Cakes, Hopes, and Fly

Hello guys...this is my short story. I created it in English not Indonesian one. Actually, it is my homework in Creative Writing class. But, I really want to share it so you can read and give a comment. Umm... I hope you will like it. Please...give your responses after you read it. Okay? ^^V

Cakes, Hopes, and Fly

First time I met him was when I went to my campus, Universitas Brawijaya. That was in early September when sun was going to set. He stood by himself in front of black Iron Gate in Watumujur Street. That gate was full of people going in and out. However, I still could see him there. He wore shabby Ultraman t-shirt and grey pants which its length was about his knee. He had brown skin and curly hair. I tried to move forward so I could see him clearly. Some people got in my way. I passed them and he was before me. Oh My God, he was so thin. His big two baskets in both his hands made him looked thinner. At that time, he was too busy with shouting to the people who were hanging around at the food sellers. I smelled something sweet coming from those baskets. I tried to poke him and ask what was in there. “I made these cakes by myself. You want to buy?” he said to me warmly. I looked inside the baskets and found some colourful little cakes. There are donuts, klepon, cenil, onde-onde, and some Javanese sweets. Even though I had known those kind of little sweets, he warmly explained to me all of the cakes. Finally, I chose some klepon. The fresh green coloured and grated coconut as the topping made my appetite flowed. “Thank you so much, you can buy again anytime!” he said to me after I gave him money for his sweets. I left after I thanked him. While walking to my boarding house I tried one klepon. Oh... what was it? It was too salty for klepon. The taste of klepon should be sweet because of the palm sugar in it. Did the maker put some salt in it? The horrible taste of that little kid’s klepon made me wondering. Who was the maker? And why that little kid sold sweets in late evening? I thought I want to meet him again in next day.

***

I had gotten myself in front of the black Iron Gate again that evening. This gate was the nearest gate from my boarding house. But, as usual this gate was full of people. The thing that made this gate was used to crowded was just because they did not open it fully. So, it was just a narrow aperture for people to go in and out of the campus. With my little body and big bag on my back I could not pass the gate successfully. I tried my best to go through. I pushed someone in front of me. But, someone behind me pushed my body and made me lost my balance. Unfortunately, it made me bumped to someone who was smaller than me. The worst was it was the little boy who sold his little cakes. I made him fell onto the ground. I tried to help him to stand. But, he would not accept my help and he took something from the ground. I looked closer to him and I knew those were his little cakes which fell from the baskets because of that accident. I lost all of my effort seeing those all dirty little cakes. Suddenly, I tried to help him took his cakes.

“I’m so sorry. I promise I will compensate all these cakes.” I said this with my trembling voice. He remained silent. His hands were still busy taking those little cakes. His quietness made me felt worse than before.

“Why do you just keep silent? I’m serious. I will compensate it. Okay?” He still did not say anything. He took two remain donuts from the ground. All eyes looked to the boy and me. I could hear some dreadful word coming from the people around us. I did not care about that. I worried this little boy. I put the little cakes to the baskets. The baskets were wet. But, it was not raining. Then, I realized. The wet were not from the skies but it came from those little kid’s brown eyes.

***

“So, you have lost your money just for compensated that kid’s cakes? What a pitiful Sarah.” Adam laughed loudly after I told him the whole story about that accident. “So, is he still mad to you?

I did not answer Adam’s question and continued stirring my coffee. I thought drinking coffee in the evening at our favourite fast food restaurant, Mc Donald at MT Haryono Street could make me more relax. Fortunately, Adam treated me and somehow it helped me to escape from my money crisis.

“Come on! Don’t talk about it again! I have to go to meet him now. Dam, could you just pay this burger for me, thank you.”I left Adam before he even said anything to me. I got to hurry if I wanted to meet Bayu again in front of the black iron gate as usual. I knew it took much time to go there by foot. But, I did not want to bother Adam much more. This was my business, so I had to solve it by myself.

