AN ENDEAVOR FOR A BELOVED KID
AGOES RUDIANTO, Freelance Photographer

Five days a week, a marriage couple Azelia Trifiana and Renda must dare to go through Jakarta’s traffic congestion for the sake of safe protection. Leaving home, located in Halim Perdana Kusuma area, East Jakarta, at 6 in the morning, they have to travel 20 kilometers away within 45 minutes to reach Taman Main Day-Care Center in Blok M area, South Jakarta. Here in this very place entrust the couple, who have been married for two years, their son Razazenda aged ten months old.

They decide to entrust Raza to Taman Main since nobody in their extended family could take care of him. Some crimes committed by babysitters against children left home by their parents prevent Azelia from taking any possible risk. Renda understands what makes his wife worried about and he just agrees with Azelia’s decision. Taman Main is picked after comparing the day-care center with others. Considering the facilities, hygiene, staff profiles, and the program offered, they consider Taman Main to be good enough. Azel and Renda wish that Reza’s child development could be fully guaranteed there. Their wish is quite reasonable as they already allocate more than a quarter of their salary to pay the monthly cost to Taman Main.

That day, a babbysitter named Shafna welcomes them at the daycare center’s entrance. It has never been easy for Azel to say goodbye to her son. She always tries to stay longer with her son to cuddle, look at, joke and to memorize the ‘sour’ body odor of her beloved son. But, the tickling of the wall clock serves as a reminder to them that they must go to work.

Leaving Taman Main, Azel continues her journey to her office in Kedoya, West Jakarta, about 18 kilometers away, while Renda rushes to his office in Kramat, Central Jakarta.

In between her working hours, Azel, who works as a producer in a private television news network, always finds the time for breast pumping to be used as stock milk during Raza’s day-care time. She has to pump a minimal target of 400 milliliters, the amount needed by Raza during his time at the center.

When the twilight comes, it means the time to go home, and from their respective place both Azel and Renda rush to see Raza in Taman Main. They both exchange messages to find out who eventually turns out to be the first to see the lovely face of Raza.