Muliady The: A True Friend

The title above came from a man called Parno. He mentioned this recently, when we celebrated one decade of Drinking With Eday, our annual gathering in Singapore. The comment was originated from an honest opinion that even though Muliady was financially successful, he was kind and never looked down on Parno. Then, as I had a chance to walk with Muliady on the following afternoon, it slowly dawned on me that I had also known him for a long time.

Mul and I aren't exactly the closest of friends. His story is often overshadowed by Eday, Parno or Endrico, but I've already known him just as long as I know the others. He was that cheerful kid that I hung out with when we frequented Jimmy Kohir's house back in secondary school. He was our footballer and a riot who had his school pants ripped apart by Susanto Phang when we got rowdy in high school. He was my VCD supplier and our lead guitarist when we were in college. Whenever I hear You Are My Religion by Firehouse, I remember how he loved singing the song. 

Back in Pontianak, circa 1999.

By the time I moved to Jakarta, he was the guy who tried to earn commissions by asking me, his equally poor friend, to apply a credit card through him. Talk about a humble beginning! But my fondest memories of him during this period was the time we went to Cibodas together. He immediately ran to the waterfall to get soaked when we reached the peak. Then there was the time he misunderstood us and exclaimed that he didn't know how to row a canoe when we asked if he'd like to join us and play keno, a gambling machine. 

The next time we met was in Singapore. It was his first trip, if I remember correctly. When I got married in 2011, he attended my wedding. Things got better for the both of us and we started meeting regularly. When I thought of doing a reunion in 2014, there he was, playing guitar. Then in 2015, we watched Bon Jovi in Jakarta. His first concert! When I did We Are the World in 2016, I immediately remember that he'd be suitable for one particular part and he clearly didn't disappoint. We watched another concert again in 2017, this time was Guns N' Roses. Then came another high school reunion, his visit to Singapore in 2018 and my visit to Jakarta in late November. 

Mul's first visit to Singapore.

Then the unthinkable right after that. I got the news of him having stroke when I was queuing to buy a Nintendo Switch. It was hard to believe, because I just saw him few weeks ago. When I got a chance to visit him right before Christmas 2018, the man was visibly shaken. He was vulnerable, feeling unsure if he could recover. But he persevered and by time we met again, it was in Singapore, when he joined the SNY Tour.

He looked fine, seemed as healthy as ever, but I could sense that something had changed in him: now that he was given a second chance, there was this unusual eagerness to seize the moment whenever he could. He was also there at my Dad's wake in Jakarta and the two of us also watched the football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur in Singapore. 

At the National Stadium, Singapore.

COVID-19 put a stop to our meetup, but the moment Singapore opened its door to the world, Mul visited us again in 2022. The following year, he was with us in Japan and that's when Eday gave him the nickname Thunder-Man because he always talked loudly. And then came the event this year. He was the one that set his phone and had our picture taken. 

As I walked with him under a drizzling rain in Clarke Quay, I recall the times we crossed path throughout so many phases in my life. Two things always remained constants: his ever-present smile and his friendliness. Parno was right, he was a true friend. And if I never said it before, I'd like to say it now. I, too, love him dearly as a friend...

After Drinking With Eday, 2024. 
Photo by Muliady.

Muliady The: Seorang Teman Sejati

Judul di atas berasal dari seorang teman bernama Parno. Julukan ini terucapkan olehnya saat acara Minum Bersama Eday yang digelar setiap tahun di Singapura. Menurut Parno, meski sukses secara finansial, Mul tidak pernah memandang rendah dirinya. Keesokan sorenya, selagi saya berjalan bersama Mul, saya tiba-tiba menyadari bahwa saya pun sudah mengenalnya dari sejak lama. 

