April fool

I hope most of you agree that a man in love tends to behave like a fool, although essentially he means to act like a hero. Every man has his own definition. Get it straight, I am not saying that Romeo was a fool when serenading for the hand of Juliet.

I felt like a helpless fool when I was in love with a foreign woman when I spent some time overseas. I bought her flowers and wrote poems about her in English, however, to no avail. as I look back now, I should have known that dollars and a second-hand car, not necessarily a Mercedes, sounded clearer and carried the message more effectively to the whole family.

If you wonder why I write about foolish things, it is because you are correct, we are now living in April, the month of the fools I should say, although the Dutch have taught Indonesians that April 1 is All Fool's Day, when you have the right to fool even your mother-in-law and be forgiven in the evening.

I could not help reading recently about tennis star Martina Hingis, who, according to AP reports from Miami, Florida, USA, told a court hearing that she was, and presumably still is, afraid of an accused stalker, calling him crazy and irrational.

The man's name is Rajcevic, 46, a Croatian born Australian citizen who has repeatedly ignored her pleas to leave her alone. If convicted of stalking, he faces up to four years in jail.

Interviewed after his arrest, Hingis said she thought Rajcevic was "a little crazy". Rajcevic delivered flowers to Hingis' Zurich home and rang the bell several times at her gate four days in a row after the 1999 French Open. He also tried to contact her at three tournaments and sent six hand-written love letters to her.

A stalking conviction requires proof of substantial emotional distress, but Hingis acknowledged she has not sought any professional treatment for the anxiety she blames on Rajcevic. She said the year 2000 was her second best season, the year Rajcevic spent in jail.

Now I have the answer why Hingis often disappointed us by losing to weaker opponents or crashing out in the first round in straight sets. Remember when she was defeated by a lower ranked newcomer from Belgium?

April reminds me of the Love Song melody that I have been learning to play on the piano for 10 years without success. In April, this month, I am also inviting a number of guests to the Kartika Chandra Hotel on April 17 for what Pak Jaya Suprana, of the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI), agrees is worth "celebrating" as an international record, letter writing for three years in this column almost every week without interruption. You need to be really crazy to be able to do that.

I do earnestly hope, if I spend more cash this month, I will not act like a fool in love writing all of that nonsense.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta