Source: Pexels, modified
Mother's decision to sell the house upset me. It's not that I was afraid of losing the house but I was afraid of losing all the memories of that house. In that house I was born and raised. Every corner of the house held memories. From that house I got to know the love of a mother and learned about life. Maybe my feeling was a bit melancholy but a house was not just a house but also a home. It's not just a physical building for shelter but also a destination when I talked about going home.
"Home's where you go when you run out of homes," said Jerry Westerby, the character of John Le Carré's The Honorable Schoolboy novel, one of Carré's best novels. The book won the Gold Dagger prize for best crime novel of the year and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1977 (Source: Wikipedia). Jerry said that while being assigned to Hong Kong by his boss, George Smiley, leader of the British secret intelligence service aka The Circus.
Jerry disguised himself as a journalist. At that time he was sitting on the teak balcony, munching on his breakfast: eggs and rice. He was disguised as a journalist for a mission from The Circus. He might be tired and missed her home in Tuscany. He imagined he would return by train to Bangkok, then catch a plane to England. "Home's where you go when you run out of homes."
I thought so. Home was more than a terrace, wooden walls, and a roof. Home was the only place when you no longer had a place to go.
I was standing on the train platform headed for Wittgenstein Street. A voice in the loudspeaker announced the coming and going trains at the station. Sometimes it mentioned several trains that were still at other stations. Today the train traffic was running smoothly. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, there had been almost no cases of train delays or other problems. I was usually happy with this kind of situation because it meant my trip would be smooth. But not today.
The train that took me to Russell Station moved fast. The buildings seemed to be running out there. I sit quietly. My head was still filled with conversations with mom about her plan to sell the house.
Arriving at Russell Station, I walked towards Heaven Village. Unlike the name, this village was slum. Many homeless and poor people lived here. For decades this village became the dark side of Buskeria. This area seemed never existed on the map. Being neglected. But Maxim The Saxophonist lived here and I was about to meet him.
Note: This House Is Not For Sale is 2016 Bon Jovi's song title.
Source: Skitterphoto from Pexels
Mimpi Menjadi Bintang (Bagian 16): This House Is Not For Sale
Keputusan ibu untuk menjual rumah membuatku gundah. Ini bukan karena aku takut kehilangan rumah tapi taku kehilangan segala memori atas rumah itu. Di rumah itu aku lahir dan dibesarkan. Tiap sudut rumah itu menyimpan kenangan. Dari rumah itu aku mengenal cinta seorang ibu dan belajar tentang kehidupan. Mungkin perasaanku agak melankolis tapi rumah bukan cuma house tapi juga home. Dia bukan sebuah bangunan fisik tempat bernaung tapi juga sebuah tujuan ketika aku berbicara tentang pulang.
"Home’s where you go when you run out of homes," kata Jerry Westerby, tokoh John Le Carré dalam novel The Honorable Schoolboy, salah satu novel terbaik Carré. Buku itu memenangi hadiah Gold Dagger untuk novel kejahatan terbaik tahun ini dan James Tait Black Memorial Prize pada In 1977. Jerry mengatakan itu ketika sedang ditugaskan oleh bosnya, George Smiley, pemimpin British secret intelligence service alias The Circus, ke Hong Kong.
Jerry menyamar sebagai jurnalis. Saat itu dia sedang duduk di balkon kayu jati sambil mengunyah sarapan paginya: telur dan nasi. Dia sedang menyamar sebagai jurnalis untuk menjalankan misi dari The Circus. Dia mungkin lelah dan merindukan rumahnya di Tuscany. Dia membayangkan akan pulang naik kereta api ke Bangkok, lalu naik pesawat ke Inggris. "Home’s where you go when you run out of homes."
Aku berpikir seperti itu juga. Rumah lebih dari sebuah teras, dinding kayu, dan atap. Rumah adalah tempat satu-satunya bila sudah tak ada tempat lagi yang kau tuju.
Aku sudah berdiri di peron kereta menuju Wittgenstein Street. Suara di pelantang mengumumkan kereta yang akan datang dan pergi di stasiun itu. Kadang-kadang dia menyebut beberapa kereta yang masih berada di stasiun lain. Hari ini lalu lintas kereta berjalan lancar. Sejak pandemi Covid-19 melanda, hampir tak ada kasus keterlambatan kereta atau masalah lain. Aku biasanya senang dengan keadaan seperti ini karena berarti perjalananku akan lancar. Tapi, hari ini tidak.
Kereta yang membawaku ke Stasiun Russel bergerak cepat. Gedung-gedung tampak berlarian di luar sana. Aku duduk diam. Kepalaku masih dipenuhi percakapan dengan ibu tentang rencana menjual rumah.
Tiba di Stasiun Russel, aku melangkah menuju Kampung Surga. Tidak seperti namanya, kampung ini kumuh. Banyak gelandangan dan orang miskin tinggal di sini. Puluhan tahun kampung ini menjadi sisi gelap dari Buskeria. Wilayah ini seakan tak pernah ada di peta. Terabaikan. Tapi, di sinilah Maxim The Saxophonist tingal dan aku hendak menemuinya.
Bersambung...
Source: Pixabay, modified
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Hi @risingstargame Yes, I have prepared it for next installment.