Night-time story<\/p>\n
Muryanto HP<\/p>\n
Marni was uneasy. The coaxing words of her friend Lastri were
\nstill fresh in her mind.<\/p>\n
"You should take pity on your aging and ailing mother.
\nRemember, you have two sisters. They all must survive..."<\/p>\n
In fact, she had not rejected outright Lastri's offer to work
\nat her food stall. She would consider the offer and seek her
\nmother's advice. Indeed, since her father left their home four
\nyears earlier, the family had struggled to make ends meet, with
\nMarni forced to drop out of high school.<\/p>\n
Now that her mother could work no more, Marni took over the
\nresponsibility for the family. As the eldest child, she did not
\nwant to see her sisters lacking. The job her mother had done was
\nnot only tiring but now also almost entirely replaced by
\nmachines. The mortars and pestles that formerly pounded away in
\nthe familiar rhythm of paddy hulling were superseded by mills.<\/p>\n
Marni realized she could not expect too much from her mother.
\nPaddy fields were vanishing as farmers had to sell their land at
\nlow prices to allow the construction of buildings, factories,
\ntennis courts and elite estates.<\/p>\n
"If you want to earn more, take my offer," Lastri said before
\nleaving, her words haunting Marni. She wavered between accepting
\nthe offer and saying no.<\/p>\n
It was getting late but Marni found it hard to sleep. The
\nfaces of her mother and siblings hovered in her mind.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Everybody knew that Lastri's stall near the district market
\nserved as a meeting place for lovers. Now, many prostitutes
\nfrequented the area, perhaps because of the campaign to close
\nlicensed brothels that had forced the women onto the streets.<\/p>\n
That was the reason Marni hesitated to seek her mother's
\npermission. She wasn't sure she would get her consent. Lastri's
\nwords suddenly struck her: "Every job has its risks. The
\nimportant thing is to face them with perseverance!"<\/p>\n
Then Lastri related how customers would frequently touch or
\nbrush against her hips and buttocks. She described it as part of
\nthe risks she would also have to face.<\/p>\n
Marni inhaled deeply while leaning back in her chair. She
\nglimpsed her mother lying feebly on a divan with a wrinkled,
\npallid face. She looked much older than her age.<\/p>\n
The woman had been ill for three days, sometimes coughing up
\nblood. Marni was worried her mother's condition would worsen
\nunless she received immediate treatment.<\/p>\n
"You're not working today, Mar?" she said, breaking the
\nsilence.<\/p>\n
Marni shook her head slowly. She was doing nothing indeed. Bu
\nSari and bu Hindun, who usually sent their washing, had not
\nturned up for almost a week. They might now be washing their
\nclothes themselves.<\/p>\n
She could understand if it was true because prices of basic
\nnecessities were soaring, forcing people to slash their expenses.
\nThe two housewives were no exception.<\/p>\n
The washing job had been a daily routine before, helping
\nalleviate her mother's burden of earning a living. She had even
\nbeen able to save some money. But now?<\/p>\n
"Bu, I want to work at Lastri's food stall," she said amid
\nanother awkward silence.<\/p>\n
For a few seconds, the old woman stared at Marni, anger
\ncreeping across her face.<\/p>\n
Marni's spirit sagged, and she was afraid to look at her
\nmother.<\/p>\n
"Have you considered it thoroughly, Mar?"<\/p>\n
"I have. Don't you be troubled, I can take care of myself. Do
\nyou agree to it, bu?"<\/p>\n
There was a long pause. Her mother gazed into space, before
\nsaying: "But you must be careful..."<\/p>\n
These were her only words. Yet they were more than enough for
\nMarni.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Marni had worked at the stall for only three nights when she
\nbegan to feel uncomfortable. Even with Lastri's warning, she was
\nshocked at the customers' behavior.<\/p>\n
On the first night, some people began tapping her on the
\nbehind. On the second, men brushed against her breasts. It became
\nthe standard treatment.<\/p>\n
"I told you that it's normal here, Mar. Don't let it eat you
\nup," said Lastri.<\/p>\n
"They won't cross the line. The point is that our stall should
\nstay busy, and you'll get a lot more income."<\/p>\n
She didn't want to stay, but she had no other choice. Her
\nsisters and her entire family depended on her.<\/p>\n
One night, four men tumbled into the stall, dimly lit by a
\nflickering oil lamp. The strong smell of liquor soon filled the
\nair in the narrow room.<\/p>\n
"Lastri, I heard there's somebody new here," said one of them.<\/p>\n
"Oh, is this what you mean?" he continued, pulling Marni's arm
\nforcefully.<\/p>\n
Marni was startled, looking up and catching his gaze. They
\nstared at each other, the man quickly letting go of his grip.<\/p>\n
Marni was overcome by emotion. She ran past the men and out of
\nthe stall, stumbling on a rock a few meters away.<\/p>\n
The night was dark. Marni rose and walked slowly, as though in
\na stupor. She could clearly visualize the face of the old man,
\none that she would not forget her whole life. It was a face she'd
\nalways yearned for. It was her own father.<\/p>\n
Translated by Aris Prawira
\nNote:
\nBu = term of address for a married woman or mother.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/night-time-story-1447893297",
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