Ray of Hope<\/p>\n
By Elan Mufti<\/p>\n
For the 39-year-old Hendra Tjahjadi, his dream of extending
\nthe Cahaya Watch Shop went up in smoke along with what was left
\nof his shop after the fire. The aftermath of the May 14 riot was
\ntoo much of a disaster for him. Nine years of hard labor
\ncompletely vanished in less than 24 hours. He never understood
\nhow such things could happen. Nor could his wife Wati.<\/p>\n
"Don't worry, my husband, just consider this the darkest
\nchapter of our lives," she told Hendra. His eldest brother,
\nHalim, was also there looking at the wreckage.<\/p>\n
The only parts of his shop that remained standing were the
\ncolumns, and even they were not straight because they had lost
\ntheir support beams. The building was now only a shell of what it
\nwas: one of the most elegant shops in Pasar Minggu. Its light,
\nbrownish yellow paint was charred black by the fire.<\/p>\n
At a glance, the Cahaya Watch Shop in Pasar Minggu seemed a
\ntransit place for ghosts. But for Hendra, it was unfair; the
\nghosts at least had a place to shelter, while the Tjahjadi family
\nhad not the slightest idea where it could find a new roof to put
\nover their heads.<\/p>\n
They found their loss unbelievable. The Tjahjadis had always
\nbeen nice to customers. Hendra never cheated nor treated
\nindividual customers differently. He had always remembered the
\nphilosophy of "Those who don't know how to smile, don't think of
\nopening up a business." Beside, he'd never experienced any
\nsignificant ethnic disturbances before. The worst that he could
\nrecall was an incident that occurred seven or eight years ago.<\/p>\n
Hendra could still remember when scores of young thugs
\n"proudly" demonstrated their kung fu techniques in front of his
\nshop, complete with Bruce Lee-like cries and rubbing dust on the
\ntip of noses with their thumbs.<\/p>\n
Others would pass his shop and give the unfriendly "Chinese"
\nstereotyped salutation of haiyaah, with strong, deep vowels.<\/p>\n
Hendra, who was the salesman and watch repairman, and Wati
\nwho helped out part time, thought it was normal and would pass in
\ntime. And they were right, until last May 14.<\/p>\n
When that "darkest chapter" occurred, Hendra sent his wife
\nand their three young children to stay with his eldest brother in
\nPontianak. Hendra's other brothers and sisters did the same. They
\nstayed there for less than two weeks.<\/p>\n
The eldest Halim welcomed them with open arms. It was a rare
\npleasure for Halim and his wife to see their nephews and nieces
\nroaming around their tangerine farm. When the children had all
\nreturned home, Halim decided to visit Hendra.<\/p>\n
He had heard that the Jakarta riots had been worse than an
\nearlier riot in Medan. And he also heard that Hendra had been the
\nmost affected among his siblings.<\/p>\n
"From looking at your shop this morning, I don't know Hendra.
\nI don't know if you can rebuild your business." Halim's
\ndiscouraging remarks deepened Hendra's self-pity.<\/p>\n
"Koh Halim, I am asking you with respect and honor. Wati and
\nI will work harder. And that can only be realized with the help
\nof a loan from you." Hendra clutched his fists together and
\nstretched them toward his eldest brother.<\/p>\n
"Yes, my husband is right Koh, this is Jakarta. Everyone must
\nwork hard to survive."<\/p>\n
Halim took a deep breath and stared at the couple. He then
\ngot up from the sofa, looked out the window and clasped his hands
\nbehind his back like a soldier at ease.<\/p>\n
"You know that when a crime is committed by someone, that
\nsomeone has the tendency to repeat the crime, even after being
\npunished. So I think this unfortunate incident ..."<\/p>\n
"It will not happen again, I'm sure of that." Hendra cut off
\nHalim's words.<\/p>\n
"How can you be so sure?"<\/p>\n
"Koh, the people that looted thought we were all well-off. I
\nthink it was social jealousy. Lucky for the well-to-do, they went
\nto Australia, Singapore, or even the United States. So we were
\nleft behind to be ruined."<\/p>\n
"Yes, Koh, and now we're trying to start to rebuild our lives
\nall over again." Wati supported her husband.<\/p>\n
"Aren't you worried that this will happen again? If it does,
\ndon't you know that you'll be in the abyss of disgrace? You and
\nyour family."<\/p>\n
"Those who are afraid of dying never learn to live, Koh."<\/p>\n
Halim Tjahjadi was silent for a while, then raised his head.<\/p>\n
"Alright, Hendra. This is my suggestion. Why don't you, Wati,
\nand the children come with me to Pontianak? I'll give you a
\nmodest plot of my tangerine farm, and you can rebuild your lives
\nfrom there. You can export tangerines to Sarawak, or maybe who
\nknows, you might later set up a beverage business. You know,
\nafter we are out of this monetary crisis, the government will pay
\nmore attention to local producers, be it indigenous or
\notherwise."<\/p>\n
"My apologies Koh, I'm not really interested in bombastic
\nideas. Besides, all I know are watches. I don't know how to cook,
\nand I don't know how to farm."<\/p>\n
Halim's eyes widened and his heart beat faster when he heard
\nhis younger brother's words.<\/p>\n
"You are a pest which only feeds on carcasses! I'm trying to
\nhelp you out of the dirt!"<\/p>\n
Wati thought that it was time for her to intervene.<\/p>\n
"Koh, please. My husband is only trying to say that selling
\nand repairing watches is the only profession we both master well.
