DEAR ARDHAN
THE RAINY DAY ESTHER

End of June 2016

"Basic son of a fucking carrier! Go there!"

"Sir, don't drive Esther, I beg you sir."

"Here, go there, the child who can only be a burden!"

"But sir ...."

"Tell me away, what other work is there besides school and school? Instead of looking for money to eat, this is what school takes care of again!"

It rained heavily that night. The rented plot in the narrow alley was noisy by the sound of items thrown by the father. Esther hastily picked it all up. Some notebooks and wet clothes were hit by the rain.

Mom coughed up to pick up. Since then he has been seen sobbing in the corner of the terrace. Not expecting the good news brought by his son made them expelled from the contract.

"Mother .. father! Ester passed the scholarship selection!"

That's what his son shouted this afternoon. He forgot the last time he saw Esther. Receiving a scholarship at one of the famous Institut kota kembang Bandung is a very big achievement for his son. He was proud of it, but it ended up like this.

While trying to toughen Esther put all her stuff in a butut bag and their used suitcase was dangling. Fortunately there were some neighbors who pity, they gave unused bags and cardboard to pack the rest.

And that night Esther will never forget, under the rain of June night she hobbled with her mother down the platform of Mangga Dua station. Confused where to go.

***

"Where do you have a plan?"

"It looks like we're going straight to Bandung, ma'am,"

"Where are we going to live? Don't you have a boarding house yet?"

Esther took her mother to sit in one of the waiting chairs. Because walking far they just arrived at Mangga Dua station through midnight. And the train is just operating at dawn.

He took the frog's wallet out of his bag. Ardhan's purse giving one week after MOS. He said it was Esther's birthday present. I don't know where he got the information about it.

Since then they are friendly, the toad wallet owned by Naruto in the Japanese anime series was always used until now, it has begun to be obsolete and in it only a few hundred thousand, fifty thousand bills, and milling.

Ester sighed, the money was just enough to rent a small boarding place there. As for the meal money he had to think again.

"This take,"

I knew she had a small bundle of black plastic she had tucked in her shabby jacket.

"What's this?"

"This is mother's savings money, I wanted to give it to you if you have moved to Bandung, the amount is not much."

"But ma'am"

"Just take it, we need it to live there, right? Who knows it could get stuck in the stomach while you're looking for work."

Esther lowered her head, hiding her face so that she would not see her. Since it was left the girl's father never shed a tear. He had to be strong in front of a world that had always considered people to be one-eyed.

"Would you cry?"

Knows the typical rough hands belonging to the mother raised her chin. Esther tried to shake her head and smile.

"I hate tears mom."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me look weak."

She smiled at her daughter's answer. He stroked that frail shoulder full of affection.

"There are times when you have to cry son, so that the burden on your little shoulder is reduced."

Esther did not answer. He turned his eyes to the homeless people sleeping in plastic bags. They look good even when they sleep next to a landfill.

"Look, they're so good, aren't they?"

Esther smiled and nodded.

"You know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because they sleep without carrying the burden, son, no matter how hard his life during the day, they will put it neatly when the night is approaching. They tried to forget all the difficulties and close their eyes."

"Did you insinuate me who rarely sleeps at night?"

The girl snatched. Mother laughed. His intelligent son could never be fooled by such satirical statements.

"Mom's part wonder why the hell are you doing the work of continuing to rek if the night? Not tired of school?"

Ester grin. He is a hobby of making things. Whether it's stuff, writing, or anything that is strange and rarely thought of by people.

"Why try to make a multifunctional straw like this? There are ribetes."

Ardhan once complained about the form of straws made by Esther from recycled materials. The drinking straw can be folded and assembled into a small toy plane.

"Good, so it can still be used even though the iced tea is over. Say you throw out straws every day?"

"But this is weird! Take a look, the shape is different next to kayak gini. If you add the outside using wood or what is safe if you enter the mouth is definitely more balance."

Ardhan explained in detail.

"He said strangely, even a little bit of it was the addition!" Ester sneered. Actually in Ardhan imagination is the champion. He loves to imagine things that he never thought of. That's why the business of Indonesian lessons he always got perfect grades.

"You're the one who's a physics pinter. I don't know anything ginian."

"God,"

Usually after that they will make an appointment after school and work on their small projects together.

***

"Ardhan knows we're leaving?"

