"Kreeeeekk."
The sound of 1990s sedan made when the trunk was opened. Dirman began looking for his mother-in-law's small suitcase among the other things stored in the trunk. The small suitcase which his mother-in-law always carries when she is working at the hospital or examining patients who come to her house.
"This is it," said Dirman, then closed the trunk of the car. After that, Dirman went straight to Rivan's bedroom.
"Those are the things you are looking for," said Dirman.
"Yes, thank you. Please put it on the table, son," asked begged his mother-in-law.
"I'll put it here" Dirman said, then headed to the kitchen to help his wife who was cooking for their lunch.
Lusi, who had been in the kitchen, seemed pleased seeing Dirman want to help her cook. However, Dirman's face seemed like didn't please at all.
"Papa, is there any problem? Why do you keep quiet?," said Lusi.
"Hmm ... No, ma. I'm just worried about Rivan's condition," said Dirman.
"Is it about my father's question earlier right after they came?" asked Lusi.
"Yes, ma. I feel bad to your father and mother," complained Dirman.
"You know, pa. You don't have to think too much about it. Sorry,if I am too noisy about Rivan to you earlier" said Lusi.
"It's okay, ma. After all, papa was also wrong for smoking near Rivan," said Dirman.
The two of them cooked sauteed morning glory and fried mackarel until they were finished, as planned. At exactly 11 noon, both of them brought the food to the dining room, along with 1 pot of rice and 1 pot of fruit ice.
After that, Dirman and Lusi went to the living room to ask Prof. Mirza and Doctor Lina to eat lunch.
"Mother, father, the food is ready," said Lusi.
"Let's sit in the dining room," said Dirman.
"How come you know that I already hungry. Isn't that right, ma?"
asked Prof. Mirza to his wife."Your father is lying, we already had chicken porridge before leaving right?" Said Doctor Lina.
"You know what?. If you haven't eaten rice, you haven't eaten yet, ma. Are you full if you only eat porridge?" asked Prof. Mirza.
"Well well, whatever you say then," said Doctor Lina, jokingly.
"Come on, let's eat first," said Lusi.
They ate lunch deliciously, this intimacy that made the home atmosphere felt happier than before. But to be honest, Dirman still felt anxious if his in-laws talked about Rivan's condition again. Not long after that, Dirman's thought was true because his in-laws began to talk about it.
"Dirman, I want to tell you about Rivan's condition," said Doctor Lina.
"Ermm. Yes, ma'am. How is Rivan's condition?" asked Dirman.
"I think Rivan's cough is not a normal cough. It would be better for you and Lusi to immediately take Rivan to an internist doctor, so that Rivan's lung condition could be well further examined," ordered Doctor Lina, Rivan's mother-in-law.
"Is Rivan's condition that bad, ma?" asked Lusi to her mother.
"Actually, it's not bad. But, treating from early phase is better than waiting until the disease got worse, right?" said his mother.
Hearing what his wife said, Prof. Mirza became furious and worry about his grandson's condition. He didn't want anything bad happened to her 2-year-old grandson. His anger directly expressed toward his son-in-law's face at the dinner table.
"Oh, this must be because of your cigarette smoke that affected Rivan's body. Anyway, if Rivan worsen from time to time, I will re-think again to continue giving master scholarship to you," said Prof. Mirza with a threatening tone.
"B..but, sir? I really need that scholarship" said Dirman by begging.
"There are no excuses or buts, Dirman. One more thing, if you don't stop smoking soon, don't expect the campus to recruit you as a lecturer. Keep that in mind!" said Prof. Mirza, hard and firm.
"Dad ... dad, that's enough, think about your high blood pressure," pleaded Lusi.
"Dad, please be patient. Don't continue to be angry," said Doctor Lina to her husband.
"Let it be, ma. Let Dirman reflect on himself," said Prof. Mirza.
"Dad, that's enough. Mama asked to stop," asked Doctor Lina this time trying to calm the tense atmosphere.
Dirman couldn't say a word, hearing the hard ultimatum from his father-in-law. The atmosphere of a happy lunch, turned tense just because of Rivan's condition.
================ Back to the Present ===========================
"So, do you still think about the incident at that time?" asked Lusi.
"That's right, Mom. Papa feels guilty until now," said Dirman.
"Dad, that's all right. The most important thing now is that Rivan can recover quickly and go back to school as usual," hoped Lusi.
Lusi tried to strengthen her husband's, who was mentally down. She held her husband's hands which felt cold and sweaty. The married couples who had already in their 8th year of marriage were still quite harmonious, for now.
Towards 8 a.m., the activities at Hadiwijoyo Hospital, Surabaya began to get busier than before. It makes doctors, nurses, duty officers, and patients who always passing by from time to time looked even more intense. Dirman and Lusi were getting tired physically, but both of them could not rest because they were "forced" by the situation to stay awake while waiting for further news from the doctors about Rivan's latest condition.
