Karim, Muhamed, Ilya, Princess Sofia are college students in Verenigde Staten van Indonesië where the nation is being controlled from the shadows by the outlawed extreme right wing party that wanted to take away the natives freedom by slandering Pri...
After 2 days of waiting for the results of long negotiations, we finally managed to persuade the Jalan Darah MC to help us do dirty work that we could not do such as conducting surveillance, interrogation and the like in order to obtain information regarding the person we had met in the safe house.
Two more days passed, we found news that an informant was willing to tell us about the keys of the encrypted files. It's just that, according to the news we received from one of the motorcycle gang members who served as our intel, he said that our informant wanted to meet us in an apartment. Just in case something bad happens, Ilya asked me to practice using a firearm but I refused his invitation until a bit of a fight ensued between us.
"Why are you so stubborn? This is just a preparation, Muhamed!" he said in high tone.
"Yes, if it's just preparation, I can practice by myself!" I said to him with high tone too.
"When did you practice?! I've never seen you practice at all! You know? I often come to the basement 3 times a day for practice and I never see you, and also sometimes I ask mr. Wisnu about the contents in the cctv camera's footage from the room underground and between me, brother Lodewijk and you, mr. Wisnu said he never see you!" he said conveying what he had seen so far.
He was right, I never came so I kept trying to dodge his accusations with various reasons. It's just that this huge house made our voices echoed until Mevrouw Sofia came to us.
"Brother Muhamed, brother Ilya, why are both of you arguing?" she asked as she approached us.
"Muhamed seems to be hiding something that he doesn't us want to know, oi Muhamed, you'd better be honest, you've never practiced using firearm, right?" asked Ilya in cynical and piercing tone.
My surroundings were spinning, I felt dizzy, my chest felt tight, I stepped back a little trying to balance my body, My head was down, I swallowed my saliva, cold sweat seemed to be streaming down my forehead.
"Oi Muhamed, look here, this is the gun that I will use for my training, try to hold it." asked Ilya, who handed me the gun that he still held I couldn't say a word, my head was still down, I couldn't see it.
"Why don't you want to look at this gun? Are you actually afraid of firearms?" he still asked with cynical tone. There is no other choice, I'd better answer it with that cowardly answer.
"Yes, I'm afraid of firearms, I'm a coward, sorry if I disappoint you, I can't be relied on. In fact, several days ago I dared to be the bait because there weresbrother Lodewijk and Jalan Darah motorcycle gang protecting me, What's the problem If I don't use firearms?" I told them to explain.
"Why are you afraid to use firearms?" Mevrouw Sofia asked in a soft tone. I immediately explained to the two of them my bitter experience where I almost met my demise when I was a teenager which made me hate violence involving firearms while shedding some tears. After explaining that, mevrouw Sofia said.
"Brother Muhamed, you are a good person, always tries not to hurt others. SinjoKarim is very lucky to have a brother like you but now he, his parents and all of us here need the tough and the strong version of you. I don't want to ask too much from you because, you have faced many conditions that almost made you lose your life many times meanwhile me? I can only provide the funds and weapons that you, brother Lodewijk and brother Ilya needs, but each of us here have our own roles, If one role is lost, our struggle will end. You have a role here, your role is to be a good brother to sinjo Karim. SinjoKarim, he saved you from being tortured when you were kidnapped, right? Sinjo Karim also carried your body when you fainted during the demonstration a few months ago. When you're in weak condition, he can leave you if he wanted to but he didn't. So I beg you, if you consider sinjoKarim as your brother, don't turn away from him. " she said with soft pleading tone, holding the back of my hand with her left hand, putting the gun on top of my hand's palm and then folding my fingers on the gun by pressing her right hand's palm over my fingers.
I exhaled and then said to the two of them. "Ok, I'm going to practice using a gun"
"Finally, come on then" Ilya said in a flat tone to me.
We started walking towards the entrance to the basement and when we arrived, mevrouw Sofia told Ilya something. "Brother Ilya, please be gentle with brother Muhamed."
"Huuufft, fine." said Ilya with a sigh and then answered fine with annoyed tone.
"Brother Muhamed, if you feel pressured and need someone to talk to, you can talk to me again." Mevrouw Sofia said to me still in soft tone.
"Thanks mevrouw."
"No need, it's the duty of a leader to hear the complaints of the people." I just gave my smile to her for her answer.
Ilya and I went inside while mevrouw Sofia stood in front of the entrance. I turned around for a moment, she gave me her little smile as if trying to say, everything will be fine. I don't know if it's a fake smile or not but I'm sure the burden she feels must be heavier than what I feel. She's right, each of us have their own role, I have to do my part, be a good brother to Karim, as he had been a good brother to me, mevrouw, dank u wel.
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* Play the song below for the ending of this part.
Bosnian dictionary
Nadreba za hrabrost = the order to be courage.
I got the translation from my Bosnian friend, Ibrahim Kozlić. Below is a screenshot image of my concersation with him.
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