Abah Kimo

By Widya Indratno

Everybody in this town certainly knew Abah Kimo alias Thee Kim Ong. It is easy to tell by his name that Sukimo, 56, was an Indonesian of Chinese origin. Although clearly bearing physical characteristics of his race: slanted eyes, raised eyebrows and straight hair, the man did not want to be called Chinese.

Perhaps because his father was a Javanese and he himself was once married to a Priangan (West Javanese) girl, Chinese culture did not seem to be part of him. The furniture of his joglo house was also dominated by ancient Jepara wood carving.

For more than 25 years Sukimo had been in the garment business. His hard work had yielded a considerable amount of wealth. He had started as a clothes hawker. Now apart from his garment business he owned a big supermarket in town.

It was unfortunate that his beloved wife had not been patient enough to live with him and enjoy her husband's present success. The beautiful woman had preferred to go with her lover who was 10 years younger.

Now Abah Kimo lived in his big house surrounded by a vast garden with a maid, a gardener and a driver whom he treated like his own children because he had no relatives in this town.

Sulastri, or Lastri, was fortunate compared to her colleagues of the same profession. Her boss was good, patient and fully entrusted her in household matters.

Perhaps because Abah Kimo was a busy man he had no time to tend to those matters by himself. Or perhaps because he had nobody so he treated Lastri, Pandi -- who was in charge of the fruit garden at the back of the house and Sarno his private driver, as his own children.

Of the three persons, only Sulastri was unmarried. When Ningsih, an assistant in Sukimo's shop, found Sulastri employment with Sukimo the girl had just graduated from elementary school. She went on to study and finished junior high school while working for Abah Kimo.

If Sulastri had continued her studies instead of working for Abah Kimo, she would have been in senior high school now. Meanwhile, Kang Pandi already had two children and Kang Sarno had been married two months ago.

One afternoon Abah Kimo talked to Lastri at the back verandah.

"Lastri, if I am not mistaken, you are now 17 years old, aren't you?" Kimo asked. Lastri nodded. "Has it never crossed your mind to go to school again? Or at least to go to a vocational course?" Kimo asked seriously.

He continued, "Sarno asked me yesterday to join a course for mechanics. Pandi has requested me some books on gardening. So now it is your turn. It's up to you. It is a pity if your junior high school diploma goes to waste."

Now Sulastri had been registered with a tailoring course and a bookkeeping course. At the book keeping course she got acquainted with Bambang, an employee at the administration section of the institute.

Her fair skin and good looks led Bambang to think that she was the daughter or a niece of Abah Kimo. Besides, she went to the evening course in Abah Kimo's car driven by Kang Sarno while on his way to pick up Abah Kimo at the shop.

Their affair developed and Sulastri did not want to be taken and picked up by Sarno. She preferred being taken and picked up by her beloved Bambang.

Seeing the change in Sulastri, Abah Kimo was very happy. The girl who had been entrusted to him by Ningsih had grown into a beautiful adolescent girl. Kimo's happiness grew when he saw that Lastri became a cheerful girl.

She was no longer the same girl who used to be silent and depressed knowing that she had no parents anymore. As a substitute for Lastri's parents, Kimo could also understand the presence of Bambang in her life.

The only thing that worried Kimo was that Bambang always took advantage of the time when Kimo was away in his shop. This meant that only Lastri and Pardi were at home. Sarno was only occasionally at home, he preferred to stay home, which was not far from Kimo's shop.

In fact Kimo's worries were well founded. One day he caught Bambang going through the papers on his desk, while Lastri was hanging out the laundry at the back of the house. At the time Pardi went to his village to collect his children who were going to spend their holidays in Kimo's house.

For the first time Kimo got angry with Lastri who allowed Bambang into his private room. Kimo never locked his room. It did not mean, however, that a stranger like Bambang was free to enter. Even Pardi who was considered Kimo's own child was reluctant to enter the room. Now there was this stranger in the room.

In fact, Sulastri could understand why Abah Kimo was furious but Bambang could not forget how the old man rebuked him and he bore a grudge against him.

In his eyes, a Chinese is always bad be he or she born and bred in Java, and some day he would show his "true nature". After the incident Bambang went to see Lastri at the time Kimo was in his shop and Lastri was alone in the house. Now, Bambang was freer in the house.

