Asti Girl Carrying the Curse
Chapters 20. Meaning of Loss
Asti was allowed to leave the hospital after finishing one bottle of infusion. Fortunately, Haji Anissa was very careful to take care of him. They ate Padang rice that Satrio bought in the hospital canteen.
In the silence of the waiting room, the door of the ER treatment room was opened by a masked nurse and wearing a headscarf. Satrio approached as his name was called.
Within a few meters of the waiting room, he slowly heard the people - the man said the word "Innalilahi wa Inna ilaihi Raji'un"
Tears and only tears. Asti only felt his body float as he was swept towards the outer courtyard of the hospital. Satrio lifted his wife's light body into the car.
There were many people crowded in front of a passageway. An ambulance approached and pushed in a cage behind him. In the back seat was the sound of Bulek Ratih's crying. Also the voice of Ninuk.
Along the way Asti was just stunned staring at the road in front of him which began to be quiet before midnight. The ambulance siren in front of him seemed to be splitting the silence of the night.
Arriving at the house of Bude Ayu already many neighbors who gathered, especially the fathers.
They had tidied the middle room to be empty and given a mat. On the small cot, Bude Ayu's body was buried with his favorite batik cloth. Right in the middle of the room.
On the bed in his room that Asti laid Satrio.Dengan gently kissed his wife's lips.
"Sleep for a while, we'll bury Bude Ayu tomorrow afternoon before Dhuhur. Mbah Sanjaya and Bude from Sendang Kanti will be coming soon. Same mom is still on the way!,"
There were sounds - busy sounds from the house of Bulek Ratih. Maybe because of the influence of the drug that was given by the doctor who handled Asti can fall asleep for a moment.
" Asty! " Call Bude Diah, Son of Mbah Sanjaya. The woman saw Asti who woke up . Ever since she came with her parents and husband, this house has been crowded.
Mr. Haji and Lek No tried to explain the events experienced by Bude Ayu the previous night. In Bude's window still marked with a yellow stripe, Satrio entrusted the case entirely in the hands of Herlambang, the friend who became the leader at the local police station.
The woman offered a glass of warm tea that was provided in several tables placed on the front porch and living room.
"He's not well, Lek. The doctor said his blood pressure was a bit low."
The young man hugged the body of his wife who was still wearing his blue dongker bomber jacket." Want a shower, Dek ? I've prepared hot water."
In the dim light of dawn in the middle room came the sweet voice of Asti who was reciting the Qur'an for the last time in front of Bude Ayu. Her bud face looked clean, there was a glimpse of a gentle smile in her eternal silence.
The mothers have prepared several flower arrangements taken from several neighboring pages. Quickly the side yard was covered with sheets of cloth and rows belonging to Bude Ayu. The place will be used to bathe the body. Because there have come two women from neighboring villages whose side job is to bathe and manage the body before being buried.
In the middle room as well, Bude Ayu's body began to be wrapped in a shroud, after being bathed. Asti sat weakly in the arms of her mother-in-law who came right at 07:00. The women sat around in silence. One or two of them helped what the caretaker asked for.
The more mourners came from some residents next to the village, the traders in the market were also the Koh Edy family without Mas Kusno. The house was increasingly crowded with various preparations for the funeral prayer in the mosque and preparation for burial
Bude Ayu's body has been sent to the cemetery by carrying several village devices in turn. Satrio remained among those people with Lek No.
They were all on foot, because the cemetery was just behind the village that borders the bamboo forest. But Satrio asked Ninuk to bring a motorbike, fearing Asti was not strong and fainted at a cemetery more than 400 meters away. Asti still forced to come along to take Bude Ayu's body to the cemetery.
Still awaited by Satrio, Asti continued to sit in front of the tomb of Bude Ayu while chanting prayers. Until the tomb was again deserted after the ushers returned to their respective homes.
Some relatives, relatives and friends who know Asti and Bude Ayu continue to arrive. Asti ushered Satrio clean and changed clothes. Before meeting the guests.
Bulek Ratih was busy in the kitchen this morning with other mothers preparing lunch for people returning from the funeral.
People who have just returned from clean tombs in the bathroom of the mushola and ablution. But Lek No and Mr. RT accompanied the fathers to a prepared lunch at Lek No's house.
The news of Bude Ayu's death was delivered by word of mouth. Or through the postings of RT sir, Asti's current school friends who live in several other villages thanks to the progress of communication, especially HP.
