In/Seandainya diberikan pilihan,
tentu Marlyn Maneis tidak mau hidup dalam kekurangan seperti yang dialaminya
saat ini. Berbagai masalah bisa saja muncul tanpa ada jalan keluar. Akibat
kekurangan ini, ayahnya, Simon Maneis, terpaksa menerima takdirnya ketika
dinyatakan dirinya mengalami kelumpuhan hingga akhir hayatnya.
Merupakan sebuah pukulan yang
berat bagi keluarga Marlyn ketika empat tahun yang lalu Pak Simon divonis
menderita penyakit lumpuh pada kakinya. Sejak saat itu, Ibu Margarita yang
menanggung semua pekerjaan untuk dapat terus menghidupi anak-anaknya dan
membeli obat-obatan untuk suaminya. Ibu Margarita tidak hanya bercocok tanam di
rumahnya dan membawa hasilnya, yang berupa sayur-sayuran ke pasar, namun Ibu
Margarita juga bersedia untuk menjadi pembantu rumah tangga dengan mencuci
pakaian untuk bisa mendapatkan 1 kg beras untuk makan keluarganya selama
beberapa hari. Ibu Margarita bahkan juga menjadi buruh tani di kebun orang
lain.
Karena pendapatan yang keluarga
Marlyn terima menjadi lebih sedikit, mereka terpaksa pindah ke sebuah gubuk
kecil yang hanya beratapkan gewang dan berdinding bambu; tidak ada kamar dan
berlantaikan tanah.
Melihat penderitaan istri dan
anak-anaknya akibat kelumpuhan yang dialaminya, Pak Simon semakin sering
termenung sendirian dan menangis. Pak Simon sangat mengkuatirkan masa depan
keluarganya. Karena kesedihan dan kekuatirannya, Pak Simon sering tidak bisa
tidur di malam hari dan hal ini membuat kondisinya semakin lemah dan semakin
menurun. Sehingga pada akhirnya di Sabtu yang mendung di desa Oenasi pada
tanggal 26 Mei 2012, Pak Simon mengehmbuskan nafasnya yang terakhir. Bagi Ibu
Margarita dan Marlyn serta adik-adiknya, kepergian ayah mereka bukanlah kehendak
mereka. Mereka memilih agar suami dan ayah mereka bisa terus bersama dengan
mereka, menjadi sehat dan menemani mereka sampai mereka tumbuh dewasa. Namun,
kehendak Tuhan berkata lain dan mereka tidak bisa melakukan apapun selain
berserah.
Sejenak pikiran melintas di
benak Marlyn, apakah dengan kepergian ayahnya untuk selamanya ia bisa tetap
bersekolah dan mewujudkan impiannya? Ataukah ia harus melupakan semua itu dan
menjalani hari-harinya dengan bekerja membantu ibu menghidupi adik-adiknya?
Namun syukurlah, di Center YTP ia bisa tetap mengikuti bimbingan belajar gratis,
mendapatkan asupan bergizi dan tetap bisa membantu ibunya. Bahkan Marlyn
semakin giat belajar demi masa depannya.
En/If he would have been given a
choice, surely Marlyn Maneis didn’t want to live a poor life like he does now.
Many problems may come without any solution. Because of this poverty, his
father, Simon Maneis, had to accept his fate when he was declared lame till the
end of his life.
It was a heavy trial for
Marlyn’s family when four years ago Mr. Simon was diagnosed with paralysis on
his foot. Since that time, Mrs. Margarita had to do all jobs just to raise
their children and buy some medicine for her husband. Mrs. Margarita does not
only do farming at her house and bring the vegetables to the local market, but
she also does a housemaid job like washing clothes for 1 kg of rice to feed her
family for few days. She even works as a farmer in other’s plantation.
Because the income the family
got became less, they had to move to a small hut with gewang leaves as rooftop,
unrolled bamboos as wall, no room inside and dirty floor.
Seeing the sufferings felt by
his wife and children because of his paralysis, Mr. Simon often pondered his
fate alone and cried. He was very worried about his family’s future. Because of
his sadness and anxiety, Mr. Simon was often unable to sleep at night, making
his condition weaker. And on a cloudy Saturday, May 26th, 2012 in
Oenasi village he breathed his last breath. For Mrs. Margarita and Marlyn and his
younger siblings, it was not their will that their father passed by. They would
chose that the husband as well as father could be with them, healthy and
together with them until they had grown up. But God determined the opposite and
they could do nothing but surrendered.
A thought crossed his mind for a
moment, because of his father’s death, would he still go to school and make his
dream come true? Or, would he have to forget it all and spend his days working
and helping his mother raise his younger siblings? But, thank God. At YTP’s
Center he still can take part in free tutorials, get nutritious intake and help
his mother. Even Marlyn studies more diligently for his future.
