Story At Night's
Railway Bench No.13

Traveling by train is a journey full of adventure. There is so much to be gained from this long journey. As well as the story of my journey for two days and one night with Bima Train, Jakarta - Surabaya.

This trip, as with previous trips, I never wasted just looking through the window or falling asleep along the way. There is something I usually do to fill the journey by train, namely by "chatting".

Chat is a powerful way to repel boredom and is also good for health, especially the muscles of the face to maintain skin rejuvenation and elasticity. Chatting takes only a little energy, with a few snacks and a full bottle of soft drink is already the facility to start a chat.

Thirty minutes have passed since I sat alone on the bench number 14 of the third carriage. I saw that the number 15 seat next to me was not filled with passengers, and the number 13 and 12 seats in front of me were completely empty.

"How can I get a friend to talk?", I murmured.

"Tin... Teng... Ting... Teng... Five minutes later Bima Train will be departing soon.", as the announcement from the station officer.

The train was full of passengers. All the benches were filled except for the three benches that were near me, none of which occupied.

I've been waiting for forty minutes for my traveling companion, but maybe fate says something else. On the train trip this time, maybe I will miss it by sleeping or looking at the scenery.

"Huaaah.!!!", this atmosphere made me sleepy, my eyes began to glaze over. I didn't feel like I was sleeping for a while.

"ROEEENGU...!!!"

"Well, what's that sound?". I nodded and woke up from my sleep. Oh apparently the shrill sound is just the sound of a car sign will be departing soon. The train started to leave.

"Huaaah.!!!", again I squinted my body, trying to relax all the muscles that were stiff because I used to sleep in a sitting state. Now my sleep seems to be lost in an instant by the rhythmic vibrations caused by the wheels of the car.

I looked around me, it seemed that the number 12 and 13 benches in front of me and the number 15 bench next to me were indeed no one to occupy it. Or does no one want to sit on it? Ah, you fool!

Suddenly a young woman hurriedly walked over while dragging a suitcase that seemed to be quite heavy towards me. He seems to need help. The conductor approached him.

"You need the help of the madam?", he politely rebuked.

"Yes sir, help me sir!", said the madam in a half-panicked tone.

"Sorry madam, can you please show me your ticket!", said the conductor.

"This sir, I am sitting on bench number 13", he replied with gasping breath.

"Oh bench number 13 is right here, madam. Please, you can sit down and calm yourself first", I said cutting their conversation.

"Pak conductor... My son sir... My son is missing in this train!", said the madam who seemed to ignore my words.

The conductor said to the lady again gently, "Mrs, you can sit on the bench and tell us everything that happened".

Hearing that, the madam finally sat down and then began to try to calm herself down. After feeling calm enough, he told me.

"Look at the conductor. I got on this train with my son Andi. When we arrived at the station, the train was almost gone. Fearing to miss the train, I raised Andi first and then I went down again to bring the suitcase I left to a food vendor waiting in front of the entrance of the five-car car. In the meantime, I told you to look for seats 13 and 14 that we had reserved. At that time the passengers entered in a jostle, maybe they also did not want to miss the train. Even when I wanted to get in, I was almost pushed out by the other passengers who were also jostling. And when I got in the carriage I searched Andi and did not find him!".

"Oh so.", said the conductor of mangosteen.

"Ehm... Here's how madam. Now I will find the son of the mistress and mistress please wait here. Oh yes, is the madam sure that the mistress' son has entered this carriage?", asked the conductor.

"I'm sure sir. My son could not go out anymore, because when we entered, the other passengers also entered, even to jostle, so there was no way he could get out", explained the madam.

"Oh yes, how are the characteristics of the mistress's son?"

"Hm... My son wears a navy blue shirt and black shorts. It is 10 years old and about 150 cm tall. She had tears in her eyes and her hair was straight black", replied the madam.

"Yes, pretty clear. We must have found it" the conductor assured the lady.

Five minutes had passed, but the conductor did not return. The madam seemed to be still agitated from earlier, her reddened face was filled with a million regrets.

"Sorry madam, want some candy?", I said as I offered five packets of chocolate candy I had bought from a street vendor.

"Hm... Excuse me... Thank you!", he refused.

"Just calm down, ma'am, there's no need to be too agitated. Madam's son must have been found, maybe he was confused and lost in another carriage. This train will only consist of several carriages and the child of the mistress may not be far from here" I said trying to calm him. "Oh yeah, where's the lady going?"

