Wait for Me!

Wait for Me!

My name is Lita. I love to read. My favorite book is about Amelia Earhart. She was one of the first female pilots. She is one of my favorites.  

Indonesia’s first female fighter pilot is Pilot Ajeng. I want to be a fighter pilot just like her. Wait for me, Pilot Ajeng! 

All my books were gifts from my father, before he passed away. This Amelia Earhart book is the one I treasure most. It’s so different from my other books. It has more pictures and is more colorful. The book has made me love everything about female pilots. 

Oh, I have to go now. I need to leave early because I have to do something before school.

“Newspaper! Who wants a newspaper?”

What is in the headlines today? Oh, there will be a fighter jet event. Pilot Ajeng will perform a flyover! A flyover will be performed at the official Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace. I have to go! I should find a way to get there. 

“Excuse me, what should I take to get to Merdeka Palace? Can I take this public minivan?” Oh, the driver said I should take the subway all the way to Merdeka Palace. I must stop at Bundaran HI Station and walk past the National Monument, which we call Monas.    

I need money for the subway fare.The driver said each one-way fare costs 14 ,00 0r upiahs. And I have to buy the token card, which costs 25 ,00 0r upiahs. So I need 53 ,00 0r upiahs total. 

Oh, I can still use this bicycle even though it’s already worn out. This was my father’s. I really don’t want to miss Pilot Ajeng performing the flyover. I will use this money! I will still have money left in my savings. I can save more money later. 

Mom says I can watch the flyover on television. But of course it would feel different! I want to watch it in person because one of my favorite pilots is performing. I’m not sure I will have the same chance next year. “But you have to be careful, okay?” Mom says. 

The awaited day has arrived! Mom gives me some of my favorite snacks to take with me. They’re fried bananas and buras. First I’ll go straight to school to attend the Independence Day ceremony there.  *Buras are Indonesian rice dumplings wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in coconut milk. 

After the ceremony, I hurry to the nearby subway station. There is a free and safe parking lot for bicycles here. I won’t lose my bicycle. 

There is a line for buying a token card. I join the line even though it is very long. Yay, it’s finally my turn now!  

After I buy my card, I watch the other people. They tap the token card on this thing. I must do the same, then! It doesn’t open! I try again. Oh no! It still doesn’t open. Wait, I have mistakenly tapped the other side of the card. Yes, it opens now. I see people wait patiently for the train. We board after all the passengers get out. 

Where do I sit? There are empty seats here! No wonder — these are priority seats. Maybe it’ll be fine if I sit here for a while. I will move to another seat or stand if I should. I’m getting off at Bundaran HI Station. Still a long way to go. 

Yay, I have arrived at Bundaran HI Station! I have to get out of this station. There is a sign for Monas. I must go this way. Hi, Pilot Ajeng, I’m coming! 

I reach Monas. I have to keep walking to Merdeka Palace. 

Yay, Merdeka Palace! Oh my…I can watch the official ceremony live on that big screen. And who’s that? It’s Pilot Ajeng! She says she’ll be ready for the flyover right after the ceremony finishes. While I wait, I can eat the food Mom gave me this morning. I’m hungry! 

“There! Look! There they are!” everyone shouts while looking up at the sky. My chest is pounding even harder. I will witness Pilot Ajeng doing her flyover.  

“There! Look! There they are!” everyone shouts while looking up at the sky. My chest is pounding even harder. I will witness Pilot Ajeng doing her flyover.  

All the fighter jets are flying past the sky above Merdeka Palace. The flyover is really similar to what I saw in the Amelia Earhart book. It’s really great! There’s Pilot Ajeng! 

Just wait for me, Pilot Ajeng!