Next Stop, Jakarta: Sudden-Call

That morning everything seems to be usual for me. Wake up early morning, browse the internet for unimportant news and email checking, and waited for my friend to do my recently routine, applying for job. Yup, that was my routine since I’ve finished my final project. Applying for job in the morning, browse the internet in the noon, and chatting with friend in the rest. Waiting for uncertainty, waiting for my destiny, waiting for job, what the not interesting routine at all. And, the worst, I think I was graduated at the wrong time. That was second economic crisis suffering Indonesia. The fact that I haven’t been yet in unemployment state for less than 1 month doesn’t make everything better.

This city, Surabaya, had given me a lot of experience, knowledge, memory, skill, friend, and character. I’ve been living in this city for almost six years, a quite long time I think. And I do have a plan to stay in there longer. Got a job in this city would likely make both my mom and me happy. I still can do a trip to home at least once a week. So my mom won’t be alone as well. That was my previous grand plan. The ideal condition for me, the ideal choice, the comfort zone, the perfect area, and I don’t think there was another better option lied there. Well, I think God already had a big plan, a huge one, for me. Not that one of course.

My cell phone rang. It was Jakarta number. Another Jakarta number. That didn’t surprise me. I threw my application letter rapidly in internet in that recent week. All those company is locating in Jakarta. So, the question was not who was it, but when the interview taken. And the answer was clear enough. I had refused 4 interview offers recently, and that time, if that man or madam behind the phone asked for arrangement for interview, I will answer that I’ll be there at least one week from now. I wont there for sure. That week I applied for at least 15 jobs simultaneously when institute held a job fair there. And still 12 opportunity left before I began to consider accepting interview offer from some company in Jakarta. Twelve is still better than three or four. But, that is not how destiny works.

I was tried to be gentle as I can to answer that phone. Acted like young executive answering the phone from his client. Lowering my voice and said, “Ya, halo,,”. And the conversation goes. Later I found that I have little misjudge here. The company was offering me a contract. Not an interview offers. So the plan was about to changed. And it had to be done quickly. I called my mom as soon as I got that news. She seem to be happy, happy for me, but I didn’t really now what she feel that time. So this kind of news, a relishing one, didn’t give much time and space for me to think. I even forgot to ask, when I will start working. All I know that time was how do I get there as soon as possible, and go back to Surabaya to finish unfinished business, and back to Jakarta again for real things, for pursuing one of my goals in this month, got a job.

That immense spirit suddenly brought me to Gubeng rail station, after finishing my own business in campus of course. I got my friend in companion, same man that came into my boarding house that early morning. I need him, because I hadn’t done such a reservation ticket before. He told me that we could do a reservation in any station and depart in other station. So, I had decided to bought a business class ticket from Gubeng rail station and depart from Pasar Turi rail station. But, I can’t find the business class there. The girl, wearing a neat blue suit, told me that I had to go on Pasar Turi station to find business class ticket there. Because Gubeng rail station didn’t provide the business class one.

My friend’s theory didn’t work at all. That’s mean I had to go further in the west to get that ticket. And then, I had to leave Gubeng and arrived at Pasar Turi 20 minutes later. Just go find a locket after entrance gate, my friend’s said. I hoped that time he was right. And yes, that time he was right. I found the locket. Standing in queue for about 5 minutes, and came my turn. I asked for business class ticket for tomorrow departure, and the women quickly answered that she haven’t had that one. What? How could? That was not a quite busy day I think. And there should be a lot ticket unreserved. Well, that was all about the price, and the opportunity that I’ll be back in Surabaya immediately after signing in contract if there was a space between them. After little debating there, I decided to buy an executive class one. That going to changed my plan before.

The plan before was, I came back to Surabaya for a while to do some packaging, do proper goodbye to my friends in the Kosan (that was how I named my boarding house, and my beloved workgroup in my personal computer), and enjoy rest of the time in my beloved home. It would be a nice plan to do. But, plan was only a plan. I’ve got a ticket, and we were ready to leave the station. All the way home, I was thinking about what I had been done? Was I choosing the right decision? Was Jakarta is my destination?

Shortly I’ve arrived safely at my boarding house 30 minute later. It took quite long time for me to get there because I was stopped by the policeman in my long way home. Fortunately we have both have a good understanding and he didn’t give me any punishment, what my lucky day. I often getting confused when there’s a lot of plan to do, never been easy for me to set the priority. So, I was stunned for about a half hour. I’m not sure what I thought that time. I just remembered that I spent that time for browsing and repeating clicking the refresh button on the browser. I was thinking about going home tonight after packaging all my stuff. And that would be my final packaging in this room, in this boarding house. What a dramatic and melancholic atmosphere had created between me and that corner of the room. The corner I’ve been for 3.5 years.

I had to move from my ‘thinking chair’ (well, not mine actually, I had It borrowed from my friend, I also borrowed that phrase from blue’s clues movies) and get all my stuff prepared. As I opened my cabinet, the plan had already created neatly inside my head. All I have to do was packaging the only stuff I need, and thought about the rest later. As soon as I’ve packaged my stuff, I went home, and spent just one night there. I hoped that would be enough. I hope..