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- Story Listed as: True Life For Teens
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Pain / Problems / Adversity
- Published: 05/29/2014
A Last Mistake
Born 1997, F, from Banyumas, Indonesia.jpg)
It was an evening when I got a call from my family in Banyumas, central Java. I was just back from work when suddenly our phone rang. I took it, and got shocked after I heard that something bad occurred to my Dad. His foot was bitten by a snake and his foot was also injured and poisoned. He declined to go to the hospital. He just wanted that all his children went home and took care of him.
I was so shocked by the news. Immediately I packed up my clothes with my big travel bag and told my husband to go to Banyumas next evening. Firstly, he was frowning and asking what was going on. I told him the news from my Dad, and my husband finally granted my wish. He asked for tickets for the bus, and we got a travel for tomorrow evening.
A day later, we were already sitting on the bus which was leaving from my husband’s town, Serang, Banten. Along the way, I just kept silent. I didn’t want to speak. I worried with my Dad’s condition of being poisoned. I couldn’t stop wondering why he didn’t want to go to the hospital in the sub district center. It was 6 kilometers away from the village, and the transportation was easy. Our home was near the big road. And, one thing that made me more worried was what if the poison is spread to all of his body without his knowing?
It needed 48 hours to reach my regency, Banyumas. My heart beat so fast, I couldn’t wait to reach home quickly. Meanwhile, we still needed to take a bus to my village for about 30 kilometers long. I couldn’t wait to see my Dad, couldn’t wait to cure his injury. And 30 kilometers was too long for me. My husband had tried to calm me down, but it was useless, and he knew that.
Finally, we arrived at home. My Mom welcomed me with tears. Dad was laying on the sofa in the living room, accompanied with my youngest sister. My elder brother and my eldest sister in law were there too. They welcomed us warmly. Immediately I ran toward Dad and asked what had happened, meanwhile my husband was taking off our carriage into our bedroom.
Dad told me the full story. It was one afternoon when he was about to go home. He was searching for grass to feed his cow. Suddenly, a snake came and bit his finger. It was a dangerous snake. Dad pulled it off, but he was too late. The snake already sent its poison into Dad’s foot. And when he arrived home, his foot was dysfunctional.
I asked Dad why he didn’t want to be taken into the hospital. He just said that he hated hospitals so much. I didn’t reply anything. I knew the reason already. Few years ago, Mom was taken into the hospital because of typhus. And Dad was awfully sick because of the hospital’s smell. Full of medicines!
From that day on, I took care of Dad. I fed him, helped him to take a bath, changed the fabric which was covering his injured finger, and did what he asked. I shared this job with my sisters too. Each of us had to take care of Dad at least once a day, except if they had something urgent with their selves.
As time went by, Dad’s condition went weak. He couldn’t stand nor sit on the chair. He couldn’t use his right foot. His skin became dirty and darker. His voice was softer. He seemed as he had no power at all to do anything. And, his behavior was like a child, not an old grandfather anymore. He asked A, I did it, but then he exclaimed that he didn’t ask what he had just asked and asked me to do another else. I couldn’t deny it. I thought Dad was stressed because he couldn’t go outside the house.
Until one day, when Dad’s condition was totally weak and all he could do was just lying on his bed in his bedroom, my patience was really checked. In the evening, when I brought a bowl of rice porridge which was his favorite meal, he refused to eat it.
“Bring me meat, Mar,” he said. “Mom had bought it this morning.”
I obeyed his request. I went to the kitchen, took a plate, filled it with two big size of chicken meat, and then went into Dad’s room. But, once again he refused it.
“It seems not delicious at all,” Dad said. “Bring me water.”
I sighed and went out. While pouring the water into a big size of glass, I thought, “Till when he does this silly thing? He asked too many, and he refused too many too!”
I went back to Dad’s room with half-filled glass of water. I gave it to Dad. And once again he refused it.
“Can’t you bring me milk, Mar?” Dad asked. “But, put the glass here.”
Once again I sighed heavily. I put the glass under his bed then went out. With tired mind, I made a glass of vanilla milk. While stirring the milk, I was thinking, “I bet he will refuse this one too!”
And what I had thought was true. He refused the milk. He asked for the rice porridge instead. I was so tired. I couldn’t hold my patience any longer. I didn’t care anymore with what he wanted.
“Are you playing with me?” I asked in a high tone. “Why don’t you get it by yourself?”
Dad gasped. His face was stiff. He looked at me surprisingly.
“What do you mean, Mar?” he asked.
I sighed deeply and looked at Dad desperately. “Actually, what do you want? Why did you exclaim to what you have asked?”
