Abah Kimo<\/p>\n
By Widya Indratno<\/p>\n
Everybody in this town certainly knew Abah Kimo alias Thee Kim
\nOng. It is easy to tell by his name that Sukimo, 56, was an
\nIndonesian of Chinese origin. Although clearly bearing physical
\ncharacteristics of his race: slanted eyes, raised eyebrows and
\nstraight hair, the man did not want to be called Chinese.<\/p>\n
Perhaps because his father was a Javanese and he himself was
\nonce married to a Priangan (West Javanese) girl, Chinese culture
\ndid not seem to be part of him. The furniture of his joglo house
\nwas also dominated by ancient Jepara wood carving.<\/p>\n
For more than 25 years Sukimo had been in the garment
\nbusiness. His hard work had yielded a considerable amount of
\nwealth. He had started as a clothes hawker. Now apart from his
\ngarment business he owned a big supermarket in town.<\/p>\n
It was unfortunate that his beloved wife had not been patient
\nenough to live with him and enjoy her husband's present success.
\nThe beautiful woman had preferred to go with her lover who was 10
\nyears younger.<\/p>\n
Now Abah Kimo lived in his big house surrounded by a vast
\ngarden with a maid, a gardener and a driver whom he treated like
\nhis own children because he had no relatives in this town.<\/p>\n
Sulastri, or Lastri, was fortunate compared to her colleagues
\nof the same profession. Her boss was good, patient and fully
\nentrusted her in household matters.<\/p>\n
Perhaps because Abah Kimo was a busy man he had no time to
\ntend to those matters by himself. Or perhaps because he had
\nnobody so he treated Lastri, Pandi -- who was in charge of the
\nfruit garden at the back of the house and Sarno his private
\ndriver, as his own children.<\/p>\n
Of the three persons, only Sulastri was unmarried. When
\nNingsih, an assistant in Sukimo's shop, found Sulastri employment
\nwith Sukimo the girl had just graduated from elementary school.
\nShe went on to study and finished junior high school while
\nworking for Abah Kimo.<\/p>\n
If Sulastri had continued her studies instead of working for
\nAbah Kimo, she would have been in senior high school now.
\nMeanwhile, Kang Pandi already had two children and Kang Sarno had
\nbeen married two months ago.<\/p>\n
One afternoon Abah Kimo talked to Lastri at the back verandah.<\/p>\n
\"Lastri, if I am not mistaken, you are now 17 years old,
\naren't you?\" Kimo asked. Lastri nodded. \"Has it never crossed
\nyour mind to go to school again? Or at least to go to a
\nvocational course?\" Kimo asked seriously.<\/p>\n
He continued, \"Sarno asked me yesterday to join a course for
\nmechanics. Pandi has requested me some books on gardening. So now
\nit is your turn. It's up to you. It is a pity if your junior high
\nschool diploma goes to waste.\"<\/p>\n
Now Sulastri had been registered with a tailoring course and a
\nbookkeeping course. At the book keeping course she got acquainted
\nwith Bambang, an employee at the administration section of the
\ninstitute.<\/p>\n
Her fair skin and good looks led Bambang to think that she was
\nthe daughter or a niece of Abah Kimo. Besides, she went to the
\nevening course in Abah Kimo's car driven by Kang Sarno while on
\nhis way to pick up Abah Kimo at the shop.<\/p>\n
Their affair developed and Sulastri did not want to be taken
\nand picked up by Sarno. She preferred being taken and picked up
\nby her beloved Bambang.<\/p>\n
Seeing the change in Sulastri, Abah Kimo was very happy. The
\ngirl who had been entrusted to him by Ningsih had grown into a
\nbeautiful adolescent girl. Kimo's happiness grew when he saw that
\nLastri became a cheerful girl.<\/p>\n
She was no longer the same girl who used to be silent and
\ndepressed knowing that she had no parents anymore. As a
\nsubstitute for Lastri's parents, Kimo could also understand the
\npresence of Bambang in her life.<\/p>\n
The only thing that worried Kimo was that Bambang always took
\nadvantage of the time when Kimo was away in his shop. This meant
\nthat only Lastri and Pardi were at home. Sarno was only
\noccasionally at home, he preferred to stay home, which was not
\nfar from Kimo's shop.<\/p>\n
In fact Kimo's worries were well founded. One day he caught
\nBambang going through the papers on his desk, while Lastri was
\nhanging out the laundry at the back of the house. At the time
\nPardi went to his village to collect his children who were going
\nto spend their holidays in Kimo's house.<\/p>\n
For the first time Kimo got angry with Lastri who allowed
\nBambang into his private room. Kimo never locked his room. It did
\nnot mean, however, that a stranger like Bambang was free to
\nenter. Even Pardi who was considered Kimo's own child was
\nreluctant to enter the room. Now there was this stranger in the
\nroom.<\/p>\n
In fact, Sulastri could understand why Abah Kimo was furious
\nbut Bambang could not forget how the old man rebuked him and he
\nbore a grudge against him.<\/p>\n
In his eyes, a Chinese is always bad be he or she born and
\nbred in Java, and some day he would show his \"true nature\". After
\nthe incident Bambang went to see Lastri at the time Kimo was in
