A story of four friends: Subinun, Suhada, Sugali and Suaman
Subinun is sitting on the porch of his house. He is looking at the grass and the old banyan tree whose leaves have fallen off. He sighs. Your destiny is no different from theirs; trampled on and ignored. Close your eyes and remember the past, when the Dutch entered Jogja. Resistance broke out throughout the city. He took up arms against the invaders who killed his parents and relatives. For Subinun, life was nothing without freedom.
The republic was finally gaining its independence and Subinun was lucky to be alive. The unfortunate Suhada, his friend, was killed in combat. He wanted to die a martyr. Subinun would rather live than die, not even as a martyr. Dying is not necessarily on the tip of the bullet. He wanted to feel the results of his fight before he died.
Unlike the scoundrel Sugali, another friend of his, who now held the rank of military general. He used to ask people for money by force. He struggled to appear brave in front of his compatriot.
Sugali now becomes close friends with Suaman, a merchant who feared that Sugali would be forced to give money. Suaman’s business has been growing since it received the full backing of Sugali. Compensation is paid regularly as a guarantee of safety. Suaman never went to fight. He fled the city for safety and started a new business. For Suaman, dying on the battlefield is not an attractive option. Dead is dead. Being in an independent or colonized country was no big deal to him as long as he could run his business. In fact, in the colonial period the business remained in force.
Subinun opens his eyes. The grass and the old banyan tree appear. You are reflecting on whether your decision was correct. If only he had followed his wife to move out of town and continue trading, he could have been like Suaman as a successful merchant. If he weren’t too idealistic to achieve independence for himself and the republic, he probably wouldn’t be sitting alone in a ramshackle row house. He does not blame the government for not giving him a decent life. The country is heavily in debt. He also can’t blame his wife who ran away from him and married Suaman.
Life is about making decisions.