Despite the departure of the Japanese and the end of the bersiap, it is still not safe on the street. The pemudas have been chased away, but they have been replaced by the so-called tentara pelatja. These are young, trained Indonesian soldiers. Just as fanatically nationalistic as the rebels. But better organised and … better armed! Jozef plays with his younger brother under the mango tree. Mammie sits with the girls on the veranda. Hardy and Fer stand with their bikes at the garden gate watching a group of Indonesian soldiers march past the house. The soldiers are just a few years older than they are.  Some of them used to live in the neighbourhood. Hardy and Fer, mischievous youngsters with big mouths, look on laughing at the display of power. Hardy shouts teasingly, "Just wait until the Dutch army returns, then you'll sing a different tune!" And Fer adds, "They'll make mincemeat of you" It is deathly quiet for a split second. As if everything and everyone is holding their breath. Then an enormous uproar breaks out. Jozef is terror-stricken. He sees the group of soldiers shouting and charging towards Hardy and Fer waving their bayonets, Jozef drags his Broer back to the house behind him. Mammie calls and gestures to them to come indoors. Out of the corner of his eye Jozef sees his two brothers run indoors and, unseen via the rear gallery, run to the rear of the property and climb over the garden wall. They do this quite often, so in no time at all they are through the back gardens of the neighbouring houses and disappear from sight. At the time, Jozef doesn't realise that it will be years before he sees Hardy and Fer again. Through a crack in the shutters that his other brothers have quickly closed, Jozef sees that the soldiers are now standing in their front garden. At the top of their voices they demand that Hardy and Fer come out of the house. The disturbance attracts a growing crowd of jeering Indonesians. The atmosphere is menacing and tense. Jozef is terrified and hides with his Broer under the table. Right now he misses his strong father so much! Together with his brothers and sisters, Mammie is busy barricading the windows and doors with all her strength, because the frenzied crowd has now surrounded the house and is banging on the doors. The family cling to each other, terrified. What if the Indonesians succeed in forcing their way in? Suddenly the noise subsides. Jozef hears the gruff voice of their neighbour, a Javanese who works with the police. He has come to see what all the noise is about. He manages to persuade the soldiers that Hardy and Fer are no longer in the house and that they should not trouble the family any longer. A little later it is quiet outside. The soldiers and onlookers have all left. In the following days it remains peaceful in and round the house. Jozef is surprised that Hardy and Fer do not return home. Kroes is always very strict about his sisters and brothers coming home on time. But he never says a cross word about his brothers, aged twelve and fourteen, who haven't been home for days. Young as he is, Jozef understands that it has something to do with the infuriated soldiers. Only years later does he hear the true facts. |
