Istikharah Unites Us
Throwbacks
Back then, when we were kids and still living with Dad. Dad always rationed shopping money for Mom mediocre. Although we often do not buy rice, not because we do not eat but because the rice harvest from the rice fields has been quite enough for months. Some are sold and some we consume ourselves.
If you ask Dad for money to buy cooking oil for half a kilo, then the money you give is enough just to buy half a kilo of oil. Why Dad rationed money like that to Mom.
But now that the world seems upside down, Dad is very obedient to his second wife. If Ibuk (call for my stepmother) asks for Rp.400.000.00 in one Week, then you can not bear Daddy must give Rp.400.000.00 for Ibuk per week. If not, fight them and I will definitely give up.
His attitude was very different when he was married to my mother. If there is a debate between Father and Mother, Father will definitely raise his hand to hit and hurt Mother.
When I was 7 months in the womb, Mom and Dad had a fight. Father raised his right hand and pointed his fist at Mother's face, it made Mother fall down and face down. Mother's stomach which was already big at that time became a bulge of her when she fell down. What consequences? I stopped moving in Mother's stomach, when the gestational age has reached 9 months, Mother still does not feel the signs will give birth. 10 months still no signs will give birth. Even at the age of pregnancy before 11 months Mother still has not given birth. Neighbors recommended that Mother go into the cowshed, so that Mother could give birth immediately. But Alhadulillah did not have time to enter the cow cage, when it was 11 months and almost 12 months, finally Mother gave birth.
But it wasn't easy to give birth to me. Because Dad's fists were approaching Mom at that time, Breech Mother's baby. Midwives who help mothers to give birth are already confused, confused between saving the mother or her baby. Mom was exhausted and felt tremendous pain. You know what that midwife did? She tore up m**V Mother and pulled her baby out. God willing, what a great sacrifice a mother. After that, Mother was shocked when she saw the baby who almost lost her life, on her face there were the fingers of the mother midwife. Mom's worried "What if later until he's big this finger mark doesn't disappear?" he murmured in the heart. Not only that, even the right shoulder of the baby is bent and leaning forward because it is pulled by the midwife.
Now that Dad's living with his new wife, Dad never flirts. Why did you change so drastically.
Ever since Dad and Mom got divorced, Dad never gave a living to me and Sister Mea. The cost of school and daily meals is the result of Mother's efforts, the result of Mother being a laundry worker scrubbing the clothes of neighbors and working on rice fields owned by others. Suffer? Of course yes, we often have difficulty buying rice and often eat potluck. If Mea and I visit Dad, I always go to his sister's house to avoid both of us. From his attitude I could feel his dislike for both of us. Money is only given Rp.10,000, sometimes only Rp.5,000. It made me feel reluctant to go to visit Dad, even though there were no ex-Dad and no children, but if given how sour the face of Ibuk welcomed our arrival, he said, I'm so lazy to play at Daddy's.
Sometimes if Mom still hasn't come home from the rice fields she worked on, Mea and I do the work of Mother washing and ironing the clothes of neighbors who have been sent home. Counting reduces Mother's work, pity Mother if it runs out of the rice field still have to wash clothes.
That made me and Mea independent. Even though I was 13 years old, I was good at cleaning houses, washing clothes, washing dishes, sweeping and mopping, ironing and doing other tasks except cooking. Cooking becomes Kak Mea's duty, because I never cook I so do not memorize with the spices in the kitchen, the, even to distinguish ginger and turmeric alone I often fail let alone distinguish pepper and coriander is definitely fail.