Ode To Latitude
Air

"And you said, be careful when playing," Regata said while treating his little girl's chin that looked bloody. There was a small scratch on his daughter's chin, Mia.

Mia fell during a chase with her peers in the village. Mia grimaced as Regata cleaned her wound with an antiseptic. The little girl held back tears as Regata pressed down the part of the scratch.

"Here," call her daughter's eyes to Mia.

Mia sat next to the princess's eyes, while listening to Ken Arok's play on her old radio. Mia saw that the radio antenna looked rusty, sometimes the sound coming out of the radio was like a broken cassette.

Months in that place make Mia accustomed to dust, cobwebs, small insects to mosquitoes. His legs and hands are scarred because every time a mosquito bites, Mia will scratch the bite marks rough.

Regata kept grumbling all day. Since his mother, Arimbi to Jakarta 2 days ago Arimbi numbers are always busy and increasingly difficult to contact.

The constant boredom attacks Regata. Sometimes he reflected for a very long time just to see the tangled and branched hair, his dull face, his neck bones that stood out. Regata felt unable to recognize the reflection of his body.

*****

"Wake up" Regata said, shaking Mia's body. 

That morning Regata had to wake up early because the well dynamo was damaged. They must draw water in a water bath located in the middle of the village. Mia, Regata and her nephew each held 2 jerry cans. Queue with some residents who filled their carts with water jerry cans.

I want Regata to complain and lie at home all day. But he could not bear to see the daughter's eyes were myopic, still trying to sort the stone and rice between the grains of rice.

Just twice back and forth, Regata felt his waist almost broken. The new kitchen drinking water is half filled. Regata could not bear to see Mia drawing water. 

Sweat drenched his black clothes that looked stretchy. Countless times had Regata wiped the sweat on his face with the shabby tip of the shirt.

"You rest, let your mother continue" said Regata 

Mia sat next to the princess. Fanning his face with a cardboard tear, while Regata prepares to draw again. Although half the jar has been filled but it does not feel calm if the jar is not fully filled. The need to cook is not just washing the rice he thought.

Had you not been caught in the case, Regata could not have ended up miserable in the village. Mia couldn't have dropped out of school. Her daughter can only read Indonesian textbooks. Regata remembers the green-coated book was no longer used in his day, but in it full of interesting stories. 

Regata is back at his house. Spills of water soaked his feet that looked brown mixed with dust and sweat. His heart was racing to see a sedan car parked in front of the princess's house.

Regata heard Mia's laughter. Quickly Regata entered the house.  The voice stopped, all eyes fixed on Regata who appeared. 

"Lintang" said Regata lirih. 

Lintang looked at Regata with a cruel look. His eyes flashed such a deep disappointment. Mia was in the Latitude Deck, refusing to see Regata's face.

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