Asti Girl Carrying the Curse
23. Customs and Habits
Actually, Satrio was a bit hesitant to take Asti to the village of Sendang Mulyo to commemorate the hundred days of Bude Ayu's death. But Asti still wants to go!
No matter if the distended stomach is still not comfortable to travel far. Doctors gave Asti vitamins and boosters after Satrio said he would take his wife some distance to his village.
Satrio meant, not the mileage to be reckoned with. The village was a distance from the house not to 60 from the city where they lived. But the emotions caused by the atmosphere of the Yasinan event that will affect the inner Asti who still always feel the loss of the woman whose role exceeds that of a biological mother.
Sure enough, Asti immediately rolled weakly in his room after they had only come a few minutes to the joglo house. In that room, Asti had been mobbed by several mothers from the right and left neighbors of the house.
There is Haji Anissa's mother, Mbah Parto to Mbak Cici. In addition to the long time they did not meet the only nephew of the late Bude Ayu, they were also very enthusiastic about the news of Asti's pregnancy, at the time Bude Ayu died.
"It's okay, Mom. Asti's just a little nauseous!" Asti is weak.
She knew the arrival of these neighboring mothers was actually to help Bulek Ratih cook, not keep her and her pregnancy.
Satrio is very alert to the state of his wife. He immediately massaged Asti's two slightly cramped legs, as he sat for a long time in the car. According to Dr. Saskia who handles Asti's pregnancy, the fetus in Asti's womb grows well and healthy .
After Magrib, the neighbors who had been invited to Yasinan came to the joglo house of the late Mbah Harjo Winangun. They were guided by Pak Haji Anwar to read Yasin's letter and pray Bude Ayu almarhumah and other Asti family members from his father, Mbah Putri Sri Sumarsih and Mbah Kakung Harjo Winangun.
The melodious voice of Mr. Haji Anwar while chanting the opening prayer was very sad. They read the other letters in fervent prayer.
While in Asti's room, Satrio hugged the body of his wife who seemed to pray while shedding tears. There is a sense of sadness, loss and longing for his family that has passed away. But the prayer continues to be chanted from Asti's lips in a voiceless tone.
Until the prayer has been concluded by Haji Anwar. Satrio immediately came out of the room. He asked Asti to lie down for a while. In front of the room Satrio sat with Lek No as the host.
The mothers who were in the dining room immediately who helped Bulek Ratih remove the trays containing coffee drinks and market snacks in plates.
The guests had a conversation while enjoying hot coffee and various pastries. While the father who wants to smoke, walk to the front porch.
After the guests have finished enjoying the dish in the form of traditional cakes. Mothers put out a blessing in a cardboard box that was put in a red crackle bag.
The crackle is shifted one by one, until each guest gets one blessing. Sometimes the fathers would also bring the blessing to an invited neighbor who could not attend.
The contents of the blessing are rice, potato fried sauce, there is a piece of cooked chicken soy sauce seasoning. Sometimes added with an egg and some vegetable dishes such as capcay, pickled cucumber carrots or stir-fry beans.
The food is usually included in several smaller, transparent plastic bags to make it more appropriate and not mixed with each other. All of that was the idea of Hajjah Anissa's mother who had been shown by relatives who lived in a big city like in Jakarta.
" Healthy Asti, tomorrow we go to Budemu's tomb as well as the tomb of other family members. You'll be piggybacked by Lek No!" Bule Ratih said while saying goodbye to return to his house via a shortcut beside the warehouse.
Tomorrow Satrio will return to his office in the city, the day after he has to leave the city for service for four days. Before going to the village, Asti had already tidied up one small suitcase of Satrio clothes to carry around in her duties .
In the morning, the Asti group came with three motorcycles. In addition to Asti who was driven by a motorbike by Lek No, there was also Bule Ratih, Haji Anissa's mother was also Bude Prapti. The state of the tomb in the village is like this, somewhat less neat with the arrangement of each tomb
The guardrail is only from bamboo fences. The frangipani trees that cover the place indicate that it is a public burial place. But all families and descendants of Winangun given their own land located in the North part of the tomb.
Tomb - eat it neatly enough to be given a headstone from a piece of marble that contained the names of people who had gone missing. Even on the side of each tomb was given a fine grass pedestal.
Bulek Ratih was a bit surprised, because Bude Ayu's tomb was filled with flowers that seemed fresh and new. Who came to the tomb before his family came?
It seemed like Bulek Ratih had a thousand questions in his head at the moment. But he did not dare to talk about this to Asti, afraid of adding senewen pregnant women.
Satrio said yesterday that Asti's attitude and behavior had changed 180 degrees since she became pregnant. The more chatty, the inn is anxious and prefers to be at home, rather than getting to know his new neighbors in the estate.
Lek No told Satrio to be more patient and always give him support. Moreover, Asti did not have any immediate family members again after the death of Bude Ayu. Except for him and his wife who live far apart from Asti and her husband.
"Don't cry, Asti. Come and pray for them! "Whispers Haji Anissa's mother reminded.
The tomb of Bude Ayu is still a red earth mound with a headstone from a wooden board slat. According to local custom, the tomb could not be made permanently before it was more than a year old. To give a foundation around the tomb with bricks and cement alone must hold a ceremony first, or salvation.
It seems Lek No is diligent in taking care of the tomb of a member of the Asti family. Because the man felt indebted, appointed by Mr. Harjo Winangun from the valley of poverty at that time their area experienced various disasters. From leafhopper pests that destroy thousands of hectares of rice crops, crop failure and prolonged transition season.
They were not too long in the tomb, because there were two tomb guards who had been paid by Lek No to take care and guard the tomb of the Winangun family.
From a distance Asti's eyes saw a row of tombs from the forerunner of Winangun descent. At the easternmost position there is a pair of tombs that form a higher building with a temple-like tombstone model called cungkup, that's where the Tomb of Mbah Buyut Saridi Winangun and his wife Ni mas Ayu.
Beside him was his Father's Tomb, Bagas Prasetyo Winangun. The man did not even have time to wait for the birth of Nastiti Anjani, because a month earlier he had died in an accident on the highway. Along with the tomb of his father, is the Tomb of the Princess of Sri Sumiarsih, whose date of death is only different years, but if counted not until 6 months after the death of his proud son.
Not far from the tomb there is also the tomb of Mbah Harjo Winangun, he still had time to take care of his only grandson, Asti until he was 15 years old. Now in the tomb which is still a mound of land that is Ayu Sulaksmi, his father's brother who has taken care of and cared for him since he was 10 months old until he married.