Urban Stories: Jakarta

The Baby

Where am I?

For a moment we were riding a car, someone cradled me, I don't know who... I was tired, I didn't know where we were going. 

My friends are here as well, in the arms of other people, I was too sleepy to see them. The milk was nice last night, warm, like the other nights. As the car drives by a row of lamp posts, I immediately fell asleep.

But when I came to, I wonder about this place. It is so dusty and windy, many horns honking, and people shouting. It's so hot Mama....

Who is this woman cradling me with this cloth? She kept on jiggling her toy, that's like my own, the one mother continues to jiggle when I get sad, it gives a ringing sound that warms my heart. I love it.

But this woman, she's not jiggling it for me, her eyes watched the various bright cars I see in picture books.

Maybe she's looking for those that might open the window a bit, sometimes a hand comes out from that gap with this colorful paper, sometimes green or purple, but mostly yellow or light green.

"Thank you" that's what the woman always said, as she accepted those papers.  If you ask me, I'd prefer the ones at home. 

It's so dusty, and so hot. I cried, my eyes hurt. Mama, where are you?

"shhh don't cry, don't cry... They'll come pick us up later, be quiet, or you won't get your reward! "

I continued to cry, it's just so painful, it's so hot and so loud. Sometimes the cars move fast, that's when the lady and I go to the shade, but still, the honks, they terrify me. 

It's been going on for hours, it's so long, when the food stalls start to crowd up, she took me inside many shops to ask for colored paper from people there was many that responded to her, others didn't really pay her much attention.

We arrived at a tiny shop in the side of the street, it was quiet, the other people have already left.

She sat down, and talked with the lady inside, a plate filled with colorful foods are brought in front of her along with a mug of orange stuff, I think it's called tea?  Yeah, maybe..

Mama always liked if I know other words, "what is this?" and "what is that?". She points stuff in the book, and I answered them, I always know the words, but sometimes I can't say it. 

The lady eats her food and watches the TV on the top right corner of the store, hanging on a really tall shelf. I liked staring at the shelf, what if I can climb that thing? It's so tall, and maybe you can see the world from up there.

She gave me a bottle of water, and I took it. While I was drinking she took out the colorful paper we got and counted it, there were many, maybe you can fill an entire sack with these. Once she counted it, she placed it back inside a pink pouch, and placed it inside the cloth with me.

She took out some of the colorful paper and gave it to the lady selling the food, and then went out of the store. As usual, the black car waited for us outside. 

We got in, and gave her pink pouch to the driver, and another lady carrying my friend went out in our place,  maybe doing what we were doing.

The car drove away, I'm happy,  I get to see mama once more...  It's been going on everyday.

Mama, when will it end? I don't like it here.