dear stranger...

Today I just feel like writing for you. Thou I don’t know if you know me and maybe you even never notice me.
You are just like other strangers I passed by on my way to office, out for lunch, q-ing at ATM, or maybe the one who ride motorcycle I almost hit few days ago.
How are you? What are you thinking right now? I saw you sometimes look empty, drifted somewhere no body has know.
Do you have any friend? Family? Husband, wife, kids or relatives?

Excuse me if I’m a little bit noisy.

I am just right now thinking if I can guess what is in your head.
I saw you stepped into my Mom’s bakery just now, straight to the cakes shelves. Picked one or two then you asked for wrap to go.
‘Berapa?’you asked, ‘Tujuh ribu, bu’, pelayan answered.
Well yeah, suddenly you mentioned something about q-ing for more then an hour at the gas station, and as you reached there, they only allowed you to fill up to 25.000.
‘Gila ya, sudah tunggu lama-lama…’
Hmm..so that is one of your worries.
You know, stranger, yesterday there are mass demonstrations all over Indonesia. Jakarta, Bandung and here,Makassar. And they said on the newspaper that today will be one of it, too, and even bigger.
Yesterday was a day off for me at office. But I was there, to face the empty office. Just because of my promise to my boss, stranger.
When I was out for lunch with Ibu Itha and Risma, we saw trucks filled up with peoples. The demonstrants. I thought they were local soccer fanatics. I was in doubt to drive home, thus I just stayed at office another one hour, to let them pass by.
Do you know onething, stranger? When these people get upset, then can do anything, hit the car, turn it upside down, or even burn it. (maybe with you inside). Well, I don’t wanna be a tomato (or fish, or oncom) for next life and don’t wanna end my life as a barbeque, thus I think it is wise to just wait.

So what do you think stranger?

I saw you once in your safari suit. Civil servant uniform. You looked happy as usual. Maybe since it was Friday, which means you don’t have to work for too long. But actually what is your working hour? I saw you came to the office before I reached there.
Around 7:30AM? But then Icould not see you anywhere later on.
They say you were at nearby mall, but it was 10 AM.
Oh, maybe it was coffee break?
I wonder what you were thinking when you were at office. Did you enjoy working there? What do you think about your assignment? Is it good? What do you think about Friday? I often see you came and joined the morning aerobic with your colleagues. Was it fun? I mean, to work only for 2 or 3 hours and return home? Or maybe you have other things to do?

Well stranger,

Do you know that my 97 years old Grandma often see you riding your becak?
She repeated several times how sorry she is to see you passing by without customer.
Or maybe it was just coincidence.
Maybe you just dropped your customer off. Do you feel lucky to be a tukang becak? You don’t need any gasoline. But maybe you worried of your children’s transportation cost? I heard they will increase the pete-pete cost. Well, no wonder thou, since the price per liter will be twiced more expensive than before.
Do you think you’ll take them to school in your becak? Then, that means you’ll reduce your riding-hours for customers…
Hmm…tough. But I think you still looked cheered. Why?
What made you so happy?

Maybe you can share some happy stories?
...or at least make up one?