kartu kredit, pensiun, dan banyak hal lain

i could’ve sworn that my mum once said that she doesn’t like having
debts and that she won’t use any form of credit cards. as i recalled
she said ‘ra nduwe duwit, yo ra usah tuku, sing penting ra ngutang, ra
sah ngridit-ngridit, gampang, tho?’ she despised the fact that my dad
–being stingy and good spender with a quite fine taste for anything
him-oriented- was starting to use a credit card when i was in high
school.

our life was beginning to blossom then. we had two cars
–the same ones we had now added up with bruises here and there. he had
a mobile phone. my mum was able to pay a guy –whom i had predicted in
the first place that he’s a charlatan and that later my prophecy came
true- to do the landscape thingy for her garden. we occasionally had
dinners in fancy restaurants. and of course my dad had a credit card.

he
was paying everything that had at least six digits number written on
the price tag with his credit card. my mum –being worried for dad had
told her the story of the debt collectors who beat up his secretary for
a late bill payment- condemned that 8 times 5 centimeters object. it’s
a good attitude in my opinion, bear in mind that it’s always a good
thing not to have debts. so, i agreed with her standpoint.

yet,
what happened when she reached her pre-retirement days? she applied for
a credit card! later it was approved and there she has it, my mum’s
credit card. i didn’t know what has gotten in to her to finally go
along with the lifestyle that I doubt it was made upon her own need. at
least that was what i thought.

until i started thinking that
perhaps she do needs that credit card. she –supporting for me and my
brother’s necessities (in terms of going to the movie, paying for cars’
maintenance, buying books or unhealthy snacks etc.) and sometimes our
tuitions that was supposed to be my dad’s responsibility plus sometimes
being taken advantage by my dad for she’s a very austere and obedient
wife- must be aware that she has to be well-organized with her money
–having to earn her own income as a middling employee. along with the
retirement coming, she must have realized that she won’t be having cash
as much as she used to while she still has to aid her two
soon-to-be-an-udergraduate-yet-remain-jobless-so-far offspring. so, she
had to have that credit card.

her life isn’t that simple after
all. she has to liberate her principle for the ones she loved. i don’t
blame her for having one. people applied for credit card for plenty of
reasons. my mum had hers. with a bit of guilt –yet i still enjoyed it
anyway- i took advantage of her having a credit card, just like this
afternoon. so, it’s obvious why these days I need to have a job that
pays well. i can’t expect my dad to do the things my mum did nor can i
deceive my mum any longer. a bitch has to remain her own standards,
rite?