The Man of My Dreams

Prof. W.A.F.J Tumbelaka

(24 April 1920 - Present)

My dearest Grandfather

Barusan aku search nama Opa di Google. Ga nyangka banyak banget site yang nongol isinya tentang Opa semua. Aku ketemu Profil nya di Tempo, trus ada juga buku-buku yang ditulisnya masuk Australia National Library. I can see it clearly that he is a very dedicated doctor.

Opa adalah seorang guru besar kedokteran, belajar di Amsterdam (1955), Kanada (1962), Sri Lanka (1975), dekan FKUI (1970-77), Presiden ASEAN Pedriatic Federation, dan Ketua Majelis Kehormatan Etik Kedokteran IDI (1981). He was a role model dan terdaftar sebagai salah satu Pahlawan Sulawesi Utara di bidang Pendidikan. That's how good he was.

A picture of him I found at the internet

Tapi sewaktu kecil aku ga pernah melihatnya lebih dari seorang Opa yang baik, lembut.. and a very gentleman. I remember walking into the dining room one night. Dopey, anjing Opa & Oma, datang trus langsung loncatin aku! Back then I was still scared of big dogs, apalagi anjing-anjing di rumah Opa-Oma suka gong2 smua. Then Opa dengan tegas berseru ke Dopey "Dopey! Turun!" and he would talk to Dopey as if he understood him. He told Dopey that he might scare me. Dan Dopey langsung menunduk seakan menyesal.

"Wanda kaget ya?"

Aku mengangguk.

"Dopey ga maksud apa-apa kok. Dia loncat karena dia sayang pa Wanda."

And when I heard his voice, a warmth feeling occurs him. There's something in the way he talks.. That gives me comfort.

Tiap malam, aku seringkali terbangun karena mendengar suara anak-anak di ruang praktek Opa. Padahal udah lewat tengah malam, tapi Opa tetap aja buka praktek. It's like a 24/7 clinic. He wouldn't close it until there were no patients left. Biaya pengobatan pun murah meriah. Kalau misalnya pasiennya itu ga bawa duit, he would give it up for free. But I'm sure a nice patient would come the next day to pay him right? No one would ever have the heart to do such a mean thing to my dearest Opa!

In fact, I am one of his patient! Opa kan dokter anak, so it really does come in handy. Satu kali dada kiri ku serasa sakit sekali. Back then I was still a little girl, I didn't have what people refer to as boobs these days. Aku pasti selalu ngadu ke Mama kalau sakit, and Mom will tell me to go to Opa. So he checked me and then he said to me, "Ini baru mau tumbuh Wanda. Hati-hati aja kalau jalan. Jangan sampe ketabrak barang-barang ya."

Sayangnya, karena aku masih kecil, aku belum terbiasa hati-hati. Sepanjang hari yang kurasakan tabrakan. Ntah dari pintu, meja, lemari.. semua benda keras menghantamku. O how cruel.

I love the way he talked. So warm and gentle. Tapi ga cuma Opa, aku juga senang kalau bicara soal Oma. I guess the best thing about having grandparents is that they will always tell you stories about their life, and they would always give the best advice.

And guess what? 4 hari lagi Opa genap 90 tahun. Tanggal 29 ini aku berangkat ke Jakarta buat ikut merayakan ultahnya dan ultah Eyang Uti juga.

Right now, Opa is living in my aunt's house. While Oma passed away years ago. It was a very sorrowful day for the whole Tumbelaka and Mononoetoe fam.

And although it's almost impossible, seeing his condition this day, aku berharap aku masih sempat mengambil waktu berdua dengan Opa. Just the two of us. Cause I really wanna tell him my stories. They say the elders need company. and that's all I can really offer.

I hope someday.

Please grant me that day, Lord.