Tragic demise of an artist

Tragic demise of an artist

Pak Dermawan (not his real name) is the owner of a small shop
on a narrow road, too narrow for two cars from opposite
directions to pass each other. In the neighborhood, lived a
painter, Donny (not his real name), all by himself in a small
rented room. Pak Dermawan knows Donny very well because the
latter usually dropped by at his shop for a chat.

When Pak Dermawan did not see Donny for four days, he went to
Donny's place to see how he was doing. As he approached Donny's
room, a foul smell emanated from it. Pak Dermawan was convinced
it was the smell of a decaying corpse. He immediately reported
the matter to the nearest police station.

Pak Dermawan, together with two policemen, forced opened the
room and found Donny's body lying in the bathroom. It was
concluded that Donny had died four days earlier, apparently of a
heart failure. Browsing through the artist's papers in the room,
the police found a clue that showed that Donny was born in
Semarang, Central Java.

Pak Dermawan then placed an advertisement in one of Semarang's
newspapers, announcing the death of the painter, but there was no
response. The corpse was sent to the General Hospital. After ten
days, with nobody coming to claim the body, the police allowed
the deceased to be buried. It was Pak Dermawan who took the
responsibility and took all the necessary steps to give the
painter a decent burial at the state cemetery. All the expenses
were borne by Pak Dermawan, with assistance from the Catholic
church of which he was a member.

On Nov. 22, about a month later, Donny's relatives in Jakarta
came to know of his death. If only Donny had informed the village
chief of his relatives' whereabouts, this sad state of affairs
could have been avoided. Donny (69 years of age) died a pauper's
death. As a matter of fact, Donny is my brother-in-law.

I'm writing this letter out of respect and gratitude for Pak
Dermawan, a true Christian and a humanitarian who had done a
great deed.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta