Bogel's Principle

By Sartono Kusumaningrat

Moon beams peeped through the cracks between the rickety wooden planks forming the walls of Bogel's house, while the structure's corrugated iron roof reflected the silvery light falling on it. As beautiful as the moon was, it could not take away the gloom that had enveloped Bogel from the time he was born until he had gotten married and had a son of his own.

"Dad, can I go on to senior high school after completing junior high?" Bogel's son asked one night, putting into his mouth the last spoonful of rice and a small chunk of salted fish.

"You'd better not continue your studies. Times are very difficult now. You should consider yourself lucky to be able to complete junior high school, Wang!"

"Doesn't that mean I won't be a rich man, Dad? Doesn't it also mean that I'll remain an ignoramus and will surely inherit a life of poverty, Dad?"

"Don't pretend to be all-knowing! Never regret your hard luck! Were I asked to make a choice now, I would certainly not opt for living a poor life. Don't blame your parents, Wang. Don't blame your ancestors! Remember, one's fortune may change as swiftly as the wind blows."

"Will my junior high school diploma be a good enough passport for a better future, Dad?

"Come on, Gowang. We must be resigned to our fate, whatever it is. What else do you want? Of course its not pleasant to lead a poor life. However, we can't just run away or escape from the grip of our fate. Obviously we must face all this courageously. There are several ways open to us. We may employ any of them as long as they are religiously and legally right," Bogel's wife chimed in, while collecting the dirty tin plates.

"It's boring to hear all these comforting words, Mom."

"Whether or not you are bored, you are destined to lead this kind of life. Remember, Gowang, your father is only a pedicab driver. And your mom is only a casual worker. What else do you want? What else do you hope to get? Never dream of reaching anything too high in the sky!"

Three days later Bogel came home without his pedicab.

"The pedicab, well, where is it?" asked Rukem, Bogel's wife.

"I rented it."

"You rented it?"

"Yes."

"Then how will you earn money?"

"Keep cool, Kem. You see, I brought home more money today than usual."

"Well?"

Ruken was surprised. Her mouth was agape.

"Don't open your mouth that way! It's shameful! It's as if you had never seen money! I've brought home about Rp 10,000 today."

Rukem was still open-mouthed, seemingly disbelieving what she had seen or heard. As a pedicab driver, Bogel had never taken home more than Rp 5,000. "How could he have brought home Rp 10,000 today? He hasn't even worked as a pedicab driver today," she wondered.

"What did you do to get so much money, Pak?"

"You don't need to know about it now. When the time comes, I'll let you know."

"You have a job, don't you?"

"Come on, of course I do. I couldn't have done something imaginary, could I?"

"A legal job, I mean?"

"Obviously legal."

That day, Bogel and his family ate a much better meal than usual. Usually they ate only rice and just some side dishes. But that day they had dishes, which in their opinion, were quite expensive. An omelette made of one egg mixed with three spoonfuls of flour was their appetizer. A bowl of cabbage soup without broth or pieces of meat was a highlight of the meal.

They gained a stronger spirit to live, at least then. Before, the sound of their aluminum spoons clanking against the tin plates was heart-rending, but that day these same sounds became soft and melodious.

In the following days, the family found themselves in this situation on a more or less routine basis. Rukem and Gowang enjoyed greater happiness. Since the day he rented his pedicab, Bogel's skin and hair started to look slightly different, though. His skin turned darker and more ashen than before, while his hair changed to a reddish color.

"Since I am your wife, I would like to know what kind of job you have now, Pak. How is it you can now earn much more than before," Rukem said one day, no longer able to keep her curiosity in check about her husband's job.

"Come on. Please don't push me. When the time comes, you'll have an answer. The point is, I haven't done anything illegal, period!"

Bogel's reply made Rukem and Gowang all the more curious about his job. Bogel, however, never let on any more than what he had just told them.

One day, Rukem and Gowang became restless when Bogel had yet to return home before seven in the evening. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Is this Mr. Bogel's house?" a question caught Rukem as soon as she opened the door.

"Who are you, sir? Oh, sorry, please come in."

"I'm from the police office, ma'am," the man who had knocked answered. He and a colleague were wearing uniforms.

Both of them took a seat after being invited in. Rukem's heart beat fast and so did Gowang's. Was Bogel in trouble with the law? Ah, hopefully it wasn't so.

"What's wrong with my husband, sir?" asked Rukem, trembling.

"Sorry, ma'am. Keep yourself calm. Don't be afraid. Mr. Bogel is all right. We are here to let you know that Mr. Bogel has had a minor accident. He's in the hospital."

"Oh! How is he now, sir? How did all this happen?" said Rukem falteringly. She trembled while trying to suppress her anxiety.

"Sorry, ma'am. We don't know how the accident occurred. We had a report that an accident took place at a crossroads. Mr. Bogel was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. We're trying to find the perpetrator. Hopefully everything will be plain sailing."

"My God ... how's your father, Wang?" Rukem said, sobbing and hugging her son.

"If you wish to see Mr. Bogel, we'll take you to the hospital."

The two police officers took Rukem and Gowang to the hospital in a police car.

"How did this happen?" said Rukem, trying hard to suppress her tears as soon as she saw her husband.

"I myself have no idea what happened. It was all so sudden. I don't know how I got here. And suddenly you and Gowang are here, too."

The next day, when Gowang and Rukem visited Bogel, they saw that someone else was in the room. The man introduced himself as soon as he saw Gowang and Rukem enter.

"My apologies, ma'am. I am the person who hit this gentleman. I was about to speed through the intersection just as the traffic light turned red. Suddenly, this gentleman raised his hands as if to ask me for something. I couldn't keep my car under control, so it hit him slightly. I ran away because I was afraid of being beaten by the mob. I give you my word that I will pay for the hospital fee."

"So ... so ... you, Dad?" asked Gowang, apparently gripped by surprise.

"Yes. Now you know the answer, Wang, Kem," said Bogel weakly.

"So you are a beggar, Dad?" Gowang asked again, trying to convince himself and dispel his realization.

"Yes!"

"Are you going to continue begging after you get out of the hospital, Dad?"

"Yes! Remember, Wang, you can earn more from begging than from driving a pedicab. You don't need to be ashamed. People involved in swindles and corruption never feel ashamed, so why feel ashamed about begging on the road?"

"But, Dad?"

"In times of great trouble you must not be ashamed of doing anything as long as it is legal. We have to find a way to live, don't we, Wang?"

Gowang and Rukem could only stand there speechless after hearing Bogel's explanation.

The writer is a literature graduate of Gadjah Mada University and has been writing since 1984. His works of fiction and nonfiction have been featured in several local and national publications. He works in a private company in Yogyakarta.

Translated by Lie Hua.