An innocent question can lead to a dose of surprise. The other day I asked a regular customer where his wife was, because I hadn't seen her for months.
His response was, "We're divorced now. Our divorce was final on the 23rd of this month. Her decision."
I was struck dumb. I managed to reply, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."
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He continued, "She lives in southern Finland now. She wanted me to move there, too, but I didn't want to. I have my place here and a small cabin, so she filed for a divorce. It's her decision."
I could only respond, "Oh dear...it must be hard. By the way, her daughter lives there, right?"
He replied, "Yes, her daughter has a son. So now she takes care of the grandson." He packed the few items he had bought and added, "I'm still grieving about it."
I said, "Of course you are, of course.......But life goes on..."
He agreed, "Yes, life goes on."
I didn't have time to process the information. The next customer was already waiting, but I felt like his words were hanging there in the space between us. It's funny how news like this can stagger you, even though you don't really know them that well.
I first met her a few years ago. From the get go, she told me her abbreviated life story even without being asked. She had just retired at that time. If I could describe her with one word, I'd choose the word sunshine. She was always full of laughter and bear hugs. Seeing her face at work was always a pleasure.
Sometime last year she came by with a huge smile on her face. She said that her grandson was due soon and she would go there once the baby was born. A few months later, she showed me his photo on her mobile phone and told me her grandson's name. The phrase "her pride and joy" sprung to my mind. I have no doubt that she'll be a doting and fun grandmother.
Life goes on...people come and go, some are born, some pass away and sometimes you don't even have time to say goodbye...but life goes on for those left behind...
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In this modern age, black magic still exists. People in Indonesia know that some people use black magic to make themselves look more attractive or irresistible (to "entice" people). I know someone who's fallen victim to such a thing.
This girl met a guy somewhere and then they started dating against the girl's parents' wishes. The guy was a few years younger than her. I don't know if that was the only reason why the girl's parents disapproved of their relationship or not, but all I can say is that sometimes parents DO have good reasons or a good hunch about such a thing. Anyway, since the girl kept on seeing the guy, finally the girl's parents relented.
They got married after a while and even on their wedding day, there was chaos. Apparently the girl was the one who funded the wedding, but the guy's family wanted to get a hold of the money given by the guests. Anyhow, after they got married, the guy quit his job and just stayed home to enjoy his life tremendously. So the girl became the bread winner in their household.
The guy started to treat her badly right after they got married. He forbid her to call or visit her parents, and even when her parents called, she always sounded so scared and she would cut off the conversation after a short talk. Then the girl got pregnant and things got worse. Whenever the guy wanted something, he demanded her to provide it for him RIGHT AWAY. For example, sometimes he would ask her to cook something for him at midnight and if she refused, he would hit her. Even while she was pregnant, he still hit her. Nice guy, eh?
Finally the girl couldn't take it anymore, so she ran away to her parents' place. Turned out that the guy had lied to her about his degree and job. When they first met, he told her that he had a university degree and that his position at the office he worked for was great. The truth was that he only had a High School diploma and that he was a lazy bast#¤!#. He married her because she was a diligent person. And then after a while she found out that he had actually used black magic to "entice" her.
She went out to her pastor to ask for his permission for a divorce. She told him the whole story and the pastor agreed. However, he said that he would grant it only after the baby was born. In the meantime, the girl still stayed with her parents and she still had a job. However, the guy and his parents kept on trying to get in touch with her. It seemed as though they had wanted to use stronger black magic to entice her back to be with him.
Gladly she was safe and sound in her parents' house. Not long after that, she gave birth and divorced the guy. The girl's brother adopted the baby (only on paper, but the mother is still the one taking care of the baby). In Indonesia, this is necessary to make sure that the baby will get a proper birth certificate. Without a proper birth certificate, it would be tough for the child later on in the future as the child would be considered "illegitimate" by the government.
How she's doing now? I haven't heard anything yet, but I think she's doing fine with her child. ;-D
Speaking of black magic, I once rented a car to go to Jakarta (to the Finnish Embassy to deal with the papers I need to get a residence permit), the driver was a Christian. He comes from another island near Sulawesi. He said that in that island there were lots of Christians who still dealt with black magic. I was surprised when I heard that!!! Pretty spooky, isn't it? But I guess black magic is still practiced everywhere, eh?
Okay, now it's VERY late and I'm tired, so I'm gonna call it a day and sleep he he he...
