding with the college holiday I decided to join the OASIS team that got a part to South Sumatra, more precisely the inner child tribe in Musi Rawas Regency.
At first my mother did not allow me to leave because knowing the terrain we went through to reach a destination was not easy, and of course other than fear my thypus relapsed again. I'll have to go the extra mile to get her permission this time, while dad is as usual. Once mother put forward the condition to let me go, namely from Arga also come so that mother can calm down, he said, while Arga already has his own event with his nature-loving friends to climb Mount Papandayan.
But luckily it's Tea Vita, Yuni, Kak Yoan, Bang Kamal, Mas Juna, Rendy, Agus and Kang Pajar managed to convince the mother that later we are not alone but also joined with Dinsos Sumsel and escorted by TNI members from Kodam Srivijaya who also joined the project this time for development facilities there.
And finally here I am, now, on top of Pregio car loaned for free by Kak Yoan's parents who do have a car rental and on the way to Merak to cross the Sunda Strait to the island of Sumatra. We boarded the Ferry at 2am and at about 4am we had docked at Bakauheni.
We rested in the Ketapang area for dawn prayers, a short break and breakfast before finally continuing the journey. Sitting in front of Kang Pajar who plays the driver accompanied by Bang Kamal as the navigator, sitting in the middle of me, Teh Vita, Kak Yoan and Yuni, while behind Agus, sitting, Rendy and Mas Juna must be willing to share with bags that do not fit in the trunk.
Along the way we were treated to more forest scenery on the left-right side of the road, and had to share the road with trucks carrying oil palm, rubber and bananas. This was my first time crossing Sumatra by road, which of course made me excited to see the scenery along the way.
Bang Kamal who was used to cross the island of Sumatra when going home to Medan as if to be a tour guide, Kak Yoan who was native to Bengkulu only fell asleep along the way. So we-we are the ones who were born and raised on the island of Java who are excited to see the pretend in every house in Ketapang which is nicknamed the village of Bali, or see the rubber forest, he said, palm forests that do not exist in Bandung.
Bang Kamal, who knows the roads across Sumatra, has now replaced Kang Pajar as a driver and made the journey feel faster. In the vicinity of Indralaya we again rest for dzuhur prayer, lunch and durian ngeborong! We deliberately rested in the mosque in front of which there is a durian manggal, and the price is much cheaper than in Bandung, not to mention the thick and sweet meat makes us forget time.
Bang Kamal said soon until Palembang at least 30KM again, so we can linger rest in Indralaya straighten the body that began to feel sore because of long on the way. We resumed our journey around 2 and arrived in Palembang at 3:30.
Remember our Palembang friend Fadhil who volunteered at Ciwidey? Now he has returned to Palembang and works in Dinsos South Sumatra. He greeted us upon arrival at Dinsos Sumsel's office on Jl. Kapt Anwar Sastro is located right behind the office of the Governor of South Sumatra. The friendly and lively Fadhil immediately took us to his house to rest in the West Ilir area 2 Palembang, 15 minutes from Dinsos office.
Palembang's magnificent and large stage house immediately amazed us. The house extends terraced, at the bottom of the wall and the top still uses antique wood.
“Ieu mah (this mah) can be rented for wedding, Dhil?”
But before we went to Musi Rawas we were invited to eat the tomb by Dinsos South Sumatra as well as the introduction of the location there later and introduced some members of Dinsos Sumsel who will join us, one of them is Fadhi and Veny, people we already know very well. Like Fadhil, Veny was also a member of the OASIS who had returned to Palembang.
After breakfast at around 7 we all took the Dinsos bus to Musi Rawas which took 6-7 hours, while Kak Yoan's car was left at Fadhil's house. We are again welcomed by Dinsos Musi Rawas who will lead us to the village where the tribe's children live.
But what makes us surprised is that upon arrival at the office Dinsos Musi Rawas was filled with people who were busy huddling to cover activities there. Previously we have been told that specifically for the children in Musi Rawas will be covered by several TV stations and involve several artists to introduce the wider community to the tribes in the interior Indonesia, so these artists will be staying there for a few days to help activists do their work and try to live with indigenous children.
