Jujur (Big Person)

By Jujur Prananto

Five knocks at the door of the living room were heard. The rhythm and the stress was so familiar to Wasito and Sukini that the wife and husband knew who the guest was without opening the door.

"What should I say this time, Pak?"

With a quick reply, Wasito answered, "Let me face him."

Sukini was surprised. For a long time her husband tried to avoid the village secretary, Pak Carik Dirgono, when he came to see them. Meanwhile she had made up too many excuses, from the cliche "He's out of town" to ones which were complicated or even unreasonable, which Dirgono could've possibly detected as lies.

The first time Dirgono came to collect on an overdue debt, a Rp 400,000 loan, Wasito could only tell him about his chicken farm which was ruined by disease. But the story of failure could not be repeated, because the payment had never been reimbursed.

"So, have you got the money now?"

"Not yet."

"Then what are you going to say to Pak Dirgono?"

"There'll be a way out."

Sukini did not question further as her husband left the room with a newspaper in his hand, which he had kept neatly in the cupboard.

"Please come in, Pak."

The guest was quite surprised by the warm welcome.

"Is there any good news?"

"There seems to be," Wasito answered convincingly while handing the newspaper to his guest. "Have you read this?"

Dirgono hurriedly took out his glasses and put them on, and concentrated on a headline marked with red ink by Wasito. "Mulawarman is planning to visit the Rengas regency..."

"And it is written there that the visit will include Mardi Mulyo village," Wasito cut in quickly. "Our village."

"Mulawarman, the director?"

"Who else? There's his picture."

Dirgono's face became lined with an austere look.

"So what does this have to do with you?"

Wasito lowered his voice, as if there were people surrounding them who wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Pak Mulawarman owes me money."

"Huh?"

"If he comes here, I will collect what he owes me so I can pay off my debt to you."

"Ah."

No less that 24 hours after the meeting with Dirgono, Wasito was suddenly summoned by the village chief.

"I heard from Pak Dirgono that Pak Mulawarman owes you some money, is this true?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's the story?"

"Don't you remember when Pak Mulawarman was at my house?

"He needed some of your goats, didn't he?"

"Well, Pak Mulawarman was supposed to buy three goats from me for use in a film, but both of us were so preoccupied with the film that we forgot the transaction. He forgot to pay me and I forgot to ask him.

"Wow...that was quite a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. About two years ago. Actually I had never thought about it seriously. But frankly, I need the money now."

"Did you both agree on a price when the transaction took place?"

"No. I gave them to him right away, because I supported the making of film, which showed the heroic struggle of our village. Pak Mulawarman always said that a film about struggle must be made with a struggle. At that time I was moved to help, so when Pak Mulawarman said he needed three goats, I immediately offered mine."

"Did you offer to give them or sell them to him?"

"In the beginning, I wanted to give them away, but Pak Mulawarman insisted on buying them, because he said that in the scene, the goats would be slaughtered. I then agreed with him."

"Was there any written agreement between you and Pak Mulawarman about the debt?"

"Ahhh... no."

"Didn't you ask for a receipt?"

"I didn't think about that. I shouldn't be suspicious of a person as kind as Pak Mulawarman."

Lurah kept silent, while Wasito suddenly felt as if he was being interrogated.

"What's wrong, Pak?"

Lurah didn't answer right away. His face gave an impression as if he was analyzing a complex problem.

"Well, Wasito. Don't you realize the risks you are willing to take?"

"What risks?"

"Asking Pak Mulawarman to pay his debt."

"Actually I do feel a little reserved about it, but I think there is nothing wrong about collecting a debt as long as I have the right to do so."

"You should feel more than a little reserved!" Lurah suddenly yelled. "Who do you think Pak Mulawarman is? Do you think he's coming to this village to make another film?"

"Sorry, Pak, I don't know."

"That's just it! You have to realize that Pak Mulawarman isn't the same person we used to know. He has become a big person."

"A big person?"

"He is an important member of the National United Party."

"Huh???"

"He has an important position in the Central Leadership Council."

"Oh! Now I know."

"And recently there is rumor from the central office that Pak Mulawarman is a strong candidate to gain the regent's seat in the next election."

"Oh my God..."

Lurah explained further that Mulawarman's popularity had risen because his film about Mardi Mulyo got many awards from various film festivals inside and outside the country. It was this popularity that moved the party to make him a cadre.

The capacity of Mulawarman's leadership was considered useless if he only concentrated on his films. Many thought he should work for a bigger interest -- the national interest. And, as the first step in his leadership, the National United Party was trying to make him a regent candidate.

"That's why he is planning to visit villages. It is nothing more than an approach to the people."

Wasito could say nothing.

"So, as a leader and as a custodian of political stability in this village, I don't want a visiting regent candidate welcomed by a villager with a debt collection. Do you understand?"

Of course, Wasito understood. Still, he felt it difficult to forget about settling the debt with Mulawarman. Was it true that the door was already closed?

He had known Mulawarman well. For more than a month during the film shooting, Mulawarman and some of his employees often came to his house, which happened to be close to the shooting location, to talk and rest. Mulawarman was a good leader and had a high level of humanity and responsibility.

He remembered when a neighbor who played as an extra was hurt by a bomb explosion when he was in a war scene. He was not hurt seriously, but Mulawarman immediately carried him to a car and ordered his subordinates to rush him to the hospital.

