The Television - Revised Version
Eka was a 5 years old girl who lived in a small town in Central Java, Indonesia, in the early 1980s. Her father was a camat, a head of a kecamatan. She and her family lived in an official residence provided for him. The house was not fancy, but quite well furnished. There was even a television. A TV that worked with an accumulator, as the electricity was not there yet. They were one of the very few families in the city who had a TV. A real luxury at the time.
Every afternoon, neighbors came to their house to watch the only existing channel then, a state owned channel. They gathered at 4:30 p.m. until around 5:30 p.m. when it’s time for evening prayer. Sometimes they also came later on weekends or holidays when there was a good film, or for soccer games. When Eka’s parents hadn't come home yet from work (her mom was a university lecturer), it’s Eka who received the neighbors and turned on the TV. And it was quite often.
One day Eka’s parents were late again. They were not supposed to, that day! It made her angry. She absolutely didn't want to see people at her house. She wanted to watch TV alone. Or only with her family (who were late!). But she couldn’t just send her neighbors away. So she reduced the brightness of the TV to the lowest, and muted the volume of the sound. When people arrived, she told them, “I’m sorry, but the TV is broken. Look, there’s nothing.” She showed them by switching on the TV.
The neighbours didn’t even insist. Eka was thrilled at first. But when she saw how they left her house with disappointed looks, she felt guilt and shame. She couldn’t forget their frowning faces, nor the parents who tried to explain and console sad children. So she went into her bedroom and didn’t go out anymore all afternoon. Even when her parents finally came home bringing her favorite meal, she stayed inside and chose to skip the sate ayam.
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