A Life Story
Chapter 1, The Beginning

At first glance, my name is Hamdan Supriatna who was born on March 25, 1988. I was born from the stomach of a mother named Esih Sukaesih and my father named Yusep Supriatna. I was born in a typical stage house Sundanese traditional house in the village of Cipeundeuy Bandung Regency. It has now become West Bandung Regency since 2007.

In this story I will start in 1992 (because I can remember my story from that year on). This year, my parents divorced when I was 4. For the date and month I don't remember. At the time, my mother was pregnant with my first sister.

One morning, my mother and I were going to take a bath in a public bath, because there was rarely a house that had its own bathroom. So everyone in my village will be bathing in one place. You can imagine if at that time the line of people who want to shower like what. It's about 200 yards from my house.

"Well, is my sister a boy or a girl?" I asked my mother when I was walking to the public bath.

"Yes, and, like men, want women to be grateful. You should love your sister later." replied my mother. Because parents used to not know or even there is no USG like now, so do not know the child will be born male or female. And most gave birth not in midwives, but in shamans to give birth, if in my village called paraji.

"Oh yes dong mah, surely I will love my sister later" I said as I rubbed my mother's stomach.

Arriving at the public bath, it's true what my mother said at home if if you want to shower must come early. It turned out that the people who queued in the baths were many, about 10 people. The bathhouse itself has only 2 rooms (rooms). So I guess I'll have to wait 5 more people to get to my turn. After 30 minutes, it was my turn to take a shower. We took a shower for only a few minutes at most 10 minutes because of pity also with the people who queued. Maybe they will also feel the same annoyed as me when queuing up. After the shower, we went home.

"When where is Mah? why never go home? though every day I often see the father on the road" asked me when almost home. I saw my mother's face lethargic at my question.

"Now your father will not return to this house again Dan" answered my mother as she opened the door. We entered the house and dressed.

"Why won't you come home again?" ask me after wearing clothes that have been prepared. My mother was silent, her face looked sad looking at me.

"Now you're the same Mom, and don't think of me. If you want to see your father, you just stay ahead, but be careful about getting hit by a motorbike or car" said my mother, stroking my hair.

My father's job was a rural transport driver. My house is near the main road of the village, only one house is blocked. So I can still meet my father if he's on his rural transport, because the terminal where the transport stops is in my village as well. While my mother worked odd jobs. You could say my mother's job is a domestic assistant, but not fixated on one house only. Neighbors often told my mother to do laundry, iron, even just to do the dishes.

Every day I used to meet my father because there was a field on the side of the road for us to play. Every time I meet my father, I always ask for money for snacks. I was given 500 rupiah for a day. Understandably, the money 500 first can buy anything, enough for my snack a day.

Day by day I was always beside my sister, because I remembered my mother's message that my sister was born I should be able to look after and love her. Sometimes, my friends who invite to play I ignore if mom is working. I always accompany my sister at home. If my sister cries, I immediately call my mother because she works at a neighbor's house not far from my house.

At home, I have a few more people. That is, my grandfather, my grandmother, my mother's sister, and also my mother's sister. With the birth of my sister, the house became 7 people. My grandfather and my mother's sister worked odd jobs in the fields, while my mother's sister worked in the market and my grandmother was home because she was old and had limited activities.

One day, when my sister was able to crawl, my mother and I had lunch with the other neighbors.

"Sih, eat with yuk? what are you cooking" asked one of my neighbors to my mother who is also my brother.

"Come, I cook potato saute, fried tempeh, and fish shady" said my mother agreed to the neighbor's invitation. We started eating with our neighbors.

We are so happy we eat. Suddenly there was a 'preng' sound of plates breaking beside my mother's seat. Then everyone who was eating turned to the side of my mother. How shocked all who saw it turned out that there was my sister who fell toward the broken plate. All screaming let alone my mother to hysterical because she saw a lot of blood on my sister's face. Sure enough, the broken plate looks stuck on my sister's cheek.

My mother immediately embraced my sister then took my sister to the Cikalong Wetan health center (now RSUD Cikalong Wetan) using rural transportation. Arriving at my sister's puskesmas directly handled by the puskesmas officer. My sister had an incision in her left cheek and had to be stitched. After finishing my sister's treatment, in the afternoon we returned home.

After arriving home, it turns out that there are many people at home. They immediately asked my brother's condition.

"How's Aris doing, huh?" ask one of the neighbors.

"Alhamdullah is fine. It's just that his cheeks have to be stitched 20 stitches" my mother replied. Then my mother immediately entered the house to lay my sister because she had been asleep since the puskesmas.

A few months later, since my sister was able to walk, I always took my sister with me when I was playing. We were together everywhere, especially when my mom was working. We get along very well even though sometimes like to upset my mother. Yes, his name is also brother sister there must be a fight. My sister likes to cry because of my snobbery. Sometimes I like nyubit and even hit my sister. But, even though I like the prank of my sister, I love her very much.