Many years ago, a friend of mine -say Bom Bom- asked a question to me, "Bro, don't you think that getting married needs much money?" I did not answer this question for a moment, yet I just smiled on him. "It does not make a sense marrying a woman with such a lower monthly-income you have", he commented.
The dialog occured in 1989, when I was 29. I got married 14 months earlier, during which my monthly income as a new lecturer was less than two hundried thousand rupiahs. Therefore, it was normal if he -Bom Bom- disagreed with it. My sallary was not enough for fullfiling our needs.
Bom Bom was my classmate on a post graduate program in U.S., and not married yet. Two years latter he continued his study in a doctorate degree.
We did not keep in contact for many years until we met again on a reunion two weeks ago. "How many kids do you have, Bom?", I questioned him. "None", he answered. "Let alone a kid, I have not married", he continued. "Wow...really? So..with whom do you sleep in night?", I asked. Surprisingly he said, "My diploma". Haaaa...?
