Hello Arvin!
Hello Arvin!

“Ngapain anyway to the museum? You like to move to strange places. SeaWorld is now a museum. If you want to date to a cool place cake.” Gerutu Nara but still follow Arvin's steps towards the museum.

“Oh so now we're dating huh? Have you dated dong?” Reply Arvin with a smile.

“Gak. Not.. he means. streets.” Nara's speech stamped. Shame on your own for saying the wrong thing.

Upon entering they were greeted by the diorama of Ir Soekarno and several national leaders who attended the Asia-Africa Conference. Several flags of state representatives were displayed behind him.

The atmosphere is not too crowded. It even feels so lonely. There were only a few people, like school-aged children and students who were looking through the various photos displayed there. Showing each of these historic moments.

After enrolling in the information section, Arvin takes Nara around. Nara was actually a bit disappointed, Arvin did not take her to the beautiful tourist attractions in Bandung. Though he had imagined the beautiful scenery in Lembang, to Kawah Putih, Ranca Upas, Situ Patenggang, or maybe Mount Tangkuban Parahu. All natural attractions that make Nara forget the dense and noisy city of Jakarta.

But he instead ended up taking a walk and snacking haphazardly around Braga and Gasibu. Now he looks at photos of historical figures at the KAA Museum. Nara scowled. Arvin does have a bad taste in choosing a dating spot. Nope. This isn't a date. Just sightseeing.

Who thinks this is a date? Chees.

“I come here almost every year as grandma still exists.” Arvin said, his eyes were glued to the photos and writings attached to the museum.

“Ngapain every year here? How much do you like the museum?” Ask Nara wonder.

“Not me. But grandma likes it. Grandpa and grandma met at the Asian-African Conference. Therefore, when visiting Enin, grandma always visit here. He said keinget first met his first love.”

“Grandma lo join the role?”

Arvin laughed at Nara. Arvin tells the love story of his grandmother and grandfather who met during the big event.

A 13-year-old girl, a local who was watching The Bandung Walks motorcade, fell in love with an 18-year-old man, an assistant photographer who aspired to become a journalist.

My grandmother fell in love at first sight. He came every day and waited for his grandfather just to say ‘Halo’ and wave so nervously. Surprisingly they always meet, among the thousands of people who watch.

On the final day of the Conference, his grandfather boldly invited his grandmother to meet and buy ice cream plombies and a moorkeppen at Het Snoephuis which is now renamed the famous Food Source Bakery.

Unfortunately they can't be together, as her grandmother is betrothed to someone else 2 years later. Then leave Bandung. Living with her husband in Subang.

“Grandmother has 3 children from her first husband. But the 2 died, 1 was taken by her in-laws after her husband's divorce. Until now never knew the news.”

“Keep your mother from whom?”

Arvin smiled looking at Nara who was interested in listening to his story. “After 7 years of marriage and having to divorce, grandma returned to Bandung. Numpang at Enin's house and work as a tailor. Every Sunday grandmother always walk in the Braga and Asia-Africa areas. Who knows if I met Grandpa. I actually met 4 years later. Ga long later married and mom born.”

“Seriously? How about sweet? How can I see you again?” Ask Nara who is getting interested.

“Kakek works in Jakarta as a local journalist. Once every 2 years. I happen to see you again. Funny grandma is still the same, nervous to meet grandfather and can only say ‘Halo’. I love every grandmother's story about this. Even though every year it's the same thing.” Arvin said with a smile.

Unknowingly they surrounded the museum while holding hands. Nara listened to Arvin's story with enthusiasm. A cool and quiet room. Arvin told me in a soft voice. Old photos are displayed throughout the hall. I don't know why Nara likes it. It seems like the idea of dating in a museum isn't bad either.

“It looks like his nervous habit descends on mom. Before my mother was hospitalized for months, there was always a phone call for me after school for 1 full month. After I picked up there was only a female voice that said ‘Halo Arvin!’ keep the phone closed. I didn't think it was Mama.” Arvin. The story slid itself from its mouth unexpectedly.

His eyes became sad. Arvin was silent for a moment. A sad look at the Leica F3 camera display used by one of the photographers to photograph the Asia-Africa Conference.

“Ngga. I didn't even know that mom wasn't my real mother or Angga and Audrey weren't my sister. Mama was divorced a week after giving birth, she also never once met me fitting a baby because it was immediately taken the same mustache. Mama's been depressed for years. The moustache was just telling you 9 years later, after the granny crying in front of him because mama was already seriously ill and asked to see her son.”

For the first time he could casually tell this to others. Arvin told Keysa many years ago because the girl forced him to explain his complicated relationship with his father.

But today Arvin told Nara with a relieved heart. Without any compulsion. Even Arvin did not expect to be this calm about talking about his birth mother to Nara.

Maybe because Arvin just wanted to tell Nara. For a long time wanted to tell a confusing relationship with his mother. Showing a complicated and pitiful side of himself. Perhaps with this Nara can understand his obsession with having a full family.

Arvin was shocked when he heard the sound of a stuffed sobbing next to him. Nara was already shedding tears and was busy wiping it with one of her hands. While the other hand still tightly grasped Arvin.

“You're crying anyway?”

“Emang lo not sad?”

“Ngga. Now it's not too sad. Now I have you.”

“Do not digombal first. I want to cry again.”

“OK. Okay.” Arvin replied with a small laugh.

Some people seemed to look strangely at them. Of course, one might not be curious about the two people standing in front of the photos of the Societeit Concordia building, and one of them was busy crying. Is this person sad to see the old building photo?

“You know what? Mama jago Dutch. Grandma says every night mama mute Dutch songs from the black dish has a grandfather. But mama most often heard this song.”

Arvin tapped the side of the airpods into Nara's ear. Then the piano sounds from there. Followed by the soft voice of women humming with Dutch that Nara did not understand. But he could feel the sadness in the song. It made Nara want to cry even more. Pitying Arvin's life.

“This song before independence. But sung again in the late 70s with Wieteke Van Dort. Nyeritain about a mother in the Netherlands who misses her son who lives in Indonesia. I haven't seen each other in years. When the phone first started operating in 1929, the mother was finally able to hear the voice of her son for the first time. It's like me and my mom, right?”

According to some sources, the mother figure in the song was unconscious and died of grief and sadness shortly after contacting her son. I don't know why his mother was so happy to hear this song. Did he also feel that after hearing his voice on the phone, he could not survive any longer?

Arvin regretted his 3 months with his birth mother. He could not hear anything from his mother's mouth, because he had lost consciousness. Sentence sounded only ‘Halo Arvin!’ in a phone call for a whole month. All his life, that was the only word his mother had said.

Nara hugged Arvin and still sobbed slowly. The sound of Wieteke Van Dort singing the song Hallo Bandoeng is still heard from the airpods that they put next to each other's ears.

He doesn't know whether to grieve for Arvin or his mother. It must have been painful not to know anything about her birth mother during that time, even when she met it was too late. His mother is ill and Arvin doesn't have much memory with her.

Nara patted Arvin on the back, even though she was the one crying. It sucks to have to cry over this guy's unlucky fate. But her tears couldn't stop coming down from hearing Arvin's story. It must be all because of the pregnancy hormones that make it easily touched.

“Huil alsjeblieft niet mijn liefste. Het gaat. Niets is erger and jezelf verliezen.” Arvin Whispe.

(Don't cry, baby. I'm it's okay. Now there is nothing sadder than losing you)

“Gue does not understand.”

“Let's search in google translate.” Reply Arvin while laughing.