Suddenly, a different expression showed on Dad’s face. He looked disappointed. His eyes stared at me desperately as he had no possibility to get well again. His expression was untranslatable. But, magically my heart wasn’t touched by that. I was totally tired and giving up with his kid-like behavior.
“Are you tired, Mar?” Dad asked in a soft, desperate tone.
“Yes,” I answered coldly. “And, maybe I will go back to Serang tomorrow. I have so many things to do instead of take care of you, Dad!”
Dad was silent for a while. His expression was empty. And then, he sighed. Too much desperate. And I hate his recent behavior.
“Well then,” Dad said with a hard tone. “Go! Go away! Don’t come back! And, to avoid the tiredness of others, I will go leaving you all. Thank you for everything!”
Angrily I left Dad without looking back at his face after I put the milk beside the glass of water. I went out of his room, went to the veranda, and roared angrily. I was so tired. I exclaimed angrily because of my tiredness. Exactly from that time on, I was sure I wouldn’t care about him anymore. I called my husband and told him to come back to Serang tomorrow.
“What?” my husband exclaimed. “But, he’s still ill, Maryati. Don’t you think that Dad will need your help?”
“I’m tired, my husband! I’m tired!” I shouted desperately. “He always asks something, but when I fulfill it, he refuses it and asks for something else. I do it, and he refuses it. He does it for so many times! He yells at me for hundreds! It makes me frustrated!”
“Maryati,” my husband sighed, then spoke softly. “You see me? You see I’m old. Even you know that I’m only ten years younger than your Dad. I know his feeling right now. I know he is lonely. He needs more attention from his family, especially from his children. He knows he’s ill, he knows he won’t be able to go outside anymore. He knows he will be so lonely. That’s why he plays with you, Mar. Think it! Don’t let him... err... I hope this won’t happen to your Dad soon. But, please, don’t let him die in loneliness and desperate. It will torture him badly. Don’t you want to make your Dad die with a smile, hm? Don’t you?”
I was speechless. I realized then that I was wrong. I couldn’t do that cursed thing! However the situation, he was my old Dad, my old grandfather for my step-children. I didn’t want to torture him. I’d like to make him die with good memories about us. I didn’t want to ruin anything. I just wanted to make him happy before his death comes!
Few hours later, when my husband and I were sleeping peacefully, noises came from my Dad’s room. I was shocked. Quickly I woke up, took my jacket, and went to my Dad’s room. Suddenly, a bad condition of Dad made me frozen.
Dad was lying deadly on his bed. His face was totally pale. His breath was slow and low, as he had no strength to continue his life.
Still in confusion, I stood on the door, looked at the noises which came from my siblings’ behavior.
“Maryati!” suddenly my eldest brother, who I didn’t know was back from Bandung, yelled. “Don’t just stand as a statue like that! Call the ambulance!”
My breath was held on my chest. Ambulance? What did he mean by that?
“Is Dad dying?” I asked slowly.
“No more questions, Maryati!” answered my brother harshly. “Just call the ambulance!”
I was trembling. I couldn’t believe with what had happened just at this time. Unconsciously, I took my brother’s cellphone and called the ambulance from outside the house. When I had finished, my husband suddenly came.
“What has happened?” asked he. “What’s going on with your dad?”
“He’s dying...” I answered, suddenly, with trembling voice. I was afraid if Dad would really leave the world few moments later. I had done something bad to him last evening, and he really proves his promise to leave. Tears of fright were running down from my eyes.
“Dying?” my husband gasped. “After he fought with you last evening? Oh my god...”
I couldn’t answer anything. I was sobbing and crying in fright. I never thought that he would be as cruel as this, leaving me with so much desperation.
Few times later, Dad was brought to the ICU because of his bad condition which was going worse every time. I was praying together with my entire family, hoping to God so He would save Dad’s life. Furthermore, I still had a mistake which I had to repair before he leaves. I have to ask him for apology. And he had to be well first before I ask him.
The doctor, who was taking care of Dad, was coming out of the room. My eldest brother harshly approached the doctor and asked Dad’s condition; meanwhile Mom and I were hugging each other and still sobbing.
“He’s not getting better this far,” answered the doctor. “But, we’ll try to do our best to help him. Now, just pray, so God would like to save his life.”
My breath was taken away for a moment after I heard that news. He wasn’t getting better. It meant he had a big possibility to die.
“Noooooo waaaaaayyy!!!!!” I screamed, and then harshly I ran into the room. I stopped at the door as I saw Dad was lying there. A pipe was inserted into his nose to help him breathing. His mouth opened, meanwhile his eyes closed tightly. His chest was moving up and down slowly. I couldn’t hold my tears anymore for long.
