The morning view in the city of Jakarta, people began to pass around the streets, some were peddling cakes, some were pushing big carts filled with merchandise, motorcycle taxi drivers were on standby showing their rows of teeth to smile at every mother whose hands were full of groceries. . On the left a security guard is getting ready to take schoolchildren across, seeing a little girl whining to buy fresh milk for her mother, all humans are busy with their own business, ignorant of people who are busy looking for work, ignorant with abandoned children asking for food, the important thing is that my business is done today. Point. Even though not far away, about 600 meters from the crowd, a 12-year-old little brother was thinking hard, racking his brain, where this morning he should go to find a mouthful of rice, for him and his sister.
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"If, this afternoon I'm not returned, then wait a minute Sis, don't you give up, hold on to your pain for a while, rest assured, I will come back, maybe it will just be a little late, remember, hold on Sis, I will definitely come back "
The two eyes looked at each other expectantly, a pair of eyes that did not know how life should be and where it would be taken, the thought was too difficult for his brain capacity which was only a grade 2 elementary school graduate. All they know is that life is about looking for a mouthful of rice, just thinking about it feels like their heads are about to explode. Yes, at a very young age, they never felt what it was called joy and happiness, maybe they even forgot how to play and laugh.
It's hot, very hot, it feels like the sun is only an inch above the head. The sweat flowing down his chest incessantly made Rana a little ticklish. Of course, this will make his body condition more wrinkled and smelly. But it doesn't matter to Rana, the most important thing is how he and his beloved sister can eat today. His legs were cracked because he wasn't wearing sandals, he walked aimlessly, beads of sweat from his forehead began to spread to his chest, his sad eyes looked around the main intersection, as a result, he only saw humans with cars, what was worse he just saw witnessed a sight that made him jealous half to death. Across the street, near the sidewalk, there is a family who is enjoying eating chicken noodles together. The mother's hand was so dexterous to feed a girl who seemed to be the same age as Rana. Not to forget the father also gave spices of intimacy by giving a warm caress that landed on the child's cheek. The boy smiled happily. Rana smiled bitterly, there was a very deep wound in his heart. Suppose….
"Ahk.." The fantasy of happiness he was just about to imagine was broken by an unexpected ambush.
There was a small punch that landed on his right shoulder. Of course, this brings back Rana's awareness that now he is in front of a big giant who is more terrifying than the ambush of a thug that his uncle had told him about who just died of kidney failure 2 months ago.
"Where are your results today, you haven't paid in full for 3 days" Bang Sotam arrived from an unexpected direction. His eyeballs, which were as big as balls, almost popped out of their shells. The smell of hair that had not been washed for years immediately made Rana suffocate, not to mention that his grip on his hands was as painful as the grip of a tiger that finds meat because of hunger.
At this rate, Rana couldn't help but hold his breath and be silent, shut his mouth tightly and if he was forced to speak only two words he dared to say, namely...
"Oh my gosh..!" Resigned! The key tactics performed by all the children of the main market coolies. Because if they dare to fight then they are no longer allowed to set foot here. And the worst thing is that Rana's sister can become the target of his crime, that's what Rana is most afraid of.
"Okay, then your debt has doubled now and this afternoon you have to pay it all off" The loud voice made Rana tremble, his teeth clenched in anger. He wanted to detonate an atomic bomb on his big body. But thankfully Sotam's sadistic grip was soon released and he left Rana with a menacingly cruel look.
Rana looked down at that moment, look at the child, look... his eyes began to bleed because they were filled with droplets of water which in a few seconds would drip down his cheeks, it hurts, this is very painful for Rana. Her sister Rani is waiting in a cardboard hut made by Rana near the landfill, waiting hungry and in pain. Her soft voice always rang in Rana's ears, "Brother...I'm scared...Really, Rani is afraid..." It's been 2 weeks that these words have always come out of Rani's little mouth, and Rana until now doesn't know what Rani's fear means.
-to be continued -...
I feel the sadness of your article, but we can't deny that, that's really the reality.