TRAUMA

Written By : Neti Winarti

SMPN 1 Situraja

“Assalamualaikuuumm!” Nida’s voice surprised me. I was correcting my students’

assignments. Actually, I didn’t need to be this busy if I checked all my students’ assignments
gradually, one by one. Like tupperware that I diligently paid monthly until it finally settled. Aaah.. the
secret of mom, I did not to tell here.
“Waalaikumsalam!” I replied without turned around. I heard her little steps approaching me
with a hard jolt. Hmmmm... the steps of paskibra’s member. She didi it when she walked, regardless
of her irritable mother who spent more often for her shoes.
“Well,you are at home. I am happy when I come home from school, you are at home. Like
my friends, they can have lunch together with their mother,” she said. “I rarely have lunch with you.
You are always at school. Ypu always come home late in the afternoon. Especially daddy,he always
comes home late at night,” she protested again. Oh My God! There was something punching my
heart.
I grabbed her shoulder, while I stroked her hair. “I am a teacher. Usually, at this time I am
still at school. But now I don’t go to school because there is no MGMP activity.I usually go to that
activity,” I replied. “Even if I come home late in the afternoon, it is because I have to do a lot of tasks
as a committee, the exam will coming soon,” I said defensively.
“Okay...What are you doing now?” She asked, laid down on my lap. I hugged her tightly. I
felt that my daughter was getting bigger. Next year she will be a junior high school student.
“Emmmhhh... My girl smells of sweat. Your hair also smells of sun,” I covered my nose. I did
it, of course, in order she quickly to change her clothes.
“Aaaahhh, Mommy...!”She spoiled then she ran to her room.
“Change your clothes quickly. Let’s have lunch together,” I said while going to the kitchen to
prepare lunch. “Yes, Mom...!” She shouted from her room.
That afternoon,I had lunch with Nida. An activity that I rarely did because my schedule’s
home was different from my daughter and of course with my husband. It was very deeply enjoyable
had lunch together with my only child. The rice on our plates was empty soon.
*******
The night was so quiet, eventhough the clock had only rang eight times. I saw my daughter
was fast asleep in her room. Maybe she was too tired. She did Paskibra’s excercse hardly at her
school. She will have a competition next week. I tried to fix her barbie’s blanket which sagged deep
under her feet. I lifted the curtain just to make sure the night was really quiet. The goddess of the
night hid behind a black cloud. I closed the curtain again. Frightened and anxiety feelings crossed my
mind. I was afraid because of heavy rain and thunders. I was anxiety because my husband didin’t
come home yet. After turned off the TV and unnecessary lamps, I immadiately entered my room, laid
down and covered my body with a thick blanket.
I had a bad experience with heavy rain. I was still in fourth grade of Elementary School at
that time. I lived with my parents in the outskirts of Bandung. We wandered because both of my
parents worked at the factory. My father worked in a chocolate factory and my mother worked at a
convection factory. They were just married. My siblings were not born yet at that time. In the area
that we lived, there were many rice fields spread out. At that time, Bandung was diferent. There
were not many houses and high rise buildings.
I was home alone while my parents were still working. Actually, my father and my mother
have entrusted me to Mrs. Marni, the closest neighbour who had many children. But I rarely played
with Mrs. Marni’s children. They thought I was brave and independent. Even though I didnt like
crowds. I thought it was better to play with Loli, my favourite doll while enjoying the loneliness.
Until one day after school. The sky was so cloudy, the black cloud started to drop its
contents. I rushed into the house, changed clothes and ate the dishes that my mom had prepare
before she she left for work. When I was enjoying the last bite of my lunch, it rained heavily.
Lightining accompanied by thundering, it roared again and again. I started to get scared. I ran to my
room and hug Loli. Mrs. Marni’s voice could faintly heard at the side of my house.
“Rani... Rani... Come here!’ Come in to my house!” She shouted. I didn’t answer. Confused.
Even if I answered, Mrs. Marni might not heard it because of the sound of rain and thunder. “Shoukd
I just break through the rain and join Mrs. Marni’s family?” I thought. “No. Her childrean are
naughty. Besides, I known by them as a brave child. I had to prove that.” I tought again. Boom!! The
sound of lightning struck again many times.
Mrs. Marni’s voice was not heard. However,the rain was getting heavier and the lightning
was booming. Wussshhh.... This time they accompanied by strong wind. I looked behind the
bedroom window, the coconut tree in the middle of the rice field was waving loudly and its branch
was almost broken. Several huts with thatched roofs fluttered in the strong wind. I said istighfar
again and again looking at the terrifying sight. That was what Pak Salim,my teacher at the Madrasa,
taught me.
I closed my ears tightly, while sometimes I closed my ayes, too. But among my fears, I
wondered about the situation around my house. Especially in the rice field. Slowly, I opened my eyes
and I saw a man walked huriedly accompanied by a flock of ducks through the heavy rain. There was
a boy behind that man. He ran to the man. “That is Amin!” I exclaimed. He was my senior. He was
grade sixth student. He was Mr. Madi’s son. Mr. Madi was a duck dealer in our village. Apparently,
they got caught in the rain while they shepherding. Their house was quite far from my house. I could
not see them again, maybe they had arrived home and got rest because they were tired. As tired as
my heart overcame fear after fear from what was happen.
Sleep began to creep. I laid my body on the bed. I was still with Loli which accompanied me
faithfully. The feeling began to calm down. The rain started to stop, the sound of thunder
disappeared. Slowly but surely I began to close my eyes, and my conscious mind tried to break
through the door to the dreamland. But just about to fall asleep, “Boommm!!!” The sound of
loudest thunder was heard even though the rain had stopped. At the same time, I also heard the
faint sound of a heatbreaking scream on the embankment of the rice field behind the house. “Allahu
Akbar!” “Subhanallah!”I heard the neighbours’ voices near my house in unity, they said dzikr,
praising the God.
I was shocked at that time and returned to frightened again. I heard the sound of screams. I
got up then sat in the corner of my room. I was afraid to see the view behind my window. Especially
after I heard the noisy voices of people. “Some was struck by lightning! ... Some was struck by
lightning!” My body was shivering, chills entered my body.
“Come on, take him to the porch of Mr. Anwar’s house!” There were voices some men
saying my father’s name.
“Does anyone know this child or not?” someone asked. “He looks like Si Amin, Sir,” someone
answered. I heard their talk more clearly. They were heading to my house. And not long after that,
my house was surrounded by many people. Everyone shouted hysterically.
 “Astaghfirullohalazdim!” Many ladies cried. In my fear, I tried to crawl out of the room
because my legs suddenly became weak and couldn’t stand up. Still shivering and almost drenched
in sweat, I managed to get out. I watched from the living room how people crowded around the
corpse of a little boy whose some part of his body burnt. Lied stiff, soaked heezing. Amin. Yes, that
was Amin. My senior who walked hand in hand through the rain with his father and his ducks. Why
was he at the embankment again? Weren’t they home earlier? My eyes warmed, tears immediately
dropped. I cried in fearfull chills. Tears mingled with cold sweat.
Mrs. Marni, who just realized that there was still a child at home, immediately approached
me. She hugged and kissed me. “Oh, Allah, Rani, be patient, girl. Don’t look... Don’t look!” She said
that while blocking my view of a corpse, she might think that was not be worthy for a child to see. I
buried myself in Mrs. Marni’s fat body and still cried.
Suddenly from far away, a man apearred with husty footsteps. He ran and cried. He called
out Amin’s name. Mr. Madi apparently received news from the villagers that his son was struck by
lightning. When he was getting closer to the corpse body, he immediately hugged his son and cried
out loud. “Amin... Amin... Forgive your father, boy. Forgive me!” He said, hugged his son’s burnt
body. My heart was broken and I cried again in Mr. Marni’s arms.
“Where have you been? Why your child left alone where there is heavy rain?” asked a young
man full of anger. “I was with my son herd ducks together and we went home at the same time,”
said Mr. Madi haltingly. “However, when we got home, we lost one duck. So after the rain stopped, I
told Amin to look for it. I didn’t expect there would be another thunder because the rain had
stopped,” he continued sobbing regretfully. “So you are more concerned with one duck rather than
the lives of your own child?” asked the young man again, opened wide his eyes and pointed at
Amin’s corpse. Mr. Madi didn’t answer. He answered with a louder cry. The young man could not
control his anger if he was not intercepted by several villagers.
I didn’t know who the young man was. Was he Amin’s brother or a villager who was very
symphathetic to Amin’s fate? I just shivered with fear. I was frightened because there was a man
who was angry because of deep sadness and dissapointment. My fear turned into moaning cry in
Mrs. Marni’s lap.
“Oh my God, honey what’s the matter with you? Honey, what’s going on?”I heard someone
called me “honey” but that was not Mrs. Marni’s voice., it was a man’s voice. I was surprised. I wiped
away my tears and I opened the blanket that covered my face. O Allah, it was my husband and I
didn’t realize that he had came home from his office.
“You didn’t get caught in the rain, did you?” I asked greatly amazed. I touched his dry jacket
and I rubbed his hair like a child.
“Not yet. It’s not raining yet, the weather was cloudy from this afternoon. That’s why I
hurried home earlier. I remember you,” he said mischievously while touching my nose. “I guess you
were daydreaming about that heavy rain again, right?” he asked. “I see your body is drenched in
sweat. Are you crying also?” he asked again., wiped my tears.
I just got up. It seemed that I had been daydreaming so deeply then incident by incident
seemed to have occured. Was this called trauma? I had no idea. I buried my face in his chest. There
were sound of raindrops on the roof. It was getting tighter and faster. It meant the heavy rain began.
I hold my husband’s hand tightly.
“Calm down, dear, this time the rain is really happened. Don’t be afraid because I am with
you here. No matter how heavy the rain will fall, and no matter how big the sound of thnderbolts
will be, they will no break my great love for you,” he whispered quetly. His words made me calm.
 THE END
Summary of the story
This story tells a mother who was traumatized because of her bad experience in the past. She saw
her friend who died being struck by lightning while he was herding ducks. The incident made an
impressiion on her so much. Every time it rained, she is always shivered with fear. Like what
happened in one night while she was waiting for her husband came home from work.