Satria and Destiny

chapter 1

  "You unlucky child! No profit! Go away!! Don't you ever dare to show your face in front of me again!!"

"I myself don't even want to admit you as a child, then what about other people? Get out of my sight and don't you step on my house again!!!"

"Don't leave Satria, Satria is scared!!! Mom...., please Satria... Satria is afraid, help me Mom...."

   The image of a small child being pushed down by a middle-aged man continues to roam the memory of a 28-year-old man in a plaid shirt who has just returned from work.

A bitter smile appeared on his thin lips remembering the events of a dozen years ago that will never fade from memory, unless he is destined for amnesia.

"Go away!! Don't dirty my shop! You brats, I told you you can't wait for free food here!!!"

The voice made the young man look for the source. Then, his gaze caught the sad incident that hit two small children whom he predicted would be under ten years old.

At first, he was just watching, but when the sound of a body being forced into contact with the ground sounded in his ears, his heart immediately heated up.

"Ohhhh…."

There was a groan that made the young man in the plaid shirt immediately run over to the two small children who were pushed by the shop owner until they fell. Moreover, after that the shop owner immediately left without guilt. He wanted so badly to give a raw bogem but his common sense still served as a dangerous alarm if he did anything it to the shop owner.

"Are you okay?"

The two boys looked up at the source of the voice who were now crouching and reaching out to help them up. The two stared at each other for a moment, as if confused and afraid.

"Let's get up, you're hungry, right? Let's go find something to eat with me, Brother."

He called himself as brother, the two boys made tears in their eyes. Without many more words, those who were already starving, just followed what the strange man in front of them asked.

"There's a fried rice seller in front of you, do you want fried rice?"

"Wa-want, Sir," replied the bigger one.

"Okay, let's go now. Come on!"

The plaid man walked first, the two boys looked at him doubtfully.

Realizing that, the man turned around with his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What is it?"

"Excuse me, what is your name, Sir?" asked the boy again.

The man chuckled, even a street child would not obey a stranger they had just met. Then, he extended his hand, introducing himself.

"I'm Satria, and what's your name?"

The boy in white returned the outstretched hand immediately.

"I'm Rama, this is my young brother name is Roni."

"Owh, it seems you are brothers. Yes, come on, Rama, Roni, we will find food, before it gets dark," he said after raising his head to see that the afternoon king had shifted far to the west.

"Okay, Sir." The two boys replied together.

The man in plaid clothes who turned out to be named Satria pulled the corner of his lips, showing a sweet smile on the bitterness of the life he was witnessing right now.

"Mr, I want to buy two of fried rice," He said as he sat in the waiting chair.

"Owh okay, Bro. Would you like to wrap or eat here?"

Satria turned to the two children to make sure. "Want to wrap or eat here the fried rice?" he asked.

"Mmm, just wrap it up, Sir. We have our sibling at home," said Rama with his innocent face.

"Sibling? So you two are not alone?" Satria squinted, he seemed increasingly sorry for the two children in front of him.

"Yes, Sir. We have our younger siblings at home. Actually, they are the hungry ones, we have eaten this morning, but they can't stand just eating bread."

The man's chest tightened when he heard the words of Roni, a little boy who he estimated was six or seven years old. Just bread, the words seemed to swirl in his head.

"Mr, add two more servings of rice, okay?" Satria asked without being asked again.

"Oeh, Okay, Bro," replied the fried rice cooker cheerfully. After all, who is not happy if the merchandise sells.

While still waiting, the cellphone in the black backpack perched on the owner's back vibrated, Satria reached into it to see who might be calling him in the afternoon. As soon as he saw the name listed on the screen, Satria immediately shifted the green icon on the screen before he got a curse from the caller who turned out to have received three unanswered calls.

"Hello."

"I'm on your rent, come home quickly! I'm already a cowardly goat in front of you, your door is still locked."

"Owh, okay, I'm on the way to go home."

"Bye!"

