Oh!<\/p>\n
By Nurul Hadi<\/p>\n
It was stifling hot even though it was the rainy season,
\nsomething I was no stranger to as a boarder. After buying three
\ncigarettes on credit I sat on a bench beside the vendor's stall.
\nOther boarders were walking to and fro to get some food from the
\nsidewalk food sellers.<\/p>\n
Southerly winds from the coast of Parangtritis cooled down the
\nevening. A big street lamp on the corner of the T-junction south
\nof the city hall illuminated the gudeg sellers with their
\ncustomers milling around. Black clouds were moving slowly in the
\ndirection of Yogya toward Mt. Merapi.<\/p>\n
"Why aren't you dating, mas?," asked the cigarette vendor.
\n"My girlfriend has run off with someone else, mas. I'm waiting
\nfor Pak Jayeng. He's promised to massage me tonight," I replied.<\/p>\n
Pak Jayeng appeared soon after. He's a blind middle-aged man
\nwith a stick that clinks when it touches the hard asphalt road.
\nWithout waiting for me to greet him, he promptly sat down beside
\nme and I turned my back. With his soft yet gripping hands he
\nstarted massaging my thin shoulders. I grinned to bear the pain,
\nthough pleasant.<\/p>\n
"Exhausted by study, mas?"<\/p>\n
"No!," I firmly retorted. "I got into a fight during a
\nmeeting."<\/p>\n
"Well, why are you so barbaric?" I did not reply, still trying
\nto withstand the pain of his kneading.<\/p>\n
"Fond of joining demos?" he asked inquisitively.<\/p>\n
"I have my conscience, pak. I join protests so as not to lose
\nit."<\/p>\n
"Just like my kid now attending primary school. But he's
\nsmart, too," he replied proudly but sentimentally.<\/p>\n
"Damn!" I muttered. His satirical remark was right. Pak
\nJayeng's is blind but rich. He has a big house, and rents out
\nrooms to students from various regions. It's thus natural for him
\nto talk casually though his words made me think once in a while.<\/p>\n
The deafening roar of a speeding motorcycle with two youths
\nriding it suddenly broke our conversation.<\/p>\n
"What is happening, mas?"<\/p>\n
"The boys are exercising their snatching skills," I said,
\ninventing an answer. He made no comment while continuing the
\nshoulder massage. I felt he knew that I was lying to him. Pak
\nJayeng tried to change the subject by saying, "mas, what do you
\naspire to become?"<\/p>\n
"As a child, I wanted to be president."<\/p>\n
"What now?"<\/p>\n
"I'm studying English. I want to get Madonna."<\/p>\n
"Your university classmate, mas?"<\/p>\n
"No. She lives overseas. She's pretty and intelligent," I said
\nwithout expression.<\/p>\n
"You can have high aspirations, of course. But remember,
\nthough the sky has no limit, the higher we go, the harder it is
\nto breathe."<\/p>\n
Dumbfounded, my heart said: 'This man has revealed the
\nabstract law of causality.' He was like the legendary blind
\nwarrior from a haunted cave who had achieved physical and
\nspiritual union with nature.<\/p>\n
We kept silent for quite some time. Our hearts were sort of
\ncommunicating. Each of us drifted into an emotional and mental
\ndialog until I broke in. "Are you engaged in sports as a hobby?"<\/p>\n
"No! Just a spiritual exercise. I perform the obligatory
\nprayers five times daily and mentally chant God's praise in order
\nto be healthy physically and spiritually. And I follow only one
\nprinciple. Be unattached!" If we do something without attachment,
\nwe'll be aware of greed and lower desires within. This will
\nautomatically encourage the emergence of other forces from our
\ninner selves, flowing without burden and even generating
\nproductive values for many people. Never think of reward, if we
\ntrust in and are convinced of the power of divine law. One day
\nwe'll reap the best, though sometimes the gain seems unpleasant
\nin the beginning. But that's the best we can do." He paused for a
\nmoment to take a deep breath.<\/p>\n
