Short story: Burning Fire

Burning fire - Membakar Api

Eka Kurniawan - March 1, 2009

Api

After making sure his wife disappeared from the hospital, of course with their newborn baby, Mirdad immediately called his wife. "Artika, where are you? What about our baby? "His voice was aimed more at the ballot box, which began with Artika's short message," My husband, if you want to see our child, first, return my father back. "

Lohan's business again, Mirdad thought.

In the last few weeks, before giving birth to their first baby, Artika's condition was not so good. Mirdad was very worried, especially thinking of his wife's womb. And if he asks, Artika always brings it back to the issue, "I think of my father. How can I be calm if my father is said to have been put in the arms and tortured and I don't know where he is. "

"I don't know either," said Mirdad.

"But your father knows."

It is true. He himself did not know what had happened between father and father-in-law. He only heard the news that was milling about, which was not clearly in his case. Of course he had asked that to his father, but the father would only say that this matter was more complicated than they thought. However, simply his father would say: "Your in-laws burn fire." That's their term for embezzling the organization's money.

"I don't believe it," Artika said at the time.

When her womb approached her delivery period, Mirdad persuaded her to go to the hospital and stay there. Artika did not move, vowing to only give birth if it was accompanied by Lohan, her father. Desperately, Mirdad returned to meet his father and begged for a moment to free Lohan to be able to accompany his wife to give birth to their child.

"No, son. You will have to understand later, organizations are even more important than any kind of family romance."

Until one day he did not find his wife at home. He called his wife, but the call was dead. In fact, at that time there was no message to talk to the ballot box. Mirdad tried to call their doctor, but the doctor did not know anything and instead asked, why did his wife not come, even though it was nearing the day of delivery. He then telephoned all maternity hospitals, asking if there was a patient named Artika Lohan. No maternity hospital has a patient named that. There is also no public hospital that answer yes. In fact, he had also spread out some of his men to look for places where traditional birth attendants were born. The result was nil.

Then, he got the news that his wife gave birth in a maternity hospital outside the city. Damn, he thought, why can't he think of that. He immediately drove to the hospital. It was true that his wife gave birth there, but Artika had gone back. That's when he called again and got a short message before the sign to speak to the ballot box, "My husband, if you want to see our child, return my father first to the house."

Mirdad sat on the porch of the hospital and asked himself, "Which one should I choose, this damn family or organization?"

The news about Lohan's arrest was first heard from Artika. At that time Artika had just visited his father's house, then suddenly came home and called out to him. A midnight napkin wakes up and asks, what's wrong?

"Father was arrested."

"By whom?" He thought, his father-in-law was arrested by the police. In their world, that's not a strange thing. His father had dealt with the police dozens of times and had been in custody several times even though the organization's lawyers always managed to make a plea of ​​not guilty to be released. And his father-in-law, Lohan, is a field person. He dealt with the police more often and so far there had never been a business he could not solve easily.

"By Pre."

That just surprised him. Mirdad wakes up from the bed. Pre is their term for field people, trained street thugs. No, not just any street thugs. Their job is to do all acts of violence cleanly to protect all interests of the organization. Street thugs are just poor parking attendants and street vendors. Pre killed and burned the building, without being noticed. Lohan himself was a pre, if he was arrested by pre-peers, it meant that there were serious problems involving the internal organization.

"Why?" Asked Mirdad.

"I don't know!" And Artika continued with a roar. Because he knows, pre-arrest means death without a trace. Pre does not only kill enemies and rival organizations, he can also act the same for insiders who they think are traitors. And betrayal is an unforgivable sin in their organization. Artika knew very well about this, so she deserved to cry over her father.

Followed by Artika, Mirdad immediately went to his father's house, known by his long full name: Rustam Satria Juwono. The father likes it when people say his name in full three words, and of course

hate if someone tries to abbreviate it. Some people who did not like him, quietly abbreviated the name became RSJ, as the abbreviation for the Mental Hospital. Indeed there is no more appropriate place to find out the condition of Lohan than going to meet Rustam Satria Juwono. Rustam Satria Juwono is the chairman of the organization.

He might not only know about Lohan's arrest. It could be that Lohan's arrest by the pre is precisely his command.

"Father, why was your father-in-law arrested pre?" Asked Mirdad.

