Ruth Wijaya

He sits tight at corner of the café, re-checking all the preparation that he and his team made. Everything already as per plan and in next two hours the justice will be served. His people will praise him; his family will have the honor. All he needs is waiting patiently for next two hours until the time to process their plan further.

He looks around, it is yet to the busy hour for the cafe, there are only few seats occupied. Across to him a mother and her two kids, the elder is a boy about same age with his son. He looks like him also, by means like to running around, in a second happy and the next second throws his tantrum. The younger is a girl, looking sweet in her pink dress match with her cheeks, which are blushing like a ripped apple. Though the kids seem very active and buzzing like bees, the mother looks calm and just smile. She has her time, she knows that her kids just need attention and that what she gives to them, patiently she answers all the elder questions, while other hand keep feeding his sister, in between, she sips her coffee. She reminds him with his wife, a wonderful woman that he married ten years ago. He never met her before, his parents arrange the marriage. He just believed his parents will choose for him the best girl and they did. He almost couldn’t believe his luck when he enters  his room after the wedding ceremony and find the most beautiful girl he ever imagine to be his wife, sitting pretty on the bed waiting for him. It was top one from all his best days. His wife not just beautiful, but she is also perfect mother for his three children. She take care everything. His house never gets dirty even with three children running around, delicious food always available on table. She also able to help the kids with their school homework, every night she will sit at the dining room, teaching the kids. His first daughter always becomes top in her class with help of her mother. While his son, the only boy, able to read and write since very young age. His sister, the youngest daughter, has talent in art. She draws everything in such beautiful shape and colors, and she has the most charming smile from all his children as she has her mother smile, while the older children having his figure, and so much resembling him rather than their mother.

Thinking about his family, he feels warm in his heart. Soon, in the next two hours, no… less than two hour, they will have better life. Once he finished the task and become a hero.

His eyes wandered, the café starts to get crowded. Few youngsters at their college uniform get in to the café. Look at their smiles, as shining as their future that lies ahead. He was one of them. He still remembers those days, when all that always in his mind only how to impress girls at school, life will full with nice and sweet girl if you are at the top three in the class. Graduated from school, he got perfect job and after few years, he got married with his perfect wife and has perfect life until recently. He was terminated from his job as the factory he worked for more than a decade is closed. He still has his hope high on his early jobless days as he is still young and bright. After months applied jobs and he could not able to fit any, he starts to worries. His wife never complaint, she always smile and still manage to provide food on table, at first he doesn’t know how she manages it, later he find out that his wife working as helper at neighbors’ house and help them to taking care of the children. She still never complaint. So, when his cousin asked him to join him working at his organization, without a doubt and further thought, he joined him. He doesn’t know what his job, his cousin never explain the detail. They were not coming to office like he used to, instead they just talking. His cousin shares a lot of things with him, inducing his idea to him. He starts to believe him that so many injustices in this world and it need to be corrected. One day, his cousin made him an offer, a generous offer for him and his family. His wife no longer needs to working as half day helper, instead she will have more than enough saving for the rest of her life and his children no doubt will have bright future as their education fund guaranteed, while he will be marked as hero. He is the one that light up the fire and get the attention from the world, and the justice is served.

Soon, less than an hour he will be the hero, for his family, his people and the world.

Café starts to busy, it is perfect for his plan and he counting the minutes to second then he light up himself. Those kids will go in to dust with him, that woman and her children may not survive the blast. That guy sitting near with the window will have no chance to say goodbye to his lover; he has that smirk on his face while he type on his mobile phone, it must be his lover. The woman, who looks neat on her jacket, will never able to walk in to her interview appointment. Also those other people that he has no time to think about, they will disappear with him. But only he becomes a hero and they will mark as unknown. That is another injustice.

After full battle in his mind for two hours, he decides to change his plan. He will not going to back off from the deal as it will taken away everything that they already set up for his family and he prefer to be dead as hero rather than executed as traitor. As long as he light up himself at the public space, they will keep the deal for his family.

Slowly he gets up, walks out from the café and goes straight to the abandoned garden and light up himself.

I passed him in a slow motion when I entered the café, I was two hours late from my appointment, I blame it to the Jakarta’s very best traffic and unplanned meeting at office. My date already waiting for me and here he is, sitting near with the window, looks charming in his brown jacket. He smiles and makes my heart sinks like always.

“I am sorry I am late for two hours!”

He smiles, “no worries, I was here early”

Calming myself from his smile effect, “yeah, moreover, two hours not change anything in our life, right? Do you think that possible those two hours can affect your whole life?”

“I think so”

Then we heard a huge explosion from the outside.

I think so.