After the arrival of Asti's schoolmates from Junior High and Middle School, there was a troupe of Satrio's co-workers from the city. There are five cars of various types with the official union logo where Satrio served and two Pajero parked on the road along the funeral home. A very different view of the funeral home of most villagers.
The mourners formed groups of their own in the yard and on the terrace. At first glance, there is a satire from two Asti friends for his friends who used to blaspheme and drop Asti mentally with the curse.
" Look Asti's better than us, right? There was a good, established and ranking husband by her side. That's what a curse-bearer woman means?"
Some friends try to calm down. At least Asti's best friends can mengueam education in college. Some even work in Jakarta. Precisely close friends Fahira just become ordinary housewives. Because there are only school until they graduate SMP-only. While some of Fahira's friends who attended SMK were forced to work in accordance with job vacancies in the area which was very limited. If not become a factory employee, shopkeeper or manual labor in some home industry business.
Asti's group of friends almost went home with the police. Satrio accompanied his colleagues to their respective cars.Including waiting for the leader who drove the white Pajero.
"Ratih Boulek?" call Asti when passing through the connecting door of their house. The woman was still busy arranging for Ninuk's friends who were arranging various cakes on plates for the neighbors who came after Magrib to tahlilan at Bude Ayu's house.
Asti immediately led him to his middle room." Eat, huh? Or will you buy Sate Bu As near the intersection of the next village?"
" No, Mom! Asti's pregnant mother can't eat mutton!" Ban Ninuk was shocked to hear the offer.
"What's? I'm pregnant?" asti whispered confused.
Bulek hugged Asti tightly. " Satrio hasn't told you yet, has he? your husband is old too, that is!"
" Once, Asti! Your buds are calm there. Now think of yourself and the child in your stomach. Take care of it properly!" Lek No reminded.
His voice is a bit vibrating. Resist the sadness and disbelief that the path of the departure of the sister who will always be her brother with violence and robbery.
" Lek, if you need money, tell me how much you need! Don't use personal Lek's money. I'm his nephew, his family too.!"
" Asti, Bude Ayu nitip big money three days ago same Bulek. It was going to be made yesterday to buy fertilizer in the North rice field of the village. Because Lek No does not stumble to the bank after you transfer."
" How much money did Bude take?"
" Nearly five million rupiah ..."
There's Asti's breath. " Pake aja Lek, if less talk to Me or to Mas Satrio, yes. "
The woman entrusted all the affairs to Lek No. Also during the takziah money calculation. Because of the various management of the summoning of the corpse, people who dig graves and all kinds of it need a fee or money. Not to mention preparing lunch for dozens of people. Also to buy cakes and various purposes for tahlilan on the first day.
Asti enjoyed a long bean oseng vegetable with a piece of tempeh and sambel terasi on the dining table of Lek No house. Lek No has not been to the Bank since Asti transferred to his account since he received the payment of the coconut harvest.
Maybe if he had taken the money, it must have been early morning Lek No was not home. Because busy taking care of the rice fields for the growing season this year. Maybe even days later will not know the state of Bude Ayu in the event because it was done neatly and planned.
Satrio soon followed to Lek No's house and told the neighbors had come for a tahlilan event tonight. The activity will last until the seventh night with the last event is to give a blessing that is rice put into a box complete with vegetables, side dishes and fruit.
Each of the people who participated in the event brought blessings when returning home. While after tahlilan they are provided cakes, warm sweet tea sometimes clove cigarettes .
Bude Widyati's reaction again. He was beaten by his youngest son's chest many times for concealing his daughter-in-law's pregnancy. Satrio said he was afraid Asti was not ready to receive the news amid grief and sadness.
That night the house was deserted from a neighbor's visit. But Asti intends to stay longer accompanied by his mother-in-law. Everyone thinks that Bude Ayu has given an inkling of his age that is not long. Lek No is grateful because he and his family are part of the Asti family.
Shortly thereafter revealed the motive for the robbery that Bude experienced in his house. It turned out that they heard about the harvest of coconut groves being paid with considerable money. But the robbers are less observant. Today's sales are no longer going to give away piles of cash in the tens of millions and are kept at home.
Bude's room window was broken into from the front with a crowbar. Though the window of Bude's room is the shape of an ancient window with thick teak wood and iron trellis.
There is no money in the closet that Bude Ayu keeps except in a wallet that only contains one million rupiah. There are no hundreds of grams of gold millik rich widow, which has a heritage of coconut plantations and rice fields surrounding the village of Sendang Mulyo