The Blink is Dusk.
White Water
Lisam's mother arrived at a shop-house building lined up on the side of the road. Dozens of cars were in and out of the parking lot. On the left side of the shophouse building there is indomaret with its busyness, dozens of small food traders. There are rice stalls padang, gallons of water, clothing stores, pharmacies, laundry, HP counters, motor workshops, building shops and unit offices of a BUMN bank yes filling every door of the shophouse.
Lisam's mother looked embarrassed approaching the place. He stood there for a while on the side of the road. With great hesitation he slowly continued to approach the shophouse building. His concern is a rice stall and a place to refill drinking water. He saw a young man go on a motorcycle full of gallons of water.
"Excuse me, brother." Said Lisam's mother.
"Yes, what's up Ayuk." The gallon merchant replied, face flat and only turning a glance.
"May Dik, I ask you to drink water as long as this bottle." His mother said Lisam was timid to the water merchant.
"Oh, sorry can't Yuk. I use water buying capital. This is a city, everyone has to buy. Unlike in the village, anything can be asked." Said the gallon business owner. Lisam's mother was silent for a moment, her face red from embarrassment. A three-teen-year-old boy came by his little bicycle. In the back was a cardboard box of fruit ice cream. He saw Lisam's mother standing in front of the gallon business. I don't know what he's thinking.
"It's okay." Lisam's mother replied, then she stepped towards the ten thousand all-nation rice stall at the side.
"Sir, you can have half a bottle of water." Her mother Lisam said.
"Oh, sorry my mom for selling. can't." Answer the distended merchant. A woman looked surly in front of the cashier's desk. It looks like she's the merchant's wife. Lisam's mother left after saying thank you.
"Why don't you love me." Said the son of the owner of the stall ten thousand. The girl who was still in elementary school uniform asked.
"If he is loved, he will come often. Ask for water, ask for food. What is it that I am the father." Said the owner of the shop.
"Right, I thought so too. We're not stingy. We're business people, not social communities." Valon business owner.
While the children of the ice cream seller pay attention to Lisam's mother who has gone from the shop-shop area. He didn't get a little drinking water. Ibu Lisam was very sad and stepped away to another place. The plastic bottle he was carrying was empty. Lisam's mother doesn't know where else to go. Suddenly:
"Mom, this is just take my drinking water." The voice of a boy. There was the sound of her bicycle brake stopping beside Lisam's mother. Seemed a strong boy, his face shady and friendly. The school bag was still on his back. It looks like he's selling ice at his school and around.
"Thank you, son." Said Lisam's mother with teary eyes.
"Together Mum." Said the boy who went straight to his bike.
"Whose son." Ask Lisam's Mother.
"Ahmad." The answer turned a little and continued to pedal the bike quickly, as the style of children usually. He was still innocent without much drama.
Ibu Lisam was so happy to get a big bottle of water. Looks like the kid just bought in Indomaret. Because the plastic has a logo.
"Ahmad is a good boy and lucky for his parents." Said Lisam's mother.
Lisam's mother turned to the ranks of the shophouses earlier while walking.
"Seritt."
From the highway came a black, dirty car. Lots of ground in the body and tires. Stop between the food stalls and the gallon business. The door opened and five masked men descended while carrying firearms.
"Dorr."
"Dorr." Several gun eruptions were heard. Everyone is panicking and scared.
"Send your money or die." Said the robber while brandishing his gun on a husband and wife of ten thousand rice stalls owner. Two terrified work ran into the kitchen, son and wife screaming. Both were assaulted and armed.
"Diamms. Or I'll shoot you dead."" Snarl the robber, the owner of the rice stall is terrified. It also happened that he was counting the incoming money that day with his wife's child. Eighteen million, seven hundred and sixty thousand. Necklaces, rings, and gold bracelets were also seized. All the money was put in a black plastic bag, then the robber stepped back while brandishing his gun.
...*****...
"Don't yell, if you don't wanna die." Threatening another robber next door, he walked backwards and got in the car. So too with the gallon maker. All the money that day was robbed. His wife's necklace and bracelet were also taken. Turns out there were five shopkeepers robbed at once.
"Dorr." I heard another shot. There was screaming and screaming. The owner of the building shop was killed by a robber.
"Asong Shops are shot." Said some people.seemed a robber ran out of the shop Koko Asong. Then all the robbers got into his car and left quickly. From the street Lisam's mother felt strange hearing gunshots and people screaming.
"Brummmm-s. Srittt's." The car was traveling at high speed turning like a crescent moon. Hit two garbage boxes until they slam far away.
"Brakk." Mamang motorbike overturned and kua pentol and pentol spilled. How bad that pentol was.
"Oh my God, what's wrong." Lisam's mother wondered, she saw a panic atmosphere, the car hit the motorcycle mamang pentol. But he kept walking away. The car drove straight to the highway. Seeing that Lisam's mother hurriedly pulled over.
"Srittt's. Srittt's." Several cars and motorcycles brake suddenly as criminal cars break into the highway. A broom vendor, and a walking balloon salesman jumped to the side of the road.
"Ahhhh.
"Ouhhh." Both are upset and angry at the car that continues to speed. Their trading is messy on the side of the road. Lisam's mother was silent as she passed.
"What's up Mom." Ask a motorcyclist to Lisam's mother. Lisam mother shook her head while saying no idea.
...*****...
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the road on the edge of the city of Palembang. There is a grassy field, from there you can see the busy highway. On the side of the field there are quite extensive swamps. Then there is a high enough wall restricting the neighborhood of a residential complex.
"Hey all of you, I warn you that the entire wild parking area here is to my power. If you dare guard the parking lot, don't deposit with me. You'll know the consequences." Said a burly man, tanned skin. Mustachioed, there was a chain necklace around his neck a few rounds. There are dozens of men who are also spooky.
"Om, indeed all the places belong to om. We're just looking for food." Answer a teenager. Behind were dozens of boys of his age. Brand dressings clearly show that they are street children.
"I'm warning you all, so don't regret that I've been cruel." Said the man, he seems to be the leader of that group of thugs. After saying that he turned around leaving the place. Some of the people's friends pointed at the group of street children, then left.
A group of teenage boys just kept quiet while watching the thugs leave. Arriving on the road, the thugs got into two black cars. And left that place quickly.
"How about Jiho, we can't keep the parking lot if we don't want to deposit on them." Friend said.
"Fuck those fucking thugs. We'll just do it, as usual. If we're afraid, we don't eat." Said the teenager.
"Right Jiho, rather than us starving to death. We'd rather die fighting with them." Said a friend. After that, everything left that place.
...*****...
Lisam's mother arrived near Lisam and Bagit. The two sisters were delighted to see their mother return with a large bottle of water.
"Let's have a drink." Lisam's mother said, Bagit nodded then Lisam helped her sister sit down. The sound of water, it looks like Bagit is already thirsty.
"Where did you guys get this fried." Ask Lisam's Mother.
"Dikasih grandparents, he himself stopped and gave it." Obviously Lisam, he told me that he was not asking or begging. His mother nodded and they ate fried food together. Their hungry stomachs are a little bit stuck.
"Uhukkk. uhukkk." Lisam's mother coughed while holding her tight chest. His breath gasped and the sound of asthma was heard.
"Mother." Lisam saw her mother full of worry.
...*****...
Aram followed the grandmother and the others into a housing complex. Seemed the complex road has been a lot of berbobang and the side of the road a lot of grass is also weeds. The atmosphere is quite crowded and almost all the houses are occupied. There are also houses that are closed and not taken care of at all.
Aram was envious to see such an empty and abandoned building. Pages overgrown with weeds or litter. There is also a nice house not inhabited. Almost every housing block has such a house. At the bank the sound of words written on the front wall of the house. While he and his family are abandoned. The abandoned subsidy houses were like palaces to them. But they can only look at. Walking under the hot sun.
"Excuse me. Assalamualaikum." Grandma greets the people inside the stall selling vegetables and sweets. Seemed middle-aged lung mothers with purple robe and hijab out.
Her husband seemed busy weighing the sugar, made the size of half and kilo. The mother came out and answered her greetings. He looked down at the street of the compound in front of his house and stood face to face with his grandmother. Aram looked the other way. The mother looked at each other one by one.
"What's up Uwa." Ask the mother.
"See, there's a house to contract, Dik's around here." Grandma asked, patting the sleepy-looking child Pak Kino on the back.
" I'm sorry Uwa, don't know." The mother replied briefly and went back inside the store. Grandma was silent, she was not offended by the cold attitude of the mother. Grandma took Salika back to walk followed by the others. Such treatment of people is common to them.
...*****...
"No idea, the group is so. Like a beggar, what a scavenger." The answer.
"What is asked." Ask the husband again.
"From home to contract." His wife answered again, and he sat down at the desk. Then take an apple in the fruit basket and eat it with greed.
"Oh, in block D there's a house to contract." The husband replied, he appeared to be tying a plastic bag of sugar.
"Mother knows too, but it is these people that if fixed will be mistaken and utilized. At the end of the day, he wants to pay and borrow money. I'm definitely not going to pay." He answered, and went back to eating the red apple.
The voices of her two children quarreled. Both of them were in High School. Two children scramble the television remote and yell at each other. The mother was upset and shouted for her two children to stop. His two sons also blamed each other. The father also snapped. At once the house was like a world war.
...*****...
"Cuittt. Cuittt's." The sound of a stone magpie.
"Turkutut. Turkutut." Knee birds sound melodious repeatedly. A private car passed by the side of the Aram wagon and that followed it. Luran and Figan seem amazed by the cars of a remote-controlled child. There were five kids their age playing remote control cars.
"Sir, this house is contracted ya." Aram asked a father who was feeding birds with crickets. There is a purpose of birdcages hanging in the framework of the canopy of his house. The house on the left side looks unkempt and there is contracted writing. While the neighbor to the right of the father bird keepers open the sliding fence. Dress neatly, brown base pants and cream shirt dress. Hair in neatly cut, and shiny black shoes.
"Srookkkkkat. Durr." The turnstile is wide open.
"Yes Dik. What's up." The father replied, then he whistled with his hands ringing towards the stone magpie.
"Where is the owner, how much is the rent." Aram asked, Grandma approached, looking as if Gera was soundly asleep. Salika, Areha, Junka, Deak, Luran and Figan sit in the shadow of the house across the street.
"Brum." I heard the car engine on the right side of the house wrong.
"His owner is my sister, she moved on duty in Kalimantan. It's six million a year. If you want enough with me, because he's left the key to take care of it." Obviously the father of the hobby of keeping birds. A mother appeared and sat in a chair in front right next to the door of the house.
"Oh. I'm looking for a monthly one sir." Aram said lethargic.
"I see, it doesn't seem to be possible yet. Responsibility, because my brother has needs.that's why he wants to rent his house." Answer the father. Aram said goodbye, and will continue to find a house that they can rent.
The owner's car next to the fence. It just so happened that Aram's wagon was still in front of his house. The car owner looked angry and upset.
"Hey, stupid scavenger. Get your trash cart out of front of my house." He said rough and strong. Aram immediately pushed the cart quickly. Aram and everyone just shut up as they passed.
"Don't take me lightly. I'm not your class person. I am a successful person with my efforts and intelligence. Just get pissed off." Said the man in a tone full of self-conceit. Even though he was just a marketing insurance only. I feel very rich and smart. That's how that guy feels.
"Yes, scavengers don't know themselves." Said a man standing in the hallway of his house door. Maybe his son, his nephew or an insurance agent job as well.
...*****...
A man in his forties came out of a house. He sat next to the porch. The house is not well maintained. In the gutters and courtyards a lot of garbage and cigarette butts were scattered. There are motorcycles full of furniture. The bed looks tied in the back seat, in the triangle of a metic motor full of stuff in the cardboard and sack.
The house on the right side looks uninhabited, many grow weeds and bushes. The two houses on the left are tightly closed, apparently in the owner's work.
"Hurry, long time to prepare." Said the man, his eyes red from lack of sleep. He smoked a cigarette deep and then exhaled. An old woman and an old woman are easier than the man to get out. Carrying clothes bundles, cardboard boxes and tote bags.
" Srittt." A car stopped in front of the house.
"Here, grab's car has arrived." Said the man, and the driver came down and opened the door. The grandmothers and women headed for the car while carrying things. The driver helps in compiling the luggage.
"Don't be too late, we need to clean up." The woman said, it looks like the man's wife.
"Yes, I finished smoking first." Answer the man. The online taxi car drove following the google mep. Two blocks of houses passed, passing by several motorcycles and pedestrians.
"Move where Mom is." Ask the wet driver to talk to the two passengers.
"Move to Gandus, rather cheap rent." Answer mother. The driver saw a group of people, there were children pushing a garbage cart.
"Tinnn's. Tinn." The driver said, the group of people pulled over. They commented on that group of people. Their various opinions.
...*****...
Meanwhile, Pak Leban came out of his office. He took his car somewhere. Drove down the highway in the middle of the city of Palembang which is densely creeping, but not jammed.
"Where are you, sir?." Voice from the phone.
"It's been sliding, position in the red light save Polda." Answer mr. Leban. Pak Leban will attend the event of a new home of an employee. Three days ago, the employee moved.
"OK, awaited. The others have all come." Sound word again.
"Ok, green light, Herung." Pak Leban said. The green light is on, Mr. Leban disconnects the phone and he drives back.
...*****...
Aram, Grandma and the others passed by a house in the residential K block. There was a crowded house, lots of cars parked and people passing by. Their clothes were neat, and the women were in songket. With Aram forced and everything passed in front of the house, the eyes of the people watched them. Salika was ashamed, because she understood the meaning of life. At the end of the road not far from the house was a car stopped. The door opened, four young men descended almost simultaneously.
"Herdung, this is your new home." A man got out of the car, followed by three young men.
"Yes, let's go in." Herdung answered as he stepped in to greet them. Aram and the others looked as they passed.
"Pak Leban has not arrived yet." Ask the man. They shook hands with each other, some people also greeted them. Mr. Herdung berikan and bring his guests under the tent and sit in a neatly arranged guest chair.
...*****...
Aram and everyone else arrived at a block again in that housing. Now he found a man sitting smoking. The plastic chair seemed to suck in his seat.
"Sir, bole asked. There's a house that wants a monthly contract no, on this block." Ask Aram. Sweat was pouring, carts he parked on the side of the road. Grandma approached, then followed the others.
"Ohh, uh." The man seemed to think, I don't know what. "There was, by chance. My house is going to be contracted. Monthly can, annual can also." Answer the man. He stood up, threw away the cigarette butts and he stepped on.
"It's for rent, sir." Ask grandma with hope.
"True uwa, I want to move to my son's house. He moved errands, and his son who was in Elementary school no one took care of." The man replied, friendly and smiling.
"How many a month Sir." Ask Aram. Junka and Areha appear to tease Salika's son.
"Five hundred thousand. That's five million years." Answer the man.
"Oh, it could be less sir, four hundred thousand." Pinta grandma. The man seemed to think for a moment. It feels heavy.
"Oh, yes already. It's okay, but next month it's five hundred thousand a month." Said the man.
"It's okay." Grandma said, then grandma paid four hundred thousand rupiah to the man.
"This is the key to the house, I want to go to my son's house. If you want to find me later, call this phone number, I live in Plaju." Said the father.
"Who's your nana, brother." Ask Grandma.
"Sobri, Yuk." The answer, followed by a smile. Then he gave a record of the phone number written on the former cigarette pack. Aram accepts and will save. The man pushed his motorcycle into the street. He's a starter and the motorcycle's wrong. Smile and signal, then leave.
After that Aram, Grandma and the others went into the house and rested.
"Oh, tired of it." Areha and Junka. Deak lay on the cement floor for a while as he fell asleep. Everyone was happy, they were able to rest well.
"We're gonna sleep well tonight." Luran.
...*****...
