Firefields
Distant Regrets and Memories of the Past

The news Sabran brought about about the condition of the Wijan family greatly shocked Jauhari. Without waiting any longer, Jauhari immediately entered the house to say goodbye to his wife and returned to meet Wijan. Although upset, his wife was unlikely to prevent her husband from finishing breakfast.

“You come with me only,” Jauhari Command immediately prepare a motorcycle that is still parked next to the house.

“Only the two of us?" asked Sabran in doubt. "Would you as well take Mat Yusi?"

Jauhari can understand why Sabran suggested to invite Mat Yusi. But Jauhari chose not to involve Mat Yusi too far in the matter this time.

“I'm worried she's crumbling like old times. Better just the two of us.”

“How about later..”.

“You scared?!” Tanya Jauhari did not give Sabran a chance to finish his speech. He could already guess Sabran's way of thinking.

In the matter of fighting, Mat Yusi is indeed reliable. But Jauhari does not want the business to be more runyam because violence is reciprocated by violence.

“Already, I'm leaving alone!” Jauhari immediately turned on his motorcycle without actually wanting to leave Sabran.

When Jauhari turned his head towards him, though hesitant he still climbed on the motorcycle with anxious feelings.

"Only bad people who deliberately keep dogs to bite others," bathin Jauhari was annoyed to know Yudha was increasingly troublemaking.

There was a feeling of regret that plagued his mind these few days. Many times he blamed himself when he remembered about Yudha.

It all started when Yudha came to the village just to buy cloves. It is uncertain what then made him intend to live with residents in the village.

Jauhari knew Yudha well. He was the first person Yudha visited for clove business. The high price offered Yudha was able to get rid of the other clove middlemen.

Their relationship is getting better. In fact, Jauhari did not hesitate to invite residents to sell their cloves only to Yudha.

Gradually the role of Yudha not only as a middleman. With the money he had, many citizens accepted Yudha's offer to sell their clove fields.

One by one Yudha brought his men to take care of the clove fields. At that time Jauhari and Yudha relations were still good. They often met and talked about many things for village development.

To Jauhari, Yudha claimed to be from Jakarta and had many businesses in big cities. Jauhari also understood if then Yudha had to go back and forth to Jakarta every week.

From Yudha Jauhari also knew many things about the development of cloves in the country. In addition to South Kalimantan, Yudha also claimed to often help clove farmers in Sumatra.

"Any business in Indonesia, all controlled by Jakarta," said Yudha gave reasons why he must maintain good relations with business relations in Jakarta there.

Jauhari agrees. Although he himself has never set foot in Jakarta, for him it is not important. The presence of Yudha is enough to be a connecting route so that the price of cloves remains expensive.

It didn't last long. Jauhari felt deceived when she found out that Yudha had started a loan shark business. Initially, Yudha gave loan money to clove farmers without interest.

When they could not pay as due, Yudha asked to be paid with cloves that were very cheap. If they do not agree, then Yudha imposes high interest on late payments.

Why is it Wijan this time? The question repeatedly disturbed Jauhari's mind. He could not accept if Yudha disturbed his friend's life. In a hurry, he ran the motorcycle faster.

***

Sabran was astonished to learn that Wijan's house had been seen deserted. There were no crowds and screams like he had seen before. He walked back and forth checking the side of the house like he could not believe what he saw.

“I did not lie, they were here,” Sabran said defending himself even though Jauhari did not doubt it in the least.

“Try to make sure Wijan is inside the house,” pinta Jauhari.

Sabran rushed over and looked at every piece of land he passed. Sumringah's face adorned his face when he found fresh blood.

Sabran pointed to the ground, hoping that Jauhari would come closer and believe everything he had told. For him, Jauhari's trust is very important. He ruined it once. That was unintentional too. At that time Jauhari granted his request to buy a cow.

Once Sabran's house was visited by robbers and he was completely helpless. No fighting or screaming for help.

Sabran chose to hide inside the house with a trembling body. The incident led Sabran to stop raising cows and agree with Jauhari's offer to work to monitor Yudha's movements and inform him if anything happened to the Wijan family.

At a glance Jauhari saw someone peeking out from behind the window curtains. He then approached Sabran who repeatedly said hello and knocked on the door. Shortly afterwards Wijan appeared forcing a smile between his bruised face.

“We think someone else,” Wijan invites his guests to enter immediately.

“What do you think?” reply Jauhari. “Seeing your face like that, I remember when you were stung by bees?” Jauhari hoped his remarks could remind Wijan how funny the incident was.

While they were still together living in the hamlet, before Wijan decided to leave as a transmigrant, he proudly told them that a man in white robes had just passed through a dream and cast a magic spell.

When the spell is read, Wijan's body will not be able to work with a sharp weapon, especially just stung by bees.

Wijan then proved it by climbing the Teak Tree and picking a beehive on the tree. The first sting landed on his arm. Wijan was shocked and recklessly squeezed the beehive and threw it down.

However, before long, several bees attacked his face many times making Wijan groan in pain. Despite the failure, Wijan insisted that he remained immune. He said that something forgot about the mantra he was saying.

Jauhari laughed in light of the incident but Wijan did not respond. Jauhari believes her best friend is difficult to laugh because it will only make her facial muscles become sore.

Jauhari smiled as she watched Wijan's mustache. Lumps in the cheekbones make the whiskers no longer curve down perfectly.

Since long ago, Wijan has always been proud of his mustache. Not many people have a whisker that is flat to the thickness of the mouth of the lips. He felt that his mustache could make himself more authoritative.

Although on several occasions, when Wijan was eating at a salvation event for example, some people can't wait for a grain of rice stuck in Wijan's mustache. After that, they will quip Wijan by saying that his upsil fell and got stuck in a whisker that twisted like a wire.

“Actually what happened?” ask Jauhari.