There he was, standing in front of the gate by himself. I waved my hands to him when he saw me running. He smiled to me. Bayu asked me to go home together. I looked into his baskets, there were no more sweets. Bayu invited me to his house which was near Adam’s boarding house. I knew it, because I had visited once to apologize to Bayu’s parents because of that accident. Bayu’s house was in Kertopamuji street number 45. It was a small house with bamboo fence in the front. It was pitiful for me to say that his house was like will collapse anytime.

Once I had asked Bayu about his school. He told me that he was in fifth grade of elementary school. Without any hesitated, Bayu told me that he wanted to be like me. He was eager that someday he could study in my campus too. He wanted to take engineering as his major.

Actually, I became Bayu’s English teacher. Bayu admitted that he was very poor in English major at his school. He was afraid that he could not get good score in English.

“Okay, Bayu. I am your English teacher now. I will teach you everyday so prepare yourself!” Bayu looked so happy when I had said this.

For the reward, he gave me klepon again. I was afraid that that was the same salty klepon that I bought last time. I imagined what kind of horrible taste in it

 “It is okay. It is not the salty one.” He smiled after said it to me.

***

I was so busy lately with my classes, homework, Aikido practices, teaching Bayu, and helping Adam with his PKM. I did not even have much time to eat Bayu’s little sweets. I still had time to meet him in front of gate but I could not chat too long with him. The worst was I could not teach Bayu effectively. This was what made me so sorry. But, that time in early October when sun was going to dim its light, I tried to meet Bayu in front of the black iron gate. I had to say sorry and made promise that I will spare my time to teach him again. But, there was not Bayu in front of the gate when I arrived. That was unusual. I thought it may be because his cakes were sold out so he came home earlier. I thought so but my feeling was not comfort with that. Skies were burnt when I decided to back home. I glanced for a while before I left. I saw some little dirty cakes lying on the ground. What was going on? Bayu would never let his cakes were trampled by anybody. I was sure something wrong had happened. I had to meet him soon.

***

Next morning, I visited Bayu’s house. I met Bayu’s parents and Bayu. Seeing their little house made me felt so uneasy. There was no ceramic floor. It was just hard soil which was wet when rainy day and dusty when dry season came. There were so many holes on the roof. I could not imagine how the condition of this house when rain came. I saw so many scrabbles on the wall. It was so fun seeing so many cute cartoon characters which were drawn by Bayu. It was also pitiful seeing the wall which cracked. There were no high class furniture just four rotten wooden chairs, a black old cupboard, and one bed for all. Those things were all that they had.

“Come in Sarah!” greeted Bu Maryam, Bayu’s mother. She invited me to sit on the wooden chair.

From every side when I looked at her, she looked so beautiful. Her white hair and wrinkled white skin did not cover her warm smile. She wore orange traditional kebaya. Batik cloth covered her thin legs. She really looked like Javanese women.

“Thank you Mam. Are you busy?”

“Ah. It’s okay. I’m not busy. Bayu is still in the backyard. He will come after he finished his work. Do you want something to drink?”

 “No Mam, but thank you for asking. How is Bayu’s father condition?” I tried to open the conversation by asking Bayu’s father condition who was lying on the bed. He suffered from asthma since he was young. Once Bayu wept and told me his beloved father sickness.

“It’s getting worse day by day. We want to take him to hospital. But, we don’t have much money to pay the fee. Our incomes only come from Bayu’s cakes and my laundry. It’s not enough to pay for my husband treatment” Bayu’s mother tried very hard to not crying. But, flooding of tears in her eyes indicated that she could not bear it any longer.

“Hoa, have you been in this place for long time?” suddenly Bayu came and greeted me warmly. Bayu’s mother wiped her tears from her pale cheeks as Bayu came by. She decided to continue her laundry job at the back of the house. There we were. We sat down on the old wooden chair. For a little while we did not speak any word.

“Yu, are you okay? I had looking for you yesterday in the same place. Where were you?”

“Why do you do that? Is there something wrong?”

