So, the next few months were like that. Daddy took me to school most days early in the mornings and then he went to his job. He worked in an English language school which was in the mall and he was the boss or the director, or something. I came there to study two times a week in the afternoons and I liked it because I made more friends and I met more people from different countries. Most of the teachers there were like me and Daddy – they were bules. Bule is the name Indonesians give to people who have white skins and there were not many people like that in Sidoarjo, or even Surabaya.
We lived in a nice place called Cikarang. This is kind of a small village or town outside the main part of Jakarta. Although it is hot, of course, it is not so busy or noisy as Jakarta or Surabaya. It is a bit like Sidoarjo, I suppose. I mean, we could ride our bikes in the morning or evening if we wanted to, and Daddy could go running, too. There were lots of big roads with lots of trees on them and so we didn’t get too hot.
In Cikarang there was a big mall with lots of shops and a cinema and a big playground too. Daddy and me, and sometimes Mummy, went there a lot when we first arrived there. There was also a bus service that took us from our house to the mall. This was good because Daddy’s new school where he worked was actually inside the mall.
Daddy had lots more friends now. His friends were the other teachers and they came from many other countries like America, Canada and Australia. They were all very nice to my daddy and also to me, and my daddy started smiling a lot more and I think he was really happy. I told him this and he agreed, and said that he was happy because he had a good job, more friends and most importantly, he had me to play with every day. I cuddled him when he said that.
Most nights Daddy came home after I was already asleep because he had to work until late in his new job. I felt sorry for Daddy because he always worked hard, but he said it was ok as he didn’t start work in the morning until later than before, and also he said he only had to work in one place, while when we lived in Sidoarjo he had to work in many different places.
Mummy didn’t seem quite so happy, though. She didn’t have so much work to do now because she didn’t have a job and I think she was a bit bored. Um Ritchie was looking for a job, Mummy told me, and so Mummy and he sometimes went into the centre of Jakarta together, but mostly she stayed home. She told me that she didn’t have much money now because she had no job so if I wanted any toys or sweets I should ask Daddy and not her. Also, Mummy’s tummy got bigger as my baby brother continued to grow inside her.
Then, one day, just about when I was six, Mummy had to go to the hospital to have my baby brother. I was a bit excited because I thought it would be cute to have someone little to play with and so I helped Mummy to walk to the car. Daddy and Um also came to the hospital, of course.
We got to the hospital and Mummy got ready in the bed. She smiled at me, and then Daddy spoke very quietly to her in her ear and I don’t know what he said, but I could see Mummy nodding her head and then she held Daddy’s hand and he kissed her head. I saw and heard Daddy tell Mummy he loved her very much and she said the same to him and they both had tears in their eyes. Then the bed was rolled out the room and my little brother was born.
My little brother’s name is William Akbar Avery. He was very funny when he was born: very small and wrinkly but very cute. I was happy when he was born, but he didn’t do anything! He just lay in his cot and went to sleep all the time. I thought I was going to have someone to play with, but that didn’t happen straight away, and it was quite boring having a little brother that did nothing but sleep and cry.
Daddy was a good daddy to William and used to play with him and cuddle him and give his milk, but Daddy never changed William’s nappy. I asked him why not and he just smiled and said because William was too stinky. Daddy said he never changed my nappy when I was small either because I was too stinky also. Mummy usually changed William’s nappy or else Um Ritchie or Mbak did. Um Ritchie still didn’t have a job, so he stayed with us for longer and he spent some time looking after William while Daddy was at work and Mummy was getting better after her operation to have William taken out of her tummy.
When she was strong again, Mummy started working once more and Um Ritchie helped her with that. In the beginning, Mummy had a little business buying and selling clothes, and then a bit later she started teaching English again. She was teaching English to people in their houses and sometimes in our house, but she wasn’t as busy as before.
After a few months, Um finally got a job and moved out of our house. I think he got a job as an engineer or something, and he moved very far away. I am not sure exactly where he went but I think he
