No Smoking

By: Imelda Du’a Raja
Larantuka is a small city in Flores. It is close to the sea. That’s why some young men there are fishermen. They often go sailing to catch some fish. No Fernandez is also a fisherman. He has just bought his own boat.

One day, he asked his mother – a simple woman – to come to his boat. The old woman was very happy. When the woman saw the boat, she was proud of her son. But, something on the boat made her sad, disappointed, and somewhat angry. It was the sign ‘No Smoking’ nailed at the door of the boat.
“Why do you change your name, my son? Your father and I named you No Fernandez, not No Smoking,” said the mother. She thought that No Smoking was the new name of her son.
No Fernandez had to explain the sign to his mother very carefully.