"It's like this: Is one studying law necessarily going to be a
\nlawyer? He could become a director, just a good father or even a
\nprisoner. You get it, mas?"<\/p>\n
"Then, what about your own example?"<\/p>\n
"I have two wives and six children."<\/p>\n
"So, can you be fair?"<\/p>\n
"I've always strived to treat them fairly."<\/p>\n
"Ah, but you must be inclined to favor the younger and
\nprettier one."<\/p>\n
"You know I'm blind. How can I distinguish between the faces
\nof my first and second wife?"<\/p>\n
"The cigarette seller sitting beside us was just staring
\nblankly though he also listened to Pak Jayeng's advice.<\/p>\n
"I can be fair as a blind man, why can't those people with
\nnormal vision act justly? Why don't they who are endowed with the
\nfive senses plus various technologically aided perceptions, count
\ntheir blessings?" He finally stopped talking and told me to stand
\nup and he moved my shoulders he'd just rubbed. They felt better
\nand my headache had eased after digesting his words. I thanked
\nhim and apologized to him for not paying the massage fee because
\nI was broke. He only smiled and nodded with full understanding.<\/p>\n
He left with the stick he was so proud of, refusing my company
\nas he went down the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
A white luxury sedan screeched to a halt beside Pak Jayeng,
\nwho greeted the man getting out of it.<\/p>\n
"Excuse me, Pak Jayeng. I've been searching for you for two
\nhours. I'm very pleased to see you here."<\/p>\n
Pak Jayeng was trying to recall.<\/p>\n
"Don't you remember? I visited you last week. I was caught in
\na downpour and had to spend the night in your home."<\/p>\n
"Ooooh, its boss Wignyo!"<\/p>\n
"Right. Do you remember the day I asked your help to enable me
\nto win a tender using your method. I've been waiting for your
\nformula. The tender will be decided tomorrow."<\/p>\n
The wealthy guy was speaking in a subdued voice, unaware that
\nI and the cigarette vendor overheard their conversation.<\/p>\n
"Let me see, boss, I've got an appointment first. A client
\nliving near the zoo wants a massage. Please wait in my house or
\ndo some sightseeing."<\/p>\n
"OK, I'll go and see an acquaintance south of Tugu station.
\nWe'll meet at your house at midnight. I do need your help very
\nmuch."<\/p>\n
The man, grim-faced and disappointed, got into his car before
\nshaking hands with Jayeng. He drove off in the direction of the
\nstation.<\/p>\n
Pak Jayeng kept walking toward the bridge of Gajah Wong. His
\npace was steady, slow and confident. At last, I lost sight of him
\nin the dark of the night filled with the aroma of illusory city
\nlife. I sat and lit a cigarette while reflecting on my own fickle
\nfortune. I had hardly smoked half of the cigarette, when a long-
\nhaired youth came roaring along on his motorbike while shouting.<\/p>\n
"Mas! Pak Jayeng, who was here treating you just now ....,"
\nthe boy found it hard to continue.<\/p>\n
"Don't stop in the middle before you finish your sentence," I
\nsnapped.<\/p>\n
"He's still there, no one is taking care of his body yet ....
\nPak Jayeng's dead, he was knocked down by a car."<\/p>\n
I could only gaze at pak Jayeng from afar, on the sidewalk
\nwhere I stood, frozen in deep contemplation: He's the blind man
\nof heavenly inspiration. His words are beyond the comprehension
\nof shallow minds. But those willing to do some soul-searching can
\ngain a lot of insights from him.<\/p>\n
Glossary:<\/p>\n
Gudeg: A special dish from Yogyakarta, consisting of jack fruit
\nstewed in coconut milk, served with various accompanying dishes
\nand rice<\/p>\n
Mas: A term used to address a man\/brother\/husband<\/p>\n
Pak: A term used to address an older man<\/p>\n
Translated by Aris Prawira<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/oh-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }