One thing I always remember about him is when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. At that moment, he's already worked at Citibank in Jakarta. We seldom meet each other, we could only get together when Christmas. Really rare. One day, around 5 in the afternoon, when I just woke up from my nap, my mommy with a phone in her right hand, walked into my room and came up to me then said: "Mas ari mau bicara, Dek.." She gave the phone to me. And my brother and I were connected by the phone in our each ears. And then the conversations started:
Brother: "Baru bangun bobok ya.."
Me: "Iyaa..hehe. Kenapa, Mas?"
Brother: "Gak papa, kamu sehat to? Gak lagi sakit kan, De'?
Me: "Sehat kok, gak sakit. Ada apa to, Mas?
Brother: "Enggak, tadi itu pas pulang dari kantor, kan hujan, dari dalam mobil aku lihat anak kecil perempuan pakai baju sekolah di gandeng sama ibunya, mereka lagi nunggu angkutan di halte bus. Mukanya anak kecil itu murung kayak lagi sedih gitu, De'. Dia kayak kamu, pakai tas gendong terus dikucir dua. Persis. Terus aku inget kamu. Makanya aku langsung telfon ke rumah, kepingin tau aja kabar kamu. Gak ada apa-apa to, De'?
Me: *diamsejenak* "Eh, hehehe aku gak papa kok, Mas. Disini juga hujan lho tadi, makanya aku bisa tidur pulas hahahaha ......" (selanjutnya ngobrol biasa)
Maybe I could haven't known the definate reason why he phoned me at that moment. I was still that innocent. But now, it turns to be something unforgettable for me. It showed me that he cares.
Twenty-one-year difference range of age makes us hard for being together every day. It's not like my other siblings childhood. They had time growing up together. Yes, they are: Mbak Ossie, Mas Anton, and Mas Arie. How cute. Sometimes I just wonder how it could be if I have born in that era, which is I have umm let say two or three range of age with Mas Arie. Hahahahaha. I couldn't imagine that. Awkward. They often to compare about my life and theirs. Talking about how they had to strive like everyday for just surviving my family. You know, life thirty years ago is much difficult than todays, and I really know it. But sometimes the way they compared it, utterly not cool and sometimes it hurt me. How could they said that I supposed to go to school by bicycle rather than being dropped and picked by my daddy's car or even motorcycle, which means I got to paddle my bicycle for 10 kilometers from my home till my school. You crazy. Hergh, it still gives me pain in the ass, today. The point is they had felt kind of jealous with my childhood, but hello we live in different era you know, you could not compare me like that. (LOL it still feds me up)
Long story, the most important thing you should know is that I really love my brother. I really want to make him proud of me. I feel like i have so many moral duties to him, and I'm so eager to do that asap. Happy fortieth birthday, Mas Arie. Keep being my great motivator, okay. I always hope you for the best to yourself and also your family. All the best for your career and family. God bless.
With love, De' Arum :)