"Dad, mom is hungry. Let's have breakfast first," asked Lusi.
"Yes, me too. Where do you want to eat, mom?" asked Dirman.
"Let's look for Soto Ayam, let's go near here," asked Lusi.
"Okay, ma. Come on." Dirman replied enthusiastically.
Both of them walked on foot to 'Warung Soto Ayam Pak Ciro', which was located right in front of the hospital. Arriving at the restaurant, Dirman and Lusi ordered 2 portions of soto ayam with 2 glasses of orange juice. Dirman and Lusi didn't talk much when they ate, until finally Lusi's cell phone rang.
"Hello. Assalamualaikum. Yes, Dad, "said Lusi.
"Wa'alaikumsalam. Lusi, how is Rivan?" asked his father.
"Now, Rivan is referred to the Hadiwijoyo hospital in Surabaya, pa. My husband and I accompany Rivan here," said Lusi.
"Can I talk to Dirman?" asked his father.
Lusi gave her cell phone to Dirman and just said, "Daddy wants to talk to you"
Dirman received the call, then he stood up from his seat and headed to the front of the shop. He felt that chatting with his in-laws who were also the top leaders of the campus where he worked, were important and confidential.
"Hello, sir. I'm sorry about Rivan's condition," said Dirman, trying to guess the direction of the conversation.
"It's Dirman. Take it easy. Mistakes can still be forgiven by time," said Prof. Mirza.
"Really, sir? I am happy if you can forgive me," said Dirman.
"Of course, Dirman. So, in this world, it's all about take and give. Giving benefits and advantages. It's just like the apologies, there are consequences after someone's apology," said Prof. Mirza.
Dirman was silent for a moment. He tried to exactly predict what his father-in-law meant from his words. With strong intuition as a Lecturer, he continued the chat.
"Then, what can I give as a form of gratitude to you for forgiving me?" asked Dirman.
"Did you still remember, who gave you master scholarship at that time who makes you to become a lecturer until today?" asked Prof. Mirza.
"Yes, sir. I still remember," replied Dirman.
"Who is that?" asked Prof. Mirza.
"Yes, sir. Thanks to you, you're the one who gave me the scholarship" said Dirman.
Prof. Mirza laughed satisfyingly hearing Dirman's answers. He thought that Dirman was still very naive as a person who holds the status of a Lecturer at Siupala University, Malang.
"Dirman.... Dirman. You are already a lecturer now, but you are still naive just like in the past." said Prof. Mirza.
Shortly thereafter, Prof. Mirza offered a "win-win solution" to Dirman.
"Look, son Dirman. You don't have to worry. Just ensure that I will continue to hold the Rector position for the next period," said his father in-law.
"How can I do that, sir? By convincing the Senate?" asked Dirman.
"That's right. Whatever the method is up to you, Dirman. The important thing is, I'm still the Rector in this university. You have good connections with several members of the Senate who have voting rights in this year's Rector Election." Said the in-law, dictating.
"Fine, sir. I will try. Then, what if I fail?" asked Dirman.
"You must have known the consequences, right?" said the in-law, with a smile but sharp enough to straightly hit Dirman's mind.
Incisive dictions that came out of Prof. Mirza stabbed into Dirman's feelings which made them contemplating back to the great service his father-in-law gave him to the established profession that he currently has. However, Dirman tried to be calm down again. He took a deep breath, then exhaled back through his nostrils."Yes, sir. I understand the consequences!" said Dirman, firmly."Good, Dirman. In the near future, the Senate consisting of 12 Deans, 60 Vice Deans from all faculties, and 3 student representatives will form a Rector Selection Committee," explained Prof. Mirza."Good, Sir." said Dirman."My biggest competitor in the Rector election will only be 1, Dirman," said Prof. Mirza."Who is that, sir? I want to know the person," said Dirman."Prof. Sari from the Faculty of Economics and Finance. Do you still remember I've been accused about wasting the budget for new student orientation activities?" explained Prof. Mirza.
