Antara Darah dan Hati: Dream Reality English Translation

Chapter 21 Part 3 "Syukuran"

POV Karim

I have been released from prison and a week after being released from prison, my parents, my friends and I held a Syukuran celebration, eating lunch meal and Klappertaart with orphans in one of the orphanages in this city. Before eating, we prayed together with an ustad who is also a Quran recitation teacher in the orphanage. He led the prayer for us, hoping that my family and friends would be spared from all the slander and evil on earth so that what had happened to me did not happen to them.

After the prayers were finished, we had lunch and Klappertaart together, sitting together on the floor in one of the orphanage rooms. After lunch was over, many of the orphanage children gathered around mevrouw Sofia and asked her things like what it was like to be a royal, what her daily activities as a royal were and various other things. One of the caretakers of the orphanage forbade the orphans from asking strange questions, but mevrouw Sofia told the caretaker that she did not mind the children in the orphanage asking her various things.

She explained to the orphans that being a royal is not as good and comfortable as the media often shows. She also told them that a royal was often bound by the royal protocol and rules that the members of the royal family had to obey such as having to look calm, charming and friendly and they also need to set an example to the society which was often can be a burden for her, she also explained to them that being a royal made her often feels lonely because she is often considered arrogant by the people around her because of the status that she bears plus she is a Dutch so it is not uncommon for her to be considered evil by the Indonesian people around her. She explained to them there were times when she really wished to be just an ordinary person.

When she gave her explaination to them, I noticed that her face became a bit gloomy and her eyes began to tear up. After she finished giving her explanation, all the orphanage children who heard her explanation went silent until one of them who looked like she was still a toddler walked up to her, fell on her lap and hugged her body then she said.

"Princess, please don't be sad, I love you."

Then several children who seemed to be her friends also approached mevrouw Sofia and gathered around her wanting to hug her. The children hugged mevrouw Sofia as if they understood her feelings. She returned their hugs by hugging them tightly and then replying to the words that came out of the child who hugged her first.

"I love all of you too."

Those were the words that came out of her mouth that she conveyed in a gentle tone full of affection for them. Mevrouw Sofia is a kindhearted girl and unfortunately what she says is true. People who only saw her from the outside and were not close to her would think that she was someone who was arrogant because of her status as a royal plus she was a Dutch.

I also have that thoughts when I didn't know her yet, I thought that she was someone who was racist and didn't want to be friends with me but when I saw her doing group work in the library with her native friends, I felt slapped and guilty for having such assumptions. Oh yes, it reminds me, I want to apologize for having that assumption, after this is all over I have to apologize to her.

After they hugged her for a long time, one of the caretakers of the orphanage told them to let go of their hug on mevrouw Sofia.

"You guys, please stop hugging her will you? The lunch is over, she wants to go home, please understand that she got no more time to be wasted."

Then one of them looked at the caretaker who said that and stuck out his tongue.

"Wlee, I don't want to!"

Seeing that the caretaker of the orphanage replied to his words.

"Oh, you, you really are an unruly child are you?!"