Maria Gabriela Rr Daryati, 83 years of age.
Tirakat Ibu
I grew up in a recession period. I was born in 1936, it was during the Japanese occupation time, clothes were made of gunny sack full of fleas.
My father died when I was 7 years of age. Since then, lived with my relatives. Moved from one aunty to another, from Kaliurang, Imogiri, Semarang, Nyutran to Ngasem. Everyone was poor too. My education was ruined because I kept moving.
My sweet memory was when I sent off my mother to work. At 3 AM I took my mother to the main road. She would walk to the hospital in Kaliurang, where she worked. There was no public transportation. Our pets were 9 dogs, 3 cats, they all went along to send my mother off to work. In a group.
In my twenties, I married Fransiskus Sales R Syamsihari. He was quite famous, he received an award from the Government as The Best Rebab Artist in 1981. His income as an artist was uncertain. He took a side job as a tailor.
We had two children, Veronika Indarti Hari Sulistiani (Iin) and Whani Hari Dharmawan. I cried for Iin once, because she wanted to enter the nunnery. I only have two children, what will it be if one was in a nunnery? Iin eventually canceled her plan and got married instead.
As a Javanese, as a mother, I often do the night prayer in my yard. At 2 or 3 AM, I would go out and pray for my children’s successful life. I also often accompanied Whani to take a midnight bath by the well. Tirakat.
When I was pregnant with Whani, an elderly person told me that Whani would become a manggolo yudho, a war commander. I don’t know what sort of war it would be. But, I saw Whani in many theatrical performances, as a film star, so maybe that is his “war.
Usually, I would be taken to preview the film which Whani is in. But I was not invited to see “Pendekar Tongkat Emas”, he said that film did not suit me.
But who knows if Whani is actually famous? Thank God, menawi mekaten, if that’s what it is. I am grateful. I used to be worried to think whether or not an artist could be sufficient. Turns out, he could.
Sometimes I feel sad when Whani left. People left me all the time since I was a kid, and now I spend more time with my grandchildren.
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