GOD IS GOOD

Believe, you will succeed if you always think positively ...
    “Grandma, I wanna go,”
    Every morning, before I went to school, I always said it to my grandma. My father and my mother had passed away 3 years ago. My life changed, my mother and my mother whom I used to be proud of, suddenly had died in a car accident. Legacy of my parents house was confiscated by the bank to  cover the debts of our company.
    I lived with my grandmother. Our life was far from perfect. We slept in a small rented. Grandma was the only savior of my live, my parents, my motivator and my friends. She was a good grandma, but sometimes she can make me angry to her.   
    Every day after school, I always worked part time as a clerk in a book store. My job was just to wait and to count the number of book buyers who come to the store. Salaries at the book store was not too big, Rp20.000,-, enough for our potluck meal with a side dish.
    It was 18.00 o’clock. Time to close the shop. Today, i had good news for my grandma, I received my salary.
    “work diligently,” said my boss with his arrogant style.
    “Yes, boss,” I replied.
    After received my salary, I went home. As usual, every walk towards to my house, I would o through a fairly house, which there is always someone waiting for my figure.
    “Nino! Come here! I cook the food here,” shouted the woman who was faiting for me.
    “oh, bother. I’m going straight home, Gina,” I said.
    “You don’t appreciate me,Nino,” she said.
    Gina’s face turns into disappointment. Because it’s not good to refuse, I agree with her offer. Mr Rahmat, her father, was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper and drinking a glass of warm coffee. “Sir,” I said with a smile. Mr Rahmat just looked at me and smiled.
    Gina is good at cooking. Gina deserves to be a girlfriend. Beautiful, smart, good, great cook, was a woman’s dream man. After finishing my meal, I immediately leave and go home. At home, my grandma was waiting in front of the door. With a sullen face and a high-pitched words my grandma scolded me.
    “It’s getting late! Where are you from?” said my grandmother.
    “Gina invited me to her house for a dinner,” I said while I took off my shirt and shoes.
    “We are poor, but you don’t bother people!” she raised her voice. If I served the words of my grandmother, it would have ended long.
    “I wanna take a bath,” I went to the bathroom. Out of the shower and dressed, I opened my book. When I was about to read, the image of Gina’s face always appeared in my mind. I would definitely be a lucky man if I could get Gina. Beautiful,smart,good at cooking, and the important one, she was nice person. When can I make Gina become my girlfriend? I was thinking. Gina... Gina .. oh Gina...
    The next day, I started my activity as usual. School and bookstore. To be honest, I was getting bored with my activity. I wanted to be like other teenager who could learn and play freely without the hassle of working for a bite of rice to eat.
    Today, it was a different when i through Gina’s house. A big red motorcycle parked in the Gina’s yard. Who is it? I thought. With the fast pace, I was hiding in a place to keep an eye on that bike.
    Not take a long time, a black-jacketed man who was about the same age as me, came out from Gina’s house. Gina liked to say a few words to him and she waved to the man. I wanted to ask Gina, but the door was closed. I went home with a sense of disappointment.
    Cold of the night felt like a “stab” to my body. I sat in front of the house looking around. My neighbors just returned from their activities. Grandmother suddenly struck me from behind.
    “What are you thinking about?” she said.
    “I miss my parents. I’m bored with my job,” I replied lightly.
    Grandma didn’t say anything. I looked at her face as implied a dejection there. Am I wrong? I thought. “I’m sorry grandma. I didn’t mean to make you sad,”I said breaking the silence.
    “Why should you say sorry to me? I’m not useful, it is faie if your uncle and your aunt didn’t consider me. I’m sorry, I can’t make you happy like your parents. I’m sorry to make you work everyday,” she said.
    The words of the grandma as a strong bolt of lightning for me. I was stupid. Why did I have to talk like that to grandma? Naturally she could not to work, she should have a happy life now instead of living like this. Regret came back to me.
    “Grandma, I promise you. I’ll make you happy like my parents make you happy. One day, I’ll make you proud of me,” I said, while hugging my grandma.
    “I don’t want get it from you. I just want you to be happy. Achieve your goals,” she said. I feel like that night I hugged my mother. The night was getting late, grandma and I immediately entered the house and slept.
    The next day, I must leave for school. “Grandma, I must go now. Be carefull at home,” I said as I kissed my grandma’s hand. I felt the heat when I was holding my grandma’s hand. I immediately asked,”Are you sick,grandma?”
    “I’m okay,” she said. I quickly held my grandma’s forehead. It’s hot. Grandma had a fever. “Grandma, you’re sick, let’s go to the doctor,” I said.
    “Do you have the money for medicine? You must go to school now! You’ll be late! I’m fine,” grandma’s voice was suddenly high. The question paused me. “You don’t, do you? So, go to school now. I just need a rest,” she said. With feelings of fear, I left grandma at home. I immediately went to school and the afternoon I went to bookstore.
    At around 03.00 P.M, a neighbor came to the shop.
    “Your grandma Nino!” said the man. Without asking, I immediately ran to my house.
“Where is my house? Where? All I saw was the fire that had burned my house! My grandma, where is she? Is she save?” i was looking for my grandma in panic.
“She passed away when she was taken to the hospital, Nino. You must be patient,” said a neighbor. The words from my neighbor were like a thunder to me. My grandma, the only person in this world who i have is gone? I ran, ran, and ran. Suddenly, it was rain.
“GOD! YOU’RE STINGY! YOU’RE EVIL!” I shouted. “WHAT FOR I STAY IN THIS WORLD? YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN EVERYONE! WHERE IS AFFECTION TO ME?”
I was trying to find a rope, and tied in a tree. When I started to hang myself, the wig was broken. I tried to take the rope and tried to hang myself already 3 times, and all of my effort was failed.
“Hi stupid grandchild. Must you kill yourself? Do you think you’ll go to heaven if you die? Don’t you want to continue the message from your grandma?” suddenly I heard a male voice.
“Who are you?” i asked.
“it doesn’t matter who I am, don’t you want to make your grandma happy? Where is your promise yesterday? Don’t you want to keep your promise to your grandma although she is already died?” he said. “SUCCESS! That’s your promise to your grandma, not dead!” he said.
“How?”
“Positive thinking. Believe in me, success will come if you think positively,” he said. “You must start by assuming all events there must be a silver lining. Your grandma death was not a disaster for you. Trust me your life will be more beautifull than this. Pursue your ambition, make all of people around you happy, especially your grandma,” he said again.
I looked down, thinking about his words. When I wanted to look at him, he disappeared. I looked for him, but he disappeared. I decided to go back to my house and picked up the remains of goods that I could still use. I passed Gina’s house, Gina turned called me and offered me to stay at her home until I could get one.
10 years after the departure of the grandma, and my encounter with the man, my life was different after I learned to think positively. I understood what was that man mean. 1 month after my grandma’s departure i tried to find a new job, and I could get it easy. From the money I got, I decided to make one company for my future. I was already achieved my goals. When i built my company, i always felt that grandma always support me although i couldn’t see her. I thought she was happy now.
Gina has become my wife. We’ve married for 6 years ago. Now, we have one son, his name is Raka. One day ..
“Raka, do you want to become a successful person right?” I asked.
“Sure, dad. I wanna be successful like you,” he answered.
“You want to know, why can I succeed?”
“Yes”
“you must think positively,” I said to him with a smile.
“How can I do like that dad?”
“You must think, God is good. He gives you trials but he also gives you blessings,Raka. You don’t think something bad will happen to you, you must think you’ll get happiness for your life. One more don’t judge someone from the cover,” i said.
God is good. God is not as bad as I thought. He gave me trials but he also gave me blessings. All that I wish now I get. A good family, luxury homes, luxury cars, abundant wealth, all lands everywhere, I already get. I believe in the words of the man even though I didn’t know him. I believe this also because of my promise to my parents, especially to my grandma. To those who had gone and there will always be here, in my heart.