His trembling voice made me felt curious. I thought he hid something wrong from me.

“It’s nothing. I just want to say sorry to you. I’m sorry for not teaching you English.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind it at all. I’m too busy with selling cakes. And I know that you are busy with your classes.” Out of blue, he smiled. Did he try to say to me that he was okay with that?

“Okay, Will you mind if I help you selling those cakes this evening?”

“No need for that. I will not do that this evening!” He answered it so quickly. It was strange for me.

Then Bayu spoke like usual. “Sar, I have made some cakes. Would you try it?”

I could not stop eating his cakes. How could he made those putu were so sweet? He also served me a cup of tea. We ate and laughed together. We also talked so many things. He told me that yesterday he saw a helicopter flew far above his head. He could not stop looking it until it was gone. He really liked flying machines more than I could imagine.

 “I’m sure I will make the biggest aeroplane in the world. Because of that, I have to study hard. I want to study in the same college like you Sarah.”

“Where would you go with your aeroplane?”

“It’s obvious! I will go to Mecca with my father and mother.” He said with full of passion which was heard from his intonation.

My heart were full of impression when I heard that utterance came from a little cake seller boy. If I were his parents, I must be proud of him.

“But, I don’t know how to make my dream comes true. I don’t have money to school. My father is sick. I don’t even know if I can study at junior high school or not. All I can do is just saving money from the cakes’ profit.” He continued with the worst thing that I did not want to hear. His face looked so pale and his bright brown eyes lost their light. One, two tear drops fell from his eyes. I could not do anything to make him cheered again. Both of us just remained silent until I decided to go back home.

***

I could not have enough sleep since that day. Bayu’s utterance last time really annoyed me. Bayu was eager to continue his education. But, he did not want to be a burden for his parents. Somehow, Bayu opened my mind.

 Next evening, I really wanted to meet Bayu again. He said that he would sell his cakes in front of the black iron gate as usual. I brought him some English books for elementary student. I hoped he would be happy and eager to learn English from those books.

When I was on the way to the gate, I saw something strange in front of it. Why was the gate so crowded than before? I was so curious and worried that something bad happened to Bayu. I could not see clearly because the view was cut off by amount of people.

“Don’t do that!” a shouting was heard by me. The voice was so familiar in my ears. That was Bayu!

I tried to go through the bunch of people. It was so hard struggle because of my little body. Why did these people do not let me go there easily? Was a crying boy being an entertainment?

“Bayu! I shouted. “Bayu!” I shouted louder than before. I could see him sat on the ground and picked something from it. Those were dozens of little cakes that Bayu had made. He wept so badly at there. I saw some securities stood before him. There were three securities. One thin body security yelled at Bayu. He said something terrible to him. At that time, I still stood by myself in front of other people. I felt terrible awful feeling. I could not bear it anymore so I went forward and embraced Bayu.

“Are you okay?” Bayu looked so pale. I thought he was shocked really bad.

“If you are his sister, tell him to not sell those things here ever again!” that thin body security yelled at me. I yelled at him back and said that was not fair treated a little kid like he did.

“What do you say? I have told him about this since two days ago. This is the order from the rector. You have no right to avoid it!” said him before leaving us alone.

Order! What kind of unfair order was that! And why Bayu did not tell me about this before. There were dozens of questions in my mind. I wanted to ask Bayu, but his physical and mental condition ware not so good at that time.

“It’s not fair! Why does it happen to me? It’s just because I’m poor. I just want to sell my cakes so I can get the money to save for my future. I just want to study here so my hope will come true someday!”

“That is the order! We cannot say anything. Bayu. Please. Don’t cry just because of this. It’s okay now.”

“You don’t understand my feeling! It’s just useless order that only makes me suffers more.” Bayu ran away from me after said this dreadful word. Once again, I could not say anything. It was also hard for me to accept this. And there I was, standing by myself in front of the black iron gate which were be the place to build the little cake seller’s hope. But, it also became the place where it broke down.

***

Created by Izzatur Rahmaniyah