"Hm... I want to go to Surabaya, to my sister-in-law's house to announce something", replied the madam.

"Then your husband?"

"He just died three days ago..."

"Oh sorry lady. Um, I'm so sorry about the death of the madam's husband"

*****

Time has passed by two hours. Today began to move in the afternoon, the eight-car train that now kunaiki began to penetrate the twilight. My conversation with this madam is getting interesting, and it seems that the mistress is starting to forget her undiscovered son.

Right now I'm starting to know a lot about that lady. It turned out that the one sitting on the number 12 bench was her son and the one sitting on the number 15 bench next to me was her husband who had now died three days ago. Her husband was a local policeman. He died after being shot in a shootout with bank robbers three days ago.

Initially, the three of them were going to vacation at the home of their grandmother in Surabaya. The death of the father initially made the madam's departure plan cancelled. But because the mistress then got the news that her mother in the hometown was sick hard, and with the consideration of tickets that have been booked, she said, so they both forced themselves to go to Surabaya even though they were still in an atmosphere of grief.

"Sorry madam, what's your favorite meal?", I asked.

"Hm... I love chocolate so much, my husband and my son love it too. Chocolate has long been a favorite food of our family" he replied. "If you are master?"

"Hm... I also love chocolate, but sometimes I also like candy and confectionery. Anyway all the sweet foods I like" I replied.

Suddenly the lady took out a box from the small bag she was holding. And he opened the box. It turns out it was chocolate.

"Do you want chocolate, sir?", he said, thrusting the box at me.

I also took three packets of chocolate out of the box.

"How does it feel sir?", asked the madam.

"Hm... Very good.", I replied.

The lady was interesting enough to be a conversation partner. After a long chat, I seem to be starting to like him. The woman was quite beautiful, her face was very seductive with her sweet lips. His eyes are beautiful too. Her hair was straight as waist. I have long been interested in him. My heart began to wonder, "Have I fallen in love?". In an instant we became more familiar. Apparently the madam also likes to chat like me. We continued our conversation until we forgot the time.

An hour later, the conductor came to deliver a straight-haired, teary-eyed boy.

"Oh my son...!!!". The mistress momentarily gasped at her son, then hugged him while shedding tears. He just remembered that his son had gone missing on the train a few hours ago. With a feeling of guilt, he hugged his son tightly while crying. Me and the conductor could only look at the child and mother with a relieved smile. After that, the lady thanked the conductor.

"Sorry madam, we've been finding your son for too long. It seems that your son got lost in this train and was exhausted, and then he fell asleep near the pile of goods in the corner of the eighth carriage. We didn't think the boy was hiding there. But after we thought that there was no harm in checking the pile of goods, we examined it and managed to find the child of this mistress", explained the conductor.

"There's nothing, conductor, which is important now that my son has been found. Thank you sir, I say thousands of thanks", said the madam.

"What's wrong, madam, it's our duty" said the conductor.

Soon the atmosphere calmed down again. The child was already sitting on his stool and the madam resumed her chat with me. We talked for quite a while too. And I noticed, as we chatted, the madam's son looked at me intently. I was a little misbehaved. The madam's son doesn't seem to like me. He pulled his mother and whispered something into her ear. The madam of mangosteen then spoke softly to me.

"It seems my son doesn't like you very much. I'm sorry, please be advised that my son has just lost his father. So he doesn't like it very much if there's another guy approaching me"

I also got a beard and understood what the madam meant. I can understand their feelings.

"Hm... Alright then, I beg myself for a moment, it feels like I want to take a walk to another carriage. Besides, my legs feel tingling since I was sitting on the bench" I said goodbye to go for a moment.

While walking casually I also traced the train cars until I reached the eighth car located at the end. I sat down on an empty bench in front of the luggage. The benches in the eight carriage seemed to be many empty. I then stared out the window while looking at the full moon soaring high out there.

It didn't feel like thirty minutes passed quickly. I got up from my seat and walked towards bench number 14, my original seat. "Maybe the boy was fast asleep, and I could talk to the lady again" I thought.

But when he arrived on my bench, there was only the child who was still awake. Then I sat down, and ventured to ask the boy.

"Son, where's your mother?"

"You want to find my mother? Besides, what's your business asking where he is? You are not my father!", he said rudely.