At 2 p.m of Indonesian western time On October 15th 2016 to be exact, Dirman met representatives of PT. Adimio Jaya on the Siupala University Campus.The working atmosphere in the editorial office of Media Kampus News was so noisy and busy. Some were busy discussing the main headline that would be featured in the printed newspaper tomorrow, some are focused on discussing news coverage from various fields, and some were also serious to design photos for commercial purposes.Frans, a journalist who had only worked in the office for 2 months, was typing a script about today's student activities at popularly known Polytechnic in Blitar. He approached the Chief Editor who was familiarly called as Pablo."Do you already done typing something?" Pablo asked."Yes, I just finished it already. Do you want to talk to me?" asked Frans."Yes. We'll have a chat in my room. It's something important," said the Chief Editor."Fine, I will go to your room
October 16th, 2016, after having Maghrib prayer, Frans went to the first person of Faculty of Economy and Finance located in Batu, not far from the City Square. Wearing office uniform with a black jacket, Frans drove his old car. He put his backpack with a laptop inside on the car seat behind him. Forty minutes later, Frans arrived at Professor Sari's house, ten minutes left to the meeting he agreed on with the Dean."Let's come in, sir," said Professor Sari after opened the gate and saw Frans who got out from his car.Professor Sari asked the young journalist to her private office on the second floor. Frans followed the dean's direction, there are a few memories picture of the Dean with her deceased husband as they went upstairs."Don't be surprised by the photos earlier. Those are our memories before he died from an accident 3 years ago" said Professor Sari.Both of them entered the room with a round table between two wooden chairs."You hav
Sreeeettt....The sound of cabinet door scraping was heard inside the chief editor's office. That night, the editorial office of Campus News was very quiet.Frans and Pablo locked the cabinet's door to make sure that the documents from Professor Sari were safe from anything unwanted."Frans, what date is tomorrow?" Pablo asked."October 17th, 2016" answered Frans."Hmm. How about tomorrow we have a discussion with Eriska?" asked Pablo."Eriska, is she our newspaper editor right? What for?" said Frans."That's right. I want to ask his opinion about the embezzled funds at Siupala University, whether this case can become the headline of our newspaper," said Pablo."That's a good idea. After this, I'll call him when I'm at home," said Frans."Good, Frans. Let's go home then," said Pablo.Both of them walked towards the parking lot and went in their own cars. Frans felt relieved tonight because he could finally intervi
"Sir, I want to answer your question," said Febrian, one of the students in the class."Fine. What's your name?" asked Professor Cokro."I am Febrian, sir," he replied."Yes, please answer," said Professor Cokro."The formula that you wrote is a translation of Newton's Law 2, which states that any object moving in a straight line will produce a resultant force (F) if there is a determining variable, namely the object's mass or (m) and the object's acceleration or (a)," he replied."That's right," replied Professor Cokro."Now, all of you have to do the questions on the slide. There are 5 questions. I will leave this class for a while because I have a guest in the office. Please keep quiet because the other rooms also have a class," said Professor Cokro that was agreed by the students.Professor Cokro came out of the A1 room to go to his office, to meet Herman who had been waiting for him all this time."Professor Cokro, I am
"Take it easy. Then, I will take my words to tell Revaldo out of the room. But please, erase the writing on the board, and we will start the class right now," said Professor Cokro to his students."Fine, sir. We will erase the writing on the board. But, we demand for one thing, sir. Please deliver our aspirations to the Rector! We as students of the Chemical Engineering Department are fed up with the Rector's policies!" said Aldi, the representation of Revaldo and others students."Yes. I, as the Head of the Faculty of Engineering, will deliver your aspirations, for the sake of transparency in our university," promised Professor Cokro."Fine, sir. Come on, friends, now we have to continue the class," said Aldi.Revaldo went to the blackboard and erased the writing that he wrote just before Professor Cokro entered the room. He apologized to Professor Cokro for his actions, while kissing the Dean's right palm."It's okay. Please sit down," said
The middle-aged man was still sitting in front of Deno. At this time, he tried lighting a cigarette that Deno had offered him."Creekk..Creekk..Crekkk", the sound of a match that lit a cigarette that was pushed between the two sides of the man's lips. The talk continued."Then, you must immediately persuade our rector candidate, Prof. Mirza! So that he can be the rector for one more period. If Mr. Mirza loses, we are finished," said the man."Fine, sir. I'll meet Prof. Ida at the Faculty of Mathematics and Technology tomorrow," said Deno."Good idea. She's still the dean of the faculty, right?" asked the man."Still, Sir. Prof. Ida has been respected by the other faculty’s dean who supported Mr. Mirza in the 2014 rector election," explained Deno."That's right. We have to maintain our solidity, Deno," said the man."Yes, sir. Moreover, the son-in-law of Mr. Mirza, Dirman, serves as Deputy Dean 5 at the Faculty of Mathematics an
On the morning of October 18th, 2016, after doing the Fajr prayer at the mosque of Hadiwijoyo Regional General Hospital Surabaya, Dirman returned to the room where Rivan was treated, his only son who suffered from lung cancer.Even though Rivan's condition began to improve, Rivan could not escape from his deep sleep because of the medicine given by the doctors. However, Dirman was getting ready to return to Malang to fulfill the invitation from Professor Ida."Are you going back to Malang this morning?" asked Lusi, Dirman's wife."I have to come to work because there are several tasks that have to be done immediately," said Dirman."Hmm. Does it mean that I have to accompany Rivan here by myself?" asked Lusi, a little sad.Seeing his wife who was shedding tears, Dirman immediately hugged Lusi's body and wiped the tears that came out of her eyes. While calming Lusi, who wearing a light blue hijab, Dirman promised to continue to always monit