Pang Sagoe, Make me your Wife!!!
Timphan...
Dad rushed downstairs after the soldiers left. It's been a few days, dad didn't come down because he had to treat a soldier. Not coming down because my energy isn't needed down there. But I'll make sure to go downstairs to talk to the man in the basement. There's something he has to explain to me.
“Mah, Dad go to the garden first.”
“Rahmah follow ya!” my door.
“Do not! No one helped him.” Whisper dad. I nodded in understanding and father and Dawn went to look for leaves in the forest not far from home.
“It's time!” I went downstairs unbeknownst to my mother because right now my mother is also going to the market with Raudhah.
The man was sitting while stretching his legs. “Someone I want to ask!” I said firmly and filled with anger. However I felt angry after hearing the words of the soldiers yesterday.
He looked at me fixedly and it was enough to make my heart beat fast. I'm like challenging a lion right now. “What do you want to know?”
“Why did you attack those soldiers? They came here just following orders and you attacked him. Their children are orphans and their wives are widows, what is this struggle called? Is there any other way than war? Why don't you guys just make peace?” my heart is really scared right now. The man's eyes glared at me in silence while I? What have I done now? If he really is a Pang Sagoe then it's over. He was the supreme leader of the rebels and I challenged him. Oh God save me now.
“That's war. The contact of weapons, bombs, attacks after attacks that we do or they do first will be the same result. Some died, children were born orphans, wives became widows. We also experienced the same thing. The risk of those who go to war is that. Both we and them, we already know clearly what will happen in the future. We are fighting a noble cause for our homeland but them? They were outsiders sent here to exterminate us. Every drop of our blood comes from this land and what do they do? Treating us like enemies and at the same time, they slaughtered our families and slaughtered innocent people just for helping us. Destroying innocent women after killing their husbands then have you questioned this to them? as evil as we are but their families no one was hurt but us? They were fiercely destroying our family just because there were family members following our movement. Please weigh yourself! Go!” I gasped and went up the stairs to my room.
Long time I was silent trying to contemplate what was said by Bang Ilham until I did not realize that father and Dawn had come home.
“Which mammoth, Brother?”
“Ke same market Raudah. Why?”
“Adek take this. Dad said cooking would be good.” I saw the ground pumpkin that Dawn brought.
“What do you want to do?” ask her.
“Daddy says timphan contents of the iron is more delicious than in cooking as a vegetable.”
“Yes already, grab ten chicken eggs in the cage! After that take the shoots of banana leaves two stalks.”
“Make what, Brother?”
“Create timphan as you said.” The smile of Dawn was perfect. While dad's gone underground.
While I was rummaging through the eggs, my father appeared with Bang Ilham who was dressed in a ribbed full with the hat that I used to wear when I went to the rice field.
“Thank you, Rahmah. Brother go first yes!” I nodded my head. Then the man disappeared from behind my house. A large basket of grass was tied up by my father on his back and he disappeared through the bushes behind my house.
“Dad!” call me half whispering.
“What's true Bang Ilham is Pang Sagoe?” dad nodded. My heart rate grew tighter after learning this reality.
“Why? Do you like it?”
“Daddy's Questions aren't funny.”
“Daddy is not being funny. I'm glad you married her.”
“Why? What do you like about him?”
“He is a good religious science and responsible and handsome and good at leading. It must be easy for him to lead you.”
“Entah why Daddy doesn't like to see them.” I was getting sicker and more of a strange word from my father.
“Who wants to marry me or Dad? Why do you have to like it first? It could be that if you like not necessarily I also like or vice versa.”
“No. What Dad likes, you also have to like if it does not mean not so.” I pursed my lips at my father's strange behavior.
“Daddy, free also dad likes it and hope we get married if he himself does not like me.” My father fell silent and made me fall apart.
“Daddy lost!” my screams looked at the father who looked annoyed at my words. I forget that to get married there must be a desire from both parties not from a third party like my father.
I focused on wrapping the timphan dough into the leaves with Fajar until my mother and Raudah came home from the market. “Dad why?” raudah asked to see the look on my father's face wrapped in his leaf cigarette.
I smiled at Raudah and my curious mother and then I told her about our conversation and as I thought, Raudah laughed but my mother just smiled while shaking her head. Then I went to see my father smoking in the front hall.
“Kak, can greetings from Brother soldier.” I who was wrapping the timphan suddenly stopped and looked at Raudhah.
“Meet where are they?”
“On the road when returning from the market. Looks like Brother likes it same Sister.”
“Sister does not like.”
“Why?”
“Because they are not Acehnese.”
Both my sisters nodded their heads. This is the answer that is most easily accepted by their cerebellum. There is no way I will tell them the real reason because it is difficult for them to understand what is really happening in our country. A dark country under the roar of bullets that at any moment explode without knowing the time and place.
“But I like them, Brother. They are nice, like to give cake and money to me and friends so we like to play to their posts.” I was surprised to hear my sister's words.
“You play there?” I don't believe what I hear.
Dawn nodded, “Fajar, if until I know you play there. You will definitely be scolded even beaten. Their posts are dangerous for us. Could-can you get hit by a bullet if suddenly their post is attacked.”
“Iya, Deck. You heard Rahma's words. Dangers of playing there.”
“But, Kak-“
“Fajar, don't let Brother tell Daddy and Mamak!” my threats made him quiet.
The days passed after the departure of Pang Sagoe that day. I went back to my usual routine with friends until one day we were stuck in the rice fields when the sound of bedils and bombs came back. We chose to lay it on the rice we had just planted to avoid the bullets that came out of nowhere.
Our mouths were committed to reciting prayers in the hope that this contact with weapons would end quickly and we were eager to return home.
“From his voice kayak comes from our village post.”
Degs…
***
LIKES...COMEN....THANK YE...