Aunt Nona’s Surprise
All I remember of my aunt Nona in Muntok some forty years ago, was that she visited us unexpectedly without notice and there she was in Laan Trivelli, where we lived in Batavia or Jakarta today. She had no one to accompany her. She journeyed by boat, as deck passenger, taking with her wa-wa (dried big sea-worms) and kerupuk (crackers) which is a favorite snack with us children. My mother offered her a room in the main house, but she rather preferred a room in the back chamber near the kitchen and the servants.
She’s a kind woman, was never a nuisance to anyone. You never had to keep her company or having to talk to her. She always knew a way, perhaps to sit, dream, keep busy and enjoy herself. Suppose she wouldn’t be invited at dinner time she certainly wouldn’t be offended. Mother took her to the church, to sing, to pray and she seemed to be happy whether she understood what the preacher said or not.
Staying some weeks, then she suddenly thinks of home and said farewell, without making any plans, how to get the money for her journey back home. I never saw, heard her asking for money, never heard her sigh, although she had hardly anything and had lost her husband. She didn’t feel herself poor, though she only had access to the cheapest ticket as deck passenger with others and sleeping in the open night sky.
I hardly know anything about her. All I know of, is, that she lives in Muntok, selling coconuts from her trees and making kerupuk ikan (Fish crackers) to make a living for her and her child or perhaps her children.
I had never written a letter to her and she neither wrote me. Then suddenly there was a surprise of a letter from her, now, while I’m having white hair myself. Without opening it, I made a guess about its contents.
“She certainly must have money difficulties and is asking us for help, Hanny.” I said to my wife. As is often the case when people turn to you. But after reading the letter I am very ashamed of having such base thoughts of her. On the contrary, she, a very old, hardly educated, poor woman living in a little town, she remembered me, her niece, who is a university graduate and living in Jakarta, to have a share in the proceeds of the sale of my grandmother’s house in Muntok. “Please, give me your full name and address, so I can send the money to you.” she wrote.
With a feeling of remorse I told her, that instead, it was I that should have sent her money and that she shouldn’t send the money at all. So, that’s the difficulty when you’re a university graduate, but haven’t any earnings.
She seemed to agree with this for we received no money but a package with krupuk and Hanny and I were feeling fine. But only afterwards did we know that the money was stolen. Well, I’ll make a bet that she never could recover it.
Then after some months came Rp 200.000.-. Oh, she has taken the loss upon her, we thought in despair.
“Don’t worry, I managed to get the money back. It is your share in the sale of grandma’s house.” She wrote.
Me? Who has never visited grandma and never saw her house or did anything about it? Well, multiply it with 30 to know what its value is today. Who ever is giving us such a lot of money and especially from her, who has scarcely anything valuable, she certainly must be in want of money herself..
Before we were asleep I said to Hanny, “Thanks to her money, our roof that urgently needed a renovation since it’s endangering us, now has been restored and safe. It came as a heavenly boon at the right time. Beside her, I, who has a university degree, speak Dutch, am regarded as a good, honored citizen, suddenly see, feel myself as a very conceited being, to be so small, so nothing compared to her. She, who never had a proper education, who is regarded as a feeble, old, poor woman. She managed to retrieve the money from the Transportation Service!!! Oh, she doesn’t care whether people praise or raise a statue in honor of her, just as a dog that’s winning a gold medal of honor. How, ... with what, how can I ...? Not even with all the money, all the goodness I might shower on her could I ever repay her to express my gratitude.” A long time we were silent.
“By taking, bringing the same good, blessing, happiness to others, Luky.” Hanny broke the silence.
“Do you remember the poet saying, You’re just like a flower, So beautiful, so tender, and so pure, ... Though Aunt Nona must be very old by now with white hair and wrinkled, I’ve never seen her for some forty years, yet, her heart, her inner being must be still beautiful, tender and pure.”
“Oh, she is an angel from heaven sent down to earth.” said Hanny.