Mother broke her daydream. Esther shook her head, she had no time to contact the man. His phone was dead, besides the man this morning gave him a wish for a repeat. He will be busy studying. Esther does not want to interfere, so that her friends do not need to remedial math problems like last month.

"Will he not be angry?"

Mother asked again. This time Esther could only throw a grin. Surely he will be furious, let alone go so far into the night. Esther was an hour late to the house, and she started nagging. Sometimes he was also confused why the man could be more chatty than his mother.

Since he knew her two years ago, the man who is still of Chinese Muslim and Korean descent turned into an angelic winged man who protected her more than brothers.

Ardhan was the most powerful shield ever present in his life. He did not hesitate to beat anyone who insulted his friend. Even English teachers.

Esther still remembers that when she was in tenth grade. The teacher asked him to bring a musical instrument to accompany the song that must be delivered. Esther does not have any musical instruments. He had already asked almost all of his classmates, no one could lend.

Maybe actually did not want to because of fear of being damaged or lost if loaned to poor people like himself. At that time Ardhan was still not in school because of the dispensation of the debate race on the national TV station.

"Basic poor! Cook with a musical instrument just can't?"

That's the word that came out of the teacher's mouth. Esther just looked down, her chest suddenly tight. The people in the class noticed it with a variety of expressions.

"You should be grateful to be able to enter an elite school without spending money. The others coming in here need money up to hundreds of millions! It's their money that allows you to use our alma mater. Don't know yourself!"

Esther's hands clenched until her knuckles turned white. He was eager to beat up the mustachioed and plontos-headed man before him.

"I came in here on a path of achievement not a path of inadequacy!"

"Hey! You dare to fight me?"

"Why do you see me as low as that?"

"How dare you-"

As the big hand floated in the air and prepared to slap Esther's cheek one other hand grabbed her.

Esther is not aware of what is really going on. But suddenly the class was broken by screams and screams. In the middle of the class there was a man who was fighting with his teacher.

Esther smothered her mouth when she saw that Ardhan was there.

"You are a teacher! You should be able to keep your mouth!"

"Who could insult a student like that?"

"What kind of bad example did you give us, huh?"

While saying so Ardhan continuously beat the teacher whose body was much bigger than Ardhan's thin body. The headmaster, teacher, and his friends were overwhelmed separating the two of them.

When he had just arrived at the school, he accidentally heard two students tell of a child in class 10 Ipa who was being cursed by his teacher. Ardhan was not feeling well to finally rush towards that class. Sure enough, there he saw his teacher's hand was already floating about to slap Esther.

"Ardhan's enough!"

Hearing Esther's echoing voice break all the noise, Ardhan suddenly petrified. His fist floated in the air. People were also speechless, startled by just one command the man who suddenly had the bringas was silent.

This was used by his friends to separate them. The condition of the English teacher was sad, bruised and bloody. Ardhan was the same, his clothes and hair were disheveled. There's blood patches stuck to his shirt. The wound also appears to drip blood from the temples and between the lips.

"Enough!" The girl confirmed for the last time.

***

"Why did you have to fight the same Mr. Yoko?"

Esther grumbles while cleaning the wounds on Ardhan's lips and temples. The man grimaced withholding the pain.

"He's insulting you Ice! Let him not be, your father only if you dare to hit me finish him!"

"Why are you being stupid like this?"

"Is defending you stupid?"

"Yes with a fight like that. You're not afraid of being expelled, are you?"

"Are you sure I'll be expelled?"

Esther snorted, the man always lightened things that were not light. He felt more and more wrong.

But fortunately, it turned out to be true, he did not get expelled. Only a one-week suspension, probably due to the testimony of the children who saw Esther on the foot and almost slapped.

Moreover, Ardhan had indeed never made trouble before. The achievement he achieved was also more than enough to be a consideration of the school so as not to kick him out.

Since then no one has dared to insult especially to be rude to Esther. They are afraid they will have to end tragically like the English teacher.

***

"Ah ma'am, the train has arrived."

Esther shook her head, brushing off the shadow. After giving the ticket to the officer who was sleepy he and his mother entered the carriage.

It's a long way in there. There are only a few people who carry large bags, maybe want to go home or find luck like them.

Esther closed her eyes, praying to God that this was the beginning of her and her mother's freedom. One step to move forward into the future.