Mul dan saya mungkin tidak bisa dikatakan sebagai teman dekat. Oleh karena itu, walaupun saya sudah kenal Mul selama saya mengenal Eday, Parno atau Endrico, kisahnya cenderung tersamarkan oleh mereka. Mul adalah teman yang riang saat kita berkumpul di rumah Jimmy Kohir di masa SMP. Dia adalah anggota tim sepak bola sekaligus teman yang heboh dan pernah disobek celananya oleh Susanto Phang di masa SMA. Sewaktu kuliah, dia adalah pemasok VCD dan juga gitaris saya. Hingga hari ini, setiap kali saya mendengar lagu You Are My Religion oleh Firehouse, saya terkenang betapa dia suka bermain gitar dan menyanyikan lagu ini. 

Di Pontianak, kisaran tahun 1999.

Ketika saya pindah ke Jakarta, dia adalah orang yang menawarkan saya untuk membuat kartu kredit. Saya, teman yang sama susahnya di kala kita mulai merintis karir! Tapi kenangan yang paling berkesan pada saat itu adalah sewaktu kita ke Cibodas. Dia langsung berlari ke air terjun saat kita tiba di atas. Lalu ada pula saat dia salah paham dan berkata dengan polos bahwa dia tak tahu cara mendayung kano, padahal kita bertanya apakah dia mau ikut main keno, mesin judi bola. 

Kali berikutnya kita bertemu adalah di Singapura. Itu adalah kali pertamanya di Singapura, kalau saya tidak salah ingat. Ketika saya menikah di tahun 2011, dia hadir sebagai tamu bersama teman-teman lain. Kehidupan kita lantas kian membaik dan kita mulai rutin bertemu. Saat saya mengadakan reuni di tahun 2014, dia pun tampil di pentas bersama saya. Kemudian, di tahun 2015, kita menyaksikan konser Bon Jovi di Jakarta. Saat saya merekam We Are the World di tahun 2016, saya tahu Mul pasti cocok di bagian vokal Bruce Springsteen dan dia tidak mengecewakan. Di tahun 2017, kita menonton Guns N' Roses. Setelah itu, kita makan bubur kodok di Singapura, reuni 20 tahun di Pontianak, lalu ikut aksi bela Kedai 7 di bulan November 2018. 

Kunjungan pertama ke Singapura.

Mendadak sesuatu yang di luar dugaan terjadi. Saat saya sedang antri membeli Nintendo Switch, saya mendapat kabar bahwa Mul terkena stroke. Ini sulit dipercaya, sebab saya baru saja bertemu dengannya beberapa minggu lalu. Ketika saya berkesempatan untuk mengunjunginya sebelum Natal 2018, dia tampak terguncang dan rentan mentalnya, tak yakin apakah dia bisa pulih lagi seperti dulu. Tapi dia tabah menjalani dan ketika kita bertemu lagi, dia muncul di Singapura, mengikuti acara Tur SNY. 

Mul terlihat sehat, namun saya merasa bahwa ada yang berubah dengannya. Setelah mendapatkan kesempatan kedua, ada kesan bahwa dia sangat bersemangat dan sebisa mungkin tidak melewatkan kesempatan yang ada. Dia hadir di rumah duka ketika ayah saya meninggal. Dia pun kembali ke Singapura dan kita bersama-sama menonton pertandingan Juventus melawan Tottenham Hotspur. 

Di National Stadium, Singapura.

COVID-19 sempat membuat dunia berhenti, namun saat Singapura mulai membuka diri, Mul datang berkunjung lagi di tahun 2022. Di tahun berikutnya, dia ikut ke Jepang dan mendapat julukan Manusia Halilintar karena suaranya yang menggelegar. Dan di tahun ini, dia hadir dan mengabadikan kebersamaan kita dengan foto di bawah ini. 

Selagi berjalan bersamanya di bawah hujan gerimis di Clarke Quay, saya jadi teringat betapa sering kita berpapasan dalam hidup ini selama tiga puluh tahun terakhir. Ada dua hal yang selalu konstan selama ini: senyumnya yang ceria dan keramahannya. Parno benar, Mul adalah teman sejati. Jika saya tidak pernah mengatakan hal ini sebelumnya, maka akan saya katakan pada saat ini juga. Saya juga teramat sangat bersyukur dengan persahabatan kita selama ini...

Setelah acara Minum Bersama Eday, 2024.
Foto oleh Muliady.