Every person who spends his life, or at least have a part of his life in Terboyo 1, giving a meaning
which is always worth to recalls and take as note. Those who are tough, those who win and those who are
marginalized. Always interesting to see and learn. At least as a mirror, to see and absorb for our future needs.
In Tole’s2 memory, many figures worthy of note about them. Lessons ubiquitous, and the meaning of life is not in a stately home, nor behind the glass of a luxury sedan, and does not come by itself. Should be sought. Yes, searchable with a fist, and drops of sweat and tears. There’s depth of meaning is felt.
In such bus terminals like Terboyo, life rhythm always typical from time to time. Bus Arrival and departure is
something so ordinary. But, behind the bus arrival and departure, many people rely their livelihood. Restaurants
Entrepreneur, food kiosks, shoeshine, hawkers, buskers, brokers and of coz pickpocket. All there is, depending on how you see the opportunity to obtain something called rupiah.3.
Arrival and departure of the bus, not absently. There is one system that govern it. Each PO (Company autobus), for each route, already have a schedule that can not bother to sue by the other bus. Too long a bus parked at the departure point, means the loss for which there behind him. This problem is often sparked commotion caused only one or two drivers who spend too long looking for passengers.
That’s why, in the terminal, for each bus there is one team representatives who manage and oversee the implementation of parking and departure schedules. Usually a chief representative is responsible for this problem is aided those who work to him as tekyan 4. Sitik tapi lumayan (a bit but so so), which for common people who do not know are often considered to be brokers.
A chief representative, who is often called the foreman. One well-known in Terboyo Terminal is one Bataknese5, with surnamed Harahap. Harahap, vocation, Pak 6 Harahap, politeness. The man putting the small, jet and stern. Height no more than 160 cm and slim enough not to say thin. Sharp eyes, shoulder length hair, curly.
As the chief representative of two intercity buses, Pak Harahap fully responsible for the departure process and
expect a lot on arrival of the bus he commands. As a bus arrived and departed, he obtained a 5-25 thousand,
depending on the atmosphere of the terminal, while each of his subordinates could be up to one thousand five hundred rupiah. Not much right?7
Let’s take a closer look at the old figure.
Sometimes, when the terminal lonely, he looks unsteady. Conversely, if the terminal bustling, cheerful smile could not be separated from his black lips. But busy does not always make him smile too. When busy, but the bus did not come, cursing not uncommon to hear. Human habits.
Relations between Mr. Harahap and Tole, quite familiar. Like other residents of familiarity fellow Terboyo terminal.
There is one interesting habit he always did in “Warung Padang”8, the Tole workplace. He is never going to drink coffee from that warung, except his favorite coffee which he usually brought himself. A well-known brands at semarang, Tugu Luwak Coffee. The taste is better, unlike corn coffee in Tole warung. Routine he did every morning, while waiting for his bus departure time.
Admonished greetings, basic conversation, or the old advice is often heard from his mouth. Tole’s mild greetings, sometimes responded with a joke, sometimes with shouting,
“Howdy Sir!!! Good business? ”
“Rame apane? Matane asu kabeh!! “Terminal kayak kuburan!” 9
Well, sometimes he shouting Javanese language in Bataknese dialect. Sound weird.
As a fellow wanders, and far from home, sometimes emerged feeling homesick. Pak Harahap, often feel it. If it were so, he usually talks about his hometown. What about the neighbor’s house each other apart, why the face looks typical of Bataknese, and even to how the marriage is arranged.
When it comes to marriage, he was so proud customary flaming fire. According to him, every clan, there is already “allocated” to the clan of which one, who could marry, and what does not. Customary sanctions, he said hard enough, up until someone can be exciled from the family. Is that right? I did not know. With a proud and then he spoke,
“Hence, marriage in our village is significantly higher. Can not be indiscriminate. The matter is not just one or
two families. Clan and Surname brought. ”
“Not like here,” he added. “Marriage and birth could be under a bridge”
Huh, when it came out in style, Tole could only smile wryly, inwardly cursing, “Damn !!!.”