“Dad, don’t go!” I cried out. I ran toward Dad and fell on knees beside his bed. I grabbed his hand which was tusk by an infuse pipe, held it tightly, and cried out loud.
“Dad, I’m so sorry...” I still cried. “I wasn’t serious. I was just too angry because... because you were playing with me so much. But now I realize... I realize that you are lonely... I won’t go, Dad... I won’t go... Forgive me, oh please... I’m so sorry, Dad... Please wake up and forgive me... Please wake up....”
I was crying alone for a moment, until finally I heard a voice came from a machine. I looked at it. It was a white cube machine with black scene and green graph. I saw lines and numbers. I was sure they were the number of Dad’s heartbeat and his tens meter. I stared at them. For several seconds they were static. But, after few times later, they were changed. The lines changed from longitudinally wave into a rather straight wave. And the numbers became lower.
I was trapped in silence to know what was happening with that machine. And after few times, I just realized that it showed Dad’s terrible condition.
“Dad! Hold on! Noooooo!” I instantly shouted in terror, and then horribly I ran outside to call any help like a crazy woman who lost her lovely doll.
Not long after, a doctor together with nurses came. I told them what was happening to Dad. And then the doctor ordered me to go. I went toward Mom, who was crying loudly in panic, and cried together with her. Meanwhile, a nurse shut the door tightly so we couldn’t see anything.
I didn’t care about time. Every second I prayed to God to save Dad’s life. I knew I had to re correct myself. I had to take care more intensively to Dad. I had to take care of Dad so he could get well soon. And one important point, I had to ask for apology to Dad. I was still praying for all of them when suddenly I heard the door was opened. The doctor came out with the mask still covering his face.
My eldest brother was the only one who approached the doctor and asked for Dad’s condition. We were waiting in worry. The doctor took out his mask, and I was stiff after I saw his expression. It meant bad.
“We’re sorry, Sir,” said the doctor softly. “We have done our best, but God has another decision for your father.”
The atmosphere was so silent and dark then. My eldest brother sighed deeply. I was still stiff on my place. Dad was gone. He went away without saying any last thing to me, even approving my apology.
“What does it mean?” suddenly Mom asked.
I, who was sitting right beside her, couldn’t speak anything. I was too deep in sorrow. I just could hold her tightly, and cried out loud on her shoulder. I couldn’t tell her that he was already gone, and I was too late to be forgiven.
A Last Mistake(Lisa T)
It was an evening when I got a call from my family in Banyumas, central Java. I was just back from work when suddenly our phone rang. I took it, and got shocked after I heard that something bad occurred to my Dad. His foot was bitten by a snake and his foot was also injured and poisoned. He declined to go to the hospital. He just wanted that all his children went home and took care of him.
I was so shocked by the news. Immediately I packed up my clothes with my big travel bag and told my husband to go to Banyumas next evening. Firstly, he was frowning and asking what was going on. I told him the news from my Dad, and my husband finally granted my wish. He asked for tickets for the bus, and we got a travel for tomorrow evening.
A day later, we were already sitting on the bus which was leaving from my husband’s town, Serang, Banten. Along the way, I just kept silent. I didn’t want to speak. I worried with my Dad’s condition of being poisoned. I couldn’t stop wondering why he didn’t want to go to the hospital in the sub district center. It was 6 kilometers away from the village, and the transportation was easy. Our home was near the big road. And, one thing that made me more worried was what if the poison is spread to all of his body without his knowing?
It needed 48 hours to reach my regency, Banyumas. My heart beat so fast, I couldn’t wait to reach home quickly. Meanwhile, we still needed to take a bus to my village for about 30 kilometers long. I couldn’t wait to see my Dad, couldn’t wait to cure his injury. And 30 kilometers was too long for me. My husband had tried to calm me down, but it was useless, and he knew that.
Finally, we arrived at home. My Mom welcomed me with tears. Dad was laying on the sofa in the living room, accompanied with my youngest sister. My elder brother and my eldest sister in law were there too. They welcomed us warmly. Immediately I ran toward Dad and asked what had happened, meanwhile my husband was taking off our carriage into our bedroom.
Dad told me the full story. It was one afternoon when he was about to go home. He was searching for grass to feed his cow. Suddenly, a snake came and bit his finger. It was a dangerous snake. Dad pulled it off, but he was too late. The snake already sent its poison into Dad’s foot. And when he arrived home, his foot was dysfunctional.
I asked Dad why he didn’t want to be taken into the hospital. He just said that he hated hospitals so much. I didn’t reply anything. I knew the reason already. Few years ago, Mom was taken into the hospital because of typhus. And Dad was awfully sick because of the hospital’s smell. Full of medicines!
From that day on, I took care of Dad. I fed him, helped him to take a bath, changed the fabric which was covering his injured finger, and did what he asked. I shared this job with my sisters too. Each of us had to take care of Dad at least once a day, except if they had something urgent with their selves.
As time went by, Dad’s condition went weak. He couldn’t stand nor sit on the chair. He couldn’t use his right foot. His skin became dirty and darker. His voice was softer. He seemed as he had no power at all to do anything. And, his behavior was like a child, not an old grandfather anymore. He asked A, I did it, but then he exclaimed that he didn’t ask what he had just asked and asked me to do another else. I couldn’t deny it. I thought Dad was stressed because he couldn’t go outside the house.
Until one day, when Dad’s condition was totally weak and all he could do was just lying on his bed in his bedroom, my patience was really checked. In the evening, when I brought a bowl of rice porridge which was his favorite meal, he refused to eat it.
“Bring me meat, Mar,” he said. “Mom had bought it this morning.”
I obeyed his request. I went to the kitchen, took a plate, filled it with two big size of chicken meat, and then went into Dad’s room. But, once again he refused it.
“It seems not delicious at all,” Dad said. “Bring me water.”
I sighed and went out. While pouring the water into a big size of glass, I thought, “Till when he does this silly thing? He asked too many, and he refused too many too!”
I went back to Dad’s room with half-filled glass of water. I gave it to Dad. And once again he refused it.
“Can’t you bring me milk, Mar?” Dad asked. “But, put the glass here.”
Once again I sighed heavily. I put the glass under his bed then went out. With tired mind, I made a glass of vanilla milk. While stirring the milk, I was thinking, “I bet he will refuse this one too!”
And what I had thought was true. He refused the milk. He asked for the rice porridge instead. I was so tired. I couldn’t hold my patience any longer. I didn’t care anymore with what he wanted.
“Are you playing with me?” I asked in a high tone. “Why don’t you get it by yourself?”
Dad gasped. His face was stiff. He looked at me surprisingly.
“What do you mean, Mar?” he asked.
I sighed deeply and looked at Dad desperately. “Actually, what do you want? Why did you exclaim to what you have asked?”
Suddenly, a different expression showed on Dad’s face. He looked disappointed. His eyes stared at me desperately as he had no possibility to get well again. His expression was untranslatable. But, magically my heart wasn’t touched by that. I was totally tired and giving up with his kid-like behavior.
“Are you tired, Mar?” Dad asked in a soft, desperate tone.
“Yes,” I answered coldly. “And, maybe I will go back to Serang tomorrow. I have so many things to do instead of take care of you, Dad!”
Dad was silent for a while. His expression was empty. And then, he sighed. Too much desperate. And I hate his recent behavior.
“Well then,” Dad said with a hard tone. “Go! Go away! Don’t come back! And, to avoid the tiredness of others, I will go leaving you all. Thank you for everything!”
Angrily I left Dad without looking back at his face after I put the milk beside the glass of water. I went out of his room, went to the veranda, and roared angrily. I was so tired. I exclaimed angrily because of my tiredness. Exactly from that time on, I was sure I wouldn’t care about him anymore. I called my husband and told him to come back to Serang tomorrow.
“What?” my husband exclaimed. “But, he’s still ill, Maryati. Don’t you think that Dad will need your help?”
“I’m tired, my husband! I’m tired!” I shouted desperately. “He always asks something, but when I fulfill it, he refuses it and asks for something else. I do it, and he refuses it. He does it for so many times! He yells at me for hundreds! It makes me frustrated!”
“Maryati,” my husband sighed, then spoke softly. “You see me? You see I’m old. Even you know that I’m only ten years younger than your Dad. I know his feeling right now. I know he is lonely. He needs more attention from his family, especially from his children. He knows he’s ill, he knows he won’t be able to go outside anymore. He knows he will be so lonely. That’s why he plays with you, Mar. Think it! Don’t let him... err... I hope this won’t happen to your Dad soon. But, please, don’t let him die in loneliness and desperate. It will torture him badly. Don’t you want to make your Dad die with a smile, hm? Don’t you?”
I was speechless. I realized then that I was wrong. I couldn’t do that cursed thing! However the situation, he was my old Dad, my old grandfather for my step-children. I didn’t want to torture him. I’d like to make him die with good memories about us. I didn’t want to ruin anything. I just wanted to make him happy before his death comes!
Few hours later, when my husband and I were sleeping peacefully, noises came from my Dad’s room. I was shocked. Quickly I woke up, took my jacket, and went to my Dad’s room. Suddenly, a bad condition of Dad made me frozen.