All I remember of my aunt Nona in Muntok some forty years ago, was that she visited us unexpectedly without notice and there she was in Laan Trivelli, where we lived in Batavia or Jakarta today. She had no one to accompany her. She journeyed by boat, as deck passenger, taking with her wa-wa (dried big sea-worms) and kerupuk (crackers) which is a favorite snack with us children. My mother offered her a room in the main house, but she rather preferred a room in the back chamber near the kitchen and the servants.
She’s a kind woman, was never a nuisance to anyone. You never had to keep her company or having to talk to her. She always knew a way, perhaps to sit, dream, keep busy and enjoy herself. Suppose she wouldn’t be invited at dinner time she certainly wouldn’t be offended. Mother took her to the church, to sing, to pray and she seemed to be happy whether she understood what the preacher said or not.
Staying some weeks, then she suddenly thinks of home and said farewell, without making any plans, how to get the money for her journey back home. I never saw, heard her asking for money, never heard her sigh, although she had hardly anything and had lost her husband. She didn’t feel herself poor, though she only had access to the cheapest ticket as deck passenger with others and sleeping in the open night sky.
I hardly know anything about her. All I know of, is, that she lives in Muntok, selling coconuts from her trees and making kerupuk ikan (Fish crackers) to make a living for her and her child or perhaps her children.
I had never written a letter to her and she neither wrote me. Then suddenly there was a surprise of a letter from her, now, while I’m having white hair myself. Without opening it, I made a guess about its contents.
“She certainly must have money difficulties and is asking us for help, Hanny.” I said to my wife. As is often the case when people turn to you. But after reading the letter I am very ashamed of having such base thoughts of her. On the contrary, she, a very old, hardly educated, poor woman living in a little town, she remembered me, her niece, who is a university graduate and living in Jakarta, to have a share in the proceeds of the sale of my grandmother’s house in Muntok. “Please, give me your full name and address, so I can send the money to you.” she wrote.
With a feeling of remorse I told her, that instead, it was I that should have sent her money and that she shouldn’t send the money at all. So, that’s the difficulty when you’re a university graduate, but haven’t any earnings.
She seemed to agree with this for we received no money but a package with krupuk and Hanny and I were feeling fine. But only afterwards did we know that the money was stolen. Well, I’ll make a bet that she never could recover it.
Then after some months came Rp 200.000.-. Oh, she has taken the loss upon her, we thought in despair.
“Don’t worry, I managed to get the money back. It is your share in the sale of grandma’s house.” She wrote.
Me? Who has never visited grandma and never saw her house or did anything about it? Well, multiply it with 30 to know what its value is today. Who ever is giving us such a lot of money and especially from her, who has scarcely anything valuable, she certainly must be in want of money herself..
Before we were asleep I said to Hanny, “Thanks to her money, our roof that urgently needed a renovation since it’s endangering us, now has been restored and safe. It came as a heavenly boon at the right time. Beside her, I, who has a university degree, speak Dutch, am regarded as a good, honored citizen, suddenly see, feel myself as a very conceited being, to be so small, so nothing compared to her. She, who never had a proper education, who is regarded as a feeble, old, poor woman. She managed to retrieve the money from the Transportation Service!!! Oh, she doesn’t care whether people praise or raise a statue in honor of her, just as a dog that’s winning a gold medal of honor. How, ... with what, how can I ...? Not even with all the money, all the goodness I might shower on her could I ever repay her to express my gratitude.” A long time we were silent.
“By taking, bringing the same good, blessing, happiness to others, Luky.” Hanny broke the silence.
“Do you remember the poet saying, You’re just like a flower, So beautiful, so tender, and so pure, ... Though Aunt Nona must be very old by now with white hair and wrinkled, I’ve never seen her for some forty years, yet, her heart, her inner being must be still beautiful, tender and pure.”
“Oh, she is an angel from heaven sent down to earth.” said Hanny.
August 1997
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