What is an incident you have experienced that you will never forget?

I’ll also answer, I haven’t been active on Quora for a long time.

It happened recently, to be precise last week the story ended.

I had a school friend, one from junior high school to high school, and even the first semester of college. His name was Ono.

In junior high, he was dapper and trendy. His style model was Jordan Knight, a member of New Kids On The Block (NKOTB). He imitated his neat topknot. As the son of a middle-ranking officer (a low-income kid), he was able to achieve that look. His outfits, from shoes to accessories, were beyond our reach.

In high school, his style caught the attention of our school’s top girl. He ended up dating her. He also developed another bad habit in high school: getting drunk and high, using both alcohol and drugs. Although it was still mild, using marijuana and tranquilizers, his self-control was already starting to suffer. He was prone to anger and causing trouble, even among his own friends.

After graduating from high school and entering college, it turned out he was on the same campus as me. However, he only saw me until the third semester. After that, he rarely saw me again until I graduated.

During college, he developed a new habit: approaching friends with his high school alma mater, both familiar and unfamiliar. He began selling false stories about his parents’ accident, needing money for his wife and children, not having enough money to get home, and much more.

Several of his friends were scammed or lost significant amounts of items when they returned home. His name was even at the top of our alma mater’s watch list because of his actions.

Some of our angry friends came to his house and pulled him aside to attack him. However, it didn’t last long. His father brandished his pistol at the attackers to protect his son.

He’d been doing this for years, with some people visiting him once, others repeatedly. Although it was disturbing, we didn’t report him to the authorities because he was an old friend. Reports indicated he’d been in and out of jail for similar incidents against friends other than us.

I was one of the people he visited most often. Since I already had information about him, I naturally used his visits as an opportunity to intimidate or deter him. His excuses were all the same as those I’d heard before. From lying about his parents’ accident, his child’s brain cancer, his wife’s serious illness, and many more.

Despite frequent scolding, he never deterred from visiting. Perhaps it was my fault for not having the heart to always give him pocket money after visiting. Even if it was only a small amount, perhaps it served his purpose.

He hadn’t been home in a year and a half. His last visit really angered me. He claimed he wanted to stay overnight to avoid his mother’s funeral. Of course, I firmly refused and told him to leave immediately. What child leaves their mother’s funeral?

He doesn’t feel lost or is even grateful that he has experienced a change for the better, so that he doesn’t need help at home anymore.

In mid-February, a junior high school friend found herself in a dire situation. The photo she uploaded to her Facebook account shocked everyone who knew her, including those who had been deceived and harmed by her. Opinions were divided, ranging from cursing her to pitying her, as she was, after all, a part of our lives.

This is a photo of Ono in junior high school (left), and his last photo (right)

Finally, opinions were unified by majority agreement. On the day Ono was first found, some of us combed the Pasar Rebo Flyover Bridge that night, as he claimed to be his residence.

One and a half years living under the Pasar Rebo flyover bridge, East Jakarta

Thankfully, we found him. Then we asked him many questions about why he was homeless. But it was difficult, as his lying nature was ingrained in him. To regain his honesty, we often took harsh action by yelling at him. This way, we could get to the heart of the matter.

Friends interrogated him about his reasons for being homeless.

It was discovered that he ended up homeless because, while living with his sister, he also became a troublemaker and often psychologically abused his mother. After a long period of time and his behavior was unchangeable, his sister decided to evacuate his mother to her new home. Meanwhile, the house he previously occupied in Ciracas was sold without his knowledge.

When he returned home, the house had changed owners. He ultimately lost his purpose and chose the space under the bridge as his temporary home.

Seeing his condition, we wanted to admit him to the nearest social care facility. Apparently, he had been caught in a raid by the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and taken to the local Social Services Agency. However, because he still had his identification, he was sent home. We learned this when we were about to provide assistance for the second time at Pasar Rebo.

However, the second meeting was fruitless. We assumed he must have been taken to the Social Services Office. Then, upon further investigation, his name and health details were indeed listed. It turned out he had Hepatitis B and TB.

His status is at the Social Service.

Our first meeting turned out to be our last. After tracking him down for two weeks, news spread through WhatsApp groups that he had been found on the street in a coma, and his body was being held at Budi Asih Hospital in Cililitan, East Jakarta. He died on February 24, 2020, at 11:00 PM, and was buried on February 26.

The body was taken care of by his family, who recovered it at the hospital. Several friends checked with the hospital to confirm that it was Ono. After the positive test, representatives from junior high and high schools flocked to the funeral.

I imagine if none of his friends cared about him despite being so deeply hurt by his actions, the story of the soap opera Hidayah could have really happened. We only met three of his family members. One of them was his younger sister. When the ambulance arrived, there were not enough people to carry his coffin. His school friends took the initiative to lift him and carry him to the grave. The family who witnessed it were astonished, even his younger sister joked, “I thought Mas Ono didn’t have any friends anymore?” She burst into tears. But from the pressure of her words, she still held a heavy emotional burden.

His funeral procession was silent.

Our final encounter may have been Allah’s way of bringing Ono to his final moments. God knows best. However, the swift response of moral and material assistance directed at him was extraordinary, considering that nearly all of us were victims.

This experience will always remind us:

1. Respecting mother
2. Taking care of mother
3. Caring for and respecting mother’s feelings
4. Treat humans humanely even if whatever is behind it hurts you.

Farewell Hasto Bawono.

Addition:

He has already consciously apologized to his friends and his mother. This video has been conveyed well, and God willing, he has been forgiven. May he rest in peace.