That's not what surprised me so much, but just knowing that one of the artists was Leona, the Lieutenant's lover. As I looked around, remembering that the TNI of the Sriwijaya Kodam was going to join us, my eyes brushed every member of the TNI but the Lieutenant was not there, between relief and disappointment I took a heavy breath.
Dinsos chairman Musi Rawas introduced us to artists consisting of Leona, Marsya, Dony and another one is my favorite singer, Ben. Oh I love the sound and the songs! Like most fans, my eyes sparkled and flushed with embarrassment when shaking hands with her, but changed immediately when shaking hands with Leona.
The artists still look fresh, beautiful, and fragrant in contrast to us who look limp, messy and very tired because they have to travel Bandung-Palembang for approximately 18 hours, rest a few hours and have to return to travel 6-7 hours to reach Musi Rawas.
We only took a short break for dzuhur prayer and lunch before finally returning to the car with a double axle to arrive at Dusun IV Terrace River, Harapan Makmur Village (SP9) Muara Lakitan, Indonesia, that feels very heavy with dusty and rocky roads along 25 KM, with left right scrub and forest planted with acacia, eucalyptus and palm trees. Our bodies were shaken, at first we laughed to enjoy the journey that felt off road, but over time we began to feel pain in some parts of the body due to the panting.
Alhamdulillah, we came to the place where the tribe of children in. Initially, the children moved their homes (Nomaden) down one river to another, before the Government finally made them a place to live in the River Terrace Hamlet IV.
We were again welcomed (more precisely the artists were welcomed) by the residents, some members of Dinsos Musi Rawas and TNI members who were already there who were building facilities for local residents. I jumped down from the car while stretching my achy body.
“Edan euy leuwih ti off road ieu mah, hahaha (Crazy, this is more than off road).” Agus said with a laugh, who got a word of agreement from Kang Pajar and the others.
“What else first, Gus, we have to go through the forest, now it's good to be able to ride a car. The first pass here they do not yet speak Indonesian, boro-boro song NOAH, song August 17 only on do not know.”
“If you know the song NOAH mah name outer tribe not inner tribe oruh, Dhil.”
We were laughing while lowering the luggage when there was a sudden uproar surrounding the artist team. It made us look at them with curiosity.
“What's the matter?”
“New habits first see artist.”
“Definitely excited look beautiful rich so.. her skin is clear, ouch.. Mas Yudha dream what ya have a rich girlfriend that,” said Bang Kamal who got a word of agreement from the men.
“That's how money, Mal, if there is money mah we are much more beautiful, right care continues not hot-hot ma belusukan rich gini, right?” Teh Vita said that this time got a word of agreement from the women.
“Iya deh yes, but used to see the gloomy rich gini (while pointing us) suddenly see the clear rich so (indicate the crowd) it's a blessing, not to be wasted.”
“Hahaha, brash says we're gloomy.”
We were laughing as the crowd approached us, immediately we fell silent then looked at the crowd that made my eyes immediately wide to look at the figure of a man who walked gallantly behind a typical army green shirt complete with his trousers. My heart didn't beat for a while before it went crazy, my blood rippled as usual when I saw the man.
“Mas Yudha!” Bang Kamal who first greeted him and experienced him, everyone now looked at our crowd, reporters preparing behind the camera, behind the Lieutenant stood the aris who also walked towards us.
“How are you?” The Lieutenant greeted Bang Kamal as if they were old friends. Not only stopped at Bang Kamal, he also greeted everyone and asked for their news.
With my heart still beating fast I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but my legs seemed to be unable to move, even my eyes seemed to be unwilling to escape from it. I clenched my hand trying to dispel the anger and disappointment that seemed to come back to the surface, until finally he stood in front of me looking at me with a strange look.
“How are you, Za?”
My heart was mad, my blood rippled when I heard his voice calling me with a call that no one else had ever pinned on me, doubtfully accepting his helping hand, I gulped roughly before replying.
“Good.” It was the only thing that came out of my mouth while nodding looking back at him, for a while we just looked at each other with hands shaking hands.
*****