A week after that, he was angry at the production head because he forgot to give compensation to the victim, even though the latter did not demand anything for the accident.

"Filmmaking is team work," Mulawarman stated. "So, the suffering of someone, no matter if he or she is an extra or a leading character, makes me suffer as well."

His concern for the common people was not limited to providing compensation to an extra who had an accident, but was also evident in his attitude. He was close to the villagers, talked to them, told jokes, shared his experiences, without any impression that his knowledge was above the level of the villagers.

Wasito wondered, was it possible that a person who was that kind refuse to see him? Would Mulawarman forget about the past? His curiosity led him to talk to Dirgono without considering the risk, and this made the village secretary furious.

"As a man who has a debt to collect, I would be happy if you could pay me right away. But as an officer of this village, I firmly forbid you to collect your money by disturbing Pak Mulawarman. Because of his current position, people won't believe he has debts to pay. That means if you try to collect the debt, you might be accused of making up things. Or, more seriously, you could be accused of damaging Pak Mulawarman's reputation."

"Nah, I don't think there is anything that can hurt his reputation. On the contrary, people will respect him more. Just imagine, a regent candidate still remembering to pay back a debt to an ordinary person like me. Isn't it incredible? So, by collecting my debt, all parties will be benefited. Pak Mulawarman will get praise and adoration, and I will have the money I owe you."

"Crazy! Your way of thinking is dangerous."

"But the fact is, he has a debt to pay."

"Do you have evidence?"

Wasito was silenced. When it came to evidence, he didn't have a single shred of it. And the end of this would be predictable. Dirgono reported all of this to Lurah, and Lurah immediately gave Wasito a strong warning and asked all villagers to avoid Wasito so that "they wouldn't be influenced by any of his provocations".

As a result, Wasito was entirely isolated. All villagers laughed at him, calling him a shameless man. Because the village worried that he might disturb Mulawarman's official visit to the village, he was forbidden to leave his house, which was under tight supervision by the village security guard.

On the designated day, Mulawarman and his entourage arrived and they were warmly welcome. There was no disturbance, and everybody was relieved and happy -- until that night when the reception at the village hall took place.

Before the ceremony to cut the tumpeng and eat dinner, Mulawarman unexpectedly looked around.

"I have to share my happiness with a villager, one who has helped me a lot. Who is that, the one living at the end of the village, near where the film was shot?"

Lurah was stunned. Dirgono held his breath. The guests looked at each other.

"Who... which one, sir?"

"Ahh...what's his name? Oh! Pak Wasito! Could you please ask him to come here?"

Immediately, all of the village officials became frantic. It was noisy, they gave orders to one another, and then quickly they got out of their chairs and ran to Wasito's place, trying to be the first there.

Wasito was shocked. Mulawarman's invitation was a warm welcome to him. The security officers who guarded him tried to groom him. He was escorted to the village hall and received an extraordinary welcome from Mulawarman, who gave him a warm handshake and a big hug.

"Ladies and gentlemen. To me, Pak Wasito is a symbol of spirit and faith, whom the village should look to in order to restore their spirits. If everybody here considers me successful, but, honestly speaking, it was Pak Wasito who helped me become a success without him being aware."

From behind, a round of applause was heard, and it quickly spread throughout the entire hall. Lurah was surprised and, against his will, he also clapped his hands. So did Dirgono.

"Pak Wasito deserves this honor. His sacrifice for the heroic film I made in this village was endless. He sacrificed his energy, time and even his belongings. How much do I owe you, Pak? I haven't paid for the three goats that were in the Dutch barracks scene, have I?"

The audience laughed. Mulawarman also laughed while tapping Wasito's shoulder. Wasito just smiled.

"Thank God, the film was a success everywhere, but it is unfair if I take credit for my success alone. That's why I often dreamt about coming here again, because I really want to contribute my energy and my ideas to the development of this village."

People applauded even more. After dinner, Wasito received many warm handshakes, and apologies. All were sorry and apologized for isolating him. The isolation was transformed into praise and admiration.

Until one day, when five knocks on the living room door were heard, the knocks with a rhythm and a stress which were too familiar for Wasito and his wife. Wasito quickly went to the door, but suddenly stopped.

"Why, Pak?"

Wasito was silent. His face was tense. The roar of clapping hands in the village hall was still in his ears, while the departure of Mulawarman a few days ago was still seen in his eyes. He realized that his savings in the cupboard had not been added to.

"Tell Pak Dirgono, I'm not home..."

Translated by T. Sima Gunawan

Born in Salatiga on June 30, 1960, Jujur Prananto started writing short stories at junior high school. He joined the Cinematography Department of the Jakarta Arts Institute in 1979, but never graduated. He began writing film scripts in 1990 and is often commissioned to produce scripts for TV mini series. He now works for a production house. His short story Orang Besar (Big Person) appears in Pistol Perdamaian: Cerpen Pilihan Kompas 1996 (Pistol of Peace: An Anthology of Kompas Short Stories 1996). It is printed here courtesy of Kompas.

Notes: Pak = Mister, Sir. Carik = a village secretary. Lurah = a village headperson. tumpeng = cone-shaped rice dishes, usually presented in a thanksgiving ceremony or an official ceremony.