That is he, like to talk it is. If someone do not know him well, maybe will judge him racist. But he is not so. To
whom greeted him, there always an answer, though seldom with a smile.
“Like me,” he continued,
“I married the Javanese. If later I brought my wife home, that welcomes not only my family. But my big family and then we hold a ceremony to be our big family, and my wife will use a name pair with my clan. But, yes it was .. cost a lot. That’s why I have not brought home. ”
About Bataknese, Tole used to asked,
“Pak, why are all Bataknese look so hard ..?”
“Wich Batak? Batak who was born in Batak land, or those who were born outside batak land? ”
“What difference?”
“Different. What you think hard, usually born in the Batak land. The water had high lime content. Different if you look at those born outside the Batak land. You see Nadya Hutagalung. Is there a look of severity? Instead, it smoothly, you’re also going to drool at her ”
Hehhh, .. a few questions, many answers. Tole also been asked about his family, how his son, and how their school.
The Tole was amazed to hear the answer,
“My son is three, all male. The oldest one study medicine at Diponegoro University10, the number two junior high schools, and the smallest still in grade school. Let his father like this. Bastard terminal, but not my children.
You know? the smallest, that If I left this morning, .. he’s ready with a glove and mat. Diligent in his prayers.
The others had cleared all his homework. His mother lives shopping and cooking, “he said proudly.
“Then,” he added, “if I go home at night so, .. I seldom no hear my son read Koran at home. Once again, the father may bastards, not the son. ”
Tole moved, dreamy and vacant smile. Its beyond his imagination that the hard man in front of him, full of love and proud of his children. He remembered something missing from his life, but can only be thought, and sighed inwardly.
Imagined in his eyes, Harahap charm in his family, and motivated him to build enthusiasm for a living being a
terminal man which are life with full of challenges and almost always in uncertaint situation. So yes, the
responsibilities of a father ..
One day, and until a week later, Harahap dissapears from the terminal. There is little question, where is he? is he sick? Oww … it turns out, he circumcised the little boy.
The story from Harahap later, his son circumcised after khatam read Quraan. How proud he was. Yah, yah yah,. The pride of the man who built his life on the drip sweat …. Not a drop of inheritance. He, so mighty. A valuable mirror.
That is Terboyo. The arena for the the mighty, and also the looser. Harahap, one of them. Some, clearly represents another mirror that also could not just ignore. There’s “Si Gendut” that financed the school by selling newspaper every morning and there’s also Midun that every morning brings boiled beans or boiled bananas from Pati (40km from Terboyo) to Terboyo in Semarang, to finance a life of his wife and son.
There is also another father, another mother, who struggle for life in Terboyo, not because of gift or charity from their excess, but from his own efforts and hard work. Wherever it is, It’s better to eat the results of his own sweat … feels good and full of grace.
————-
Note: This translation is dedicated to my Friend Limor Simponi, the owner of Limor’s Storytelling Agora.
Just realized that my writing skill in English is terrible..:( I found this post lost some sense of spontaneity when it come to different language. Maybe because basic mindset of the two language is totally different.
————–
- Terboyo, one central bus terminals in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
- Tole, the character I need to tell and explore the story, this represent me in the story
- Rupiah, Indonesia Currency
- Tekyan, Javanese slang, Sitik tapi Lumayan, a bit but so so (rather than noting)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_(Indonesia)
- Pak, similar to sir, ..Yes Sir, Ya Pak!
- For ilustration, 1USD equivalent more or less with 9000 rupiah
- Warung Padang, is kinda cafe who are sell food from Padang etnic, the place Tole works
- Better not translate, bad word
- Diponegoro University, a reasonable well known University in Central Java
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Hi Arif,
Thank you so much for going into the effort of translating the story. Reading through I can see how some of sense of spontaneity might have been lost, but from what it lost I gained a better understanding of the culture of your telling.
It is very delicate and respectful to the characters even when you tell the reader what you see in them, what you think and feel about them and what they teach you in a way.
It’s lovely, human and delightful in it’s descriptions – just the right amount to bring the reader in.
Warm regards and again – thanks.