Dad was lying deadly on his bed. His face was totally pale. His breath was slow and low, as he had no strength to continue his life.
Still in confusion, I stood on the door, looked at the noises which came from my siblings’ behavior.
“Maryati!” suddenly my eldest brother, who I didn’t know was back from Bandung, yelled. “Don’t just stand as a statue like that! Call the ambulance!”
My breath was held on my chest. Ambulance? What did he mean by that?
“Is Dad dying?” I asked slowly.
“No more questions, Maryati!” answered my brother harshly. “Just call the ambulance!”
I was trembling. I couldn’t believe with what had happened just at this time. Unconsciously, I took my brother’s cellphone and called the ambulance from outside the house. When I had finished, my husband suddenly came.
“What has happened?” asked he. “What’s going on with your dad?”
“He’s dying...” I answered, suddenly, with trembling voice. I was afraid if Dad would really leave the world few moments later. I had done something bad to him last evening, and he really proves his promise to leave. Tears of fright were running down from my eyes.
“Dying?” my husband gasped. “After he fought with you last evening? Oh my god...”
I couldn’t answer anything. I was sobbing and crying in fright. I never thought that he would be as cruel as this, leaving me with so much desperation.
Few times later, Dad was brought to the ICU because of his bad condition which was going worse every time. I was praying together with my entire family, hoping to God so He would save Dad’s life. Furthermore, I still had a mistake which I had to repair before he leaves. I have to ask him for apology. And he had to be well first before I ask him.
The doctor, who was taking care of Dad, was coming out of the room. My eldest brother harshly approached the doctor and asked Dad’s condition; meanwhile Mom and I were hugging each other and still sobbing.
“He’s not getting better this far,” answered the doctor. “But, we’ll try to do our best to help him. Now, just pray, so God would like to save his life.”
My breath was taken away for a moment after I heard that news. He wasn’t getting better. It meant he had a big possibility to die.
“Noooooo waaaaaayyy!!!!!” I screamed, and then harshly I ran into the room. I stopped at the door as I saw Dad was lying there. A pipe was inserted into his nose to help him breathing. His mouth opened, meanwhile his eyes closed tightly. His chest was moving up and down slowly. I couldn’t hold my tears anymore for long.
“Dad, don’t go!” I cried out. I ran toward Dad and fell on knees beside his bed. I grabbed his hand which was tusk by an infuse pipe, held it tightly, and cried out loud.
“Dad, I’m so sorry...” I still cried. “I wasn’t serious. I was just too angry because... because you were playing with me so much. But now I realize... I realize that you are lonely... I won’t go, Dad... I won’t go... Forgive me, oh please... I’m so sorry, Dad... Please wake up and forgive me... Please wake up....”
I was crying alone for a moment, until finally I heard a voice came from a machine. I looked at it. It was a white cube machine with black scene and green graph. I saw lines and numbers. I was sure they were the number of Dad’s heartbeat and his tens meter. I stared at them. For several seconds they were static. But, after few times later, they were changed. The lines changed from longitudinally wave into a rather straight wave. And the numbers became lower.
I was trapped in silence to know what was happening with that machine. And after few times, I just realized that it showed Dad’s terrible condition.
“Dad! Hold on! Noooooo!” I instantly shouted in terror, and then horribly I ran outside to call any help like a crazy woman who lost her lovely doll.
Not long after, a doctor together with nurses came. I told them what was happening to Dad. And then the doctor ordered me to go. I went toward Mom, who was crying loudly in panic, and cried together with her. Meanwhile, a nurse shut the door tightly so we couldn’t see anything.
I didn’t care about time. Every second I prayed to God to save Dad’s life. I knew I had to re correct myself. I had to take care more intensively to Dad. I had to take care of Dad so he could get well soon. And one important point, I had to ask for apology to Dad. I was still praying for all of them when suddenly I heard the door was opened. The doctor came out with the mask still covering his face.
My eldest brother was the only one who approached the doctor and asked for Dad’s condition. We were waiting in worry. The doctor took out his mask, and I was stiff after I saw his expression. It meant bad.
“We’re sorry, Sir,” said the doctor softly. “We have done our best, but God has another decision for your father.”
The atmosphere was so silent and dark then. My eldest brother sighed deeply. I was still stiff on my place. Dad was gone. He went away without saying any last thing to me, even approving my apology.
“What does it mean?” suddenly Mom asked.
I, who was sitting right beside her, couldn’t speak anything. I was too deep in sorrow. I just could hold her tightly, and cried out loud on her shoulder. I couldn’t tell her that he was already gone, and I was too late to be forgiven.
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