Heart and Stone<\/p>\n
By Wayan Sadia<\/p>\n
Desak Made Supadmi, still in her early twenties, looked
\nexceptionally cheerful that morning. As usual, she went out early
\nand walked a little distance to drink and wash at a public
\nbathing pool, and to get a jun of water for her family's daily
\ncooking.<\/p>\n
Like public toilets in the capital, the pool was divided into
\ntwo sections -- one for men and another for women. Located in the
\nvillage about half a mile from the center of Bangli town, the
\nbathing pool was open 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n
Carrying the jun on her side, Desak Made couldn't help
\ncontemplating about the coming religious event, Galungan, one of
\nthe holiest days for Hindus on Bali and elsewhere. On that day,
\nthe people, young and old alike, offered their prayers to God,
\nmarking the victory of dharma over adharma.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\"Hey, Padmi, you're so early. Isn't it too cold to fetch water
\nat this hour of the day?\" accosted Ketut Tista, a colleague and
\nroommate of Wayan Subawa, a senior teacher at a local junior high
\nschool.<\/p>\n
Desak Made Supadmi, rather surprised at this unexpected
\nintervention, turned toward him and promptly replied: \"Ehhh, Pak
\nKetut. I am used to this exercise and it has become routine, as a
\nmatter of fact.\" she said. \"How are you, Pak?\"<\/p>\n
\"Not bad,\" said Tista, and cleared his throat. \"Are you
\nforgetting your manners?\"<\/p>\n
\"Sorry, what have I done that's not to your liking?\"<\/p>\n
\"Nothing serious, don't get excited! But, um, you forgot to
\ninquire about Subawa\".<\/p>\n
\"Oh, how is he?\" Supadmi asked hurriedly.<\/p>\n
\"Well, Sunday seems to be the most blissful day for him,\"
\nTista commented, with a broad smile. \"He needs the extra sleep.
\nWe played chess last night. You see, when it comes to chess, he
\nwas born to win and at the same time, is a madman. We played
\nuntil a little past midnight, and he beat me 3-0 straight.\"<\/p>\n
\"Shame, shame on you,\" kidded Padmi as if she was supporting
\nSubawa wholly.<\/p>\n
\"OK, on you go. And I should get ready for a badminton game
\ndowntown,\" Tista said.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Thinking it was rather early for breakfast, Padmi nevertheless
\nasked, \"Mother, shall I get some porridge for you while it is
\nstill hot? It will do you good.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'm not particularly hungry just now, dear. Maybe later.\"<\/p>\n
\"By the way, Mother, I am worried about your health, but this
\nmorning, with your permission, I'd like to go to Denpasar to see
\na friend of mine, Gusti Ayu Untari. She was my classmate and we
\nshared the same lodging when we were studying in Singaraja.\"<\/p>\n
\"What's so urgent that you need to see her?\" Desak Nyoman
\nSukerti asked her daughter, slightly suspicious.<\/p>\n
\"Nothing particular, really. But, as rumors go, she's got a
\nJavanese boyfriend, and they plan to get married at the end of
\nthe year.\"<\/p>\n
\"She? A Gusti Ayu, marrying a Javanese boy? What of her noble
\nbirth? She must have lost her mind,\" Padmi's mother commented,
\ndisapproving such a mixed marriage.<\/p>\n
\"No, Mother, she follows her mind -- and heart,\" Padmi said
\nfirmly. \"Well, I don't want to miss the Denpasar bus. See you in
\nthe afternoon, Mother!\"<\/p>\n
\"Take care of yourself!\"<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Returning home from the badminton game, Ketut Tista found
\nWayan Subawa dressed smartly. \"I thought you were still in bed,
\nsnoring. Anything special happening today, Bawa?\" asked Tista,
\npoking around.<\/p>\n
\"No!\" Bawa replied.<\/p>\n
\"I met Supadmi this morning on her way to get water from the
\npool. I must say she looked very cheerful, but I gathered her
\nmother is not quite well.\"<\/p>\n
\"You're right. I arranged a date with her, and we agreed to
\nmeet at the bus station in Denpasar,\" Bawa confessed.<\/p>\n
\"Aha, no wonder. You two look joyous in anticipation of that
\ndate. But your dates don't particularly interest me. What I want
\nto know is, when you will be marrying her?\"<\/p>\n
\"I am headed in that direction. Promise to help me, will you?<\/p>\n
\"In what way?\"<\/p>\n
\"We'll discuss it later.\"<\/p>\n
\"But I still have another concern. How are you going to
\novercome the age-long tradition that parents of a higher caste
\nwill not, under any circumstances, allow their daughter to marry
\na man of a lower caste, particularly the sudra caste like ours?\"<\/p>\n
\"No, no, no, my friend. It doesn't work that way. Things
\nchange with time. I recall that, during the early forties when I
\nwas a child, older women said a young girl wearing a bra was a
\n'bad' girl, or even a 'prostitute'. Imagine if girls today didn't
\nwear bras!\" Bawa laughed. \"Besides, I believe that 'even the
\nhardest stone would crumble when shot by the Cupid's arrow'.\"<\/p>\n
\"Sounds too philosophical to be true. Anyway, I'll cross my
\nfingers for you. May God bless you!\" said Tisna.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
To avoid prying eyes, Subawa got on a different bus than the
\none Padmi was taking to Denpasar. At about noon, Padmi reached