My heart trembled at the words of the little boy. For a moment I thought this kid was brash, but there might be a point as well. Although I like his mother, he has a family. It can be difficult for a family to easily lose one of the family members they love or enter by someone they just know.

Me and the boy were silent for a long time, and then the boy fell asleep. I also started to get sleepy because I just kept my mouth shut. I finally closed my eyes and fell asleep.

A few moments later I heard the rhythmic roar of the wheels of the chariot. I started to open my eyes again. But now in front of me sat a man wearing a white shirt and a brown dress. Her hair looked drizzly and she also looked more wise with her glasses. I began to be confused, wasn't the one sitting in front of me a mistress and her child?

"Ah I may have been dreaming!", my mind.

I also met the man, his name was Andi. Just like the name of the little boy I met in my dream. And we talked about everything. Andi started to get carried away with the conversation. So do I. We share experiences, share stories and also share addresses and phone numbers.

"Oh yes sir. Will I tell you an interesting story when I am 10?", asked Andi.

"Oh of course.", I replied.

"Well, I'll tell you...". Andi also told me about his experience when he was 10 years old. He got lost in the carriage and slept in the trunk. And when found and brought by the conductor to meet his mother, he found his mother was busy chatting with a man he did not know, and he finally felt jealous because not long ago his father died. He did not want to have a new father because he loved his father very much. Andi told his mother to stop talking to him and told him to leave. Then after the man left, Andi quarreled with his mother so that her mother was upset and finally went to move the carriage. When his mother was gone, the man who had been chatting with his mother came back and asked about her whereabouts. Adi replied in a stingy tone, "Would you look around for my mother? Besides, what's your business asking where he is? You're not my father!"

"I feel guilty about what I did to that man and want it to feel like I'm apologizing for my rude attitude to him!", Andi closed the story.

"Where was your mother then?", I asked.

"My mother moved the carriage and it turned out that she moved to the back carriage. Moments after I fell asleep, I felt strange and moved out of my seat. Suddenly there was a collision between the train I was riding with another train. At that time I was in car three and survived, while my mother apparently died because she moved to the rear carriage which was destroyed by the collision. I'm so sorry. If only I had let my mother keep chatting with the man maybe my mother would not have moved the carriage and followed my father into the afterlife!", Andi explained at length for the umpteenth time.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your miserable experience" said I sympathize.

In my heart I thought, could I have wandered into the past while I was asleep, or was the dream just a coincidence?

"Hm... Can I ask you something?", I asked.

"Oh yes, please.", replied Andi.

"Hm... I want to know, when you woke up, before the accident, you know where the man sitting in front of you was?", I asked again.

"I think he went to the other car when I fell asleep. What is clear is that I didn't find it when I woke up" Andi replied.

A thousand and one question marks began to swarm in my chest. Is it true that the man in the past was me? For a moment I still remember the smile of the lady who was sitting on the bench number 13 and chatting with me while waiting for her son to be found. My heart is starting to break, there's no way this is a coincidence! But how can it be?

"Sorry sir! Do you like to walk by train?", Andi suddenly cut off my daydreams.

"Oh... Uh... Da... Of course.", I answered nervously.

"I've been haunted all my life by feelings of guilt about the man I raped 10 years ago. Every time I travel by train, I always book the number 13 seat where my mother used to sit before she left for all eternity. And I also always tell this story to everyone who sits on bench number 12, 14 and 15. I also always tell everyone I tell about this story to offer my greatest apology to the man I rebuked 10 years ago. My mother and father there would never have forgiven me if this apology had not reached that man. Will you help me?", pinta Andi.

"All right, I'll help you. But I'm sure the man must have forgiven you, because you were 10 years old" I comforted Andi.

"At this time the man must be about 40 years old and maybe he already has a wife and children" Andi said.

*****

The train continued to go, until it finally arrived in the city of Surabaya. Me and Andi got off at one of the stations in Hero City. From there we split into our respective destinations. Even though we were separated, I still thought about the series of events I met on the train earlier.

From that moment on I started to promise, I wouldn't talk much during the train ride. I will no longer sleep on the train. Maybe I can get rid of boredom on the way by reading books while drinking coffee, or looking at the scenery along the way.

But ups... I didn't realize both of my shoelaces had come off. I crouched down to put it back. But as I crouched down, "Pluk.!!!", two packets of chocolate fell out of my pocket. I thought, where do these chocolates come from? I never bought chocolate on the whole trip.

"Ah, just weird what happened today.", I murmured.