"ULATT!! ULAT!!! ULATTT...!!!"*) A middle-aged man shouted while shaking the bag on the shoulder of a woman standing behind me, his eyes looking at the floor as he bent down to find where the caterpillar had fallen.
Suddenly the people around him also looked at the floor while removing their feet in fear of that animal.
At that time the mini metro I was traveling in started to pull over to the stop, so I prepared to get off. Behind me, the woman was still rubbing her back. The noise was still there in the front seat when the car stopped.
I stepped out.
It turned out that the woman got off at the same stop. Only the two of us stopped here, and a moment later the car drove back leaving us.
On the sidewalk, by the highway, we looked at each other.
"Sis, please look behind me," she said as she turned her body to face me. Apparently, she was still curious.
I examined her back. "There's nothing there... it's clean..." I replied while rubbing her back.
Then we walked together up the pedestrian bridge.
"I thought I wasn't from anywhere, I wasn't from the garden, wasn't near a tree..." She said softly. The bridge was so quiet as if listening to the two of us.
While walking I silently listened, occasionally looking into her eyes which still looked confused.
Until exactly in the middle of the road on the bridge then she stopped. I followed. "One moment... one moment..." she hissed.
Then she took the bag off her shoulder and opened it. "No, no, no..." Her face looked worried. "Ouchhh... right." She continued weakly.
She mentioned a top-brand cell phone that she had not even had for a month. It was gone.
I helped her check the pockets of her bag.
"I was a bit suspicious earlier, but I haven't realized it yet." She stood facing the street below us. Her eyes looked at the car that we were riding had gone away.
Too far.
"Should I chase?" Her voice hardened. Her face also seemed to harden.
"It's gone too far. Maybe the pickpocket has gone down too" I replied.
"Oh, how is this…" Her wail was helpless.
I'm concerned but don't know what to do. I handed her my cell phone if she wanted to contact her acquaintance. She accepted and started calling.
I'm waiting for her.
I remember correctly the man who picked up the cell phone. Maybe it was me he was targeted.
I had just stood up from my seat at the front, behind the driver, when suddenly the man sneaked up from the side and sat on my seat.
I moved closer to the driver. At the same time, the woman came forward from the back seat and stood behind me, as she was also about to get off. So she was in the middle between me and the man.
And then there was the commotion. The caterpillar turned out to be his modus operandi.
"Thank you, sis," she said as she returned my cell phone.
I received the phone and put it in my bag, then we continued our journey, getting off the pedestrian bridge in the Karet area. Then separated at the bottom.
She continued her journey towards Casablanca. I entered the WTC building.
***
It was quite a distance to the lobby of the building from the gate near the highway.
It was lunch break. The employees who work here were already seen scattered in the cafe on the ground floor of the building, some were just sitting in the chairs available along the corridor, chatting while smoking.
Everyone looks well-groomed. No one is disheveled. Neither their appearance nor their faces. Perhaps affected by the aura of this building which is also magnificent.
The airy environment allows the wind to blow freely to and fro, keeping busy, especially the women with long hair and those wearing wide skirts, holding on to it so that it doesn't fly off in an indeterminate direction.
I pressed the elevator button on the ground floor lobby of the building at 11 and waited for the doors to open. I was just dropping off to deliver the policy of a customer who had an office in this building.
Standing looking at the number eleven in front of the elevator I suddenly realized... that it was the 11th, of September, the same day and month when the WTC in New York was bombed by the 2001 terrorists.
Once I entered this building at the same time as that horrific incident. Why does it fit so well? I shook my head to shake off the sudden thought. Afraid there will be unexpected events like what happened in the mini metro earlier.
Hush hush...
***
Leaving the building, I immediately took the busway to the Sunter area. I had a prior appointment to meet my friend, the branch manager of a well-known private bank in Sunter.
"Wait at the Sunter bus stop. If the bus is about to arrive, call again. Pak Karmin will pick you up there," said a voice on the phone.
Monic, the owner of the voice, already knew my arrival was related to insurance. She was the first person I contacted when I changed professions. Anything I sell, she's the one I offer first.
Sometimes I feel bad about myself, it doesn't seem very professional, but let it be, whatever her judgment I accept, I live what is in front of me at the moment.
After all, she is also a professional, everything uses logic, if what I offer is in line with her logic she will accept it, if not she will also reject it, not just because I am her best friend then she loses logic. And whatever her decision is, I accept it.
And again, what I admire about her, she still appreciates me for who I am.
But not just me of course, her clients and subordinates all respect her. Everyone who is around her feels valuable. No wonder she was trusted to lead a bank branch in North Jakarta at a relatively young age.
"You know Luna, I didn't like the Unit link*) for a long time. Because I know exactly how stocks work. For me, insurance is just insurance, it's okay to lose money. If you want to save money, go to the bank."
I laughed to myself, forgetting that she was a banker. How stupid of me.
"Yes ma'am... it's just participation, it's not that big, as of token of having a policy at my place."
I knew I wasn't going to 'win' against her. That's why I gave in. But Monic unexpectedly gave in.
She called her employee through the I phone on her desk. I waited for her on the guest chair in her room.
It was a very cozy room and big enough to be occupied alone. A painting of Mother Teresa hung on one side of the wall, with a quote underneath. it said
It is not how much we DO, but how much LOVE we put into the Doing
It is not how much we GIVE, but how much LOVE we put into the Giving
'Hmm... So Monic' I thought.
The cool temperature made me a little dizzy because I had been exposed to the heat of the streets for quite some time. Monic opened the fridge near her desk and offered me some drinks.
A gentleman knocked on the door, entered, and bowed respectfully, "Yes Ciik.."
"Pa Sunu, please take a copy of this, ID card, credit card, one copy each... Lun?"
I nodded.
While waiting for Mr. Sunu to bring the photocopies of the documents for the insurance, Monic cleared her desk and prepared to leave early. She intended to treat me to an afternoon meal at her favorite restaurant.
Monic's office was on the second floor. We went downstairs hand in hand. Visible from the stairs, a queue of customers snaked around one of the cashier counters.
Arriving downstairs, Monic immediately called one of her supervisors to open one more counter. In an instant, the queue was cut into two parts.
As we walked out, the security guards bowed respectfully as Monic passed by. Monic smiled no less politely. Mr. Karmin was already at the door ready to escort us.
***
I enjoy and live every moment. Sometimes I don't know what the wisdom behind an event or coincidence is, like the events at the Metro mini and WTC this afternoon. Like when I was with Monic, I was always reminded of one name when I was with her.
"I'll ask Heru first." She said when I told her about the property that would be sold in the industrial area near my neighborhood.
Yes. Always. That name is HERU. Her husband.
And that makes me admire her even more. Even though in this office she is the number one person, everyone follows what she says. As the number one person in her office, she is highly respected and honored by all his subordinates. But as a wife, she was very obedient and respectful of her husband, who honestly I didn't even understand what his business was.
And one more thing I remember about her is, she always allocates funds in every salary she receives, sometimes donated to the church, sometimes distributed to Office Boy in her office, to social foundations, and to areas affected by disasters, depending on the situation and conditions being faced. Mr. Karmin is the driver told.
No wonder why all the employees in her office, from the lowest level to the level slightly below Monic, not only respect but love her very much.
She routinely sets aside not just 2.5% of her income every month. But, to borrow her term,
"10% FOR GOD"
***
*Ulat, Caterpillar
*Unit link is a type of insurance that combines permanent insurance (whole life) with investment products.