Ode To Latitude
The Thalassemia Foundation

Regata enjoys coffee while stroking his father's pet rabbit. That morning seemed lonely, only two housekeepers were pacing around cleaning the house. A few days in Jakarta is quite boring, there is nothing to do but eat, walk, watch television and tinker with mobile phones. Regata prefers an exhausting day in the hospital.

Arimbi and Danu have left the morning blind out of town, there is a visit that they have to do while Mia has got a personal trainer as well as a nutritionist who will calculate and regulate the intake of incoming nutrients.

Regata read the incoming message from his mother containing the address of the Thalassemia Foundation owned by his mother rather than wasted medical science it is better for him to visit the foundation and see who knows if there is new knowledge gained.

Regata parked his father's old Rubicon in the parking lot of the foundation building. The foundation must be very famous, visible from the parking lot filled with luxury cars and a nice foundation building. In the mind of Regata, the foundation in question is just a simple building that expects the mercy of donors, for the sake of the activities. Regata began to doubt.

“Ma, is this really the place?” tanya Regata pointed the camera towards the building.

“Iya, just in. Tell me aja mama who told you to go there” said Arimbi

“Yakin ma?” ask Regata to reassure the building he will enter.

“Yakin!” arimbi said impatiently.

Many questions in Regata's mind, want it to feel like he asked further but Arimbi who was in a hurry to resist Regata's desire to continue the question.

“It was already yes, later mama phone again” said Arimbi ended the video call.

Before descending Regata re-establish make over powerstay transparent powder hers as well as make sure the lip cream shade dainty covers her lips perfectly. His eyebrows are neat, and his eyelashes are still pliable. Regata tidying up her hair ensures a blow at the ends of the hair. Regata wearing navy blouses and subordinates tailored black trousers as well as pump heels gave a formal impression on her appearance.

Regata steps in, she is greeted by the receptionist who immediately recognizes her as Arimbi's son. Regata was ushered in looking around the building of the foundation which he thought resembled a small clinic specifically for thalassemia sufferers. Thalassemia major and thalassemia minor. Patients with thalassemia minor need blood transfusions regularly, in this place they can get good blood quality at affordable prices even free. To his amazement many medics were willing to contribute in their spare time, outside of their main job.

“You're Regata right?” a subtle touch on Regata's shoulders reflex makes Regata turn to look at the owner of the voice. A short-haired beautiful woman wearing a snelly smiled at him, showing off a row of uneven teeth.

“Kak, Sela!” regata shouted and hugged the woman who was a year older than the age of Dr. Grasela.

Regata and Grasela attended the same university, Grasela one year older than him. Regata and Grasela meet during a koas at a hospital in the city of Makassar. Their watch is almost always the same and coming from the same university brings them closer. Their conversation continued but Grasela never told why she was koas with the force under her.

The two were busy talking and exchanging contacts. Grasela is already a pediatrician and next year she plans to register a sub-specialty of hemato-oncology, a branch of medical science that specializes in studying blood disorders and cancer in children. Dr. Grasela also said that his involvement in this foundation not only helped thalassemia sufferers but also made it easier for him to make a journal, studying from a more senior hemato-oncology sub-specialist, doctor, expanding the network and that definitely helps him get a recommendation to the university of his choice.

Regata returns home, since meeting Grasela he thinks a lot about what he did over the years with his education and career. The highest position he held was the head of the guard team while serving, the rest only became operations assistants. Regata always refused when offered a higher position, even then he thought the general practitioner alone was enough. Now envy pierced his pride. Grasela, who is not smart enough, managed to become a specialist while taking care of the clinic of her children, husband, and two children.

“Ata, don't you want to be a specialist? mumpung age you are still young darling if only become a general practitioner” said Grasela

“Then you have to quickly decide what specialist and where the campus. Each campus rules are different you know there is a campus that requires you to make dozens of journals, not to mention specialist exams that are difficult”

Regata understands, specialist exams are difficult and it takes about a year or two to prepare, documents, and learn the special ins and outs to be taken. Not infrequently Regata heard seniors at work did not pass the specialist exam and become gossip other employees.

Regata unpacked his memory, looking for memories of what he would become after successfully achieving the title of general practitioner. One hidden memory, he dreamed of becoming an orthopedic specialist and would continue to be a subspecialist in sports and arthroscopy. At that time Regata was very confident in his plan because Lintang was on his side completing the path to his ideals.

Regata drowned her face in a pillow, trying to erase the memory of her ideals. Like a broken cassette, the memory kept spinning in his head. Why did his life end so miserably? Regata makes Mia the reason for everything she does, limiting her social life, career, and education but now what she gets. Mia is fine with or without Regata her little daughter is mature enough to make a choice that suits her while Regata constantly restricts her, hiding from fear until he realized from the start he had lost everything.

“Ata, ata!” Arimbi shook the body of his daughter who had been stomping her feet in the air.

Regata further drowned her face in the pillow. The maroon-red pillowcase looked wet. Arimbi realized that Regata was crying. Lately there have been many tears in his house, which Arimbi cannot contain. She felt guilty for letting her daughter go during these weeks, devoting her time to her granddaughter regardless of her daughter's presence.

Regata does not seem to want to be bothered, Arimbi leaves Regata expel two people who stand inquisitive trying to peek inside.

“Mama why?” mia asked Arimbi.

“We eat first aja, later mama nyusul” said Arimbi

Arimbi and Danu ate while talking about the faction project they had visited while Mia was busy digesting the words her grandparents spoke.

At exactly 08.45 WIB Mia walked towards her room. He stared at the door of Regata's room which was still tightly closed. Mia braves to knock on Regata's room asking permission to enter. Regata is still lying in the same position. Her hair covered her face.

“Ma, mama is still angry with Mia?” ask the little girl while stroking her mother's back.

There was no reaction.

“Ma if mama does not agree, Mia will not practice again. Mia promised to nurutin mama, do not make mama sad again” said Mia slowly.

...----------------...