\nthe terminal, and to her surprise, spotted Subawa already there,
\nsitting and looked rather worried.<\/p>\n
\"Hi Bawa, how come you arrived earlier than me, when you left
\nBangli much later?\" she greeted him.<\/p>\n
\"Well, the driver drove the bus like a speeding ghost. He was
\nvery good at overtaking other buses, even at high speed. By the
\nway, how's your mother?\"<\/p>\n
\"Nothing to worry about. She had a little problem breathing
\nbecause she overworked,\" explained Padmi.<\/p>\n
\"Overworked? And I'll bet you're putting on some weight from
\nbeing overfed!\" Bawa teased.<\/p>\n
\"Don't talk nonsense! We need to hurry. Either of those
\nqueuing buses will take us closer to Untari's home.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Gusti Ayu Untari and Padmi hugged each other for a while,
\nrejoicing after a long separation.<\/p>\n
\"Untari, before anything else, please meet Wayan Subawa,
\nmy ... umm ...\"<\/p>\n
\"Don't get tongue-tied, Padmi! I am good at reading lips,\"
\nUntari cut in jokingly and turned to Bawa: \"Glad to meet you, Pak
\nWayan.\"<\/p>\n
Bawa only smiled. \"The pleasure is mine. Padmi has talked a
\nlot about you.\"<\/p>\n
\"Oh, Padmi, how I wish you could spend the night in my pondok,
\nso that we would have plenty of time to chat and see a bit of
\nDenpasar in the evening.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'd love to, Tari. Provided this gentleman is willing to be
\nleft out in the cold the whole night,\" Padmi smiled.<\/p>\n
\"How can you say that!\" Untari teased back. \"Pak Wayan, Padmi
\nis not only a friend, she is also my consultant on many issues,
\nparticularly as far as women's fate is concerned.\"<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Back home, Padmi told her mother about Tari's wedding plans,
\nand how Tari wished her to attend the ceremonies.<\/p>\n
\"Marriage seems to be the happiest occasion of our lives.
\nDon't you think, Mother?\" she said, hinting at her own future D-
\nday.<\/p>\n
\"What about you?\" her Mother took the bait, curious.<\/p>\n
Padmi only smiled. She sipped her tea, hiding her emotions.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
There were restrictions, mostly traditional ones, which made
\nit difficult for Bawa to meet Padmi in secret. Meanwhile, he
\nsensed that Padmi's parents had learned of his intention to marry
\ntheir daughter, and they tried hard to thwart the young lovers'
\nplans.<\/p>\n
But, when the watch relaxed slightly, with the help of Tista,
\nBawa managed to deliver a decisive note to Padmi.<\/p>\n
It said: \"My love, this is not quite how I should like to
\ntreat you, but there is no other means by which I can reach you.<\/p>\n
\"It is about our marriage that must be carried out at all
\ncosts. To delay it, even for a reasonable time, could be
\ndisastrous. We cannot afford to fail. For me, this is a matter of
\n'to be or not to be.' So, make up your mind; let your conscience
\nguide you to what you deserve.<\/p>\n
\"Do not waste your time, get everything ready. I know it will
\nbe painful for you to leave and be separated from your parents
\nand family, but again, it is a matter of 'now or never',\" he
\nwrote.<\/p>\n
\"So this is what you must do. On Saturday morning, I'll meet
\nyou at the intersection to Denpasar. Take a bus there and be sure
\nthat no one in your family notices. Together, we'll take another
\nbus to Denpasar. This plan accomplished, we will be safe and
\nfree.\"<\/p>\n
Upon reading this heartbreaking note, Padmi felt her hands
\ntremble, dropping the note, and her mind went into a whirl of
\nanxiety.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
As tradition dictated, a daughter from nobility or a higher
\ncaste who married a commoner, or one of the sudra caste, would be
\ndisowned by her family and declared persona non grata.<\/p>\n
When she came to her senses again, she spoke in her heart:
\n\"This war must be won.\"<\/p>\n
Padmi prepared a farewell letter to her parents. With tears
\nflowing as she finished, she reread what she had written.<\/p>\n
\"My dear Father and Mother. First and foremost, please forgive
\nme for my insolent behavior, leaving you without your knowledge.
\nBut, as you are already aware, Wayan Subawa and I have been
\nengaged for quite some time, and it is but natural and logical
\nthat marriage should end our engagement.<\/p>\n
\"We plan to get married in a few days at a place we have yet
\nto choose. It is my humble hope, Father and Mother, that your
\nlove for me should not cause you to dislike Wayan Subawa, who
\nwill become my King and I, his Queen. Praying for your blessing,
\nyour affectionate daughter, Supadmi.\"<\/p>\n
On the agreed day, Padmi set out on a journey of hope,
\nfollowing every detail prescribed in Bawa's note.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
About a year later, Desak Made Supadmi and Wayan Subawa
\nwelcomed their first child, a boy. The happy couple named him
\nSanta Karmabudhi, pure in body and soul.<\/p>\n
-- Jakarta, Nov. 26, 2005<\/p>\n
* jun: a kind of pitcher<\/p>\n
* dharma: virtues<\/p>\n
* adharma: vices<\/p>\n
* pondok: cottage, cabin<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/heart-and-stone-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }