"Raras, kowe kuwi bocah apa, wus dikandhani bola-bali, nek dolan ngati-ati, dadine kaya ngana, untunge isih ana sing nulungi, menawa ora kepiye?.......................

Mmmm, Kowe kuwi ya piye Bu, Bapak ning Semarang ki wus ana sing ngurusi, adhi-adhimu kan ngapa? Sithik-sithik telpon ning Jogja, apa sing liyane ora bisa ngurusi, Papa ki sibuk, akeh tugas ning kampus, nek ora rampung, lak ya ngisin-ngisinke kampus, kene nyambut gawe nganti nglembur-nglembur, sing digoleke dha ora beres.............."

Ora ana sing wani njawab, menawa semaur sethithik, sandal mlayu ning awak. Pak Dewa raine mangar-mangar, Bu Dewa mung sembab, ngrasakake Bapakne sing gerah ora mari-mari, ndilalahe anak wadone malah depresi berat amarga arep dianiaya uwong. Aryo karo Ghandy mung meneng wae.

"Aryo, kowe kuwi ora tau mulih ngapa, dolan ro cah wedok po piye, lunga terus, nganti ora tau ning ngomah, lan kowe Ghandy, ning balapan motor wus cukup nggo mangan dhewe po piye, nganti ora tau ning ngomah.............."

"Nggih mboten, Pa, Aryo akeh gaweyan, akeh bocah sing pingin sinau musik, Pa, angel Pa, nggolek kesempatan ngene kiyi, aji mumpung Pa.........." semaure Aryo.

"Aaah, papa, lha wong hadiah ya mung kula tabung, dingge masa depan, kok ya disereg, ajeng nyuwun pa pripun..............." semaure Ghandy sak tekane, "Wus tuwa kok senengane serikan ra anak-anake"

"Huzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........................" Ibune ngandhani Ghandy supaya ora waton semaur engko ndhak ana sandal mlayu ning geger.

Pak Dewa mung meneng wae. Raras sing lagi depresi mung ndhesel-ndhesel Ibune, malih dadi bocah cilik.

Bu Dewa alon-alon ambegan, karo mbuwang angin saka lambene, katon arep ngomong,"Aku dhewe ya bingung Pa, tenan-tenan iki dina-dina sing abot kanggo keluargane dhewe, Bapakku ndilalahe gerah ora gelem digawa ning Jogja, Raras ora isa njaga awake dhewe, Ghandy lan Aryo ya wus adoh dolane, kudu diadhepi bareng-bareng, aku ora isa menawa Panjenengan mesti nesu-nesu nganti kaya wong ora nggenah, tenan aku ora kuat Pa,.................ampun nyalahke tiyang sanes, Papa ya ngana, nglembur terus, nganti lali karo anak-anakke, apamaneh iki wulan Pasa, kudune dilongo ning nesu-nesu, engko dudu pahala sing Papa oleh-olehi, malah mung ngelih................"

Pak Dewa genti meneng suwi kae, nyawang trekahe Raras sing bali kaya cah cilik, nganti cuti kuliahe, lambene mung gumreget. .....................Ora ana sing wani nglungani papan kuwi. Kabeh meneng wae...............

**************

Lagi wae padha bebarengan maem mbengi sakwise sembahyang tarawih, ana telepon......Ghandy sing lungguh paling cedhak saka pesawat telepon, langsung nyekel gagang telpon.

"Hello, ini dari siapa ya?" kandhane Ghandy rada ra ngepenaki uwong wadon.

"Hello, apa ini rumahnya Mas Dewa Ya.................." ana suara cewek.

Ghandy lingak-linguk karo nggiliki Bapakne."Kalau Benar kenapa?"

"Saya mau nyari Mas Dewa....." kandhane cewek mau saya ndayu-ndayu.

"Haiya, siapa dulu nih.?" pitakone Ghandy.

"Saya fans-nya, asistennya di kampus, ........................."

Ora nunggu suwe-suwe, gagang telpon langsung dibanting.

"Mbak, nek Mbak Raras njaluk aku ngeterke mulih ning Yogya, aku ora isa, aku lan kanca-kancaku bar wae lomba sirkuitan, kesel Mbak awakku, wus mbengi, mbebayani munggah mudhun gunung, dedalanan ning Gunung Kidul iki, sakjane pingin nggolek tukang pijet, nanging Mbak Raras malah arep kena bebaya, aku trima ngancani Mbak Raras..." kandhane Ghandy rada nggenah marang sedulure wadon.

"Ibu piye, Dy......"

"Ora usah kuwatir, aku ra bakal crita, ning Mbak Raras tak jaluk ora mbaleni maneh.............................."

"Matursuwun ya nDy, nek ora ana kowe, aku wis kaya krupuk diremet-remet karo Indra, nanging aku kok isih ora isa nglalekake dheke.................."

"Yo wis, saiki Mbak Raras bobok sik..................." kandhane Ghandy karo ngelus-elus lengene Mbak-e, "Mbak aku tak ngandhani kanca-kanca dhilit wae, engko dhak dha melu ora isa seren..............."

"Aja, nDy, aku urung wani..................................." kandhane Raras marang adhine kanthi melas.

"Dhilit tenin, Mbak..............................."

Esuke Ghandy lan Raras, uga kanca-kancane mulih ning Yogya. Sakjane arep ngenteni nelayan mulih saka laut tuku iwak seger-seger, nanging Raras ketoke sajak ora sehat, karepe ning wus ning Yogya ben enggal-enggal isa ditambani. Awake anyep banget. Ghandy rada kuwatir, nanging Raras trima njaluk dirawat ning Yogya.

Sanajan ning ndalan ora bisa ngebut, amarga mboncengake Raras, nanging Ghandy lan kanca-kancane katon marem isa mbalap tekan Pegunungan Gunung Kidul.

"Sana kalau mau padha balapan, hati-hati saja, soalnya banyak tikungannya, sering ada angkutan umum asala ngebut..................." kandhane Ghandy marang kanca-kancane mbok menawa kanca-kancane padha senep meruhi Mbak Raras sing katon pucet ora kaya adate sing kemayu.

"Tidak apa-apa, Bos, kita asyik kok begini, bisa melihat pemandangan, lagian kami bisa ngawasi kalau Mbak Rarasmu itu jatuh atau kenapa-kenapa dari belakang........................." kandhane salah sawijining kancane.

"Terima kasih, friends............................"

Ghandy lan Raras katon kaya wong pacaran, kamangka kuwi amarga saking akrabe Mbakyu lan adhi. Kanca-kance dha cemburu.

*************

Kurang luwih jam sewelasan rombongan wus tekan Yogya. Kanca-kancane Ghandy padha mulih ora sida mampir ning ngomahe Ghandy. Sakuwise ning ndhokter, Ghandy lan Raras dha mbisu ora omong apa-apa marang Pak lan Bu Dewo kaya sing wus dikandhakake Ghandy wingi mbengi.

"Tumben, iki ana-anake Bapak kok rada akur, biyasane kaya singa ra macan, endi rebutan remote, rebutan komputer...................." ngendhikane Pak Dewo.

"Saiki bedha kok Pa, lha wong wus disogok Mbak Raras je ning restoran Kapuas.................." guyone Ghandy nggo nutupi wirange Mbak Raras.

"Bar jajan kok malah dha lemes, wus kana dha adus dhisik, gek nek ana kuliah gek kuliah, nek ora ya sakarepmu, tapi inet lho Ras, Dy, sinau, wus meh semesteran........................" ngendhikane Pak Dewo karo nguthak nguthik keyboard komputer.

"Pa, Ibu endi?"

"Biasa to, nunggoni Eyangmu sing ning Semarang...................."

"Oooooooo" Ghandy langsung mlebu kamare Mbakyune, nggiliki Raras.

*******************

Saya suwe Raras ngatonake tingkah sing aneh-aneh, nyok bengak-bengok dhewe, nangis dhewe. Pak Dewo pisanane mung meneng wae meruhi kahanane Raras, nanging suwe-suwe ya rada curiga, mulane nakoni Ghandy.

"Dy, Raras ngapa kae..............."

"Embuh Pa, terus ora tau mangkat kuliah, ora gelem melu fashion, wus ning kamar terus, aku ora ngerti Pa............................"

"Ibune wus reto urung................"

"dereng, Ibu ki saiki mung mikirke Eyang terus.............."

Pak Dewo nyedhaki Raras,"Ras, kowe ki ngapa, kok kaya wong ora nggenah, nek pancen ora nggenah tak gawakke psikiater, kancane Papa ana..............."

"Papa ki piye, to, Mbak Raras ki depresi kok dinganakke, Papa itu mboten gadhah perasaan......................" Ghandy nggeret tangane Bapakne karo mbisiki,"Pa, Mbak Raras ki...ngene Pa, mbiyen kae sakjane aku lagi wae nylametake Mbak Raras saka pokale Indra, arep disuntik narkoba Pa, dijak ning motel Pa, piye Pa nek ngana kuwi, untunge aku lan kanca-kancaku ki dha rana, nek ora kaya ngapa Pa, ning ngapa Pa, aku ora ngerti, sanajan Mbak Raras slamet, nanging sajake isih urung isa nglaleke kedadeyan kuwi, isa uga merga isih seneng marang Indra.........................."

Pak Dewo manggut-manggut, enggal-enggal wae nelpon kancane sing psikolog. Kanthi sesideman psikolog kuwi diundhang nanging dipenging crita sing werna-werna.

***********

Bu Dewo masrahake Bapakne marang adhi-adhine sing ning Semarang, amarga Raras mbutuhake perhatian khusus saka wong-wong sekitare.

Wus tau jeroan dinggo topi, karo mlayu-mlayu ning ruang tamu. Sandal diwenehke gelas sirup. Anehe nek lagi wayah adzan, dheweke trus kelingan marang awake, ya reti adus barang. Miturut psikiater kuwi, pancen kedadeyan kaya ngono kuwi isa kedaden marang sapa wae sing bar nandhang putus cinta.

"Oalah, NDhuk, ayu-ayu kok mung arep ngedan, wus ndra ben muatek dicokot macan, ora sah dieling-eling maneh........................" kandhane Bu Dewo karo nuntun supaya Raras tansah eling marang Allah. Rambut Raras disisiri, dikucir, dikon nganggo klambi sing disenengi. Bu Dewo rada curiga, ngapa nek pas wayah adzan, Raras isa kelingan marang jati dirine, nanging menawa wayah liyane, isa ndadra..................Mulane dheweke terus takon marang Pak Kyai.

"Ngeten mawon, Bu, pendhak adzan dipun waosi Al Fatihah kaping 1000, pun beris Bu, nek dereng mari mangkeh kula sing maju. Jebulane keluwargane sinten, mbok bilih Ibu Dewo ngertos, badhe nggawe culika putrune Panjenengan, niki nggih menawi pitados, kula nggih namung mbiyantu.........................."

Pendhak wayah sore, Bu Dewo macakake Al Fatihah sing sak akeh-akehe kanggo Raras. Raras rada katon sumringah. seger.

Ghandy lan kanca-kancane nggiliki kahanan Pesisir Baron ora suwe. Langit wus semu peteng. Sesawangan banyu laut ya wus ora biru. Ghandy rada mesakake ndeleng kanca-kancane, wus kesel, e malah kewengen tekan Baron. Ora weruh wong bakul maneh. Dheke banjur ngajak kanca-kanacane ninggalake Pesisir.

"Aku tak dhisik, soale selek kebelet je, langsung ae ning motel "Angel Park" ya........aduh selek kebelet je, engko cepet wae dha nyusul......" kandhane Ghandy marang sobat-sobate.

"Bareng wae, wus wengi ngene, kesel awakku, sesuk wae ning pantai-ne......" kandhane salah sawijining kancane karo nggujengi gegere, "awakku ambune wus ora karuan ngene...."

Kanca-kanca liyane dha sarujuk, Ghandy lan kanca-kancane banjur mlayukke montire nang motel "Angel Park". Banjur dha mlayu nggoleki toilet.

"Mas....mas, arep nendi, ning resepsionis sik..." kandhane satpame motel kuwi.

"Sorry, Pak, selek kebelet je..........nunut sik nggih Pak, engko ning omongan karo resepsionise diambu, lak ra isa mbajuli resepsionise...." guyone Ghandy karo cengar cengir.

"Oalah Mas, iki Mas Ghandy sing nyok ning koran kae to, piye Mas, menang ora pertandingan wingi kae........." pitakone satpam-e.

"Aku ki mesti nomer telu, Pak, wingi ki ya iya.........ning aku mumet, meh ujian kuliah iki lho Pak, karo Papa wus di seneni terus, wingi bijiku amburadul, merga terforsir melu tetandingan balap terus........." semaure Ghandy. Pangrungone Ghandy keganggu suwara wong nyeluk jenenge saka salah sawijining kamar motel.

"Sik...sik, Pak njenengan mireng suwara bocah wedhok......mbengok njaluk tulung........" pitakone Ghandy.

Pak satpame mung tolah-toleh karo ngetutke Ghandy. Ghandy nggoleki arah suwara mau kae. Lakune Ghandy mandheg ana salah sawijining kamar ning pojokan motel kuwi. Pak satpam lan kanca-kancane mung bingung, ning melu ngetutke lakune Ghandy.

Saka kamar kuwi keprungu suwarane Mbayune Raras.

"Tulung, Mas aja suntik aku nganggo obat-obatan kuwi, aku pancen ora alim, nanging aja ngangsi aku kelebon narkoba, tulung......." Raras nangis-nangis ngrujuk Indra supaya ora ngganggu dheweke nganggo barang haram kuwi.

"Kowe munafik, Ras, kamu itu genit, tapi ternyata kamu munafik, kamu pura-pura nggak mau tidur denganku, dari tadi siang kutungguin kamu, cinta kamu palsu, ....semestinya kalau Raras cinta padaku, ya harus ikuti jalanku........." kandhane Indra rada sero terus galak.

"Yah, tapi aku nggak bisa ..........badanku menolak perbuatanku itu, kalau kamu melakukannya denganku, kamu untung, Raras akan rugi besar..........."

"Itu kata siapa, nenek kamu, kalau kamu.....coba kalau kamu mau tidur sejak siang tadi, aku nggak akan pakai jarum suntik ini..........."

Raras mbalangi Indra nganggo barang apa wae, nganti ora ana barang liya, akhire mung nangis, "Jangan.........jangan, Indra, baik akan Raras turuti kemauan kamu, tapi jangan pakai barang itu............"

"Naa, gitu enak, dari tadi kek..........."

Sadurunge Raras nindhake kabeh karepe Indra, lawang kamar dijebol dening Ghandy, direwangi karo kanca-kancane.

"Mbak Raras ora perlu nindhake kuwi, iki Ghandy-ne Mbak Raras teka..............." kandhane Ghandy ketus. "Tidak, aku nggak ngijinin kaka gue ngladeni lu, Mbak Raras itu cewek kampung, tapi dia tidak boleh kamu gituin."

Tangane Indra arep ngantemi Indra, nanging dheweke kelingan ngendhikane eyange, "Satriya iku menang ora nganggo kekerasan, nanging nganggo basa sing apik........, pedangmu ning lathimu, udu tanganmu............"

Dheweke banjur ngruket Mbakyu-ne Raras sing nangis tur isin ngalami kedaden kuwi.

Pak satpam enggal-enggal nyeluke karyawane hotel supaya kamare gek diberesi, ora let suwe banjur Polisi rawuh, nyekel Indra.

******

Wengi kuwi Ghandy lan Raras, uga kanca-kancane Ghandy nginep ning motel. Ghandy terus nglipur Raras, amarga sajake dheweke trauma ngadhepi kedaden kuwi.

*******

Ghandy saka arena balap sajak ora pingin terus bali. Dheweke ngerti yen Papa lan Mamane lagi ora ning ndalem. Pak Dewo, Papane lagi sibuk ngrampungke job karo NGO-ne, malah ana rencana arep ning Sidney neruske studi ning kana.  Ibu Dewo dhewe lagi susah, nunggone Eyange bocah-bocah ning Semarang. Sajake nembe gerah tuwa. Bu Dhewo ora tegel ninggal Eyange bocah-bocah. Trekahe bocah-bocah dadi sakarepe dhewe.

Saka arena balap, Ghandy ngajak kanca-kancane balapan motor ngliwati dalan-dalan ning kutha Jogja sisih kidul wetan.

"Kamu nggak tau khan kalau ning Jogja ada daerah yang semua tanahnya berwarna merah, pokoknya hampir semualah, dari Piyungan kita langung naik ke bukit hijau, ada huta Wanagama, hutan Jati yang meranggas, jalannya berkelok-kelok, berani enggak kita tembus itu, nanti kita istirahat di dekat Baron, lumayan bakar-bakar ikan di sana, mau enggak, oke....." Ghandy nggambleh ning ngarepe pembalap-pembalap liyane.

"Oke, hari ini kita nembus Pegunungan Selatan di Jogja, nanti kita coba ke Ungaran atau ke mana kek......" kandhane Rio, kanca balape sing asli Temanggung.

"Selama ini gue hanya dengar Gunung Kidul dari tukang bakso yang sering lewat di kompleks perumahan gue, mungkin saat inilah kesempatannya......." saute Bobby, kancane Gandhy sing asli Betawi.

"Nyong sih wis tau rana, karo batir-batir inyong, ning pas ora mbalap, ping sitok, inyong yo gelem, sakjane awake inyong wis pegel kabeh.........." Ahmad saka Kebumen  melu nyaut-nyaut.

Bocah wolunan numpaki motor balape dhewe-dhewe iring-iringan nuju kutha Yogya. Tangane dadi iteng kae nek ora dha nganggo kaos tangan. Bocah-bocah kuwi nek ning sirkuit mesti dha rebutan entuk hadiah, nanging nek ora lagi tetandingan wus kaya paseduluran. Gandhy pancen nek nggon pergaulan ki paling gaul dhewe sak kampung, malah sak keluargane. Bocah kuwi pancen sneng srawung marang sapa-sapa. Siji sing isih diwegahi, apa kuwi, cah wedhok, mbok ayua kaya ngapa wus. Sing disenengi mbalap, nganti ora sempat mbajuli cah wedok. Mulakna paling sengit weruh Mbakyune Raras trekahe ora nggenah, gampang kapilut, gampang dicedaki cah lanang. Nek nganti Mbakyune trekahe ngluwihi wates mesti wus digetaki.

Ghandy karo kanca-kancane ndhisik-ndhisikan tekan Pesisir Baron. Menawa kesel leren sedela karo ngedemke mesin sepeda motore.

********

Raras kawit mau ngrasakake sumuk banget ning njero kamar. Sakjane Indra wus pesen rong kamar, nanging Indra mesthi yo pingin kepethuk karo Raras. Dheke mlaku-mlaku ning pesisir Baron tanpa dikancani karo Indra. Indra sambat nek lagi kesel, embuh kesel ning ngapa.

"Mas Indra, Raras rada sumuk ning njero terus, aku tak mlaku-mlaku sedelok ndelok laut, gelem ngancani aku ora....." takone Raras.

"Sakkarepmu..." wangsulane Indra rada nggondok.

Raras isih rada kelingan karo ngendhikane Eyang-eyange dhek durung dadi peragawati lan cover girl, "Raras, kowe enthuk dadi kaya ngono, nanging Eyang ra seneng nek kowe dadi dolanan wong lanang, aja nganti kowe sak kamar turu karo wong lanang, abot, cah wedok nek wus ngglayut wong lenang, wus ora bisa ngadeg maneh, nek wong lanang gampang..."

"Napa eyang mboten marengke kula dolan kalih cah lenang?......." takone Raras karo ngepang rambute.

"Udu kuwi sing dimaksud Eyang, akeh contone, cah wedok meteng sakdurunge nikah merga kelewat batas......." jawabe Eyange, "Aja gelem dijak turu sak kamar karo cah lanang, sapa wae......"

"Eyang, Mbak Raras niku kan pun rada dewasa, pun retos lah...." kandhane Ghandy karo mripate dipecengke sithik marang Eyange.

"Cah kaya ngono kok reti.......tontonane mung sinetron wae, uripe ya kaya sinetron...." ngendikane Eyang-eyange.

Raras isih rada kelingan apa sing dikandhakake Eyange. Ning gandheng cah wedok zaman saiki wus oangel percaya.

Raras mung lingguh ning dhuwur perahu motore nelayan Baron, karo kelingan kandhane wong-wong sing nresnani dheke. "Nanging, Mas Indra ki apikan, gek ngganteng kae, mosok arep macem-macem mbek aku, gek nek mesem dhekik pipine ngana  kae..............." lamunane Raras karo mesam mesem dhewe kaya cah stress.

Dumadakan seka mburi anak salah sawijining nelayan sing nggablok gegere, "Dik, aja ngalamun, engko kesurupan, wus kana mulih, galo srengene wus rada angslup, engko kesoren........"

Raras terus ninggalake papan kuwi. Batine ora trima, "Wah Pak-e ki marai impen-impenku ilang....."

*******

Ana dalan-dalan pinuju Baron katon Ghandy lan kanca-kancane lagi ndisik-ndisikan tekan Pesisir. Sanajan nek ning sirkuit dadi musuh, nanging tetep kanca akrab. Menawa motor salah sijine rusak terus diupakara bareng-bareng. Saiki katone wus tekan Tanjung Sari. Ora suwe engkas lak yo tekan Baron.

*******

Raras katon mlaku rindhik-rindhik menyang motel. Ndah apa kagete weruh ning kamare ana Indra lagi turu.

"Loh, kok tidur di kamar saya, aku turu ngendi......."

"kene...." karo naboki bantal sak cedhake.

Raras weruh Indra ning kamare rada kelingan karo ngendhikane Eyange, nanging.........Dheweke pingin mlayu. Indra wus nggujengi jarum suntik.

"Aja, aja , Mas, aku wedi jarum suntik, iki apa......"

"Loh, apa urung tau suntik pas cilik.....iki padha wae..." kandhane Indra rada meksa.

Tangane Raras ditarik-tarik, ning mrucut wae wong bar kringeten akeh banget. Raras mung bengok-bengok karo mlayu sak isane, nanging kuncine kamar kecekel Indra.

(ana candhake)

Raras kang biyasane yang-yangan karo pacare sing dadi fotografer ana ing salah sijine tabloid ibukota. Nek ana Bu Dewo mung disindir-sindir wae, apamaneh nek weruh Pak Dewo, saya ning didukani. Nek nggon ngene kiyi Bu Dewo rada keras amarga anak wadon mung siji aja nganti kecolongan. Aja ngangsi dikurangajari cah lanang. Nanging Raras ki angel kandanane. Ana Bu Dewo we sakpenake dhewe, apamaneh priyantune tindhak adoh ning Semarang nunggoni Bapake (Eyange Gandhi. Aryo, karo Raras). Pak Dewo malah lagi sibuk melu proyek panaliten karo NGO saka Australia kanggo nangani rehabilitasi candi-candi sing kena gempa.

Raras enggal-enggal dandan amarga Indra wus ngenteni ning ngarep omah. Dheweke bingung arep nganggo klambi sing endi. Dasare cah ayu nganggo klambi apa wae sarwa pantes, nanging rasane tetep ora pantes wae. Dheweke langsung nyaot klambi sing ketat sing ngetoke bentuke awake sing pancen apik disawang. Indra mung ngecek wae, merga suwene ora mekakat.

Ora let suwe Raras nyedhaki Indra. Untunge ora ana Gandhy, nek ana Gandhy wis diuneke sing ueleke ora njamak, merga Raras dandan mung nggo nyenengke wong lanang. Adhine yo lanang, luwih ngerti piye dayane wong lanang yen nyawang Mbak Rarase kaya ngono kuwi.

"Sorry yo, Mas, suwe banget, soale aku bingung milih klambi.........." tembunge Raras marang Indra karo mbenake tatanane rambute.

"That's fine, honey.............." kandhane Indra karo mbenake kaca mripate.

Ora let suwe mobile Indra wus mlayu tekan kawasan Tugu Yogya.

"Loh, iki arep nendi to.............." takone Raras.

Indra mung meneng wae, soale Raras ki nek diladeni terus dadi cerewit banget, mulakna dheweke milih meneng.

Tangane Raras ngoyog-oyog awake Indra,"Nendi to, Mas.........."

"Ada deh pokoknya, rahasia, ha...ha...ha...ha " kandhane Indra.

Raras dadi penasaran.

**********

Ning liya enggon, Aryo putrane Pak lan Bu Dewo sing nomer loro lagi ngajari mahasiswa-mahasiswi anyar sing pingin sinau biola, padahal dheweke dhewe lagi mahasiswa tingkat telu. Dheweke ki bocah lanang ringkih, klemah klemeh, kaya cah wadon, mulane Pak Dewo ora ngira nek Aryo bakal isa nerusake panjakane dadi dosen. Kadang-kadang Aro ngrasakake loru ning ati sing banget-banget merga Pak Dewo nyok underestimate marang dheweke. aryo sengaja njupuk Prodi Seni Musik, sanajan meneng-meneng nyambi kuliah Sastra Inggris.

Amarga ora tau dipercaya karo Pak Dewo, dheweke arang bali ning ngomah, luwih seneng melu kegiatan ning kampus, konser musik tunggal lan liya-liyane.

'Paa, memang Gandhy kuat, dan lebih laki-laki daripada Gandhy, tapi akan kubuktikan siapa yang memiliki talenta di bidang ilmu, saya atau Gandhy............'

'Ma, maaf, aku nggak mau pulang kalau dibanding-bandingkan dengan anak Mama yang lain, tapi aku di sini bahagia Ma..........maaf Eyang, Aryo belum sempat besuk Eyang, tapi Eyang juga sering tidak adil kepada Aryo, mentang-mentang dulu suka sakit-sakitan.........." batine Aryo karo tangane mainke biolane. Suarane marai sing ngrungoke terhanyut.

"Memangnya Mas Aryo kenapa, kok biolanya kayak gitu, kayak menghayati sesuatu gitu, matanya pakai berkaca-kaca segala........." pitakone sing diwarahi biola.

Aryo mung mesem,"Sudah, yok kita lanjutin saja............."

************

Gandhy isih durung isa mbagi kuliah karo jadwal pertandingan balap motor. Tanpa pengawasane Pak lan Bu Dewo hobine mbalap saya dibladeg ora seren. Kalah utawa menang ora masalah, sing penting bathine puas. Aryo dhewe ora wani nguneke adhine.

**********

Sakwatara kuwi mobile Indra wus tekan papan parkir Pesisir Baron. Srengengene wus tekan dhwur sirah, nganti jakete Indra dicopot nggo ngeyupi Raras.

"Kita mau kemana ini, Mas"

"Ikut sajalah, aku ada janji dengan teman di sebuah motel sekitar sini, ikut ya........." kandhane Indra.

"Oke.................."

Indra lan Raras mlaku ning salah sijine motel ning sakcedhake Pesisir Baron. Raras dikon nunggoni ning salah sijine kamar. Raras ki yo manut wae, kaya bocah goblog kae, kaya isih cilik apa-apa manut. Indra enggal-enggal rembugan karo kancane nganggo handphone. Ora let suwe kancane teka, terus langsung dijak mlebu kamar. Ora nganti sepuluh menit kancane Indra lunga saka motel enggal-enggal nglakuke jeepe ninggalake Taman Wisata Baron.

Bu Dewo mung nggrundel nggon atine,’kepiye to le engko nek Ramamu bali, engko lak ming didhukani’ Raras mung nonton tv, Ghandy ket mau mung nguthak uthik montore, kakangne mung nggujengi biola. Apa ya dha ora mesakke karo mbokne sing lagi nyirami kembang, mbok direwangi sithik-sithik po piye, ra kethang mbedholke suket, Bocah saiki ora dong blas, wis dicontoni kae karo wong tuwane. Isa asam urat awakku nek tak rasakke banget. Wus tak serahna marang Gusti Allah wae.

Ning jero ngomah Raras bola-bali mindhah remote tv-ne. "Ora ana acara sing apik tenan. Coba iki ning Indosiar ana acara apa ya ? Hueh, ana film Kuntilanak 2, lho kok isa, kan lagi wae direlease ning bioskop, wah lumayan ora perlu ning bioskop maneh, sip. Mripate ora uwal saka layar tv, ning tangane dhulat-dhulit lotion terus digosok-gosokke ning awake. Nyadhari dheweke dilirak lirik dening Ibune, mung ngguya-ngguyu karo ethok-ethok ra weruh menawa Ibune mbutuhke bantuan.

Arya, semana uga, ning pojok ruangan lingguh ning kursi goyang karo ngelus-elus biola anyare, pisan-pisan diunekake. Dheweke ketungkul ngopeni biolane kuwi, dilapi, didhamoni saka rereget………

Gandhy ajeg ngopeni motor balape, kawit mau mesine mbengung nganthi mbribeni tangga-tanggane, lambene mecucu singsot-singsot. Tangane nggujengi drei ro kunci Inggris, sajake kaya montir profesional tenan. Ethok-ethoke.

Saka njeron ruang keluarga Raras mbengoki Aryo karo Gandhy, "Ndhy mbok montormu ki aja diunekke dhisik to, kowe yo ho-o Yo, biolane ki aja diunekke dhisik, aku dadu ra krungu suarane Julie Estelle….Njelehi tenan to adhi-adhiku………"

Gandhy karo Aryo mbengok bareng kaya diabani,"Nonton apa to Mbak, nganti kaya penting-pentinga banget, paling mung film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, alah wis kerep diputer, bosen…….."

"Enake, iki lho film anyar, Kuntilanak 2 je, anggepe, rene nek ra percaya………."

Bu Dewo ora ngewangi Raras, ning malah nambahi mangkele Raras,"Halah nonton filme engko dhisik, mbok piring-piringe dicuci sik, cah wadon kok ora isa ngewangi Ibune,…….Gandhy ro Aryo ngresiki garasi sik, engko nek Bapakmu kondhur, dha diseneni kabeh, ora isa turu engko mbengi…."

Bocah telu mung dha perot-perotan kaya dhek isa kanak-kanak kae, ning ya dha tumandang gaweyane dhewe-dhewe. Sengaja Raras ning nyetel tv diserokake, ben krungu dialog filme.

***************************

Sakuwise rampung anggone resik-resik Bu Dewo karo putra-putrane dha ngumpul ning ruang keluarga. Jebulane kabeh dha seneng nonton film Kuntilanak 2. Bu Dewo nyambi karo nyetlika klambi lan nggoreng pisang.

"Bu, bau apa ini……."

"Nggak usah tanya, itu siapa saja tolong dibaliki pisang gorengnya, nanti tangan Mama kena minyak, cepetan, Raras……Aryo……..Gandhy, cepet keburu gosong, siji, loro, telu……" ngendhikane Bu Dewo karo mbalang anak-anake nganggo bantal.

Raras enggal-enggal malik gedhang ana wajan, reti ana sing mateng siji terus dienthas dimaem dhewe, adhi-edine nganti meri,

"Wah, sudah jadi Bondan kuliner duluan…….mana yang lain kok cuma satu………" pitakone Aryo.

"Halah, kaya ora tau mangan wae, mung gedhang we diributke, kae galo nging pawon, kae cepet dienthas, gek dicemplungi maneh, engko ndhak gosong…….." Bu Dewo mbalang bocah-bocahe nganggo remote.

Gandhy mlayu nang mburi ngolak-ngalik pisang, terus dienthas sisan, tangane banjur mbaka siji nyemplunake pisang ana ing wajan…….wah pembalap bisa nggoreng pisang juga……bathine dheweke ge-er dhewe.

***************

Jam setengah pitu sore Pak Dhewo nembe kondhur amarga ana kuliah sore dina iki. Mlebu ruang keluarga langsung wae nyapa,"Wah, dha kompak ni ye, ora dha perot-perotan pa, apa dha grawut-grawutan……."Pak Dewo ngendhika karo mesam-mesem."Ho-o jan kaya Super mama lan Mama Mia……"

"Mama Mia, emangnya Raras sama Ibu boleh Pa ikut gitu-gituan……..?" pitakone Raras karo lambene maju sak centinan.

"Halah kowe ya ngapa to Ras, lambene nganthi mekruk kaya mbang duren wae……"guyonane Bu Dewo.

"Raras boleh ikut, cuman dari Jakarta Bu Dewo harus mengirim masakan ke Jogja, soalnya Papa tidak suka makan makanan selain Mama…" gayane Pak Dhewo.

"Haiyak, Papa kalau di kampus suka ngerjain mahasiswi-mahasiswinya dheng Bu, jangan percaya, pernah kok Gandhy sama Mas Aryo ngelihat sendiri…………" celethukane Gandhy.

"Jangan gitu, nDhy, Papa kan dadi uisin karo Mamamu……." ngendhikane Pak Dhewo karo tindhak ning kamar arep salin klambi.

***************

Film Kuntilanak 2 rampung jam wolunan, pas wektune maem ndalu keluargane Pak Dewo. Ora kaya biasane, Pak Dewo sing katon sumringah dina iki. Embuh bar enthuk wangsit seka ngendi.

"Ndhy, Yo, Ras, Papa itu sangat berharap ada salah satu di antara kalian paling tidak itu bisa menggantikan Papa, bisa mengabdi pada IPTEK, sehingga dapat mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa……..Papa nggak tau harus dengan cara apa lagi mendidik kalian, karena kalian sepertinya tumbuh jauh dari harapan Papa………." ngendhikane Pak Dewo.

"Pa, mbok ning dhahar ki dirampungke sik, engko malah dha ra isa nglelek, galo kaya dha ra semangat kaya mau kae……." Bu Dewo urunan rembug.

Pak Dewo banjur meneng klakep engko dhek kaya biyen kae, nganti Gandhy lunga ora pamitan.

"Dhy, bagaimana hasil pertandingan balap di Bogor Minggu yang lalu?" pitakone Pak Dewo marang Gandhy, karo tangane nyuthik-nyuthik upa sing mlebu nggon bolongan untu nganggo bithing.

"Wah saya hanya dapat rangking 6, Pa, atau harapan III……….,wah Gandhy kecewa Pa…" ceritane Gandhy marang Papane.

"Papa ki uwis njagakke ditraktir Gandhy jajan ning restoran seafood Muara Kapuas sing ning Kamdanen itu lho, enak lho makanan di sana………" panggodane Pak Dewo marang Gandhy.

"Tenang, Pa, Gandhy juga tetap mendapat uang pembinaan, sante Pa, MInggu depan kalau Papa tidak ada tugas banyak dari kampus, gue ajak ke sana………."

"Hussssz. gue, basa apa to kuwi, mbok kula pa saya ngono lho, gue……" ngendhikane Pak Gandhy.

"Pa, Doni Tata, anak Tante Hariani itu lho yang tinggal di Pogung, yanga asli Jombor Kidul itu lho, sekarang baru ke Sepang, Malaysia, dengar belum Pa? Coba Gandhy jadi kayak dia?" Gandhy katon sumringah ngerti Papane ora nesu maneh amarga ngomongke balapan montor.

"Nek putane Tante Hariani itu jadi pembalap itu wajar karena memang punya darah pembalap, kalau kamu punya darah dosen, masak jadi pembalap, nggak jadi dosen, itu pasti orang akan heran." ngendhikane Pak Dewo rada dhuwur sithik."Papa tahu Doni Tata sudah mampu membuat kaya keluarganya, tapi Papa nggak cari begituan dari anak-anaknya.

Bu Dewo rumangsa ora dibutuhke maneh ning ruang makan kuwi, terus enggal-enggal wae ngloroti kabeh sing ana meja. Aryo karo Raras ming merot.

"Aryo karo Raras ki ngapa dha merat merot…….." pitakone Pak Dewo.

"Ya udah kalau hanya Gandhy yang diharapkan Papa, Aryo nggak usah belajar. Emangnya menjadi sarjana seni musik itu apa jelek Pa?" pitakone Aryo.

"Waduh, genahe ki dha serik, yo, saiki Raras piye, lha wong senengane ming lulur wae, ora tau gelem sinau, Aryo yo piye kegiatane ?" Pak Dhewo ngendhika karo nggodani loro-lorone.

"Wah, Papa itu kalau nanyai Mbah Raras sama Aryo kok seperti hanya basa basi………" celathune Aryo.

"Tenan, Papa ki takon tenan…, wah ming ngana we dha nesu…."guyone Pak Dewo maneh.

"Nganu Papa, besok itu Aryo mau ikut konser biola di Taman Budaya Kota, wah karcise agak mahale Pa, tapi Papa kan tamu istimewa jadi ya gratis lah, tapi nanti Aryo ganti ditraktir. Kebetulan di situ Mbak Raras juga ikut, karena sekalian ada fashion show. Apa hubungannya ya antara fashion show sama biola?……" ceritane Aryo. Pak Dewo karo Gandhy mung manggut-manggut. Raras mung ngiyani.

"Kalau Aryo bisa menunjukkan kemampuan Aryo, mungkin saja Aryo bisa menggantikan jadi dosen, tapi ya khusus jurusan musik Pa, masak sih Papa nggak peduli dengan melunturnya musik bnudaya Jawa, wah kayaknya Papa pintar, tapi kok nggak peduli sama budaya sendiri……." Aryo ngomongke dheweke karo sajak ge-er dhewe.

Gandhy karo Raras mung mbengok,"Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, ge-er dhewe to, wagu…."

Bocah telu mung dha ngguyu nyekikik.

Pak Dhewo sakdurunge ninggalake bocah-bocah ana ing ruang makan mung ngendhika,"Percaya wis, Papa udah capek, nanti malam Papa harus ngerjakan banyak diktat, jadi Papa tak sare sik, sesuk maneh ngobrol, inget paling tidak salah satu di antara kalian harus jadi seperti Papa………..huuuuuuuah, ngantuke !"

Bocah-bocah mung manggut-manggut mbuh dong mbuh ora karepe Pak Dhewo.

**************

Sak uwise makan malam, kabeh dha mlebu kamare dhewe-dhewe dha ngalamunke cita-citane dhewe-dhewe. Telu-telune ditantang karo Bapakne kon dadi dosen, nanging ora dha ana sing gelem ninggalake hobine sing uwis kethok hasile.

Wengi kuwi Pak Dewo sengaja nyidang anak-anakke lan bojone. Panjenengane sengaja ngenteni ning dha maem rampung, engko ndhak dho keselak-selak. "Ndy, Ghandy, awakmu ki tenane gelem ora dadi dosen, Bapak kudu dhuwe penerus, mung kowe le sing tak gadhang-gadhang, ben dadi dosen kaya Bapakmu, aja ngeyel le…" ngendikane Pak Dewo alon-alon ora kaya biyasane engko ndhak nggembret-nggembretke motore maneh. Nek uwis ngono kuwi uwis marai buyer sing ngrungokake.

Bu Dewo mung meneng wae, engko ndhak ndarani mbela anak utawa mbela Bapakne. Dheke ethok-ethok mberesi piring.

Anak-anake Pak Dewo mung dha dolanan sendok ning piring, san piringe dijupuki Bu Dewo, genti dolanan tangan.

"Raras uwis trima dadi peragawati, wis nek wis macak lali karo sinaune, wis ra isa dijagakke, Masmu Aryo malah pingin dadi musikus. Endi sing tak pilih. saiki awakmu pingin dadi pembalap, njut sing arep ngganteni Bapak ki sapa ?"

Kabeh isih meneng, "Nggih mboten kados ngaten, Pak, Bapak nate priksa Doni Tata sampun tekan Malaysia, Jepang gara-gara dadi pembalap, masa aku ora is Pa, aku pingin isa kaya Doni Tata…"

"Menawa kowe dadi dosen, kowe ya isa ning luar negeri, anggere kowe pinter……kowe isa lunga tekan ngendi-ngendi, arep ning jepang, oke, arep ning Belanda oke....."

"Angel Pa, dadi dosen kaya Papa ki angel, utekke kudu encer, apa aku ya mampu Pa…….."

"Aku yakin kowe mampu, pokokke Papa pingin kowe dadi dosen, nek ora lunga kana..?"

"Piye to Bu, anak-anakmu ki ra mutu kabeh, ora ana sing isih dadi kaya bapakne, piye bu, sing wadon mung isa dadi tukang dandan, ora tau sinau, nek kuliah ming arep pacaran, sing lanang, embuh pingin dadi musikus, sing ragil pingin dadi pembalap, anakmu kabeh kuwi Bu……njudekke aku wae, sesuk aku tak lunga wae terus…" ngendhikane Pak Dewo.

"Ning nggawe bareng kok ming diakokke anakku, nek ketok apik diakokke anakke, Pak, anakke dhewe isih enom, isih isa dikandhani.."

"Kapan, Bune, awakmu tak suwun ning ngomah ngajari anakmu, ora tak suwun tumandhang sing abot, malah dha kaya ngono……, Raras ki senengan mung dandan wae, Aryo pendhak dina mung ngukur gitar, Ghandy dhewe seneng ngembret-nggembretke montore…sinaune kapan, Bu"

"Loh, bocah ki ra isa dipeksa je…"

Pak Dewo karo Bu Dewo malah udur dhewe. Dumadhakan Ghandy nyelak.

"Nggih ampun ngaten Pa, kula dereng siap, kula nyuwun kesempatan dados pembalap riyen Pa, kula suwun Pa………"

"Ora…." pambengoke Pak Dewo sero, karo nglungani anak-anakke saka ruang makan.

"Ndhuk, le, kowe-kowe ki senengane gawe mangkele Bapakmu, kana dha njaluk pangapura…"

Ghandy malah lunga ning kamare karo ngomong, "Wis dhuwe Bapak kaya Arya Penangsang karo Ibu kaya Ratu Kalinyamat ki marai tobat, mumet, suwe-suwe isa edan aku. Ngantuk Bu, turu, sesuk arep melu lomba ning Solo je, luweh Bu, nek kersa nggih nyuwun dongane"

Bu Dewo mung mesam-mesem ngrungokake omongane Ghandy. Paling ora dheweke entuk apik, wong dianggep kaya Ratu Kalinyamat.

Esuke Ghandy gage-gage lunga ning Solo, dheweke pingin melu lomba balap motor. Pikirane Ghandy rada ora konsen, tansah kelingane ngendikane Bapakne. ‘Bapak ki ya bener, aku dadi pembalap urung karuan tekan tuwo, nek aku dadi dosen kaya Papa, isa tak nggo sak lawase, nanging aku pingin ngrasakke dadi pembalap,……..like father like son’ Dumadakan setang motore rada nggliyeng setitik amarga kesrempet motor liya…..

"Wo, rumangsamu iki dalane mbahmu, gas-gasan selek arep nen di to?"

Ghandy ngoyak bocah sing nggawa montor abang ning ngarepe. "Kowe ning numpak motor piye to Mas, untunge aku isih ora kelangan kendali…"

Bocah sing diseneni mung kandha, "Sorry, Mas, aku kesusu arep ning sirkuit Solo, engko ndhak kelangan start, sorry ya Mas…"

"Tenane, yo wis ayo bareng aku……."

Bocah lanang loro kuwi susul sinusul mangkat menyang sirkuit Solo. "Mas Ghandy, saiki balapan ning kene wae…..ha..ha..ha"

Ghandy ngoyak bocah lanang mau, loro-lorone ece-ecenan, oyak-oyakan. Gerbang sirkuit Solo uwis katon saka kadohan. Akhire bocah loro isa tekan kana bareng. "Mas, awake dhewe dadi musuh mung nek ning sirkuit, nanging ning njaba sirkuit awake dhewe sedulur. Gandheng Mas Ghandy luwih tuwo tinimbang aku, yo wis tak anggep kangmasku dhewe…"

Ghandy mung mesem. Tangane cah loro salaman lan tos.

****

Jam 08.00 pertandingan balap motor kelas yunior arep dimulai. Sakdurunge dilekasi, Ghandy ngirim SMS marang papa lan mamane ning Jogja, "PA, MA, GhANDy MAU MULAI LOMBA, MINTA DOA RESTU AGAR BISA MENGGONDOL PIALA, UNTUK DOSEN INSYA ALLAH SETELAH GhANDy MEMPEROLEH 20 KEMENANGAN DI SIRKUIT, JANGAN MARAH YA PA, BENER MOHON DIDOAIN"

Ghandy rada sak untara ngenteni jawaban, uwis khawatir Bapakne duka banget marang dheweke, nanging ora let suwe dheweke entuk jawaban saka Pak Dewa langsung, "Sakjane Papa ora ikhlas, nanging Papa donga, muga-muga kasil."

Ghandy rada lega Papane ora sida nesu marang dheweke. Dheweke wedi nek nganti Papane duka banget-banget.

Ora let suwe tetandingan balap motor junior dilekasi. Pemandu acara uwis ngabani, "Semua peserta harap segera mengambil start, pertandingan akan segera dimulai……Siap…….". Mbaka siji pembalap-pembalap muda pasang aksi anak garis start. Gendera-gendera aba-aba uwis mobat-mabit disurung angin. Akhire, "One….two…….three…….". Kabeh pembalap mlayukake montor banter-banter, ora ana sing gelem kalah.

Ghandy nganggo montor warna abang, helm kuning, merk Kawazaki. Sirahe ketutupan helm. Tangane ketutupan sarung tangan. Pokoke wis marahi pangling kanca-kancane.

Puteran kapisan Ghandy ana ing urutan 5 saka 25 peserta. Dheweke isih isa ngendalikake setir. Alus banget suarane mesin montore Ghandy. Mungkin kuwi isa ngga maca isi atine Ghandy sing keras nanging lembut. Bocah lanang sing jebulane jenenge Randy urutan nomer 2. Bocah kuwi kethoke urung isa ngendalikake atine. Dheweke ngegas montore isih dilambari emosi. Ya ora beda karo bocah liya-liyane.

Puteran kapindha pembalap-pembalap sing mau isih ana mburi wis enggal-enggal nyusul. Semana uga Ghandy. Ana puteran kapindha iki dheweke isa nyusul nganti entuk urutan nomer 2. Randy malah kesethut dadi nomer 3.

Kanca-kancane SMAne Ghandy wis ngacung-acungke gendera. Gandi ora ngira nek kanca-kancane ya melu ndelok. Dheweke ora ngerti sapa sing ngandhani kanca-kancane kuwi. Malah cheerleader basket ya digawa. Sajake ning teka lagi entas, soale mau-maune ya ora ana. Ghandy katon biasa wae, ya ming rada semangat. Mung dheweke mbatin wae ‘cah wedok ora duwe isin, rok-ke dicincing-cincingke, ben napa karepe…….’

Genep pirang-pirang puteran mung kari 10 pembalap sing dha ning ngarep. Bakale Randy juara siji paling. Ghandy karo Randy oyak-oyakan. Ora kaduga sadurunge, Semmy nyetut Ghandy karo Randy.

This is a full  Episode Guide for this series. which ran from 1949 to  1952.   NIGHTBEAT was a series about a  newspaperman, Randy Stone,  portrayed by Frank Lovejoy. The series was compared to a  better known contemporary, DRAGNET.   "Some of the episodes are prosaic and predictable, others quite moving." Nightbeat is set in Chicago circa 1951 using the city realistically  like a character in the series.  National Broadcasting Company put this show out in a weekly format.

Frank Lovejoy was the hard-boiled reporter  who took a licking but kept on ticking. Franks character was a streetwise , wise-cracker that met an assortment of people. Just like the assortment of friends you are bound to make around the campfire during the Haunting Hour.  The series is noted for its' strong writing and excellent sound effects.  This is like Film Noir for the ears.

The beer was, in fact, bad. My dad and I are going to have to make another batch! He and I figure that the beer-making-equipment needs sanitizing in a major way.

I thought it tasted like vinegar, but Jeff thought he detected a hint of ammonia. Not precisely like what we were hoping for!! Ah, well, if at first you don't succeed, make more, right?

Today we prime and bottle. And that over there --> on the right is an example of the equipment you need to do it. A lot of beer bottles have plain metal caps, and the contraption in the front is a capper. Place cap on bottle, put capper over it, and push down on the arms until you feel it squeeze tight (before you break the glass).

You can also buy screw-top bottles - but make sure you buy the kind made for this purpose, because they are made of extra-thick plastic. Try this in a Coke bottle and your bottle will explode. Remember - you're creating CO2 here! The bottle is going to try to expand over the next week.

The green bottle is a different kind of cap that's sort of like a cork attached to the bottle. Some beers actually corked in different ways, but usually with a metal "cage" over the cork like champagne has. Many beers, like champagne, have the last of their fermentation done in the bottle, and the cage is necessary so the corks don't go popping prematurely from the pressure in side the bottle.

Step One, Prime your Bottles:

In this particular type of brewing we don't filter the yeast out of the beer after it's done. It's really your choice, but it's simpler if you don't. This type of brewing, as mentioned above, completes the last of the necessary fermentation right in the bottle. That's why you have to prime them.

All you do when you prime them is put approximately 3/4 tsp brewing sugar per 12 oz in your bottles. As the picture to the left shows, use a funnel so you don't create a giant mess.

Step Two, Pour in the Beer:

The beer that's been fermenting comes next. My dad's kit has a convenient spout on it for pouring. Quite nice, and I recommend it. I tried imagining ladling the beer out or some other suctioning method, and it didn't seem as good.

Pour beer into each bottle kind of at an angle so the beer doesn't foam so much and you can see how high you're filling each bottle. If it foams, let it sit for a moment before topping it off. Fill longnecks about halfway up the neck (see illustration, right).

For ALL bottles just be careful not to fill too much so that the continuing fermentation has room to expand. If you don't leave room, your bottles will explode, and my, won't that be a mess.

A Note About Yeast:

The beer you're pouring into bottles right now contains yeast. Over the last week your yeast that you initially added has been Livin' Large - it had all the sugar it could eat, and the alcohol content wasn't high enough to kill it. So it multiplied and there's now more of it in your vat than you put into it to begin with.

That yeast will continue to ferment using the sugar you primed your bottles with.

As you're bottling your beer, when you get toward the end of your vat you need to make sure that the bulk of the yeast solids (the gross white stuff at the bottom) don't start pouring into your bottles. You just need a little yeast in each bottle, not a cupful of gooey stuff.

Step Three, Cap the Bottles:

After the beer has settled, just cap each bottle off and set it aside. That's me there workin' the bottle capper, left. Exciting stuff.

And voila - a bevy of bottles (right), which I put in to a box and covered in a quiet corner of my house. Over the next week, the yeast will continue to produce CO2 and alcohol. This time, though, the CO2 isn't released and carbonates the yummy contents.

Well, that's it for my Week O' Beer. I hope those that have read have enjoyed the process. In a week, I'll report back about the end result of this batch of beer, show you how the color came out, etc. I don't know about you, but I've been inspired to make more beer.

I like brewing for the same reason I always like crafting -- I get to go through the process of making something, and I enjoy the (useful!) end result more because it was the work of my own two hands--and my dad's two hands in this case!! :)

Cheers, Miriam

Beer Chemistry

I can't remember if I mentioned, but my dad is a biochemist.  No, no kidding.  So now is the fascination with the chemical process of beer-making becoming clearer?

My dad had a few lessons in beer chemistry to impart to me.  I haven't really seem much that was good about the chemistry on the web, so I'm going to try to share some of it here in hopes it will do someone some good.

Q:  Why is beer bottled in brown and green bottles?

A:  The darker green and brown bottles protect beer from UV light.  Beer is a chemical process with the primary agent being yeast.

If you thrown in sunlight (i.e. UV radiation) then you create chemical processes that make products you really don't want through photochemistry (i.e. chemistry caused by light).  Primarily, light might burn the yeast and kill it.  It can also create vinegar, or even worse, something toxic. (see below)

It's really important to keep your beer away from things that can interfere with the brewing process.  Store your brewing beer at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.  And make sure to sterilize your equipment before you use it so that you don't get bacteria or toxins in your beer that produce chemicals you don't want!

Q:  What chemicals does brewing produce?

A:  Yeast (a single-celled animal) eats sugars (glucose) and secretes (yeah, I meant that) ethyl alcohol (also known as grain alcohol) and CO2 (carbonation).

Q:  Is that all that yeast can produce?

A:  No, different kinds of yeast can produce different alcohols - ethyl, or grain, alcohol is the only kind of alcohol you should ingest.  As the name indicates, it's derived from fermented grain.  Yeast can also produce acetic acid, ethyl acetate and acetaldehyde.

Q:  WTF are those last ones?

A1:  Acetic acid is an acid - and when in a 2-3% solution (i.e. 2-3% acetic acid, 97-98% water) is known as vinegar.

A2:  Ethyl acetate is what's called an "ester" - and is a combination acid + alcohol.  It's toxic.  It has no everyday name.

A3:  Acetaldehyde has no common name either.  It's what's called a "reduced acid."  You also really don't want to drink this - toxic.

Ew!  These do not go under Martha Stewart's "Good Things" category.  Good thing we're brewing right, eh?

That's it?? Yep, that's the whole report. You can see why I wasn't worried about missing Wednesday. What I thought I'd do instead is share a few beer-related things that I've come across over the years - the odd trifle or two. That way combining this week's beer subject with the Top 10. Here we go!

10. Burp Castle, Manhattan - a place of beer worship. Look - I really can't make this up. It's a tiny little bar in NYC with a whole lot of Belgian beers on tap where the waiters sometimes wear monks' robes and there are murals of medieval monks. Some like it, some don't, some don't even get it as evidenced by their spelling of Carmelite (a monastic order) as "karmeleite"[sic]. As for me, this is my kind of place. I have 2 degrees in medieval religion. I love Belgian beer. How could I NOT love this place? (illustration, right, is a mural at Burp Castle)

9. Trust Make 'zine to have something good about what to do with all the bottles once the beer is gone. How about a beer bottle solar-powered water heater? Link.

8. A good beer blog. I'm sorry, that's actually A Good Beer Blog. What I write is that of a very amateur enthusiast. I have a lot of hobbies, and not enough time. So read that guy, and know more. You can also check out the US Brewers Association at Beertown.org.

7. So I think my dad and I will both confess to being more interested in seeing how beer comes about rather than actually making up recipes ourselves. Personally, I think that all those brewsters and monks over the ages have probably done the work just fine, and I am the happy beneficiary of millennia of beer wisdom. So we rely on fabulous books like Clone Brews: Homebrew Recipes for 150 Commercial Beers. No kidding, this book has the recipe for Chimay Red in it! I can't guarantee yours will turn out the same, but hey, you can try!

And if you're more of a domestic fan, check out North American Clone Brews: Homebrew Recipes for Your Favorite American and Canadian Beers.

6. Monastery Greetings is one of my favorite places to get all kinds of stuff. Probably many don't think of nuns and monks as "indie" they do often hand-produce amazing things for sale to support themselves. Monastery Greetings sells it for them. And of course, they have beer stuff because monks make awesome beer. They can't actually sell the beer, but this is stuff they DO sell.

5. Speaking of monks and brewing, Corsendonk Agnus Tripel is my favorite bier/beer. And you know what? Due to import taxes, it's not sold in the great state of Texas. (To the right - the Corsendonk abbey where the bier was originally brewed. No longer an abbey.)

4. Just like with wine or any other alcoholic beverage, there particular glasses that go with particular types of beer. Alcohol appears to be picky. Most people have seen the common pint glass, but have you seen the one that's a cross between a brandy snifter and a wine glass? For this, and other glasses that bear the logos of the beers that inspired them, try Pub Glasses.

3. No beer tale is complete without a nod to some sorta pub. Do places like this really exist in Ireland? Apparently yes, and they're somewhere near Ballinloghig. Scanlan's Pub. Source

2. Like wine corks, I also can't seem to make myself throw beer bottle caps away. However, there may be hope yet, as this article attests...

"Bottle-cap art, long a poor cousin to tramp art, quilting and other established folk crafts, is finally achieving a measure of collectable respectability. Though still a scavenger art whose modest aspirations, rough edges and obscure origins baffle the uninitiated, it is no longer strictly a sideshow inspiring only hard- core aficionados."

1. The #1 thing about beer really is that it's really something good, to be enjoyed. And I'm lucky to have my dad, who I can enjoy making it with, too. Priceless!

On Day 2 we "pitched the yeast," and closed it up. Toward the end of the day foam began to appear, and by Day 3, there was thick foam all over the top.

So what is foam? It's the sign of fermentation. The yeast is creating alcohol and CO2 as it munches on the sugars. During this first week the process will only retain the alcohol created and the wort vat will vent the CO2. Only in week 2 will the CO2 be retained, and create the fine bubbles of carbonation that are associated with beer.

That's it for today's update - easy? All I had to do was look at it! It's really great having a semi-see-through wort vat to view the process. It's about the transparency of a brown beer bottle, just plastic. The picture here to the left shows a considerably more complex set of beer-making equipment, more on the professional side. Link to source.

Cheers, Miriam

Instructions, Day Two:

Compared to day 1 (which wasn't that hard), day 2 is just a piece of cake. So - are you ready to pitch your yeast?!

1. Prepare your wort vat - sterilizing it is probably a good idea, and companies make products for this. Your wort vat can't just be any old barrel. During this first week your wort vat will need to be capable of (a) being dark enough that light can't affect the process and (b) able to vent the CO2 created in the process. Read-made vats are available for purchase.

2. Pour in the cooled beer.

3. "Pitch your yeast." Actually, you're pretty much just going to dump in about 1/16 to 1/8 tsp of yeast. No stirring necessary - the yeast will be able to find the sugar to eat it. "Pitching" is a term from larger breweries, when brewers would sort of gently fling the yeast across the top of the barrels.

I should mention here we were using Coopers ale yeast. I think I mentioned before that using bread yeast isn't a very good idea - my dad tried it (he tries everything) and it turned out poorly. Also you'll need to make sure your yeast is still alive (e.g. active). Keeping it in the fridge is a must.

4. Screw on the top (or close it up however) and put it away in a place that's out-of-the-way and doesn't get too much sunlight.

What's so hard about this anyway?

So far the process hasn't been too complicated, and wait until you see the next few days... makes you wonder why you didn't try this before! So far I haven't seen much that's really complicated. So what's difficult about beer-making?

In a word: ingredients. There are a dizzying array of options for your beer-making pleasure. All different types of grains in different stages of the malt process, hops to use for three different purposes, different yeasts, additives, sugars. And you'll get a different beer with each try.

Unfortunately, even if you come up with a recipe you like, it's still possible that because beer-making is an uncertain process that you'll get a different beer every time.

What Is Malt? This is my quick explanation of malt. Malt is the foundation of beer - it's what you get when you take a bunch of grain and then let it sprout (you've seen bean sprouts - like that). Once it's sprouted all the way and has used up all the "food" inside the grain, you roast it to capture all the sugar.You can buy plain malt like this, or you can begin to let the "experts" take it further for you. At this point you can go on and boil the malt, which dissolves all the grain sugar into water. Once dissolved, the grain husks can be strained out. If you're doing all this malt preparation yourself, this is the point at which you can start hopping the malt. Everything's dissolved - you just need to bring it to a boil. (Go to Step 2 from yesterday.)

This liquid state is a malt "tea." You can also buy it as a syrup, which is the same thing as a tea except that it's been boiled down. It's just thick sugar in this state and is called "malt extract." Finally, you can purchase "DME" or "dry malt extract." This is made by spray drying the malt syrup - spray drying being literally spraying it with air until it dries. You end up with sugary powder that can be dissolved.  (The picture to the left is 3 stages - barley roasted to varying degrees, the malt extract syrup it produces, and the resulting beer. Link.)

Malt with Hops. Some DME and presumably other malt types can be purchased pre-hopped. This means that the flavoring from hops is already in it. You can either add to this flavor or just go with it.

So given the many types of malt to choose from, I asked my dad...

Q: If you could only purchase one type of malt, what would it be?

A: DME. It's easiest.

Cheers, Miriam

In the last week I've been discussing the craft and process of beer-making with my dad. What started out as a few questions ended up with making a batch of beer just to demonstrate the process. So, every couple of days for the next two weeks until the beer batch is done, I'll give some of his answers about beer-making, throw in some trivia, and actually go through the beer process as it unfolded. (The image to the left is a glass of my dad's homemade wheat beer.)

The Interview:

Q: How long have you been making beer, and how did you get started? (the image to the right is my dad "cooking" a batch of beer wort in his kitchen.)

A: I've been making beer about 4-5 years since I came upon a Mr. Beer kit in a shop in Kemah, Texas. I like beer, so I thought I would get it and try it.

Q: Why did making beer appeal to you - why did you start?

A: It was an opportunity to make something with grain and with yeast. I also like making bread, but the process of making beer is more interesting, and it takes longer. In addition, I was interested in learning about beer because it is one of the most ancient foods.

Q: What has turned out to be the most interesting aspect of beer-making? (Barley grains pictured to the left.)

A: I like it because it is a process. There are a number of steps in making beer, and it is interesting to prepare and watch each step in the process. Sometimes you have to do something, but a lot of it is watching as it prepares itself. That's interesting.

In addition to the process, it is more fun than other things you can make because it creates a food product in the end. It's not something you just throw away or can't use.

Making Beer, Day One:

(Follow the link to see the ingredients and the directions for the first day of beermaking.)

I would like to note before I begin that I've made beer ONCE. I am NOT AN EXPERT. This is definitely a quick summary of what I saw and remembered! There are some great explicit guides out there, and this is an introduction to something I though was really interesting. I'm encouraged enough I'll probably do it again myself, though! I think it's fascinating to see what goes into what I consume.

Ingredients in picture: Glass bottle of barley (left), bag of white corn sugar, bag of off-white pre-hopped dry malt extract, small bottle of dry yeast (middle, front) and hops.
Ingredients for making beer include the following:

1. Malt, Malt Extract or Dry Malt Extract (DME) - Malt is the roasted, sprouted grains that form the grain base of beer. Common examples are barley and wheat. Malt is a type of sugar.

2. Hops - there are a wide variety of hops for flavoring, finishing and bittering. They add flavor and character to beer. They are very potent-smelling! (Hops are pictured to the right. The pellets are compressed hops for brewing. The "bags" are cloth wrapped around hops for flavoring in beer wort when cooking it.)

3. Yeast - this is the active agent (yeast is a microscopic animal) that eats the sugar and creates the alcohol and CO2 in beer. There are many types, but only some will work - bread yeast doesn't! Some will only make vinegar. Some make more toxic products.

4. Sugar - brewers seem to use special types of sugar, but table sugar can be used. This is in addition to the sugar of the malt and is used in the bottling process. An example is dry corn syrup.

5. Additives - these are optional, and can be added for flavoring purposes. Examples include bitter orange, orange peel, coriander, fruit syrups, Irish moss, etc.

Steps to making beer - making the "wort":

1. The first step in making beer is to make the wort - that is, the raw beer liquid that's boiled, flavored and fermented. This liquid is mostly water and sugar.

So first of all you must make a liquid by dissolving some grain sugars in water! We used for our grain sugar base a malt syrup extract made from barley and wheat. I'll speak more to malt types tomorrow.

Slowly dissolve about half a quart of malt syrup (or whatever type of malt you have) in a dutch oven full of water. If you dissolve the malt tea too quickly, it will burn just like any other sugar. My dad wasn't entirely sure which tea he was using, but he thinks it was a pale ale malt extract - a wheat beer. Sorry, but no exact measurements in this kitchen!

2. Once the malt was entirely dissolved, we brought the mixture to a boil. Then we added a little bag of the "flavoring hops" - these give the beer its primary flavor. In this case, we used Styrian Golding Hops, which have a sweet, spicy scent. They are used in many Belgian ales.

Hops, as shown in the picture to the left, will make the mixture foam, so make sure it doesn't (a) burn or (b) boil over. Turn the heat down some if you need to.

You can use "bittering hops" as well at this step, but my dad decided nay on the bitter. Bittering hops do exactly what it sounds like. This mix boiled for 45 minutes.

3. Finally we added a little bag of finishing hops and boiled them for 10 minutes. We used U.K. Northdown hops, which smelled to me like wet earth. This adds another element to the complexity of the flavor.

4. Remove the hops bags carefully with tongs. Turn off the heat, take the pot off the burner, and put on the lid to the pot. Leave it to cool overnight in a safe place. Right now the mixture is too hot to really be put into most wort vats without warping them, although you could put the pan into a cool bath and speed up the cooling if you'd like.

That was it for day one! Check back tomorrow for another installment of the beer-making enterprise.

Cheers! Miriam

Now what about rural homelessness? That's something I know nothing about. Why doesn't somebody start a blog about living in the sticks homeless? I'd like to hear about that.

Meanwhile, I've got work to do. Check out the new page on this blog titled Resources. There are only three items there, without explanation, as of today. Look for a soup kitchen schedule, a list of shelters, a handy survival guide, places to get free clothing and bus passes, information about family services,free legal counsel, and so on and so forth. If you have any information in that regard, feel free to send it to me at qualitywritingprofessional@inbox.com.

As for my new blog, you will notice there is a donation button. "What a minute," my regular readers will say. "Didn't you say you were going to stop asking for donations out of respect for those who need it most?" Yes I did. The reason I am putting a donation button on the other blog is because it makes no claims that I am desperate. To put one on this blog, the homeless one, would be a mite disingenuous. Don't get me wrong: I ain't rich. I'm still pretty "poor". I need money. I am a writer and I need money and I am grateful for whatever anybody can swing. But as always, I write primarily to give people a pleasurable reading experience, so if you don't want to or simply cannot give me any money, please relax and just read. I hope you'll enjoy the stories found there.

Happy reading.

"Wah, Pak Koen, makmur ya, uangnya dolaran, yang beli lukisannya saja landha-landha…"

"Wualah, rezeki dari Gusti Allah, syukuri saja……Aja mung nyawang aku…"

"Tapi, aku bener-bener heran lho, Mas Koen, Mas Koen ini kurang apa, ada uang, ada rupa, ada otak, kok ya nggak mau nggandeng cewek-cewek, ambil satu lah pengunjung galeri, kebanyakan jet zet…."

"Saya itu sendiri bukan berarti nggak ada isteri e Mas, bojoku ki ning Australi, kae lho sing fotone tak pasang ning galeri…..Apamaneh nek weruh cah-cah sing dha sinau lukis batik wingi kae, wah, leh ku kangen anakku banget-banget…………."

"Wah, lha wong artis saja isterinya di depan mata juga masih selingkuh, masih macam-macam, lha kok Mas Koen masih saja setia……….."

"Loh, kita ini orang Jawa, setinggi-tingginya pendidikan priyayi Jawa, harusnya kalau cinta itu sekali untuk isteri untuk selamanya, bukan untuk mainan, walaupun memang saya agak kurang beruntung………………."

Piring-piring yang ada cumi, udang itu akhirnya tinggal kuah-kuah. Di tempat sampah menumpuk duri-duri ikan bawal dan kulit udang. Satu per satu mereka mencuri piring-piring yang mereka pakai. Mereka merasa tidak enak karena sudah ditraktir oleh Pak Koen, e kok malah ninggali cucian. Tanpa segan-segan para petugas ronda membantu Pak Koen menutup joglo galeri itu.

"Wah, kalau kehilangan satu lukisan saja, Pak Koen sudah kehilangan uang ratusan ribu………Pak Koen, Pak Koen bejonya sampeyan. Kami sih bisanya cuma menjadi tukang………."

"Tukang, tukang itu juga halal, kalau ditekuni pasti bisa untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup, bisa untuk menyekolahkan anak, ditabung sedikit demi sedikit, soalnya biaya sekolah kan mahal…….." kata Pak Koen sambil membersihkan kursi goyangnya yang agak berdebu.

"Pak Koen, Kami keliling dulu ya Pak, besok lagi, makasih seafoodnya………."

"Iya, iya, besok ke sini lagi, memandangi bintang-bintang malam di angkasa sana………….."

"Tentu saja, apalagi kalau ditraktir lagi, wah mak nyos, bisa lupa pulang…"

"Bener, makasih banget, Pak, mudah-mudahan Pak Koen bisa ketemu sama Diana dan anaknya lagi. Biar kebahagiaan Pak Koen tambah lengkap……….."

"Hue, dicuci dulu bekas makannya, nggak tahu diri amat, sudah ditraktir, nggak mbantu nyuci piring. Kasihan Pak Koen….". Sebelum meninggalkan joglo galeri Pak Koen, para petugas ronda itu mencuci bekas makan mereka. Sarungpun mereka ikatkan di pinggang.

Begitu Bapak-Bapak petugas ronda meninggalkan joglonya, Pak Koen seperti biasanya menikmati malam-malam yang dingin sendirian. Di kamar tidurnya yang sekaligus studionya dia menerawang jauh hingga ke negeri Kanguru. Di sanalah dulu dia menyayat dan tersayat hatinya dan hati orang yang dicintainya gara-gara cinta pada adat yang berbeda. Dia kian jauh menerawang tanpa sadar bahwa buah hatinya sedang menimba ilmu di jantung kota Jogja.

********

Bunga-bunga bougenvile di Pusat Studi Indonesia, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya bermekaran. Satu per satu berguguran tertiup angin pagi. Daunnya dibasahi embun yang tetes demi tetes turun dari daun ke daun. Kamboja di depan laboratorium purbakala juga menebarkan keharuman. Baik Titis maupun Paulina sedang sibuk dengan urusan-urusan masing-masing. Titis sibuk mempersiapkan seminar proposal skripsinya. Proposal harus dikumpul paling lambat tiga bulan lagi. Dia mengalami kebingungan dalam mencari tema. Dia harus memilih sumber yang berbahasa Belanda yang melalui proses penggalian yang lama atau sumber bahasa lokal.

Paulina juga sedang sibuk menghadapi ujian midsemester. Berhari-hari tutorial diliburkan dan akan disambung setelah midsemester selesai. Paulina untuk sementara harus melupakan Titis dan keinginan untuk menemukan Bapak kandungnya.

Titis sendiri mulai menemukan ide, dia kan menulis perjalanan seni rupa di Indonesia sejak zaman klasik hingga zaman kontemporer. Dia mulai menetukan siapa ya sumber lisannya. Terbersit di dalam ingatannya, oh ya Pak Koen. Dia pasti bisa membantu. Siapa lagi………Wah, berarti nanti sore harus datang ke rumahnya dulu. Mau ngajak Paulina enggak ya, dia merasa nggak enak karena Paulina baru ujian. Masak sih sudah jauh-jauh datang dari Australia, malah nggak bisa mengerjakan ujian. Tetapi, Paulina kan sangat antusias untuk mengetahui jati diri Pak Koen lebih jauh. Bagaimana ia bisa mengajak. Ketika jam istirahat Titis menemui Paulina di Pusat Studi Indonesia.

"David, lihat Paulina tidak, dari tadi nggak ketemu. Dia ikut ujian kan tadi?" tanya Titis pada David yang kebetulan duduk-duduk di taman.

"Kenapa sih kamu, cewek kok cari cewek, carilah daku Tis, aku rela melayanimu, aku rela melakukan apapun, aku juga rela menemanimu ke mosque…?"

Sebelum David ngerjain Titis lebih jauh, Paulina sudah nongol, "Hello, Tis, apa kabar, aduh aku kangen kamu, ada pa kok mencari saya?"

David hanya berdehem, "hmm,…hmmmm, kayak lesbian, cewek kok cari cewek…, carilah daku, jadikan aku pacarmu…"

Celetukan David itu sempat membuat Paulina senewen, tetapi Paulina sadar David memang bocor, walaupun begitu dia sangat ramah. Paulina hanya tersenyum dan melempari David dengan kulit salak. Setengah terengah-engah Titis bicara pada Paulina, "Paulina, saya kan punya ide mau membuat proposal skripsi tentang sejarah seni rupa, jadi aku perlu cari sumber lisan, salah satunya Pak Koen, kamu mau ikut enggak, kalau ikut nanti sehabis sholat Asar kita ke sana……Kalau kamu tidak keberatan"

"Maksudnya habis jam tiga ya, itu ide bagus, aku ikut…….."

"Loh, kamu kan lagi ujian, gimana………."

"Tidak masalah, aku masih ingat isi mata kuliahnya Pak Baskoro, kan hanya sebentar….Jam berapa kita berangkat, ketemu di mana ?"

"Bagaimana kalau jam setengah tiga di sini……….Aku juga ada midsemester kok, sampai jumpa nanti……Bye".

"Sudah nih……..beneran?" celetuk David. Titis dan Paulina hanya melemparinya biji dan kulit salak. David menutup mukanya dengan diktatnya, "Kurang ajar, sialan….ha…ha…ha, wah ketemu Xena dan temannya nih, sudah ngalah nih"

Kemudian Titis dan Paulina menuju ke ruang ujian masing-masing. Untuk sementara melupakan urusan masing-masing, berusaha mendapat nilai plus dalam ujian masing-masing.

*********

From : www.ekosuryanti.blogsome.com

Titis memang pengidola Dewi Kuan In Posat, sehingga suka membaca novel-novelnya tentangnya. Bagaimana seorang Dewi Kuan In yang dulunya adalah seorang pangeran, justru mengembara, hingga akhirnya mendapat keajaiban. Saking sibuknya Titis berkhayal, kepalanya terantuk punggung Paulina,…"Aduh, sorry Paulina, mau nabrak bocah sini, aduh, hampir masuk selokan, kamu ngapain sih, Tis ?" Titis hanya senyam-senyum.

"Memangnya Paulina bisa capek, kalau gitu biar saya yang di depan…"

"Oh, no, my dear, I am bigger than you……." kata Paulina sambil mencium Titis.

Orang di sekitar selokan hanya melongo. Mungkin mereka sudah berpikir kalau-kalau Paulina dan Titis adalah pasangan lesbian. Ketika Paulina dan Titis mendengar bisikan itu mereka tertawa keras sambil nyeletuk, "Oh no, we are pretty girl, we love Leonardo d’Caprio, we love Tora Sudiro, we love Christian Sugiono, and Ringgo,…….no, ha…ha…ha, and Mr. Raditya, a young arkeolog, he..he..he….". Hampir saja mereka berserempetan dengan Honda.

Ketika mereka melewati sebuah sekolah dengan gereja dan suasana yang tidak seperti di sekitarnya, Paulina hanya teriak,.."Wow, kenapa aku bisa melihat apa yang ada di Geelong…".

Titis mengiyakan, "Soalnya sekolah ini dulu dibangun oleh orang Belanda, jadi banyak sekali vegetasi yang mirip dengan yang ada di Belanda. Cemara yang tingginya kira-kira 15 meter. Di sana masih banyak cemara, dengan gereja tuanya". Ketika ada beberapa pastur sedang ngobrol dengan siswa-siswi sekolah Karitas itu, tiba-tiba siswa-siswi itu say hello. "Hello, cewek…". Paulina dan Titis ikutan histeris, "Hello…hello everyone. We love you all…….".

"Loh, ternyata kita punya selera yang sama…………………….."

Waduh, giliran jalanan menanjak, Titis harus mendorong, tetapi Paulina harus turun juga, sampai akhirnya sampai juga ke rumah Titis. Rumah yang sederhana, tetapi bersih. Di depan rumah banyak pohon mahkota dewa dan kuping gajah. Mata Paulina berputar-putar melihat suasana kanan kirinya.

"Assalamu ‘alaikum, Pak ada temannya Titis,……….Pak!" terdengar suara Titis memanggil-manggil Bapaknya. "Pauluna, masuk dulu, ya inilah istana bagiku keluargaku, tidak mewah, kursi kayu, bukan sofa, kalau duduk pantat bisa sakit." Kembali lagi mata Paulina berputar-putar menyaksikan langit-langit kulit bambu yang dipernis di rumah itu. Bibirnya berdecak. "Ccccct, serba alami…………….."

"Hello, how do you do, I am Titis’s father, Sarjono………." seorang Bapak berusia 40 tahunan menyalami Paulina. Paulina dengan penuh hormat membalas sapa Bapaknya Titis. "Hello, Pak, apa kabar…………..".

"Ya, beginilah rumah Titis, di sana-sini kayu, anak itu memang kadang terlalu idealis. Begitu dia meminta, yaa Bapaknya yang harus berusaha mewujudkan impiannya.

Paulina terkesan oleh Bapaknya Titis. Apakah setiap Bapak Indonesia seperti itu. Bahagianya Titis memiliki seorang bapak yang sangat perhatian kepadanya. "Itu fotonya, Bapak, pakai seragam, e, Bapak kerja di mana…".

"Bapak, sih tidak makan kuliahan, hanya sampai SMA, jadi kalau pun jadi pegawai negeri ya belum punya jabatan. Biar nanti Titis yang melanjutkan cita-cita Bapak, katanya dia pingin jadi ahli perencana budaya yang handal di Kepatihan……..anak itu kalau punya keinginan tidak bisa ditahan. Mudah-mudahan keinginanya terkabul oleh Tuhan……Habis anak itu terlalu percaya diri…………….Hanya saja Dik Paulina nanti yang harus mengajari dia tentang semua yang berbau globalisasi dan internasionalisasi, kasihan dia kalau tamat S1 nanti tidak tahu tentang dunia luar, maklumlah, keluarga kami keluarga sederhana, Bapak tidak membiasakan Titis dengan perhiasan permata, baju-baju mewah, atau sepeda motor yang model baru, hanya jalan kaki atau kalau mau naik sepeda mininya, tuh di belakang rumah…….Begitulah Dik Paulina"

"Mmmm, beruntunglah Titis, bisa hidup bersama Bapaknya, sedangkan saya sejak bayi ditinggal Bapak saya pulang ke Indonesia………."

"Maksudnya, nak Paulina, bagaimana, Bapak belum ngerti, Titis belum pernah cerita soal itu. Dia cuma suka cerita kalau punya teman akrab bule……………"

"Bapak saya sebenarnya orang Indonesia, tetapi karena saya lama tinggal di sana, mungkin ke-Indonesia-an saya tidak kelihatan, tetapi hati ini ada Jogja, di dada ini bersemayam nama Jogja, ke Jogja lah saya mencari Bapak saya, katanya dia tinggal di sini. Semuanya gara-gara nenek yang terlalu primordialis dan kolot……………Ngomong-ngomong Titis lama sekali…………"

Baru saja diomongkan, Titis sudah muncul membawa mangkok-mangkok Indomie rebus……., "Kita akan menyantap Indomie rebus kesukaan kamu, Paulina, kamu suka kan?"

"Ah, tahu saja kamu……..mana aku bantuin……."

"Sudah beres, kok, ayo-ayo kita makan, Bapak badhe dhahar di sini atau di dalam?"

"Uwis Bapak mau lihat kantor dulu, katanya baru pada sibuk nglembur. Dik Paulina, Bapak ke kantor dulu, maklum, baru banyak pekerjaan di kantor, maklum, abdi negara…(civil servants). Selamat menikmati suasana rumah kami Dik Paulina, anggap ini rumah sendiri, tapi ya cuma kayak ginilah, tidak sama dengan yang di Australi, monggo…..".

Inilah kesempatan pertama Paulina menginap di rumah Titis. Dia senang sekali bercanda dengan keluarga Titis. Tetangga-tetangga Titis ikut-ikutan nimbrung ke rumah Pak Sarjono. Betul-betul katroo, seperti tidak pernah lihat bule.

Titis sengaja mengajak Paulina menikmati udara sore di kampungnya. Kampung yang di sana sini masih banyak kebun melati. Jadi kalau bunga-bunga bermekaran baunya sampai ke mana-mana. Bercanda dengan anak-anak kecil di kampungnya, anak-anak yang bisa minta diajari belajar kalau menjelang tes. Anak-anak katroo, sok akrab banget, ndeso banget.

Malam harinya Paulina dapat mencium bau bunga melati dari kebun milik Neneknya Titis. Mata Titis sudah berat untuk dibelalakkan lagi. Melihat sosok Bapaknya Titis, Paulina kembali membayangkan sosok Pak Uban yang mengajar batik. Andaikan dia itu Bapaknya beneran. Tangan Paulina mencubit Titis, "Tis, kamu masih ingat Pak Uban, dan lukisan wajah Ibu saya di galery beliau………………"

"Hmm, iya, masih juga kamu berambisi mencari Bapak kamu, tetapi itu hak kamu…………Kita masih bisa bertemu Pak Uban untuk beberapa session perkuliahan, jangan khawatir. Lagian kita sudah tahu rumahnya. Kapan-kapan kita bisa mencarinya. Kenapa to, Titis kan sudah bilang, lebih baik master bahasa dan budaya Indonesia, daripada capek mencari Bapak kamu. Mari kita raih bintang, Paulina."

"Iya, sebenarnya aku sudah hampir melupakannya, tetapi ketika aku melihat Bapak kamu yang begitu baik dan perhatian kepadamu, aku ingin melihat Bapakku, yang mungkin sama seperti Bapak kamu. Aku memang biasa dengan kehidupan remaja Barat, tetapi aku manusiawi kan kalau aku cari Bapakku……."

"Terserahlah, aku hanya bisa membantumu, tetapi kita tidak boleh kehilangan kesempatan belajar di kampus, kita cari Bapak kamu di luar jam kuliah…."

"Maafkan aku, Tis, sebenarnya aku sudah yakin dengan master bahasa dan budaya Indonesia, cuman begitu lihat Bapak kamu aku ingin bertemu Bapakku juga, maafkan aku Tis, sebelum aku merayakan ulangtahunku, ……..Bapak kamu baik"

"Anggap saja Bapakku Bapakmu juga, nggak papa kok. Ibuku juga Ibumu juga……..santai. Sudah ya, Paulina aku ngantuk, besok ada kuliah berat……..takut terlambat, bisa diomeli"

"Terima kasih Tis, kamu sahabatku yang sangat baik…………". Entahlah apakah Titis masih bisa mendengar kata-kata Paulina……."

Bau wangi bunga melati masih tercium tajam, hawa semakin dingin. Sementara itu RingRoad Utara mulai sepi, tak satupun kendaraan yang lewat. Mata Paulinapun terpejam dalam mimpi yang indah.

"Aduh, Bu, apa yang telah dilakukan Pak Kuncoro pada saya ? saya masih bersih kan Bu ?…" Paulina terus mengamati dirinya. Dilihatnya celana jeansnya masih utuh, dia juga masih memakai baju. Dia setengah tidak percaya, dia pingsan di dalam rumah seorang lelaki, tetapi pakaian masih utuh.

"Eit, malah ganti bertanya, Mbok Parinten yang nanya, Non, tadi habis ngobrol sama den Kuncoro, Non pingsan, setelah dia pergi kerja karena memang tergesa-gesa, dia itu emang suka kesusu-susu, jadi ya gitu, nggak sempat lihat Non sadar, siuman dari pingsan. Dia itu kalau sudah bisnis, lihat perempuan cantik juga sudah tidak kelihatan…….Percayalah Non, tidak terjadi apa-apa dengan Non, Tuan itu hanya gayanya saja kok, aslinya kalem dan alim……." jelas wanita tua itu.

Paulina masih kelihatan tidak percaya, "Bu, benarkah Pak Kuncoro itu belum punya anak dan isteri, dan masih berumur 35 tahun………sulit dipercaya!"

"Bener Non, Ndara Kuncoro itu masih senggel, dulu waktu kuliah pernah patah hati, jadi sampai sekarang nggak mau kawin, maunya kerja terus…………Memang kayaknya di atas 40 tahun-an, tetapi karena dewasa duluan, ya begitulah………..Bener Den Ayu, dia memang bukan Bapaknya, eneng, Den Kuncoro itu sejak kecil saya yang nggula wentah kok, wong orangtuanya sibuk kerja, tetapi dia tidak mau macam-macam, sampai menghamili perempuan……………"

Untuk sementara dia lega karena tidak diperkosa orang, tetapi tentang orangtuanya. Pikiran Paulina masih berkutat pada kemungkinannya untuk menemukan Bapaknya, lalu di mana Bapaknya tinggal ya ? Mungkinkah dia sudah pindah di kota lain ? Atau malah sudah meninggal, kalau meninggal di mana makamnya. Dia hanya berbisik dalam hati, Oh my God, Ya Tuhan, mudah-mudahan dia belum pindah dari kota ini. Kemudian dia bangkit pelan-pelan dari sofa, karena Mbok Parinten khawatir dengan keadaannya, dia berusaha membantu, tetapi Paulina tidak mau. Paulina segera merapikan dirinya dan segera berpamitan pulang.

*********

Paulina tidak sanggup menahan dirinya, langsung saja dia masuk kafe dan menenggak anggur. Sudah lama dia tidak merasakan anggur. Dia nikmati minuman itu sampai dia terobati rasa kecewanya. Tiba-tiba Titis ada di depannya. "Eh, Titis, maaf ya, saya tidak sanggup lagi menahan kekecewaan saya, saya ke Jogja hanya ingin bertemu Bapak saya, tetapi sekarang dia entah ke mana………..Bisakah kamu menolongku, berdoalah kepada Tuhan agar aku bisa bertemu Bapakku……." rajuk Paulina. Titis hanya diam duduk di depannya, dia tidak merasa berhak melarang Paulina, karena itu sudah budaya di negerinya.

"Paulina harus semangat, kalaupun kamu belum berhasil menemukan Bapak kamu di sini, tetapi…Paulina paling tidak sudah master bahasa dan budaya Indonesia. Titis akan berusaha membantu seoptimal mungkin, siapa tahu tidak disangka-sangka Bapak kamu masih ada di dekat sini……" Titis berusaha menghibur Paulina. Paulina masih memasukkan tetes demi tetes anggur di depan meja bundar itu.

"Tis, memang kamu begitu manusiawinya kepadaku, maaf saya harus minum, karena betul-betul saya pingin banget anggur………….". Titis tidak bisa menjawab dengan dalih apapun selain tersenyum.

********

Setelah semalaman tertidur pulas, pagi harinya Paulina telah siap dengan kuliah-kuliah bahasa dan budaya Indonesianya. Kebetulan hari ini ada kuliah praktik seni. PSI mendatangkan guru dari Koen Gallery. Dalam kuliah praktik ini para tutor diwajibkan mendampingi para mahasiswa tamu. Oleh karenanya dimana ada Paulina, di situ Titis juga ikut."Eh, ketemu lagi, sudah sehat kan?" sapa Titis. Paulina hanya mengacungkan jempol padanya. Tak lama kemudian seorang pria berambut putih masuk membawa perlengkapan batik.

"Selamat Pagi, Mbak-Mas semua, apa kabar, perkenankan saya di sini memperkenalkan diri, dan memperkenalkan batik kepada kalian semua. Panggil saja saya Pak Uban, karena banyak uban di kepala saya. Dulunya sih ngganteng, sampai ada bule kepincut, ………….." Pak Uban memperkenalkan dirinya dengan akrab sambil mempersiapkan bahan-bahan batik. "Tis, tolong canting, malam dan kain ini dibagikan kepada teman-teman landhamu itu…………."

Pak Uban, begitulah pria itu dipanggil, tidak semuanya tahu nama aslinya. Dia mengajari semua mahasiswa asing dengan sabar. Bagaimana dia menjelaskan dari bahan-bahan sampai cara membuat cairan batiknya dengan gamblang. Kadang-kadang diselingi banyolan. Ada bule yang tertawa, tetapi ada juga yang nggak ngerti diajak banyolan.

Tangan-tangan Pak Uban menggerakkan cantingnya ke kain yang sudah digambar motifnya, kemudian mengawasi semua mahasiswa. Paulina tidak bisa mengikuti perkuliahan itu dengan baik. Pikirannya masih pada Kuncoro. Nama Bapaknya itu selalu diingatnya. Begitu berartinya orang itu baginya. Oleh karenanya ketika Pak Uban mendekatinya dia tidak tahu.

"Coretan Anda masih kasar, ………..pelan-pelan, nggak usah tergesa-gesa," kata Pak Uban sambil membenarkan tangan Paulina yang tampaknya kurang benar memegang canting dan menggerakkannya. "Hati-hati agar tangannya nggak belepotan…………."

Paulina merasakan energi hangat yang lama sekali dia rindukan. Belum pernah dia merasakan energi tersebut sebelum bertemu dengannya. Namun dia tidak yakin dengan apa yang dirasakannya, karena jelas-jelas nama orang itu Pak Uban. Demikian pula yang dirasakan Pak Uban, dia merasakan energi yang dulu pernah dia rasakan ketika masih berada di Geelong. Namun semua terlewat begitu saja, sehingga kesan-kesan yang mendalam itu tidak mereka hiraukan. Baru kemudian ketika rombongan kursus bahasa dan budaya Indonesia itu mengadakan studi ke Gallery beliau yang terletak di belakang Merapi View.

******

Jumat Pagi yang cerah di bulan Oktober, Paulina dan teman-temannya berangkat ke Gallery milik Pak Uban. Gallery tersebut berbentuk joglo seluas 50 meter persegi, yang dikelilingi taman bunga melati dan taman anggrek. Taman itu sangat luas sekali, kira-kira 500 meter persegi.

Sebelum belajar melukis batik, mereka diberi kesempatan untuk menyaksikan rumah-rumah tradisional yang masih bisa dilihat di kampung itu, selain itu hamparan sawah yang hijau yang bagian depannya telah tertutup real estate. Paulina dan kawan-kawan mencoba untuk meniru para petani memetik padi dengan ani-ani. Ada yang tangannya terkena ani-ani. Setelah puas menyaksikan rumah-rumah tradisional dan persawahan, mereka mendapat kesempatan untuk menyaksikan hasil karya lukis Pak Uban.

Mata Paulina terfokus pada sebuah lukisan wajah. Kalau dia amat-amati wajah tersebut lebih mirip Mamanya, Diana yang ada di Geelong. Tepat di sudut lukisan itu tertulis, Geelong 1979. Paulina terkejut dan segera menghampiri Pak Uban yang sedang mempersiapkan perlengkapan lukis batik.

"Maaf, Pak, saya minta waktu sebentar sebelum belajar lukis batik dimulai, saya melihat sebuah lukisan wajah di sudut sana, apakah Bapak mengenal wanita tersebut….?" tanya Paulina sambil membelalakkan mata.

"Wah…..Hmmmmm…" Pak Uban hanya menghela nafasnya panjang-panjang. "O, itu foto masa lalu saya. Wanita itu bernama Diana, dia isteri saya, dulu dia tinggal di Geelong, sekarang dia di mana saya nggak tahu, …………keadaan telah menyebabkan kita berpisah. Anda sendiri lahir di mana, dan berumur berapa, maaf,………….waktu itu mungkin Anda belum lahir." jelas Pak Uban. "Sebenarnya berat bagi saya menceritakan ini kepada orang lain, dan saya ingn melupakan masa lalu saya itu, tetapi Anda malah bertanya, lagian gara-gara saya bertemu dengan kalian saya jadi ingat Geelong.

From : ekosuryanti blogsome

"I have to ask you this," Bellissa was saying. "Are you on any drugs?"

"Nicotine," I replied.

"OK. So, nothing? Because if you need any kind of counseling, any kind of treatment, I've got hookups in that department too. I just want to make sure you're taken care of in that regard too, if that's the case."

"No drugs, no nothing. Just me and my karma."

"OK."

We ordered our burgers and fish sandwiches (me the former, vegetarian-esque she the latter) and one Schaffer beer each. Bellissa paid. I was grateful. The Wednesday night Rudy's crowd was a decent size. We talked about moving me into her spare room for awhile, and about what I can do for her in exchange and for how long it should go on. I would move a gigantic pile of sticks and branches from one part of her backyard to another. I would crush and destroy the bamboo-like weeds that had taken over one corner of the yard. I would put together her new entertainment center, install "grippy tape" on the front steps to reduce the chance of someone slipping, and help to unpack a room full of boxes and distribute their contents around the house where they belong. The latter is the only one I never got around to, because it turned out I was out of there and into my own place in a week.

Meanwhile, Bellissa drove me around, bought me lunches and dinners, introduced me to her friends and brothers and her basement roommate, talked with and counseled me about my options for the immediate and near future, and took my thousand thanks gracefully, eventually asking me to stop thanking her. I couldn't help it. Although I was helping her out around the house, I still felt that yanking me out of the shelter and putting me up for a week was a true gift. She was, and continues to be, a true friend. We laughed, we hung out, we even drank and made merry one night around a bonfire in her backyard. The fire burned an invisible igloo of warmth in the still, cool air of the opening days of April as we sipped on Bud and nipped at a small bottle of Southern Comfort. I felt completely at ease in her presence, yet also oddly responsible and productive.

I continued the blog from her place and considered my plans. Ultimately the blog drew forth a number of Good Samaritans (much like paramedics to a crash site) who offered all measure of things helpful: money, jobs, housing, food and coffee outings for discussing life and its vicissitudes, kind sentiments and powerful words of encouragement. The blog also drew forth a some chastisement from old friends who I had wronged at one point and with whom I had not yet made amends. Even that was OK, as it just felt good to be reaching out and talking to everybody.

Two people expressed doubt that I had ever been homeless. I felt immensely complimented and encouraged to hear that I was just "a professional writer riding a trend" of homelessness and poverty in the literary and pop culture arenas.

Perhaps I never made myself sound desperate enough. Maybe my positive attitude in the face of hardship wasn't typical. Certainly I was not living in the shelter for very long, but now wait just one minute, fellas. I have known poverty all my life. I grew up on Section 8 housing and welfare checks and grossly early Social Security benefits. When I was little, my mother and I usually had enough money left over for a Friday night donut date at the kitchen table. Silently, gratefully, and full of mischievous giggling, we slurped our half a donut each by candlelight. Dunked into milk sopping wet dripping. This was our treat for the week. I'm grateful for the donut memories.

Welcome to the story of my life: not having much, being resourceful, trying not to think like a poor person, being a chronic spendthrift when you get a few extra bucks in your pocket, only to find yourself broke in a few days and having to pawn something or ration the milk. Fine. Not so bad. Have you ever heard me complain?

Bellissa related the story of how she once asked a poor old man, Rawls, a jazz saxophone player, why he would spend $200 out of his $300 monthly government cheese on a handheld DVD player.

"When you've been poor your entire life," explained Rawls, "you really are not interested in counting your pennies. If you get a little extra cash, you want to get something nice for yourself. You just want to feel normal, like other people." And then you're broke for days or weeks and you have to beg people for food. That's thinking like a poor person. Again: welcome to my world.

One of the Good Samaritans who responded to my blog, Faith is her name, offered to put me up in an efficiency apartment in her house in exchange for 20-30 hours a week of work around the house. I could choose the jobs as I find things that need doing - raking, picking up trash, doing dishes, general cleaning, painting the unfinished woodwork around the window sills - what-have-you. It would also include feeding the stray cat, Squeak is his name, "because I want you to learn how to take care of something other than yourself," Faith intoned in all seriousness. That sounded great, so I took the efficiency.

And that's where I am now. I have a cozy little room - not too little, but little - enough room for walking loose figure eights, a writerly pace of pondering - with my own bathroom and kitchen. This is more than I could have ever hoped for, especially on a work exchange basis. The house is situated right off the New Haven Harbor, which is an inlet off the Long Island Sound, which is an inlet off the Atlantic Ocean. I can open my side door and see saltwater. It comes in violently in big tumultuous waves when it rains all day, like it did three days ago, but when the weather is stiller sits patiently in the cold early April breeze, lapping the shore like a stray tabby cat to its stairway water dish.

Is this the place where I can write