Night-time story

Night-time story

Muryanto HP

Marni was uneasy. The coaxing words of her friend Lastri were
still fresh in her mind.

"You should take pity on your aging and ailing mother.
Remember, you have two sisters. They all must survive..."

In fact, she had not rejected outright Lastri's offer to work
at her food stall. She would consider the offer and seek her
mother's advice. Indeed, since her father left their home four
years earlier, the family had struggled to make ends meet, with
Marni forced to drop out of high school.

Now that her mother could work no more, Marni took over the
responsibility for the family. As the eldest child, she did not
want to see her sisters lacking. The job her mother had done was
not only tiring but now also almost entirely replaced by
machines. The mortars and pestles that formerly pounded away in
the familiar rhythm of paddy hulling were superseded by mills.

Marni realized she could not expect too much from her mother.
Paddy fields were vanishing as farmers had to sell their land at
low prices to allow the construction of buildings, factories,
tennis courts and elite estates.

"If you want to earn more, take my offer," Lastri said before
leaving, her words haunting Marni. She wavered between accepting
the offer and saying no.

It was getting late but Marni found it hard to sleep. The
faces of her mother and siblings hovered in her mind.

***

Everybody knew that Lastri's stall near the district market
served as a meeting place for lovers. Now, many prostitutes
frequented the area, perhaps because of the campaign to close
licensed brothels that had forced the women onto the streets.

That was the reason Marni hesitated to seek her mother's
permission. She wasn't sure she would get her consent. Lastri's
words suddenly struck her: "Every job has its risks. The
important thing is to face them with perseverance!"

Then Lastri related how customers would frequently touch or
brush against her hips and buttocks. She described it as part of
the risks she would also have to face.

Marni inhaled deeply while leaning back in her chair. She
glimpsed her mother lying feebly on a divan with a wrinkled,
pallid face. She looked much older than her age.

The woman had been ill for three days, sometimes coughing up
blood. Marni was worried her mother's condition would worsen
unless she received immediate treatment.

"You're not working today, Mar?" she said, breaking the
silence.

Marni shook her head slowly. She was doing nothing indeed. Bu
Sari and bu Hindun, who usually sent their washing, had not
turned up for almost a week. They might now be washing their
clothes themselves.

She could understand if it was true because prices of basic
necessities were soaring, forcing people to slash their expenses.
The two housewives were no exception.

The washing job had been a daily routine before, helping
alleviate her mother's burden of earning a living. She had even
been able to save some money. But now?

"Bu, I want to work at Lastri's food stall," she said amid
another awkward silence.

For a few seconds, the old woman stared at Marni, anger
creeping across her face.

Marni's spirit sagged, and she was afraid to look at her
mother.

"Have you considered it thoroughly, Mar?"

"I have. Don't you be troubled, I can take care of myself. Do
you agree to it, bu?"

There was a long pause. Her mother gazed into space, before
saying: "But you must be careful..."

These were her only words. Yet they were more than enough for
Marni.

***

Marni had worked at the stall for only three nights when she
began to feel uncomfortable. Even with Lastri's warning, she was
shocked at the customers' behavior.

On the first night, some people began tapping her on the
behind. On the second, men brushed against her breasts. It became
the standard treatment.

"I told you that it's normal here, Mar. Don't let it eat you
up," said Lastri.

"They won't cross the line. The point is that our stall should
stay busy, and you'll get a lot more income."

She didn't want to stay, but she had no other choice. Her
sisters and her entire family depended on her.

One night, four men tumbled into the stall, dimly lit by a
flickering oil lamp. The strong smell of liquor soon filled the
air in the narrow room.

"Lastri, I heard there's somebody new here," said one of them.

"Oh, is this what you mean?" he continued, pulling Marni's arm
forcefully.

Marni was startled, looking up and catching his gaze. They
stared at each other, the man quickly letting go of his grip.

Marni was overcome by emotion. She ran past the men and out of
the stall, stumbling on a rock a few meters away.

The night was dark. Marni rose and walked slowly, as though in
a stupor. She could clearly visualize the face of the old man,
one that she would not forget her whole life. It was a face she'd
always yearned for. It was her own father.

Translated by Aris Prawira
Note:
Bu = term of address for a married woman or mother.