***
One afternoon in January, Edi came with 12 Loncek youths to my house in Pontianak. I served them cakes and bought several bottles of beer. It was not a fiesta or karaoke in their village, but it was to celebrate Christmas and the New Year 2013 celebrations. This is why the beer was cold, and not slightly chilled by the early morning dew of Loncek.
After talking for a while, I asked Edi a question that I had him a year ago. I was keen to hear his story, not his answer.
“So, why did you stop gambling?”
The other youths in the living room stopped talking and looked at us. Edi did not look away this time, like he did a year ago.
“Although I am not yet rich, I understand my situation better. What good is it to gamble?”