The Pulo Family's Tragedy

    The rain had flushed Pepe, a small and remote village in Sidoarjo City which was filled with ancient houses. No one would have thought that they would be able to find a remote rural area that was still inland in the city of Sidoarjo. Indonesia only has two seasons, dry and rainy season. But during rainy season, it is still hot anyway.     "Have you packed all your things?" Lily nodded.     The eighteen-year-old girl leaned her head against the windshield, looking at the raindrops that covered the glass. She began to feel suffocated to see the country houses here, indicating that she would soon reach her destination.         The car continued to cross the village houses until it reached a large area of rice fields. Furthermore, there was a cemetery belonging to this village. "Assalamualaikum ya'ahli kubur," said Agustin, who was Lily's mother. "Your grandmother said that when passing the grave, we must say greetings." Her voice was barely audible due to the drizzle that turned into heavy rain. The greeting that she just said was from Arabic which means "may your safety be poured out upon you, O inhabitants of the grave." Lily just said nothing. Back then she would say "why speak to death people?" until her mother got angry. Yes, she would rather be quiet.         A few meters later, they could see the words "Lunar Residence" clearly displayed. The security guard could not be seen inside his guard post, so they kept driving until they arrived in front of a fairly old white house with a tall black fence. Lily's father honked the car horn indicating that they needed help to open the fence due to heavy rain. After a minute, a tall boy with a red umbrella in his hand opened the fence. He was really tall, and maybe the tallest man she had ever met. It was Lily's cousin, the only son of Bram's family, Jojo. He had a tan skin which had a charm of its own.        Lily carried a large backpack beside her and entered the house. There, she was welcomed by a large family, that made her hate being in this place. She couldn't get along well with everyone, even with her cousins, she felt quite awkward. That day was not a special day where all the family members usually gather, nor is it Eid Al-Fitr day. However, somehow her parents said that they should stay here for a few days. And as expected, the extended family was also present.     The Pulo big family contained many members. Pulo Grandpa married to grandmother, Elly and they had four children. The first child was Aunt Anne who married to a rich prosecutor, Uncle Bram. Their children were Jojo, the one who opened the fence. He was kind of famous guy among girls. Via, who was in the same age as Lily. One thing that you should know about her, she was really extrovert and liked to socialize with others. And the third child was Sabrina. She was still 11 years old yet very trendy.       The second child was Uncle Sam, who was a pilot. His wife, Dinny was a business woman. She owned a cute cafe. They have three children, El, who was a celebrity on i********: and also had an amazing fashion sense. Lily was a little bit scared of El because she had savage vibes on her. The two other children were twins, Cloy and Clay who were just five years old.     The third child of Lily's grandparents was her mother, Agustin. She married to her father, Edy who was only a factory worker. That was why, compared to her cousins, she was only a geeky girl. She didn't like family gathering because it annoyed her. Her parents always be underestimated by other family members. Those with money would have power.    And the last child was Uncle Billy. He hadn't married yet and maybe was not interested to marry. But he rich. Uncle Billy was a manager at a big company in Sidoarjo.     Everyone was in the family room. Via and El were playing guitar on the sofa. "They are a good match," Lily said that in her mind. Jojo and Sabrina were playing play station together. Sabrina was upset because she was rejected to join Via and El to play guitar, so her brother Jojo asked her to play a game with him. Lily imagined if it was herself who tried to join them. Will she be rejected too?     Not having interest in interacting with anyone, Lily entered her bedroom. It was all still the same before she moved to her own house ten years ago. This house was old. Sometimes there was moss on the wall. And this house was too big for Pulo grandpa and Ely grandma. Since their children already married and moved to their own houses.     Talking about Ely grandma, Lily hadn't seen her when she arrived here. Usually she was the one who was excited to have guests. But she didn't show up today.         At seven o'clock in the evening, extended families gather at the dinner table for dinner. At the corner of the chair, a seventy-year-old grandfather sat down and told all the family members to be quiet. "My children, son-in-law and grandchildren, thank you for gathering here. Before eating, let's pray together," said Grandpa Pulo with a choked breath. Until this second, Lily didn't understand the reason why all the families had gathered here. Even the Bram's family who came all the way from Jakarta to Sidoarjo. She wanted to know if it was only her who didn't know, because every time she asked her parents, she always got replied with "Don't ask too many questions, what's wrong with visiting your grandparents." Lily couldn't find her grandma in the dinning room. Sadly, she only close to her grandma.     "Are you having a semester holiday too, Lily?" Asked Via.     "Yes, school will start in two months," Lily answered awkwardly.     "Your school is Valencia High School right?" Asked El.     "Oh no. I go to public school."     "Really? Why don't you go to private school?" Asked El again. This time, Lily didn't feel comfortable because it seemed like El was trying to make her feel bad.     "Is that really matter?" It needs a big courage for Lily to answer it.     "No. As long as you are smart it doesn't matter where your school is. Don't be like me! My school admission fee is really expensive but I don't attend school often," said Via.     "Yes, Lily is so talented. She won a writing contest last month and got money," Said Lily's father, Edy.     "See! You must learn from her, Via!"     "Yes, mom."