\nIf you suggest we dive into other fields, like farming or
\nagribusiness, then it's like throwing a bucket of fresh water
\ninto the sea."<\/p>\n
"Hmm, this is difficult. After seeing those burned out
\nbuildings, I admit I'm a little phobic." Halim then stared at
\nHendra. "Tell me, young brother, what if all the others were
\nstubborn and wanted to rebuild their lives like you do? I'm not a
\nbank, you know."<\/p>\n
"Koh, the bank is holding my mortgage, and they could take my
\nhouse away. As for the others, I'm sure they'll understand and
\nI'm sure they'll find a way."<\/p>\n
Loud knocks started to echo through the house. All discussion
\nstopped. The Tjahjadi children stormed into the living room as if
\nthey were raiding it.<\/p>\n
"Who is it, father?" asked the eldest.<\/p>\n
"Excuse me, anybody home?" The voice reddened the faces of the
\noccupants inside the Rp 95 million-worth house.<\/p>\n
Not a single soul among them could imagine what to say. But
\nquestions occupied their minds as to who was on the other side of
\nthe door. Hendra walked slowly toward the window.<\/p>\n
Through the thin, coarse curtain, he could see a group of
\npeople in front of his door. And his neighbors started to creep
\nout of their houses in curiosity.<\/p>\n
"Oh, no, We're doomed," said the soft voice of his eldest
\nbrother behind him.<\/p>\n
The Tjahjadis panicked. They went to their rooms and started
\nto pack everything they could. Soon, nearly the whole house was a
\nmess. And then a second knock sounded and more calls came.<\/p>\n
"Hendra, I suggest we call the police!" The desperation in
\nHalim's voice caused Hendra's senses to flinch.<\/p>\n
"I'm sorry Koh, I haven't paid fees for the last month."<\/p>\n
"What!"<\/p>\n
Halim's rough, desperate voice, mixed with Hendra's
\nuneasiness, led Wati into a state of hysteria, and she slowly
\nfell like an old tree.<\/p>\n
"Mother!" The screeches of the children were like rivaling
\nstray cats.<\/p>\n
The children and the panic-stricken brothers rushed to the
\nunconscious Wati. Then a third knock came.<\/p>\n
"Pak Hendra. This is Haji Sobirin. Please open the door. No
\nharm will come to you or your family. You have my personal
\nguarantee."<\/p>\n
Sudden relief came upon Hendra and the children, and it felt
\nlike rain pouring on fresh, green leaves. But just as Hendra
\nstarted for the door, Halim grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n
"No, don't."<\/p>\n
"Let go of my arm, Koh, please. Haji Sobirin is the RW
\n(neighborhood unit head) around here. Beside, he said we have
\nhis personal guarantee."<\/p>\n
When Hendra opened the door, he noticed that his neighbors had
\nalready abandoned their positions as onlookers. This revived his
\nsenses. Only Haji Sobirin and the group of people remained.<\/p>\n
"I apologize Pak Hendra, if we troubled you."<\/p>\n
"Oh, no, no trouble at all. What can we do for you Pak Haji?"<\/p>\n
Haji Sobirin turned toward a middle-aged man who seemed to be
\nthe group's leader, to whom Haji Sobirin gestured.<\/p>\n
The man spoke up. "Koh, we were among the crowd that looted in
\nPasar Minggu. We are returning the things that are rightfully
\nyours. That is our only intention in coming here."<\/p>\n
Neither Hendra nor Halim Tjahjadi could find the right words
\nor actions to show their appreciation at the sudden turn of
\nevents. Even though the group was only returning three plastic
\nbags full of merchandise, to the family it was like a gift from
\nthe gods.<\/p>\n
"We apologize though, Koh, not all of your watches and clocks
\nare there."<\/p>\n
Wati, now conscious, could not dam the tears that had started
\nto gush down her cheeks.<\/p>\n
"We have some iced water if you people would like a drink."<\/p>\n
"Oh, no, thank you, Cik. We cannot stay here long."<\/p>\n
Hendra turned toward the group of people<\/p>\n
"People, we just don't know how to thank you. And we cannot
\ngive you anything except our gratitude and sympathy. Once again,
\nthank you from the depths of our hearts."<\/p>\n
After politely taking their leave of the Tjahjadis, the group
\nand Haji Sobirin moved along and dispersed.<\/p>\n
The members of the group were not candidates for sainthood
\nthough. No. The Tjahjadis realized later that they must have
\nfaced the same difficulties as themselves. Looking at the
\nworsening economy after the riots, Hendra knew that it would be
\nmuch more difficult now to sell watches, for both himself and
\nthose people.<\/p>\n
"Well, I guess there is a ray of hope for your watch shop in
\nthe future," said Halim, quoting the name of their shop, Cahaya
\n(light).<\/p>\n
Hendra and Wati got the message. And the couple gave Halim
\nthree respectful bows.<\/p>\n
Hendra had not the slightest idea that Halim would change his
\nmind so quickly after the unexpected visit of the looters. But
\nHendra guessed that his eldest brother must have realized that
\nboth the indigenous and nonindigenous were on the same Titanic.<\/p>\n
Glossary:<\/p>\n
Koh, Engkoh: Older brother, term of respect for ethnic Chinese
\nmale adult.<\/p>\n
Cik, Encik: Older sister, term of respect for ethnic Chinese
\nfemale adult.<\/p>\n
Pak: Term of respect for male adult.<\/p>\n
Haji: Title for a Moslem man who has gone on pilgrimage.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ray-of-hope-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }