COMMONWEALTH
Episode 34

Sekar sent a message to his old friend who had lived in the city.

But there was no response at all. That night also with all its limitations Sekar filled the energy first, eating potluck with the stock he bought in the super market. Just cleaning what he still reached and according to his ability. The comfort of his grandmother's house used to be a little far from other settlements. Still have to go through some plantations.

This was the right place for him for now.

A message that is rarely read and understood. This time he slept in his grandmother's bed. The room was cold and humid, deliberately he turned off all the lights of the house so that its existence was not detected if the house was back in habitation. Or there are just people passing through the house.

Sekar and his mother lived there for five years. At the age of six, her grandmother became very ill and eventually died. His mother and Sekar wanted to leave the place because they could not stand the gossip of the people about the origin of his grandmother first.

Sekar did not want to remember the incident again, the memory he had buried deeply did not want him to remember it again.

.....

"Are You Really Just? I'm Aldi, do you still remember us being little?" the man extended his hand. I stared at him briefly. His little neighbor used to be even though he was the only one who still wanted to be friends with him, but Ibu Sekar forbade Sekar to be close or just friends with him. The family of the boy who had expressed the disgrace of his Grandmother Sekar. That's where her mother doesn't like her family.

As a child Sekar and Aldi played bicycles secretly in orange plantations and wild meadows before his mother took Sekar to move elsewhere.

Aldi, yes maybe it's just the story of Sekar's childhood in this city. Sekar closed his eyes for a moment pulled the blanket and rested his body after a day more through fatigue on the way.

.....

The morning was drizzling but not fast enough to just wet the soil into damp and let out the scent of decaying leaves piled up long enough.

The house was already claustrophobic in the growth of weeds and weeds, towering trees were chaotic and messy. Sekar deliberately let it so that its existence in the house not many know it.

Waking up this morning makes Sekar's body enjoy warm milk and bread that is in by almond jam. Now so enjoy every corner of the room of his grandmother's legacy first.

Suddenly someone knocked on the front door, Sekar went down the stairs before he peered out of the glass to see who had come. A woman was waiting at the front door.

Open the door casually.

The woman suddenly volunteered to help Sekar clean up inside the house. Because the woman had previously been a household assistant to her Grandmother when she was alive.

The woman told me last night that she had come to her grandmother, told her to clean her house. That's the story of the old woman who was shocked.

He told the woman to enter slowly. But he told her that he could not tell anyone about her whereabouts in the house.

"Don't worry, your grandmother has helped the family a lot. Just call me Mbah Suti."

"But for now it has not been able to pay Mbah Suti, because of financial conditions that have not been possible" explained Sekar.

"Bah, sincerely clean this house, do not think about wages." explained Mbah Suti.

"But Mbah where may I just make you sweat and exhaustion in vain."

This time Mbah Suti shook his head strongly, holding the hand of Sekar.

"If you still think so, your Grandmother's spirit will surely scold you."

He exhaled his breath slowly.

"You're pregnant? where's your husband?"

"My husband was in an accident, I moved into this house to raise my son alone. Outside it was very dangerous for his safety later. Therefore, Mbah must hide my existence from the knowledge of the citizens around here. No one knows about my return to Grandma's house."

Mbah Suti nodded his head assenting, he could loudly hold the promise to Sekar.

"You have to take care of your baby, some time there have been two fetuses that disappeared suddenly from the mother's stomach. You better not go out of the house first." advised Mbah Suti stroked Sekar's stomach.

Sekar suddenly goosebumps without being told the fur of his romance immediately stood up, clarifying the story of Mbah Suti just now.

"So did someone take it?" ask a nervous man.

"It's best never to leave the house."

Mbah Suti shook his head slowly.

"Rest, Mbah will sweep and clean this house. If you need anything, call me Mbah. You don't have to think about strange things for now. If I tell you too much now you'll be your burden."

Mbah Suti passed from the front of Sekar and towards the kitchen room and back began to clean the room.

Now go back to the room with a suspicious feeling followed as well as alert. His heart this time was not calm, he felt that someone had entered and was watching the house from afar.

Until its existence this time began to be unsettled and always wary.

Mbah Suti brought a bundle of cloth, he took it out of his shirt. He slipped on the cupboard drawer spoon deftly he closed the drawer tightly slowly. His eyes were watching if anyone saw his movements this time. Mbah Suti took back the broom and rag wipe as usual to re-wipe the table, chairs and cooking utensils in the original place.

Mbah Suti again swept the living room he began to slip a bundle of cloth in the drawer of the television cabinet, look his eyes back and forth to monitor if someone saw it. Mbah Suti returned to tidying up his clothes. He began to sweep under the chair, old sideboard and ancient cupboard that has passed two generations, if Sekar gave birth in the house then three generations have passed through the plain ancient closet.

Mbah Suti wiped the floor with a mop, but he found a roll of blurry photos behind it with the date and clock. Hurry up Mbah Suti put it in his pants pocket.

The house has a very thick sawang, several times Sekar sneezed, he still wears a mask. Even in his room. Sekar peeked at the movement of Mbah Suti activities from the top floor.

"What is Mbah Suti hiding? what was the bundle of cloth just now?"

Sekar looked at him but let it go for a while, because he tried to guess, there must be an intention and intention of Mbah Suti to do so.

Sekar tried to summon Mbah Suti.

"Can Mbah go to the market, buy supplies of cooking ingredients in the kitchen."

He gave money to Mbah Suti.

Mbah Suti nodded.

"But after I cleared this all up." explained Mbah Suti momentarily cutting off the Sekar talk.

"Later to be able to sweep and mop in continue after coming home from the market, I am hungry." explained Sekar.

Mbah Suti obeyed Sekar's will.

After making sure Mbah Suti out of the house and through the front fence. Sekar quickly opened a drawer containing a bundle of cloth hidden in Mbah Suti.

Sekar's hand this time felt, it was true that there was a small bundle of red cloth, inside it was so hard.

Now dismantling the bundle of cloth he was surprised after opening the rope bundled with the red cloth.

COMMONWEALTHEpisode 34

COMMONWEALTH
Episode 34