Five months had gone by.

Kimo was heard calling Lastri from the bathroom and had a spell of coughing.

"Lastri ... fetch me a clean towel!" Hearing Kimo's pathetic voice, Lastri immediately snatched a clean towel from the cupboard and rushed to the bathroom. The bathroom door was ajar.

"Abah... "Abah Kimo, why are you coughing; are you ill?" Lastri asked, still clutched the towel.

"No, I only choked," replied Kimo from inside the bathroom.

"Could you give me the used towel, Abah? Give it to me," said Lastri with outstretched her hand into the bathroom through the partly opened door. There was no reply.

"Bah, Abah," Lastri said slowly pushing the door. Suddenly, Lastri got the shivers when she entered the bathroom.

Then, "Bah, Abah ... What's the matter? Kang Pandi ... Abah, Kaaang!" Lastri ran out and called Pandi at the back of the house.

Lastri had found Kimo sitting, holding the clean towel. At his side were a stack of towels and clothes stained with blood.

Abah Kimo was then hospitalized for three weeks. Two months later the old man had to take a complete rest at home upon his own request. The person most saddened by Kimo's condition was Sulastri. For her Kimo was not just an employer. Lastri who, in her childhood never had the guidance of her own father, idolized Abah Kimo as her father.

While all activities in the house were concentrated on Abah Kimo, Bambang was busy outside the house. He vented his resentment by telling Kimo's neighbors that Kimo was not ill but only wanted to be alone with Sulastri with whom he was having an affair.

At first people did not trust his story, but after Bambang showed that there was a change in Sulastri's physical appearance, especially her ballooning stomach, they started to believe it. People began to drum up support to attack Kimo's house.

"Who would not be attracted to Lastri's beauty?" an inhabitant asked in the neighborhood coffee stall. "If I were Pandi or Sarno, I would knock on Sulastri's door every night." Ha... ha... ha, laughter filled the air of the stall where ojek drivers got together.

"Damned Chinese. He could not help getting aroused," one cursed.

"Bambang, when will the 'party' begin? When will we move?" a well-built man asked. "My hands are itching already!"

Bambang who had remained silent in a corner became nervous when he heard someone call his name.

"Eh... What, Njul? Oh, that... tomorrow night," replied Bambang after he managed to control himself. His thoughts were busy recalling his quarrel with Sulastri in the afternoon.

"Why do you have the heart to act that cruelly, Mas? Have pity on Abah, he is an old man," Lastri cried.

"The baby in my womb is yours, Mas. Our baby!" Lastri was trying to convince Bambang.

"Huh! Do you think I don't know what has been going on in this house between you and the old man? I knew what you had done when you came out of the bathroom saying he lost consciousness. Now you often spend a long time in his room, don't you?" said Bambang, irritated.

"No, Mas. It is all because Abah is ill. He can do nothing. By God! Abah is clear of all this affair. He does not even know I am pregnant!" said Lastri.

"Whatever you say, I will carry out my plan. I warn you not to tell the police about this. Otherwise I will not let the baby in you live!" Bambang threatened Sulastri.

The following night, in the wee hours, Lastri shouted in the kitchen. Pandi, who was sleeping upstairs accompanying Abah Kimo, ran down and found the kitchen on fire.

The fire spread quickly. Pandi went back up the stairs to Abah Kimo's room. it was too late. The fire already engulfed the room with its wooden floor. In his panic Pandi defied the fire and entered the room to save Kimo. But he never got out. Sulastri, Pandi and Abah Kimo got burned with the house.

Captain Haris frowned. Based on the testimony of the only occupant of the house who survived the fire, Sarno, the culprit was Sulastri.

Sarno said Sulastri did it because she was pregnant thanks to her relationship with Abah Kimo and she was ashamed about it. Sarno had a strong alibi: at the time of the fire that night he was in his house taking care of his sick child.

Just a moment later, Dr. Indro called to say that the hospital had found Sukimo's file. A laboratory test indicated that Abah Kimo or Sukimo alias Thee Kim Ong was sterile.

Glossary:

Abah: father

Kang (short for Kakang): brother

Mas: brother

Joglo: traditional Javanese mansion which has steep upper section

Ojek: motorcycle taxi

Translated by SH