\nhis shop and Lastri was alone in the house. Now, Bambang was
\nfreer in the house.<\/p>\n
Five months had gone by.<\/p>\n
Kimo was heard calling Lastri from the bathroom and had a
\nspell of coughing.<\/p>\n
\"Lastri ... fetch me a clean towel!\" Hearing Kimo's pathetic
\nvoice, Lastri immediately snatched a clean towel from the
\ncupboard and rushed to the bathroom. The bathroom door was ajar.<\/p>\n
\"Abah... \"Abah Kimo, why are you coughing; are you ill?\"
\nLastri asked, still clutched the towel.<\/p>\n
\"No, I only choked,\" replied Kimo from inside the bathroom.<\/p>\n
\"Could you give me the used towel, Abah? Give it to me,\" said
\nLastri with outstretched her hand into the bathroom through the
\npartly opened door. There was no reply.<\/p>\n
\"Bah, Abah,\" Lastri said slowly pushing the door. Suddenly,
\nLastri got the shivers when she entered the bathroom.<\/p>\n
Then, \"Bah, Abah ... What's the matter? Kang Pandi ... Abah,
\nKaaang!\" Lastri ran out and called Pandi at the back of the
\nhouse.<\/p>\n
Lastri had found Kimo sitting, holding the clean towel. At his
\nside were a stack of towels and clothes stained with blood.<\/p>\n
Abah Kimo was then hospitalized for three weeks. Two months
\nlater the old man had to take a complete rest at home upon his
\nown request. The person most saddened by Kimo's condition was
\nSulastri. For her Kimo was not just an employer. Lastri who, in
\nher childhood never had the guidance of her own father, idolized
\nAbah Kimo as her father.<\/p>\n
While all activities in the house were concentrated on Abah
\nKimo, Bambang was busy outside the house. He vented his
\nresentment by telling Kimo's neighbors that Kimo was not ill but
\nonly wanted to be alone with Sulastri with whom he was having an
\naffair.<\/p>\n
At first people did not trust his story, but after Bambang
\nshowed that there was a change in Sulastri's physical appearance,
\nespecially her ballooning stomach, they started to believe it.
\nPeople began to drum up support to attack Kimo's house.<\/p>\n
\"Who would not be attracted to Lastri's beauty?\" an inhabitant
\nasked in the neighborhood coffee stall. \"If I were Pandi or
\nSarno, I would knock on Sulastri's door every night.\" Ha...
\nha... ha, laughter filled the air of the stall where ojek
\ndrivers got together.<\/p>\n
\"Damned Chinese. He could not help getting aroused,\" one
\ncursed.<\/p>\n
\"Bambang, when will the 'party' begin? When will we move?\" a
\nwell-built man asked. \"My hands are itching already!\"<\/p>\n
Bambang who had remained silent in a corner became nervous
\nwhen he heard someone call his name.<\/p>\n
\"Eh... What, Njul? Oh, that... tomorrow night,\" replied
\nBambang after he managed to control himself. His thoughts were
\nbusy recalling his quarrel with Sulastri in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
\"Why do you have the heart to act that cruelly, Mas? Have pity
\non Abah, he is an old man,\" Lastri cried.<\/p>\n
\"The baby in my womb is yours, Mas. Our baby!\" Lastri was
\ntrying to convince Bambang.<\/p>\n
\"Huh! Do you think I don't know what has been going on in this
\nhouse between you and the old man? I knew what you had done when
\nyou came out of the bathroom saying he lost consciousness. Now
\nyou often spend a long time in his room, don't you?\" said
\nBambang, irritated.<\/p>\n
\"No, Mas. It is all because Abah is ill. He can do nothing.
\nBy God! Abah is clear of all this affair. He does not even know I
\nam pregnant!\" said Lastri.<\/p>\n
\"Whatever you say, I will carry out my plan. I warn you not to
\ntell the police about this. Otherwise I will not let the baby in
\nyou live!\" Bambang threatened Sulastri.<\/p>\n
The following night, in the wee hours, Lastri shouted in the
\nkitchen. Pandi, who was sleeping upstairs accompanying Abah Kimo,
\nran down and found the kitchen on fire.<\/p>\n
The fire spread quickly. Pandi went back up the stairs to Abah
\nKimo's room. it was too late. The fire already engulfed the room
\nwith its wooden floor. In his panic Pandi defied the fire and
\nentered the room to save Kimo. But he never got out. Sulastri,
\nPandi and Abah Kimo got burned with the house.<\/p>\n
Captain Haris frowned. Based on the testimony of the only
\noccupant of the house who survived the fire, Sarno, the culprit
\nwas Sulastri.<\/p>\n
Sarno said Sulastri did it because she was pregnant thanks to
\nher relationship with Abah Kimo and she was ashamed about it.
\nSarno had a strong alibi: at the time of the fire that night he
\nwas in his house taking care of his sick child.<\/p>\n
Just a moment later, Dr. Indro called to say that the hospital
\nhad found Sukimo's file. A laboratory test indicated that Abah
\nKimo or Sukimo alias Thee Kim Ong was sterile.<\/p>\n
Glossary:<\/p>\n
Abah: father<\/p>\n
Kang (short for Kakang): brother<\/p>\n
Mas: brother<\/p>\n
Joglo: traditional Javanese mansion which has steep upper section<\/p>\n
Ojek: motorcycle taxi<\/p>\n
Translated by SH<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abah-kimo-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }