Elopement<\/p>\n
By Faisal Baraas<\/p>\n
Gung Semara watched as a man entered the family compound. His
\nstep was hesitant. It was late and Gung Semara had been about to
\nclose the windows of the receiving room. He stood in
\nanticipation, imagining that a relative had arrived for the
\nfamily meeting to be held that evening.<\/p>\n
A closer look revealed the man to be a stranger. Such a late
\nhour was hardly appropriate for a visit. Why would he be coming
\nto the puri so late at night?<\/p>\n
I hope it's nothing major, he thought. The entire extended
\nfamily would soon be arriving; the lateness of the hour was an
\nindication of how important the family meeting was to be.<\/p>\n
The man entering the compound was fairly young.<\/p>\n
\"Good evening, Aji.\"<\/p>\n
His tone was measured, his greeting respectful.<\/p>\n
\"Good evening. Please come in,\" Gung Semara replied, while
\nshowing the young man a seat.<\/p>\n
The young man perched timidly on the edge of a chair while
\nGung Semara took a seat in front of him. Some time passed without
\na word from the well-mannered young man.<\/p>\n
\"Is there something I can help you with?\" Gung Semara prodded.<\/p>\n
\"I wanted to talk - to talk with you, that is.\"<\/p>\n
\"Talk? About what?\"<\/p>\n
\"I have a difficult problem to solve and I thought it would be
\na good idea to ask your advice. You're a well-respected member of
\nthis community; you must be able to help.\"<\/p>\n
\"If I can, I will.\"<\/p>\n
They fell silent again. The young man was evidently finding it
\nvery difficult to talk about the subject on his mind.<\/p>\n
\"What family are you from?\" Gung Semara asked.<\/p>\n
\"My name is Parta, sir.\"<\/p>\n
\"Your full name?\"<\/p>\n
\"Wayan Parta. Maybe you remember me. I came here once before,
\nabout two years ago.\"<\/p>\n
\"Oh, pardon me. I forgot. I'm growing more and more forgetful
\nthese days as I get older.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'm a friend of your daughter Sinta's from back when I was
\nstill a student at Udayana University.\"<\/p>\n
\"Oh?\"<\/p>\n
\"I was in the last year of medical school at the time; Sinta
\nhad just begun her studies there.\"<\/p>\n
\"Where do you work now?\"<\/p>\n
\"I'm on the faculty there - a lecturer. But I just returned
\nfrom abroad where I spent a year getting additional training.\"<\/p>\n
Gung Semara nodded. \"Oh, I see...\"<\/p>\n
\"So that's how I know Sinta. Now she's a third-year student.\"<\/p>\n
They fell silent once more, as though they had run out of
\ntopics. Parta took a deep breath. He had begun to perspire.
\nStrange, he thought; it was as if he were taking an exam. He
\nrubbed his sweaty palms.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara observed the doctor: still a young man but one who
\nhas already been abroad; quite polite, even if rather nervous.<\/p>\n
Why was that? Gung Semara wanted to ask outright what had
\nbrought him there. He stole a glance at the antique Indies-style
\nclock on the wall in front of him.<\/p>\n
\"You said there was something you wanted to talk about.\"
\n\"Yes, sir...\" answered the man, slightly agitated.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara waited a moment. When the young man still found it
\nhard to broach the subject, he urged him to speak, \"Go ahead,
\nson.\"<\/p>\n
\"Well, it's like this, sir: in fact, if a person is broad-
\nminded, it's not such a serious matter, but if you look at it in
\nanother way, the way people usually do in this community, then it
\nbecomes very difficult.\"<\/p>\n
\"Yes, yes, go on. Whatever it is, I'd like to talk to you
\nabout it.\"<\/p>\n
\"Thank you. I'm sure you'll be able to understand.\"<\/p>\n
\"Yes, go on. I'll be as understanding as I can be.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'd like to know your opinion about...\" the young man paused.<\/p>\n
\"Yes? About what?\"<\/p>\n
\"Well, sir, about elopement.\"<\/p>\n
\"Oh, elopement....\" Gung Semara answered slowly. \"Yes, I see.\"
\nParta sat silently as if trying to compose his words. The old man
\nseemed to be kind-hearted, he thought, and to have a sense of
\nhumor as well. Such an attitude helped him a bit.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara wiped his brow; he was pleased with himself for
\nhaving helped the young man bring up the topic he wished to
\ndiscuss.<\/p>\n
\"So, you want my opinion? What, are you planning to write
\nabout the subject? An excellent idea, I should think. A scholar
\nmust be able to write on any subject at all.\"<\/p>\n
\"Yes, sir, but I would prepare myself thoroughly beforehand.\"
\nAfter wiping the perspiration from his hands, the doctor, annoyed
\nby his sweat, spoke again. \"But what about elopement? You often
\nhear about it taking place in this community. What do you think
\nabout it?\"<\/p>\n
Gung Semara took a deep breath, and straightened himself in
\nhis seat. The thoughts he wanted to express, ones that he hoped
\nwould capture the young man's interest, began to take shape in
\nhis mind. He would feel much better if he knew that the young man
\nenjoyed listening to what he had to say.<\/p>\n
\"Well, elopement is an old problem,\" he began, \"and is usually
\nthe result of an obstacle preventing a boy and girl who are in
\nlove from marrying. Most often the problem is in the form of
\nobjection on the part of the girl's parents.<\/p>\n
\"Parents might have all sorts of reasons for objecting to a
\nmarriage,\" Gung Semara continued. \"One is 'caste'; that is
\nusually the most serious one, not rarely resulting in a fight,
\nsometimes even with knives.\"<\/p>\n
The young man nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n
\"Don't you find that's the case?\" Gung Semara inquired
\nlightly.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, sir.\"<\/p>\n
The antique Dutch clock chimed slowly. The conversation
\nstopped as Gung Semara counted to himself. Ten times. It was ten
\no'clock. He glanced upwards: yes, it was already ten o'clock. In
\nhalf an hour, the entire family would be here, most importantly
\nthe elders, whose opinions would play a determinant role in the
\ndeliberations that night.<\/p>\n
Outside, the night was quiet. It was pitch dark - a starless,
\nmoonless night. No sound except for a southern wind that rustled
\nthe leaves of the jackfruit tree in the yard and stole in the
\nhouse through the chinks around the window.<\/p>\n
The lantern in the yard, its flame almost extinguished by the
\nwind, flickered gloomily. Even with the wind, the air felt close.<\/p>\n
The darkened clouds seemed to be holding in all waves of heat
\nthat rose from the earth.<\/p>\n
The young man's voice finally broke the silence: \"As you were
\nsaying, sir?\"<\/p>\n
Time and again Parta had wiped his hands on his pants, but
\nthis failed to prevent him from perspiring further. He could feel
\nthe clamminess of his pants against his skin.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara, who was aware of the young man's evident
\nrestlessness and the irritation his perspiring was causing,
\nalmost forgot to pursue the conversation.<\/p>\n
\"You're sweating,\" he finally remarked.<\/p>\n
Damn, thought the young doctor, growing more fidgety. Damn the
\nold man. Why can't he just keep his mind on the problem at hand?<\/p>\n
\"It's a disease of sorts.\"<\/p>\n
\"Why don't you treat it?\"<\/p>\n
\"It's difficult to treat, sir.\"<\/p>\n
\"Yes, I know. I had the same problem myself when I was young.<\/p>\n
I went to a Dutch doctor several times, but it still didn't
\nget any better. Sweat poured from me like water from a shive. I
\nremember how much it bothered me about the time I was getting
\nmarried. It practically drove me to tears.\"<\/p>\n
\"I know, sir. There's probably some kind of psychological
\nfactor involved,\" Parta suggested. \"You just said, didn't you,
\nthat it was especially a problem when you were going to get
\nmarried. You eloped, didn't you, sir?\"
\n\"Yes, I did.\"<\/p>\n
\"Well, what about what the question of elopement?\" the young
\nman asked, bringing their conversation back to its original
\ncourse.<\/p>\n
\"That's right. Where were we?\" Gung Semara asked, trying
\nhimself to recall.<\/p>\n
\"You were talking about caste as a particular obstacle.\"<\/p>\n
\"That's right. If, for example, a young man who is from, if
\nyou'll pardon me, a lower caste wants to marry a girl from a
\nhigher caste, the girl's family is apt not to give its consent
\nbecause of the effect it will have on the family's standing.<\/p>\n
As a result, the couple will elope without the knowledge of
\nthe girl's family.\"<\/p>\n
The old man straightened himself in his seat once more.<\/p>\n
Parta was trembling. Now the time has come, he thought. \"And
\nsupposing it was your own daughter who eloped, how would you
\nfeel?\"<\/p>\n
Stunned by the question, Gung Semara remained silent for
\nseveral moments. He hadn't thought he would be asked such a
\nquestion.<\/p>\n
\"But that's impossible,\" he stuttered. \"My daughter would
\nnever do such a thing!\"<\/p>\n
\"But, supposing...\"<\/p>\n
\"Okay, if we're just supposing - but you have to remember that
\nSinta would never do anything like that - then you must tell me
\nwhat kind of person would run off with her?\"<\/p>\n
The young man steeled himself: \"This is exactly what I have
\ncome here to tell you: someone has eloped with Sinta.\"<\/p>\n
Gung Semara was too astonished to speak.<\/p>\n
\"Someone has run off with Sinta, sir.\" The young man's voice
\nwas now calm and measured.<\/p>\n
\"What?\" Gung Semara finally exploded. \"What did you say?\" He
\nwiped away the beads of sweat that had suddenly appeared on his
\nforehead. Now it was he who was perspiring. He suddenly
\nremembered that he hadn't seen his daughter since earlier that
\nevening. That was when she had told him that she wouldn't agree
\nto the marriage the family was arranging for her, if it ever came
\nto pass.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara summoned all his strength. \"Is what you're saying
\ntrue?\"<\/p>\n
\"It is, sir.\"<\/p>\n
The young man wiped the sweat from his hands again, but now
\nthere was much less than there had been before. Strange, he
\nthought, I'm not nervous anymore.<\/p>\n
\"Then tell me who....\" Gung Semara demanded.
