A Painting By Michael
It happened a long time ago and he was the only guy that showed many doors to me.
In December 1995, I was detained in Kalideras Immigration Detention Centre, in Jakarta. There while I was awaiting for my travel document to be processed by the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta, I met an American man who was also detained for overstaying.
He called himself Michael. He told me that he had served in Vietnam with an Airborne Unit. He told me that the first thing that came to his mind when he hit the ground was his uniform; how dirty and untidy it was going to be. He told me that he was from Florida and in fact he had an Indonesian wife in Indonesia. He was a Muslim not because he married an Indonesian Muslim lady but because he had a heart attack.
He narrated to me that while he was having that heart attack, initially he felt painful but after awhile he felt peaceful and he saw Him. He said to himself, "I pointed my forefinger upward and said 'Allah.'"Once he showed me one of his paintings. And he asked me, "What is the meaning of this painting. Can you tell me?" In his painting, the first object that he painted was a vase of flowers with many colours. Then, just behind that flower vase, there was a picture of a beautiful seductive woman. Just next and behind of that woman, there were pictures hanging on the walls with evil eyes and impished grins hiding behind a forage. Then next to the wall of that frightening picture hanging behind that woman, there was a corridor passageway with four or five door entrances on the right hand side. On the floor of that passageway, there were arrows pointing straight ahead towards the end of the last door entrance. On the wall at the end of that passageway just next to the last door entrance, there was a large picture with the word 'Allah' written on it.So I answered him. The flowers represented Life itself. He answered 'Yes'. The beautiful seductive woman, represented temptation. He answered 'Yes'. The pictures of evil eyes and grins hiding behind the bush represented evil doers. He answered 'Yes'. There were good and bad people. He answered 'Good' and 'Yes'. The arrows on the floor of that passageway meant direction. He answered 'Yes'. The doors... (I did not know what it meant, back then). He smiled. The word 'Allah' in that frame picture, means God but .....(I did not know what it meant). He smiled.
Well, he did not tell me what the whole picture meant to him but he asked me, "How old are you Zul? I replied, "Thirty-two." Then he said, "You know Zul, I want you to know this, when you know what this picture meant, I will thank you and I assure you that you will fall in love everyday. Then you will remember me." Then he said, "I fall in love wonderfully everyday." Then I argued with him, "You mean you fall in love everyday with women." He replied, "Yes, I fall in love with every woman I met on the street everyday." Then I asked him again, "You are married, right Michael?" He replied, "Yes, I'm married and I love my wife very much and I also fall in love with every woman I met on the street everyday."
I found it hard to believe him back then because he seemed much like a man who had too much to drink when he talked but he had clear ideas of what he was talking about. He said to me once, "You know Zul, this detention centre is like a drama. People have their own problems but when they listen to other people problems, they forget about their own problems. Its a stage and sometimes we are the actors." Then one fine day I understood exactly what he meant by falling in love everyday. So now, I am falling in love with Life everyday. That Michael was correct to say to me this, "You will remember me."
With Love,
Zulkifli Mahmood
In December 1995, I was detained in Kalideras Immigration Detention Centre, in Jakarta. There while I was awaiting for my travel document to be processed by the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta, I met an American man who was also detained for overstaying.
He called himself Michael. He told me that he had served in Vietnam with an Airborne Unit. He told me that the first thing that came to his mind when he hit the ground was his uniform; how dirty and untidy it was going to be. He told me that he was from Florida and in fact he had an Indonesian wife in Indonesia. He was a Muslim not because he married an Indonesian Muslim lady but because he had a heart attack.
He narrated to me that while he was having that heart attack, initially he felt painful but after awhile he felt peaceful and he saw Him. He said to himself, "I pointed my forefinger upward and said 'Allah.'"Once he showed me one of his paintings. And he asked me, "What is the meaning of this painting. Can you tell me?" In his painting, the first object that he painted was a vase of flowers with many colours. Then, just behind that flower vase, there was a picture of a beautiful seductive woman. Just next and behind of that woman, there were pictures hanging on the walls with evil eyes and impished grins hiding behind a forage. Then next to the wall of that frightening picture hanging behind that woman, there was a corridor passageway with four or five door entrances on the right hand side. On the floor of that passageway, there were arrows pointing straight ahead towards the end of the last door entrance. On the wall at the end of that passageway just next to the last door entrance, there was a large picture with the word 'Allah' written on it.So I answered him. The flowers represented Life itself. He answered 'Yes'. The beautiful seductive woman, represented temptation. He answered 'Yes'. The pictures of evil eyes and grins hiding behind the bush represented evil doers. He answered 'Yes'. There were good and bad people. He answered 'Good' and 'Yes'. The arrows on the floor of that passageway meant direction. He answered 'Yes'. The doors... (I did not know what it meant, back then). He smiled. The word 'Allah' in that frame picture, means God but .....(I did not know what it meant). He smiled.
Well, he did not tell me what the whole picture meant to him but he asked me, "How old are you Zul? I replied, "Thirty-two." Then he said, "You know Zul, I want you to know this, when you know what this picture meant, I will thank you and I assure you that you will fall in love everyday. Then you will remember me." Then he said, "I fall in love wonderfully everyday." Then I argued with him, "You mean you fall in love everyday with women." He replied, "Yes, I fall in love with every woman I met on the street everyday." Then I asked him again, "You are married, right Michael?" He replied, "Yes, I'm married and I love my wife very much and I also fall in love with every woman I met on the street everyday."
I found it hard to believe him back then because he seemed much like a man who had too much to drink when he talked but he had clear ideas of what he was talking about. He said to me once, "You know Zul, this detention centre is like a drama. People have their own problems but when they listen to other people problems, they forget about their own problems. Its a stage and sometimes we are the actors." Then one fine day I understood exactly what he meant by falling in love everyday. So now, I am falling in love with Life everyday. That Michael was correct to say to me this, "You will remember me."
With Love,
Zulkifli Mahmood
posted by Zulkifli at 7:30 AM
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