A (Hometown) Lullaby (?)

-a very short story-

He’s lying on the floor

and he still wears his red-white uniform.

He’s smiling, remembering the standing ovation from his teacher and

the big applauses from his friends at the class..

--

“Ok Ridwan, your turn.” said his teacher.

He was so nervous and perspiring.

He was not so confidence with his story,

About “Hometown”

--

He came forward and stand in front of class.

and he started tell his story :

“There are six people in my family.

Father, mother, my sister, my brother, me, and my little sister.
We are not have a hometown.
We always live in different cities :
small city, big city, crowded city,
I love to live like that
because I have a lot of friends everywhere.

My father is a technician.

He always get different jobs in different places.
I don’t know why,
but my mother told me once that
my father always get fired everytime
because he is a labor activist.
He always ask his friends to protests their boss,
So that the boss hate him very much.

but, my father is a silent person at home.

How could he do that?
I think my mother lies to me,
because my mother is a brilliant liar.

She always ask me to lie whenever

the debt collectors come to our home.
I don’t like to be a liar,
but my mother always said that I’m her savior
everytime I’m doing that.
Now, my mother ask my little sister to lie.
and I feel so relieved.

My mother said that she remember my brother

everytime she looks at me.
My brother is a tourist.
He never stay at home.
My mother said that my brother stay in different city.
He is a college student.
He can go into the college because my sister pay his tuition.
She works in foreign country.
My sister is a migrant worker.

Last week, we heard her voice on the phone.

She said she’s doing fine.
She will send us more money this month.
I don’t know her very well
but I feel like I miss her very much.
My sister always give me
nice shoes
shirts,
toys.
I love my sister.
So does my mother.

So, that’s my story.”

..and his teacher gave him a standing ovation.

Then his friends followed her and gave him a big applauses.
He was very happy.

--

but he’s still curoius why he get those compliments that day.

--
and he’s asleep..

With a strange lullaby in his mind.

(Fildzah Izzati)