My Brother’s Puzzle

Berdiri di hadapan: Trunks, Bulma, Wuron (?), Son Goku, Son Goten, Son Gohan

Lapis ke 2: Bezita, Kurin, Muten Roshi, Cici, anak Encik Satan
Lapis 3: Uish, ramai le pulak - nanti-nanti le update ye

He is my brother my only brother. He was crazy about Dragon Ball items before, and so do I. We only have paperback comics of Dragon Balls, we bought it when we have extra money in our wallet. We made the comics as collection. We thought to have it as collector item, but as the time go by the comics simply missing from its place. Well, our nieces and nephew took it for reading but then, yeah you can guest what happen.

Having paperback quality comics was not that attractive. We need colors to really visual the entire Dragon Ball image. What Son Goku means without his orange suit? What is Piccolo without his green body and tentacles? Gohan good looking and intellectual capacity will not profound without color right?

So one day I bought 500 pieces of puzzle for me and my brother. It was our first puzzle. It was full with Dragon Ball characters. Starting with Son Goku, Gohan, Bezita, Piccolo, Kurin, Wuron, Bulma, Ranci, Master Roshi (Muten), Cici, Cici’s Father, Trunks and Goten, Ramu, Ten Shin Han and all. I bought that piece without noticed the difficulties that will arise to put the entire puzzle together. I bought it because that puzzle was so attractive with colors and the smiling faces of the characters (yeah of course excluding Bezita, we all know he will never smile). Then, I left if to my little brother to solve it on its own. He was at primary school then and it was 500 pieces puzzle without any numbering system. So, imagine the challenge.

What I expect from my spoil brother then?

Nothing.

The puzzle never gets done.

To our surprise, our father who has retired from his job and position ask my brother about the puzzle. And he, our father finished it in consistent and persistent manner. Imagine our father which having gaps about 40-50 years with us, complete Dragon Ball 500 pieces puzzle on his own, in his room. I’ve to mention it again my dear reader, it is Dragon Ball.

When I came back home for holiday, I ask my brother about the puzzle. He said with smiling face, he can make it done anytime. No problem at all. That’s weird. Really? But it was true. He can make it done.

When I checked that puzzle, then I knew the secret. Each of the pieces has been printed with some sort of numbering system. What my brother has to do is to arrange each piece according to the number.

To my surprise, the number wasn’t there before. It was our father that printed the number on each. It was 500 pieces puzzle. I was startled but still blaming my brother of being too lazy to think and not to give his best to make it done (well, I’ve try to finish by own actually before the numbers printed at the back of the pieces, but believe me, it is really hard, I couldn’t finished it either). But, with that numbers, we can play the puzzle with ease and adore the final product.

Well, it is Dragon Ball with color what else we ask for.

Then, when I read back his version of this puzzle, it really means a lot to him. This is the full version of that event from my brother point of view, here.

My brother does not know our father like I knew him.

My brother only knew him for only 17 years.

My brother never knew him when he still working.

My brother was born when my father have already retired.

I knew when my brother wrote this, “Adli! Ayah dah siapkan puzzle kau. Kemudian ayah sudah tanda pada papan ini berserta turutan nombor dan huruf. Ayah juga dah asingkan untuk setiap lima baris yang ayah buatkan ni kedalam satu plastik. Jadi ada lima plastik semuanya yang mengandungi kesemua kepingan puzzle itu. Jadi kau bolehlah susun dan bermain dengan puzzle ini.”, it is actually a memory to commemorate the most noble man that my brother knew for a while.

I wrote this with tears and grieve.

I actually felt very weird when my old man finished the puzzle for us. It was a Dragon Ball. I bet my father never knew what Dragon Ball is all about. Who is Son Goku, Gohan, Bezita, Kurin, Piccolo and all? He will not give a damn what are the characters names and what they do in Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball GT. But still he had done it with patient and consistent.

Now I know. It is not to fill his spare time. He did not do it to help my brother.

Now I know, my father done it because, just because, he want to leave a memory that can remain forever for my brother to remember. To remember what it is like to have a father.

What it is like to have a father which put aside all the gaps matter behind, and helps his youngest son to finish the most difficult game he has ever had at that time. To give my brother courage and spirit. To tell my brother, in what ever things you do, do it persistently and never give up.

If he, our father still here and watching us, I believe he will always there to help us to solve the most difficult puzzle that hinders our ways. He will solve it first and the print the numbers at the back so that we can always arranged it with ease and happy face. He will let us know how to solve. Then we can arrange it again and again and then adore the final products and colors of the characters. Praised ourselves on how clever we are able to settle the puzzle.

If he still here…

Now I know, my father done it years ago just because he knew that he will not have much time to teach my brother. And he had done that so my brother can always remember. My brother should knows, our father was a great teacher and still. He teach even he doesn’t have to speak. His silent was a lesson to remember. He is the man of his word. He teach even he is seven feet under.

Each time when my brother look upon Dragon Ball, he will always remember. My brother has a father, that will be there when he need him most. What the most important, my brother should remember that our father will solve my brother puzzle no matter how hard it will be. He will do it willingly because he is a father. And always be.

And this is the story of my brother’s puzzle.