The great hope from a father who failed in his past for his daughter

 

The great hope from a father who failed in his past for his daughter

By : Anna Rizka Ilmi Primasti Salsabila

Ali Jatmiko, who works as an employee at a textile factory in Karanganyar after his bad experiences happened to him.

 

Sometimes, Ali has trouble closing his eyes every time he remembers his past. "I feel disappointed and want to scream, but it won't change everything". Ali Jatmiko, he told his daughter, Paramita, on an exhausting afternoon.

Ali Jatmiko, who turned 57 years old this year, has been through a lot of bitter experiences. He never complains at all because he realizes that he should be broadminded about his past. Talking about a bitter experience, this 57-year-old man bites his fingers remembering several things that have been ripping his heart until now.

Starting in 1984, several bad experiences came to him. He once applied for a state-owned company, GARUDA INDONESIA, for the position of the cabin crew.

"I can do the first test well, so I am sure I can pass the test." Ali Jatmiko said. With a feeling of fear and curiosity running high, he looks at the announcement board. Sure enough!  After a week, the first result is released. He is successful with his first test.

"Under the test results, an announcement is also written, the second test will be held one month after Eid. because the day of Eid was coming so I returned home, Slawi, Tegal."

Unlucky, good fortune is not on his side. The second test day comes. Ali's parents don’t have money for Ali's departure to Central Jakarta. The cost of Rp 7.000,00 to take the bus is heavy for Ali's parents. Ali does have many siblings and his family's economic condition is not good. "My mother could only give about Rp 5.000,00. That's enough money to take the train, so I went straight to the station". It’s like rubbing salt into the wound. Bad luck comes to him again. Train tickets are sold out and tickets for the next day are still available. There’s no choice, he has to buy the ticket and hopes that a follow-up test will be allowed.

No wonder, when he arrives at the test location in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Ali is clearly rejected because he is late for the second test. There is nothing he can do, the rules are rules. The fate of that day is indeed bad for him.

A year has passed, the wound in his heart slowly healed. Unfortunately, in the following year, there was one more painful incident for Ali. At that time, 1985, he applied to the Indonesian Pos Academy, but a bad person had betrayed him by not delivering his acceptance letter to him.

“Of course  I was disappointed, I didn’t expect that he could betray me. But there's no point in being disappointed. It's already happened and no matter how loud I scream, it won't come back. God must have a more beautiful plan. It can be through my daughter.”

Ali always encourages himself with those words. Now he only works as an employee at a textile factory in Karanganyar. He accepted it graciously. His daughter is his hope and dream. He struggles with everything he can do to make his daughter have a bright future and he believes that his daughter’s bright future is a more beautiful plan from God for his family.