Celebration Day for Tama

8. Reading

Summary of the past story:

To Mrs. Teacher, Tama asked about Mr. Goddhu's religion, wanting to know how he was buried. Mr. Goddhu has no religion, his body was cremated and his ashes was thrown into the north sea. Then Tama poured out her heart that the people hes cared about, died. Hes felt it was because hes was a sissy, a curse bearer. Mrs. Teacher straightened Tama's opinion and motivated him that with knowledge, Tama will understand more deeply about hemself. In the diary that Mrs. Guru checked, Tama wrote: "One is too small, the other is too narrow, but I don't want to be limited", meaning that even though hes was an intersex, hes didn't want to lose hir way of moving on. Tama received a gift for a new notebook from Pak Tuw Han and three borrowed books from the teacher. Hes went home by bus to the market, his home.

***

Interesting books made Tama want a place that was more conducive to reading. In the market, it is still quite busy in the afternoon. People were still busy chatting while packing wares. With the short bag filled with books, Tama walked to the field, looking for shade under the trees that were on the edges.

Impatiently Tama read about "The Leader", a simple story book with large writing. Hes read with passion. Hes would repeat sentences that needed deeper understanding.

'Leaders are people who protect.' said the book, but Tama was tempted by something. The smell of rice steam being cooked was delicious. Tama's stomach struggled. Tama put the book back in and walked towards the fragrance. Behind an open house, a mother was cooking rice in an electric rice cooker. Meanwhile Tama overheard the mother's conversation,

"Soon the rice will be cooked. Because you've taken a bath. Please, prepare a plate and bring the vegetable pot to the table. Mom wants to bathe your litle sister."

"Yes, Mom." Answered the elder daughter.

"Come on, take a bath now, okay?"

"No way!" the toddler was crying.

"You have to take a bath now. When it's night, you will be cold and lazy to take a bath. If you don't shower, you will have trouble sleeping and your body will itch at night. Uh uh," The mother practiced scratching her whole body.

The toddler laughed at his mother's behavior, then she wanted to take a bath. An instant later, the three humans disappeared from Tama's sight.

'Leaders are people who protect'. The mother protected the two children from hunger, from laziness and from irresponsibility.

Evening came. The market was completely deserted when it got dark. Tama returned to his 'home'. On the board where Tama used to sit and sleep, four cats had gathered. They looked full because they were lazing on the board. Knowing Tama's arrival, they all woke up.

"Eong!" Said Tama greeted.

Just about to sit down, Tama remembered that hes was hungry. Then hes put her handbag in a taller box, a kind of small cupboard.

"You're full already, huh."

The four cats meowed, some meowed hoarsely. One approached Tama, but Tama immediately left because hes wanted to buy food. The cats were lazing back on the board.

Tama ordered nasi rames (rice with mixed vegetables) upon arrival at the warteg (foodstall). Seeing the rice on the plate, Tama imagined the previous incident. Suppose he had a mother who cooked rice for him, told him to help carry the dishes. He remembered his grandmother, his adopted mother who had died. Hir heart was very sad. Hes felt very lonely. Tears almost dripped on the rice if the backs of hir hands didn't immediately wipe.

The food seller asked, "Why, son?"

Tama's face looked at the food seller. "I wish I had a mother, I want to be ordered around." Then Tama gave a glimpse of the incident she had seen earlier.

Hearing Tama's story, the food seller felt touched, "You can call me Mom, if you want."

Tama nodded.

"You can help me clean up the dirty dishes. You can wash the dishes, right?"

Again Tama nodded with tears that were like rain. (Hes was easy and often cries. It was hir nature. Don't you ever tell hem, 'don't cry', because that is one way to reduce hir pain.)

"Now, finish the rice. This is your sweet tea."

Tama ate well. After that hes washed the dishes in the kitchen of the warteg. After washing the dishes, Tama was given money by the food seller, 

"Son, this is for buying snacks, OK?"

Tama was silent, thinking about what it meant to be given money. Should hes be given money?

"Every child must be given pocket money by their mother. Now, this is for buying wedang ronde (ginger water with peanut,etc) tonight. It's rainy season now, so it's warm." The food seller explained.

Tama received the money, "Thank you, Mom."

"Salim, please." Salim is kissing hands of a sign of respect to elders. The food seller held out her hand.

Tama knew what Salim was. If they saw each other, either at home or on the street, a child salim his parents or older relatives. The grandmother used to never tell hem to salim, but that day hes practiced it by kissing the food seller's hand.

Tama's skin was so smooth. The food seller made a question in her heart. She hadn't lived in the neighborhood for long, she didn't know Tama's background.

It was dark, on the board bed, under the lighting of the market lamp, Tama was reading back a book, repeating what hes had not understood. He also recorded in hir diary everything: difficult words, interesting words, questions, expressions of his heart and the new knowledge he gained that day. The word that attracted him to write was salim. It was hir new, happy experience.

Just before dawn, Tama was ready to unload vegetables. He worked as usual, deftly lowering the load. Unexpectedly, the food seller passed by wearing a special outfit for women to pray: mukena.

"Mom!" Tama approached the food seller. Hes hesitated, but hes ventured, hes wanted salim again, wanted salim just like people did.

"Tama, no!" The food seller reflexively hid her hands, refusing to shake hands. In the view of the food seller, Tama was a man, because she knew that hes was called Tama by the others. Tama was a name of a man. A man who was not related by blood with her was not a mahram, if hes was in contact, hes could invalidate ablution (washing with water / dust to pray).

Tama lowered hir hand.

"I want to the Mosque first. You can salim after I finish praying."

Tama nodded. (Don't you guys ask why Tama always nods. Nodding and shaking are hir trademarks. Hes speaks only when bodily gestures cannot represent.)

Tama was busy working back. Hes did not see the food seller coming home from the Mosque. After working, Tama walked towards the warteg which was a bit far from the market. Before reaching the warteg, hes was attacked by someone from behind. Hir nape was hit. Tama was laid down, unconsciously.