Short Story. NOT a moment. Twenty years of waiting is an indescribable pain. Until there is no visible beauty and elegance of his body even though it is only a remnant. Diabetes robs her of beauty. The wrinkled skin looks even more miserable because of the scabs that have not healed on his body. Like a grave demon, every Kliwon Friday evening he limps to the grave. If the month of Ramadan even every afternoon. Even though the grave he visited was not the grave of his lover. He had deliberately treated the empty grave as the grave of his lover, which he didn't really know for sure whether his lover was dead or not.“Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. My lover came back to you to remind you that you have a promise to marry me. If you remember having a promise you should live. But, you still haven't fulfilled your promise, which means you're a dead criminal! Wassalamu 'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh," said Carnewi, the owner of a very big love for her lover but also a cruel and black hatred. “You are my first and last lover. Only you reign in my heart, because many handsome and rich men come to offer love and treasures I refuse. You who look mediocre even poor do not have. But now, you are a criminal and a coward for leaving without a message. Even though my family and I really accept you as you are. Don't you know all my family died as victims of our love? The people I turned down their proposals were hurt and banded together for revenge. While we were fast asleep, they burned my house down. My father, mother, brother and sister burned to death. I survived because that night I stayed at my aunt's house. Do you know how priceless my sacrifice in loving you is? So, to me you are the real villain for being so heartless! I don't know myself! Don't know love! So you deserve to die and be buried here!” curtly and cruelly Carnewi decided.
Carnewi still remembers the worst catastrophe in his life. In order to know Carnewi is still alive, the depraved men come to Carnewi in the rubble of his burning house. They usurped Carnewi's honor like an animal. Where is your lover whom you adore and you are proud of as a hero? He didn't come to help you! He's the one who made us vengeful to the point of killing your family and humiliating you now! That means he's the one who killed your family and raped you! They shouted those words! They are satisfied that they have wreaked their vengeance even if they are imprisoned for life as long as the person who rejects love lives is humiliated and tormented! That night, the night of takbiran. That night the takbir echoed to the recesses of the heart. But not to the recesses of the beast men's hearts. Carnewi lay helpless. The tears never stop flowing. The night wind in the cold dry season that blew was unable to soothe Carnewi's heart but instead made the poor woman feel even more pain.
***
It never occurred to Takrim to leave Carnewi. For Takrim, there is no happiness without the woman's smile. Therefore, Takrim always tries to make Carnewi happy so that she always smiles. Since childhood, Takrim loved Carnewi unconditionally. For Takrim, life is Carnewi. A girl who can run like a golden deer, can sulk and make the world feel cloudy and gloomy. It is impossible for Takrim to leave Carnewi, who he always looks after, like keeping a Chinese ceramic jar that looks shiny and doesn't break. But in reality, Takrim left Carnewi. Even without permission.
“I never left Carnewi. My body was dumped by Dartono. But my heart remains close to Carnewi," said the heart of Takrim who was kidnapped and exiled by Dartono to Batam.
Not thrown away, but someone ordered Takrim. For Dartono it was a fortunate coincidence. The hated person is thrown away but he also gets money. I hope someone has harbored feelings for Takrim since childhood. What's so great about the village youth who is not handsome until Suminih, the number one pimp in Batam, is curious about Takrim. Takrim is a woman lover. That's great.
No longer! Carnewi objected. Since the evil incident on the night of takbiran, Carnewi has not worshiped Takrim as a woman who loves women. Because Takrim left and never came again. Carnewi's resentment made the woman curse Takrim. Maybe by coincidence, maybe Carnewi's bad prayer was answered by Allah. Takrim, a young man, is helpless under the coercion of a pimp. The mad pimp also allowed his men to enjoy and humiliate Takrim. Even Takrim could no longer be himself because arousal drugs were always fed to him.
Every Friday afternoon Takrim lies between life and death. In the month of Ramadan his suffering even every afternoon. He heard the sound of a woman's curse that hurt his ears and seemed to hit his body. Takrim screamed for mercy. But the torment never stopped. Over time, Takrim's illness disgusted Suminih. The woman was also satisfied with humiliating Takrim. Takrim expelled. Her clothes are tattered. His body is thin with scabs that do not heal. Takrim was as miserable as Carnewi wanted. And now from Batam, although limping and begging, Takrim's soul has been overcome by a cursed magnet and headed for the empty grave in Mbah Buyut Magrim's public cemetery.
***
This year, Eid al-Fitr and the 67th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, are close together. Because while in prison Dartono and four of his friends behaved well and even became ustadz in prison, they got leniency. Not even twenty years in prison, they were released. They should have laughed out loud at their freedom. But they were crying. To them, fellow prisoners are like brothers. It's hard enough to part with them. But, no matter how hard they have to get out of prison. They already have a definite goal. Not going straight home to them. They will come to Carnewi's hut. They will apologize to the woman.
This afternoon the voice of takbiran was pronounced simultaneously. Of course Carnewi didn't forget to take a nap in the empty grave. Carnewi didn't know, far away there was a man like a madman heading for the empty grave. Carnewi also did not know that there were five men full of regrets and always prayed for Carnewi's happiness to come to his hut. At the door of Carnewi's hut, they were crying and begging Allah for forgiveness. They were seeing reflections of themselves when they burned the Carnewi family and humiliated the village flower.
"Assalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh," said Carnewi while kneeling beside the empty tomb. He raised both his palms with open fingers. Carnewi was ready to do a curse prayer for the lover she loved so much but also hated. However, the wind doesn't usually blow quite hard. Could it be that the gust of wind was a sign that the prayers for Carnewi of the five former criminals had been answered by Allah? The dramatic gust of that moment knocked two frangipani flower buds down into Carnewi's palms. The smell of flowers immediately wafted the nose of the once beautiful woman. "Cambodia fell in the hands?" Carnewi's heart felt that the falling of the frangipani flowers in her hands made her heart feel cold. What sign is this? What is clear is that Carnewi remembered that in the past Takrim had given her two frangipani flowers. Takrim climbed a frangipani tree and plucked two frangipani flowers. Takrim tucked the two frangipani flowers into Carnewi's ears. Carnewi's heart trembled at that. Takrim is a very nice guy. Why had Carnewi always cursed him?
"You?" Carnewi saw five men approaching him. Carnewi backed away in fear. The five men chased Carnewi and prostrated at Carnewi's feet. "You?" that was all Carnewi had to say. Even though in his heart there are many curses that he wants to throw.
"I'm sorry Carnewi, I led my friends to burn your house and family, we also humiliated you, and we also sold Takrim to Batam Island to pimp Suminih," Dartono explained in a pitiful voice.
"So?" Carnewi was furious. It turned out that Takrim was innocent. It was Carnewi who was at fault because he had always blamed and cursed Takrim. Why did Carnewi never curse Dartono and his friends? Is Carnewi stupid? Then Takrim's face appeared. Carnewi like getting a new injection of energy. He ran to catch up with a shadow figure. But the cloth was hit by a tombstone. Carnewi fell and hit her head on a rock until she fainted. In his stupor Carnewi saw Takrim crossing the road. A car crashed into the emaciated body. But Takrim actually felt his body free from pain. Also free from the incoherent cursing voices that had been tormenting him for so long. Takrim hears people calling him. But Takrim was tired and immediately floated up to lie down in the empty grave that Carnewi had prepared for a long time. Seeing that, Carnewi felt guilty and screamed cursing herself. The two frangipani buds in Carnewi's hands fell off and fell into the grave as the tears of lovers' regrets soaked the grave. Untung Gautara/Pilang, August 26, 2012.
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