Facing his son and daughter-in-law, Rustam Satria Juwono tried to speak softly and wisely, "Calm yourself. Father will try to find the best way to solve this problem. "

"Why not send the pre release my father?" Asked Artika impatiently. His eyes were swollen and he was still crying.

"Calm down, kid. Father will try as best I can. Even though the father is a chairman, the organization has its own rules. You know, as a chairman, you can't act arbitrarily. "

Even for Mirdad himself, his father's words sounded like bullshit.

The incident was exactly a month before Artika gave birth to her baby. With a big belly, Artika tried to find out her father's whereabouts. Similarly, Mirdad. The result is nil. They reported it to the police as a missing person, but they knew for sure that the police would not find it easily. After all, it is impossible to say to the police that Lohan was kidnapped by the pre-party.

First, there were no witnesses to the abduction. During the kidnapping, Lohan lived alone in her room. As usual, he always locked the door and window of the room from inside. After noon Lohan didn't leave the room, Artika and her mother tried to open the door. After opening, they found an empty room. But the doors and windows remained locked from the inside. There is no conclusion whatsoever except to be sure, that can only be done by a group of pre.

Second, mentioning pre will only endanger both of them.

Third, the police did not know what was pre.

Fourth, if there are police who know the pre, they will not want to handle the case.

Finally they find out in their own way. Even though they could be said to be nobody in the middle of a labyrinth of organizations, they could also be said to have little friends who slipped here and there and knew quite a lot of things. From such shrieks, they finally get fragments of the story behind Lohan's arrest.

These days, as many people know, organizations are on the verge of going bankrupt. That means, their companies have too much debt and make too little money. The elders of the organization, in their outside world, are better known as capital conglomerates, meeting to find a way out to save the organization-owned companies. That's when they returned to check the books. Big bookkeeping and finding big concedes. There is expenditure, but there is no income.

All eyes then looked at the only person who should be responsible for the loss of money: Lohan.

"I can explain where the money went," Lohan said, trying to calm down.

"Yes, gentlemen, I'm sure this best friend can explain where the money went," said Rustam Satria Juwono, the chairman, at the end of the meeting.

Rustam Satria Juwono finally called Lohan and asked to talk to both of them. He himself believed Lohan did not carry away the money and there must be a reasonable explanation. To Lohan, Rustam Satria Juwono said, "The elders are angry." That means, Lohan must explain as clearly as possible or they will get problems with the elders. "You know, I am indeed the chairman of this organization. But like you, my elders determined my fate. "

"I can explain," Lohan said.

"Do it."

"I have nothing to cover," said Lohan. "This is the thing we have done very often. I do it for all of us. I use the money to bribe the police. "

"That big?"

"That big. This one is a big cop. And we will get big things to save the company from big problems. "

"Is that?"

"We will get a gambling house."

The gambling house was never really made. Large police that promise to make things easier do not keep their promises, even though the money has changed hands. The elders this time were really angry. They really don't like spending a lot of money on things they can't get.

"Lohan, I was forced to let the pre catch you," Rustam Satria Juwono said during their final telephone conversation.

"Why? I do that because you want a gambling house, don't you? "

"But you spend a lot of money."

"The money is for bribes."

"Your bribe didn't work. We have absolutely no permission or protection to make the gambling house. "

"Then, we take the money from the police again."

"He never claimed to receive money from you."

"What?"

"Yes, He didn't say that He receive money from you. "

"Oath of death, I give it directly, full suitcase?"

"Are there witnesses?"

"Not. But everyone in the organization knew I was bribing the policeman. You also know that. "

"Do you have proof that the police received your money? He gave you ... em ... say, receipt? "

Lohan was silent, before saying again, "Since when did bribes have receipts?"

"So your answer, there is no evidence?"

"Are you going to sacrifice me to make the elders happy?"

Rustam Satrio Juwono hangs up.

That is, he will let the pre catch Lohan. Actually that night Lohan was getting ready. Lohan locked the door and window of his room. Lohan also prepares a gun under the pillow. But as everyone knows, pre has never been stopped.

There was no other way, Mirdad said to his wife: "My father knew the money was taken away by the police. But the elders don't care. Whoever eliminates money must face the pre. So, that's what my father had to do to make the elders happy. That is the only way that he can maintain his place in the organization or the 'chair' call must be immediately given to others. "

Artika didn't like the answer and decided to go with her baby. [2009]