Manifestation of Brotherhood
along Hume Highway


We stumbled, shuffled, and marooned our footprints amidst the Hume Highway, running about 900km inland between Sydney and Melbourne, the one that connects two largest cities in Australia, and the possibly one of the most important roads on the Australian continent, our smeared pace set the pertinent brotherhood.

Together, we ventured south with little concerns on the big Tarago that would cope with maneuvering heavy loads of luggage plus 5 people.

We reached Mittagong within an hour, a splendid southern highlands and a popular stop off along the Hume Highway. We had a quick stop in a petrol station, changed and get ready for the long night in the car. Lung drove from Mittagong onwards.

The traffic on the road was pretty happening. A few caravans was heading south as they overtook us, most of the time, especially when we were chugging up the hills that never seemed to end all the way to Albury. We did not realise how many long gradual inclines there are on the Hume. It was a little scary when the big trucks drove on by, the Tarago started to sway and we had on hold on that steering wheel awfully tight.

Other boys in the car, one slept in the entire journey while the other one engaged himself in the beep alerts, RM2 per text message. Gosh, how much money he actually spent in replying message to his lovers? I really wonder.

We missed rest areas one after one, had the recurring thought that the acceleration from the one we just missed will bring us to the next one sooner. Most of the rest areas were bypassed, on the landscape that is mountainous and hilly.

A long time went by. I had little idea when I actually fell asleep. Maybe it seemed like it was longer than it was, but I was gripped by fear from Lung’s amateur driving skill. I got up and spoke to Lung: “let me take over now and you better rest.”

Lung has completed more than half of the journey and I completed the rest.

It was the times I noticed things that I had not seen before. The clumps of wild plants reflected the front light of the car showing the lower degree of saturation. Something was gone from inside me, something that had felt like a knot in my chest. It was a beautiful world and it was wonderful to have such brotherhood, a live and filled with hope. It was the night when the power of brotherhood manifested. An approximate 1000km journey was accomplished.

The fundamental of our brotherhood was built on nothing but a corollary of the maternal parenthood. The brotherhood we had is not simply an adherence to biological connection, it is an outgrowth of fraternal covenant.

We finally arrived at Melbourne at about 8am, where we found ourselves engulfed between cool blue waning and golden dawn fire waxing. Our journey marked a full stop with the cessation in worshipping the dark. So it was 11 hours in the car!!!

We both did a magnificient job! Hopefully the only day we have like this again is the trip somewhere else in the world.