The moonlight was shy to appear in the boisterous and sparkling atmosphere at that time. The beating and pounding of traditional drums filled the ears of the people who were gathered noisily. It seemed that people of all ages came to attend and showed faces full of enthusiasm. A middle-aged man who looked to be in his eighties sat on a green plastic chair. He was currently sipping his black coffee with his fingers full of jade rings. Even toddlers are reluctant to find their sleep that night. The toddler was still teetering with the tip of his hand held by his mother from behind. The toddler also seemed curious about the crowd, even though he certainly did not understand what was going on.
"Dek Swayu, are you ready yet?" said a middle-aged woman dressed in a traditional Javanese kebaya who approached Swayu.
"Yes, Mbah. I'm ready," Swayu answered with a slightly bowed posture to respect Mbah who asked her. A man sitting in a chair on the small stage played his traditional drum at a slower rhythm indicating that he wanted to stop the music. He then drank the black coffee that had been prepared by Mbah Darmi after stopping his drum playing.
Mbah Darmi came over to the small stage and called out to the men on the stage, "Dek Swayu is ready to sing, she will sing three songs later. Let's prepare the sound system and the mic." The man who had been playing the traditional drum then responded by giving a thumbs up in the air and replied. "Yes Mbah, we're ready."
Swayu will present three songs for the bride and the audience tonight. Mbah Darmi was the one who invited Swayu to sing at the wedding party of her daughter, Ratna.
A little drizzle began to paint the air that night. Swayu seemed a little surprised when it started to drizzle, but she was still able to continue her singing. People seem to have lost their focus hearing Swayu's singing. Several people were seen carrying tables and chairs in areas not covered by tents and bringing them to the area inside the tent.
Swayu just sang three verses in the second song which was titled "Cuma Kamu" from Rhoma Irama and Rita Sugiarto. Swayu seems to be getting more worried about the weather. The light drizzle grew heavier and it was followed by a strong breeze. Mbah Darmi, who had previously ordered Swayu to sing, then called out to her, "Dek Swayu, it's drizzling heavily. The wind is also getting stronger. I'm sorry, it looks like the singing must end," Mbah Darmi said with a worried and panicked face. Swayu responded with a small nod and waved her right hand low to signal the men behind her to stop the music.
Even though she must have ended her singing in a short time, Swayu still had the time to thank the audience and event owners at the end. She also congratulated the bride on their marriage and also wished them happiness. While walking down the stage, Dona, her loyal friend and personal assistant who accompanies her to sing, gave Swayu a thick blue jacket. Swayu immediately accepted it and put it on to cover her upper body, which was wearing a sleeveless dress.
Swayu is now sitting on a bench made of teak wood on the terrace of Mbah Darmi's house. She occasionally drank hot tea served by Mbah Darmi. Swayu watched the rain calmly, even though people started to noisily clear the stage, tables and chairs as a sign that the wedding party was over. Swayu saw that the rain was getting heavier and realized that now the rainy season had brought heavy rain at night.
Swayu was pensive thinking about what had just happened. She had not even finished singing, but the rain forced her to stop. "Even the weather did not allow me to sing." Swayu said in her heart. Since this morning after she woke up, Swayu became more sensitive to everything.
Her eyes were now slightly red. People might think it was because of the eye lens she was wearing or because Swayu was already getting sleepy. To be honest, Swayu noticed that she was beginning to have small tears. If only her tears could flow easily like the rain that is currently falling heavily.
