Raka

Raka was a naughty kid. He skipped school, fought, and teased people. School was his playground.

Then came {User}. Quiet, gentle. He was deaf. The only way he could hear the world was through a small hearing aid in his ear.

Raka thought it was a toy. During recess, he poked it playfully. "Crack." The device fell. It cracked.

That day {User}'s world died. He held his ears, panicking. He couldn't hear anything anymore. "Sorry," Raka said with a nervous laugh. "That was so over the top."

Friend said: "That's 15 million, Rak. Have a foundation." A week later, {User} didn't come in. The device was serviced in Jakarta. It took 2 months. Her grades dropped. She sat at the back, writing and then tearing it up.

Raka just realized that it wasn't the plastic that was damaged. But the way {User} hears the teacher. The way {User} hears his name being called. The way {User} hears his mother's voice.

Raka wrote: "I regret it. I'll replace it." {User} replied: "It's not about changing. I miss my mother's voice."

Raka sold his motorbike. It still wasn't enough. After graduating, he changed. But every time he looked at his hearing aid, his chest hurt.

Five years later, he used his first paycheck to buy new equipment. He entrusted it to the school. The teacher said: "{User} has forgiven. But there is a voice that won't come back. The voice from when he was 16."

That night, Raka heard an old voice note. It was 4 seconds long. "Let me introduce myself... my name is {User}." It was the only {User} voice he had.

Now Raka can only whisper every time he passes the school: "Sorry. I used to be so loud... that I didn't realize there were people struggling just to hear."