After hearing the closing words, without needing to answer, Satria hung up the phone. It's okay if the person on the other side curses because the phone is turned off without being answered because he doesn't say assalamualaikum.

"Mr, here's the money, just give them the change, okay?"

"Owh, okay, Bro."

"Rama, Roni, I live first, yes. There's urgent business," he said goodbye to the two little boys who didn't take their eyes off him. 

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. Goodbye, Assalamu'alaikum.''

''Wa'alaikumsalam.'' They answered again together and this time the fried rice seller added.

Satria continued his footsteps towards the motorbike where he had stopped it earlier. Luckily no one stole his motorbike, otherwise he could have walked quite a distance from where he is now.

  Delima Street, the path that holds the deepest wounds for a Satria. Never wanted to set foot in that area, but Satria didn't know why fate always took his there.  Like now, he had to be transferred to the city by the manager of the restaurant where he was registered as an employee in his hometown.

As a person who needs money to survive, it is impossible for Satria to refuse the offer, especially since his salary is now higher than his previous salary.

However, this is the first time that Satria has turned to the road after being in Jakarta for so long, he also doesn't know why he took his motorbike there even though his intention was to just take a walk to relieve fatigue.

***

  "Why? How come your face is so full like you've met a loan shark? Haven't got your paycheck yet?" 

The neck pillow was thrown into Satria's face who was contemplating in the living room. There was a long sofa there which he used to straighten himself apart from the bed. The contract is simple but trying to complete the contents to make it comfortable to live in.

"Tsk, what the hell of you!" Satria chuckles with a lazy look at the uninvited guest who is staying at his rented house tonight.

"Well, anyways, I've been watching you daydream. What are you thinking about? Maybe you're thinking about how to get me out of here, huh? Oh no, Bro!"

"You're so noisy, Lang!"

Satria pouted, he didn't want to be disturbed but how could it be when his closest person was already here, being alone was just a dream for him.

"Eh, Sat! Why!?" Gilang doesn't want to see his friend daydreaming like a troubled person. If it's difficult to divide by two, it's easier to think.

"I went to Delima street, Lang," said Satria so that Gilang would stop asking questions.

Instantly the atmosphere suddenly became quiet after Satria spoke. Gilang no longer asked when the name of the street was mentioned. It was no secret to him about what was behind the road and his memories for Satria, his best friend.

"And the shadows are even clearer in my memory, Lang. Even though it's been a dozen years, it turns out that the pain is still the same, nothing has changed, and in that place not much has changed."

Galang took a deep breath and exhaled roughly. Then, he sat next to his friend who still looked confused.

"Ck, looks like you need a vacation, Sat. If it's like this, I don't know how long you will be in sad mode like this."

Satria chuckled hearing that. So far, Galang has never wanted to keep him immersed in his past which is far from happy, who is not proud to be told like his other friends.

A tap on his shoulder from Galang made Satria nod with a faint smile forced on those thin lips.

"I'm sure, I can definitely fight my fear and pain, Lang. Don't worry, I guess I really have to try to be normal every time I pass through places that still linger in my memories of my past. Sooner or later, everything will disappear by itself."

"Hopefully."

Galang's answer is short, concise, and clear because he knows exactly what his friend's habits are like.

"Looking for the wind, come on. It seems the sky is clear, it's good for jamming," said Galang enthusiastically.

Understanding what her friend meant, Satria nodded in agreement. Accompanied by Satria's nod,  Galang grabs the motorbike key and pulls the sleeve of Satria's T-shirt so he can get up quickly so he doesn't keep drowning in the bloodless wound that Galang can't imagine how sick he is.

It would be bad for his friend's mind and mental health if he kept thinking about all the events he had experienced in his past.

"Instead of daydreaming, it's better if we take cabs, cabs use motorbikes," joked Galang with the sound of a video application child that is currently viral along with his movements.

Of course, this made Satria chuckle again at his friend's humor, which sometimes entertained and annoyed him.