CONFESSION STONED
67. Peak Competition

Morning at the end of the week, the last day of school. Colored dressed more neatly and went to Dul school. He had no specific need to visit his son. He just wanted to take his son to eat together. He had told his father that he was going to pick Dul up that day.

Sejah sat outside the Dul class to enjoy the scenery that is not enjoyed every day. Dul who was sitting in the third row was busy looking down coloring. The boy did not know that his mother was waiting outside.

"Where are you going, ma'am?" dul asked as his hand was already in the grasp of the Colonized. The mother and son went to the side of the road.

"In the mall, will you?" Sejah looked down at Dul's face behind his school hat.

"The tiger! Eat well, right?"

"It wasn't good all this time?"

"Enak too. But I like fried chicken. I never cooked chicken. I eat eggs every day."

"Later we eat fried chicken," said Dijah stopped angkot their destination.

"Om Bara where's Mom? Regular om Bara comes with us," Dul said when they were in the angkot.

"Om Bara's busy," replied Sejah briefly.

That afternoon Sejah invited Dul to lunch at a branded fried chicken restaurant. Seized just sitting looking at Dul who ate with his greed.

"Mom not eating?" dul asked as he realized his mother was just folding her hands on the table and looking down at him.

"Mother is still full" replied Dijah. "Eat it slowly. I'm not in a hurry."

Dul looked down and continued eating.

"Dul, if we don't see Bara again, you're okay, right?" Sejah looked at Dul's slightly surprised face.

"Why Ma'am? I like it with Bara. The guy's good, not stingy. The car is great, the bike is great. Om Bara cool. Why can't I see you again? Om Bara don't want to see us again huh?" Dul now implied disappointment on his face. The boy stopped eating the rest of his food.

"No, no Bara doesn't want to see us. Mom just went to you. Yes, he continued eating." Seized back to bring the plate closer to Dul.

"I am full" said Dul.

By late afternoon, Dijah equip Dul with a toy and seplastik snacks when delivering his son home. After cleaning Dul's equipment and bathing his son, Sejah went from his parents' house. In his hand there is a package containing fried chicken that he will bring to Mbok Jum.

Sejah went to Mbok Jum's house by riding an angkot. Unbeknownst to him, Dul gets out of the house and walks to Polsek where he can find Bara.

Dul has arrived at the Polsek yard with wet hair neatly combed. His fresh face was studded with white powder that was touched by the Colonized earlier.

"Who's looking for you?" ask a young man who just got off his duck bike.

"I want to see Bara," replied Dul still flirting towards a group of men who sit on the bench and the walls of the Polsek terrace.

"Om Bara's a journalist?" ask the young man again.

"Do not know Om. Anyway, om Bara often here bring a really big camera. Nice camera. Om Bara used to ride a red motorbike. Cool about that Bara," explained Dul.

"Ooh... Just ask me a minute, yeah.." The young man walked away from Dul a few steps later shouting, "There's a Bara no?"

Hearing the young man's cry, a young man stood up and walked over.

"You Bara? There are nyariin," said the young man pointed at Dul.

"The King of Term.com, right? Didn't come in, it's been a long time. I'm here to replace him" the man explained. "Nyariin Bara Why Dik? Om Bara is busy covering elsewhere. Not here anymore" replied the man.

Dul just gawked at the words of the men. He did not understand the long explanation and the strange term that was called to him just now. Dul only understands that Bara is not there.

"So there's no, Om? Yes, I'm home."

"What's wrong? Anyone want to be sidelined? Let me call Bara." The man pulled out his phone.

"It's okay, I just wanted to see you. My name is Dul Om. If it's Bara nanya, say my name is Dul." Dul then walked away from the Polsek yard. His face was lethargic and his shoulders were not as firm as when he entered the Polsek courtyard earlier.

Dul was heartbroken by his mother's words. Why can't he see Bara again? What reason? Dul felt he had to ask the man directly.

*****

Colored to feel part of himself now, there is less. The longing to meet Bara feels very difficult to brush off. With a floating mind Sejah had unknowingly arrived at the landfill.

Five minutes later he stood up trying to digest his vision. His eyes were in disbelief. Rows of settlements where Mbok Jum used to live have now been flattened with land.

"Mbok Jum." said Dijah then ran to the location where the old woman's hut was standing.

"Mas! Where the hell is all this? Which house is here?" tanya Sejah to a man who was scavenging for trash.

"Brought to where? Which office?" ask Colored again.

"Do not know! Don't understand!" exclaim the man from above the mountain of rubbish.

