Umbrella

It’s nothing to do with that song which sung prettily by Rihanna. It’s something about men’s chauvinism. Yes it’s about men’s chauvinism, especially Indonesian men’s chauvinism. And for me it’s stupid one.

As the obedient boy, I do carry small folded umbrella in my bag (my schoolbag, working bag, you named it). My mom always worried my weak health against rain and cold. I used to be too easy to catch a cold or flu. Almost once a month I always had to go to a doctor to got help for my laryngitis. My mom’s worries always push me to be a ‘paranoid’ about weather. So that small folded umbrella never leaves my bag.

I always get insulted for carrying umbrella to my daily activity. Everyone says boys don’t carry any umbrella. But my mom always reminds me my weak health if I catch by rain. And I never like carry any jacket because it’s too heavy, makes my bag full and also makes me sultry (I was a fat boy, FYI).

As time goes by and I learned so many lessons about health and healthy life. And I do learn about my weaknesses. My father especially taught me about being suggestive for my weaknesses. He taught me that I should think that I’ll survive whenever in cold and rainy weather. Think positively and hard so I’ll never be paranoid about rain again. My health gets better and better. I no longer susceptible to flu and fever, even after got rained.

Even now I am immune to rain but I never leave home without small folded umbrella, especially in cloudy weather or rainy season. First of all, it’s the ‘answer’ of my mom’s worries about my health. She always asks me to get prepared to carry small folded umbrella every time I got ready to leave home. She has that worries until now.

Been trained prepare and carrying small folded umbrella for years makes me comfort being prepared like that. So why bother to feel heavy to carry one small folded umbrella in my bag?! That’s my second reason why I still carry that small folded umbrella every where.

In some rainy times I didn’t use that small folded umbrella. I choose to find some shelter from rain. And when will I use that umbrella? Maybe I won’t use it at that time. But I will lend it to one beautiful girl who’s come across me! Ha ha ha ha! That thought comes from one of my favorite fiction character, which created by Hilman Hariwijaya, called Lupus. This Lupus boy, who’s eternally in high school, once carried a one wrapped umbrella and walking under the rain. One people who have come across him ask this: “Why you don’t use that umbrella while you walking under this rain?” And this Lupus boy casually answered: “Maybe I’ll use it later whenever I meet a beautiful girl and I’ll lend it to her.”

That’s all the reasons why I’ll always carry my small folded umbrella. But seriously I’ll use it myself whenever I need it, doesn’t have to meet a beautiful girl or not!

Been trained for years carrying umbrella wherever I go makes me don’t feel insulted no more. I have no worries got insulted with some stupid chauvinist boys, who’ll let rain soak them wet rather using some umbrella for so called prestige. Or more violently when they happily rent some umbrella from kids. They walk dry but let the kids soak wet for two or three thousand umbrella rent.

Not every man had a chance raised like me. But I think a necessity should pass any man’ prestige for carry one umbrella to get prepared for any rainy day. Man health has a limitation and its no one medicine or vitamin could go over that. In my opinion we should do any preemptive efforts to maintain our health. One of those efforts is by using umbrella for rainy outdoor situations. So any man, especially Indonesian men, please don’t chew your hardened prestige over necessity carrying one single umbrella. In extreme climate like this we never know when the rain would come. And for the lightest reason maybe we should think again what Lupus has said before.