The Lives of Five Hundred Thousand
Discussions with mom

I smiled to see the children of the children of the santri bring my gift fried food that will be eaten together by them. It's okay not to benefit, I just hope to get the reward and the blessing.

I carried Zain and brought him into the house. When entering the kitchen, the mother was opening the hood and took one fried food that had been set aside before going to sell. My mother turned to me and told me to make coffee for her. Without interrupting I carry out my mother's orders. But when I was about to make coffee and open the sugar jar, I sighed to see that the contents were empty.

I turned to the mother who was enjoying the fritters and told her that the sugar was up.

Mother glanced at me and asked in an annoyed tone, "why did it run out anyway? I want to copy how?"

"If you want to wait, I'll buy it to the shop."

Mother heard an annoyed snort and answered him in a loud voice," she quickly left. Just watch it for a long time."

While carrying Zain, I rushed to the stall to buy some sugar. The war looks lonely only there are sellers who are in the stall. I ordered half a kilo of sugar on Ms. Endang and before long she gave the sugar to me while looking at my appearance who was wearing my favorite shabby long negligee from the bottom to the face.

"What's wrong with me Bu Endang?"I asked Ms. Endang because I was wondering why Ms. Endang saw me like that.

"Nur, are you really in a relationship with his son Bu hajah Fatimah who is super handsome? how could she be interested in you? though your appearance is shabby gini."

I swallowed my saliva with great difficulty hearing what Bu Endang said to the shop owner. It turns out that the gossip of closeness between me and Raihan is really being a warm conversation of my villagers. I immediately chimed in on Bu Endang's question, "I don't have anything to do with Raihan Bu, we're just friends. Besides I'm aware of myself this woman who has a husband."

"Yes, too, if you think, Raihan is perfect which might want to be the same you who have married and shabby appearance."

"This is the money, Mom!" I give you the money and leave. I don't want to chim in on Ms. Endang's words anymore.

I went back home and Mom was still enjoying the fritters on the table. I started making black coffee for mom and gave it to her. I slightly rounded my eyes when I saw the plate filled with fried foods that were originally full now are not left. My mother had eaten all the fritters which numbered fifteen seeds. It's not that I can't but I just feel amused to see it.

"You're late making coffee Nur, fried coffee has just come," said the mother with annoyance. I did not accept it but left in front of my mother.

During the day I was busy cooking for our meal. Cooking the same menu overnight because the ingredients are there and left is just that. Sauteed kale, fried fish and sambal. When I'm done, I put it on the table.

Mom came into the kitchen while I was washing the old cooking furniture. I turned towards her and saw her standing at the table looking at the food that was already on the table. I know he's hungry. Wake up and eat. That was my mother's day-to-day activities. Sleep, eat and go. How her body is not more fertile.

While she was eating well, I approached her. I saw the fish left two tails on the plate when before there were five. Without speaking again I took the rest of the fish on the plate because I was afraid that mom would finish it. Mother looked up slanted towards me who was standing next to her then protested in an annoyed tone, "why did you take all of Nur's fish? am I eating?"

"Mom ate three. Me and Zain haven't eaten Ma'am, and this is our part."

"But my rice is still a lot Nur, how do I eat if there are no side dishes?"

"That's still chili and kale, mother just eat it. After all mother has eaten three fish why is it still lacking?"

"But and stingy you Nur same old man.kualat you Nur!"

I feed Zain in the TV room who is playing a puzzle. Zain ate voraciously because the clock was already showing at half-time.

Mother came out of the kitchen with her face bent into her room. I also just kept quiet did not want to ask, annoyed also at him who behaved like a child.

After I finished feeding Zain, I began to fill my own stomach which felt very hungry. When I was eating my mother came up to me with a bag of tenteng and I made sure she would go somewhere.

"I asked for four hundred thousand Nur's money, to pay for the arisan" he said arriving lightly.

I who was eating a little faltered at the request of the mother who arrived asking me for money. I glanced at my mother and answered her, "I don't have that much money, Mom, you know I'm sick a week from where I got the money? my trade this morning just didn't do anything."

Although I actually keep the money given by Raihan but I will never give the money to mother because it's money that belongs to raihan. While my hard-earned money is also for our daily eating needs. If I give money to my mother to pay for her rice then how we eat a day later especially now everyone is looking negatively at me because of the rumors circulating. Besides, I was upset at the lifestyle of mothers who like socialite women a lot of money only who had participated in the charity. As a result, I was never given a penny by him. And I wonder where the money of mother's twenty million? I don't know I don't know.

"Just tell me that you don't want to give me money. Kan the Surya yesterday came home for sure he gave money to you."

"Do you think Surya gave me money during his stay here, Mom? he once gave me money but the money I gave to bang Supri, he said he borrowed it. If you want me to bill it just as much as Supri."

"The calculation is very much your own brother, just borrowed it already on the bill."

"I'm not counting ma'am, because it's all that money I have. If you want please bill to bang Supri if you do not want yes already. Besides, mom never gave me a dime, and then why did mom ask me to pay mom's arisan?"

"Yes, because you never make crackers again. Is it only natural that I ask you for money?"

"What is natural, ma'am? Why do you expect me to make crackers? why didn't mom do it? moreover, one hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of crackers are the mothers themselves who use them not for mutual needs."

"Because you're my son eating it I told you, got you?"

"So mother gave birth to me into this world just to be made a money-making slave? I remember very well how my mother treated me. Since childhood my mother has been milking me like a cow."

Mum shut up, maybe she feels like what I said is true. From childhood and when my father died, my mother was already milking me to make money, telling me to trade. Every day I go to school and bring ice candles to school. Home school mom told me to trade around the village. I sincerely and never denied the orders of mother although sometimes I envy seeing my two brothers who can play freely without having to look for money like me.

I remember very well how this tiny body of mine carried merchandise while offering merchandise to people. Not a few children like me ridicule me for trading. Until I was an adult, my mother was still blushing me.

I am grateful for being given a smart brain so that when I go to elementary school to high school I often get a student duty because of my achievements in school so that it reduces my school fees. Because of the value of my high-value diploma I finally received a job in a chemical company that is so large that it is placed in the part that should be in the designation for people who are only graduate students. But, because of my abilities that I have, they do not hesitate to put me in that section. Until I married forcibly with Surya. But now, why do I feel like my life goes back to childhood where I had to be my mother's dairy cow.

Mom stomped her feet and left me feeling upset. I don't care if he gets angry or anything because I'm just dizzy thinking about how I can make more money. There's no way I'm selling street fritters anymore because of the rumors that are circulating about my affair with Raihan. I also had to rack my brain to find a way to make money.

Actually I could have applied for a job with the experience and skills that I have. I can operate a computer well, speak English because when I was working in a chemical company I used to get in touch with outsiders and use English for our daily communication.

However, I see my son Zain if I work outside and leave him with a nanny. Enough already he never got affection from his father and his grandmother. Therefore, I do not want to reduce my love for him and I myself also want Zain to grow in my hands.