"Geez! Mbok..." Sejah then ran down the ruins of a row of huts around there.

Arriving at the very end of the row, Sejah saw some people scavenging equipment from behind the ruins of the tepas cottage.

"Sir! Know Mbok Jum? An old woman who lives alone on the other end?" tanya Sejah's.

"Tau," replied the old man briefly without turning to Dijah.

"Where was Jum taken, sir?" tanya Sejah was impatient.

"Do not know! There's no word yet. The elders and no family were brought in the same Dinas people" said the old man again.

"Where was Jum taken?" muttered Colored while sweeping the sweat on his face. "Where's dinas? The mana-" service is colonized like a dazed man talking to himself.

Remembering the phone in his bag, Sejah immediately reached into his bag looking for a cell phone. He immediately searched for Bara's phone number and pressed the call button.

It didn't take long, Bara immediately answered his call.

"What's the matter?" ask Bara across the phone with a worried tone.

"Mbok Friday. Mbok Jum was evicted from his cottage. Now I don't know where. He said he was brought in the same Dinas. I don't know what service he took him to. I'd like to ask you, where's the Agency? Kasian Mbok Jum, yesterday was not healthy. I just want to know where... Can you help me find the information? You know, I don't know who else to ask..." The voice of Sejah sounded very desperate. He almost felt crying. Either because he missed hearing the sound of Bara so warm.

"Wedged... Colonized... Calm down. Slowly speaking. Where are you now? I'll take you there, will I?" bargain Bara to him.

"Where are you?" Sejah has decided not to trouble Bara anymore.

"I'm at Polsek deket your parents' house. I can pick it up now if you want. You're still at Mbok Jum's place huh?" ask Bara again.

"No, I'm going there. I'm going straight there now. Not far. I close the phone," cut up the Digah fast.

"We can have a relaxed conversation. It's late afternoon, I'll pick you up?" ask Bara.

"I'll hang up now, wait there." He put his cell phone in his bag and ran out of the alley to the highway.

Upon arrival at the side of the road, Dijah bit his lips with anxiety. Some of the angkot goals look full. He had to wait for a while until he found an angkot that left a bench at the mouth of the door.

Sejah stopped in front of a mini market across the alley of his house almost 25 minutes later. In a hurry he crossed the road to look briefly into the alley of his house and continued towards the fence Polsek.

His chest has been pounding ever since. Being angry cannot sort out his feelings. Meet Bara because he wants to be helped to find Mbok Jum, or because he misses to see the man.

"Welcome!" call a man from the top of a motorbike who stops by the side of the highway.

He looked at the man. It was the man who used to stalk Fredy everywhere.

"What??" tanya Sejah's.

"Your father lost gambling again at the stall. I just packed Fredy's money" said the man.

"Nonsolve!" reply Sejah back walk. He slightly slowed his steps so as not to immediately arrive in front of the police.

"Fredy still loves Jah!" the man laughed. He looked down for the stone closest to his feet.

"Sablengs!" exclaimed the man then hurriedly advanced his vehicle.

With the mood already getting worse, Sejah hoped that by looking at Bara, his heart was calm again. Bara's eyes and speech can always calm his mind.

From a distance the colonists already recognize Bara. The man was talking to a woman who was covered behind his body. Sejah could only catch a glimpse of the woman's shoulder-length hair.

Bara stood behind the fence and spoke to his car.

"You're not a professional Ra! Women are the object of your research. I didn't think she was the girl you were dating. I heard you went to the hospital yesterday because you were beaten by her ex-husband's man. Logical dong Bara! You are just a cassian! Don't you use him, will you?"

"Joe! Your voice please dipelanin. Now there's nothing to do with the thesis and the woman I'm looking for. Please deh! It's my personal business. We knew him long before I knew him, but that doesn't mean you can interfere in my affairs."

"As a friend of Ra, as a friend. I want you to be realistic! Ask yourself again. She's a widow. Do you know why he is not the same as you? I just open your eyes. Not blind! You paid for it at first, right? He must have received your money too. Your efforts have been a lot. No need to interfere in his personal affairs. Sampe battered that. Pay again for that resource. So you don't feel like there's a debt of gratitude!"

"Joanna!!" Bara yelled stifled. His head seemed to break listening to the babble of a woman with the title S3 who did not accept competing with a widow whose side job scavenged garbage.

"How much do you want to pay for my services?" tanya Sejah from behind Bara. Bara immediately turned his head widening his eyes staring at Dijah.

The To Be Continued.....