\nParta didn't respond immediately.<\/p>\n
\"Tell me!\" Gung Semara snarled.<\/p>\n
\"Me, sir,\" he said slowly and then bowed. \"I've come to ask
\nfor your blessing,\" he whispered.<\/p>\n
The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara slumped in his chair and covered his mouth with
\nhis hands. He remained like that for a long time, rubbing his
\ncheeks with his fingertips. \"I'm old,\" he said to himself. \"I'm
\nold....\" Eventually, when he did look up, he found himself
\nstaring at the young man still kneeling before him.<\/p>\n
\"Extraordinary!\" he uttered with quiet astonishment. \"It's
\nextraordinary that this should happen to me!\" He fixed a firm
\ngaze on the young man who now found it impossible to look him in
\nthe eye. \"And extraordinarily brave of you to come here!\"<\/p>\n
The young man shifted in his position. Is the man going to
\nattack me with his keris, he wondered in fear. He had steeled
\nhimself for every possibility.<\/p>\n
\"Are you wondering what I am going to do?\" Gung Semara asked
\nsuddenly. \"Look at me!\"<\/p>\n
Parta was frightened. Slowly he lifted his eyes.<\/p>\n
\"Are you wondering what I am going to do?\" Gung Semara asked
\nagain.<\/p>\n
Parta couldn't answer.<\/p>\n
\"You are very brave. Do you truly love my daughter? Do you
\nlove each other?\"<\/p>\n
\"Yes...\" he finally stuttered.<\/p>\n
Gung Semara suddenly jumped from his chair, but not to attack
\nthe young man. He went to the window and opened it. A gust of the
\nevening wind swept over his face.<\/p>\n
He spoke slowly, choosing his words deliberately, as if he
\nwere speaking to himself: \"Long, long ago, when I gave Sinta
\npermission to study at Udayana, I imagined something like this
\nmight happen.\"<\/p>\n
He grasped the side of the window. \"But what can I say? I live
\nin two very contradictory worlds. As a member of the Anak Agung
\ncaste, I am bound to honor high-caste traditions. But I'm not
\nsuch an old man that I've been passed by modern times. During the
\nDutch era, I went to a modern school, just like you. I've even
\ntraveled around Europe. Why must I live in these two worlds? It's
\nvery difficult. Excruciating, in fact. As an older man in a
\nfeudal society, the responsibility for obeying tradition has been
\nplaced on my shoulders. But how can I put these rules into
\npractice and keep my peace of mind? My conscience can't accept
\nthem.\"<\/p>\n
Gung Semara heaved a long sigh. He felt as if he were
\nsuffocating. He had yet to move away from the window. The evening
\nwind buffeted him. No matter, he thought. He liked its feel, even
\nif it did give him a chill. There was nothing more for him to
\nsay, though truthfully he did feel the impulse to pour from
\nhimself the feelings, all those suppressed emotions, deep within
\nhis heart. Suddenly he turned around.<\/p>\n
\"Run!\"<\/p>\n
Parta stood mute, transfixed.<\/p>\n
\"Run, I tell you! In a little while the entire family will be
\nhere to discuss the question of Sinta's marriage - her marriage
\nto one of our own.\"<\/p>\n
The older man, who now seemed exhausted, watched closely as
\nthe younger man edged toward the door.<\/p>\n
\"Come back later, after the whole family has gathered, and
\nannounce at that time that you two have eloped. But it would be
\nbest if you came her with the village chief to make sure that
\nyou're safe. After all, I may have to beat you later!\"<\/p>\n
He gave a signal for the young man to go.<\/p>\n
\"Thank you, sir,\" he said slowly.<\/p>\n
When he disappeared out the door, Gung Semara heaved a long
\nsigh, a very long sigh.<\/p>\n
\"Take good care of Sinta, my son!\" he whispered.<\/p>\n
Translated by Stephen J. Epstein<\/p>\n
The story is taken from Menagerie IV. It is printed here
\ncourtesy of the Lontar Foundation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/elopement-1447899208",
"image": ""
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