Life is a Fight

Martabak Result of the Struggle

Today is the last day Izar worked, lucky foreman gave the last salary 3 times than usual which was only Rp.60,000 per day. But he continues to rotate the brain, only Rp. 200,000 is enough for three to four days. What about the next days.

Izar's head felt heavy, never before had he thought of such a heavy thing in his life.

"Dek Killa why baby?" asked Izar to see his youngest brother speechless at the door.

"No Papa," he smiled.

"Hayoo Umi's son why, since returning to school, how could it be so." Umi approached her daughter.

"No papa Umi," he said, smiling again.

Izar walked up to the sister then pulled the tiny body in his arms.

"Syakilla why, honey?" said Izar gently.

He shook his head without answering his question. Izar tightened his embrace again. He put his sister's head on his chest.

"If there's anything in tell the same Umi, Mas or Mbak Fira. Do not keep it alone in the heart will be a liver disease lo," said Izar while rubbing his sister's head.

Killa stared at Izar and Umi's faces alternately, then reattached her head to the sister's chest.

"Killa there are activities outing class Mas to Jogja," he said slowly.

"Keep, I'm so sad" said Izar softly.

"Should follow all, can't not come unless sick," he said again crying.

"Eh .. dear, dear. How come you cry so Deck?"

"Killa does not want to bother Umi with Mas Izar," he replied while tearfully making Syafira who was asleep was awakened.

"Killa why Mi kok crying," said Fira as she rubbed her eyes.

Umi just smiled at her daughter.

"Outing Class when, how much do you pay?" ask Izar again.

"Rp. 300,000 mas, leaving at the end of the month but last pay tomorrow Tuesday," he said, now sticking his face on his chest.

"Allah later do it, don't cry again, Deck"

"Killa just said, you know what money from Mbak Fira kemaren in use first, now Umi already love for the owner of the contract," said Umi while approaching Syakilla.

"No papa Mi, that's important too. Killa no longer cry, God willing tomorrow Tuesday the money is there," said Izar reassured the sister even though he himself did not know how to get the money considering now he does not work.

Umi wiped away her youngest daughter's tears. He asked her to take a shower and went to teach at the house of one of the students not far from his contract. Usually children and adolescents in the area after the magrib prayer flock to the tahfidz house to learn to read iqro until the qur'an guided by Ustad Furqon and his wife.

"Fira isn't ready for Deck?" tanya Izar saw Fira still sleeping.

"Fira again hitch Mas," he answered briefly.

"Oh yes, then,"

Umi and Izar also prayed together, After the prayer he re-thought his family's finances. At the age of 20 years, he had to bear a heavy burden. Being a brother and father to his two younger siblings.

Fira also saw Izar's anxiety. On the other hand, he does not want to work in his school is not without reason. He could not bear to see his brother working hard in front of him. How could he be in a comfortable class while the brother had to work as a janitor at his school. Every now and then he saw some janitor at his school had to repeatedly mop the floor and go back to repeat because some students were deliberately littering, cleaning up the garbage in the gutter. It was impossible for his brother to do that in front of him.

"Mas Izar, daydream, son," asked Umi to see her son silent.

"Not Mi,"

"Izar is dizzy thinking about our needs," asked Umi now holding her son's hand.

He just smiled as if justifying his guess.

"Well, can you help me, son?"

"Umi pray that Izar will get more work" he replied while kissing Uminya's hand.

For a moment, Umi glanced at Syafira as if asking the princess to agree to a job offer for Izar, but she remained in her stance. Fira chose silence not to reveal the reason to Umi or Izar.

The night passed without much laughter. They were silent with their own thoughts. Towards the morning the activity began, as the previous days Umi was busy with kitchen affairs while her two daughters prepared to leave for school. After the two girls left, Umi saw Izar was ready.

"Where is Izar going?" umi asked in surprise because she was no longer working.

"Pick up the windfall of Mi," he replied as he kissed Umi's cheek.

"Be careful, son, may Allah ease the way" Umi said by rubbing her son's head.

Izar also left the house. Walking without direction, he didn't know where he was going. His feet aimlessly. He only thought about how he got Rp. 300,000 within two days to pay for school activities.

Half a day has passed. He also stopped at a mosque to perform Dzuhur prayer. After the prayer, he laid his body for a moment in the mosque foyer. His eyes closed but his mind drifted away. He remembers his happy past with his parents. Never once did he feel lacking. All his needs are always met, which is why he feels sinful if Syafira and Syakilla at the same age as he was not met.

Izar took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly while opening his eyes.

"Oh Allah must be how this is," he said in a slow sigh.

He got up and walked away aimlessly. Right in front of a counter, he saw the words "Sell Buy HP". Izar reached into his pants pocket, there was no other choice. He went to the counter, negotiated with the counter guard to exchange his phone for his perfunctory phone so that he could still get a phone and some money for his needs.

"Alhamdulilah," he said while keeping money and a cell phone in his pocket.

Now he stopped at a grocery store first. Not to buy food because just getting ready to open it only warmly greet the owner and seller martabak it.

"Well, old Izar isn't visible. How are you doing?" Greet the seller kindly.

"Thank God, good news" he answered with a smile.

"Tumben clock as soon as it's here, where do you go on foot, the motor entered the workshop huh?" he said while flirting.

"Mas Izar looking for work? Make what?" ask again because the martabak seller knows Izar is a customer from the upper middle class.

"The story is long Mas, if it is told it can be a novel," Izar joked.

"May Izar this,"

"Because Mas, if there is a vacancy, Mas can be news," Izar told the seller who was slicing chives.

"What kind of work does Izar want?" now he asked with a serious face.

"What do you want, which is important halal,"

"Huh, really to this,?

"Yes really Mas, Izar's face looks a lie huh. It's gonna take a hell of a job, Mas,"

"How did college go?" ask the martabak merchant named Faris.

"Long time no lecture kok Mas, yesterday work on the project but has finished so this is looking for work again," replied Izar as if implying his current state is not okay.

Faris concluded his own conversation with Izar. He was wondering what was really going on but this was not the right time to ask.

"Waiting for a job vacancy, if you want to help here you can, but you can not love a lot Mas, just the way it is." Faris said that because he saw Izar was really in need of money.

"Mas Faris is serious?" tanyanya looks sumringah.

"Well, if you'd like, please,"

"Yes, Izar wants to. Can we start when?" the answer is so excited.

"Now also may, it happens that the partner is sick again at the boarding house,"

"Alhamdulilah O Allah, upon thy fortune today" he murmured.

Izar immediately called his sister to tell Umi not to worry about him.

Like tirelessly he helped Faris sell martabak until late at night. At exactly 01:00 in the morning they closed the martabak shop. Izar was given a martabak box by Faris along with his wages of Rp. 50,000. Gratitude was said many times by him. After finishing cleaning the shop where he traded, Faris drove Izar to the front of his contract.

He opened the door slowly hoping not to wake Umi and her sisters.

"Mas Izar just got home, son," said Umi immediately woke up hearing the door push.

"Umi didn't sleep yet, this morning" Izar said, kissing his hand.

"Umi can't sleep waiting for Mas Izar to come home,"

"Yes, now rest Mi, Izar has come home now," he said immediately to lay down his body next to Uminya.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes, the sound of Umi waking up his son. Syafira and Syakilla immediately took ablution water and performed congregational prayers. After the prayer looks Killa very moody to fold the face was not jiga finished.

"Killa don't have to be sad anymore, this is the money ... today is last right?" said Izar while giving the amount of money that his sister needed.

"Where's Mas Izar from?" ask Killa wonder.

"No need to think about it, God willing," he replied with a smile.

"Thank you, Mum."

Umi and Fira were astonished, from where Izar got Rp. 300,000 overnight, but they were reluctant to ask.

"Oh yes Mas, the tumben alarm did not sound this morning," asked Umi while peeling potatoes.

"Eh yes Mi, Izar forgot to set the alarm," he replied as he grabbed the phone in his bag.

"Lo hpnya Mas Izar kok ugly," said Fira look at her brother's cellphone.

"What matters is the same function" Izar said as he pressed his phone.

"Don't .." said Umi as she approached her son.

Izar also understood Uminya's thoughts. She smiled in front of Umi and her sisters.

"So Mas Izar sells hp to pay for outing class activities Killa," asked Killa approached Izar.

"Not sold, only in tukers" he replied with a smile.

Killa hugged her sister. What a sacrifice Izar did not play games for his family. He also welcomed the embrace of the little girl in a joking interlude so that there was no sadness this morning.

"Where to go Mas Semalem?" asked Fira because she didn't see her sister come home before she went to bed.

"While helping Mas Faris sell martabak that we usually buy, while waiting for a work call. Tu was carrying martabak he said to make the girls Mas Izar at home," he said, pointing at the package he had just taken out of the bag because he forgot last night.

Umi was speechless while smiling a little proud of the struggle of her beloved son.

"Mas .." said Fira hugging her brother.

"Ah on what the hell you guys, here Mas in the incandescent just don't stick so .. heavy tau," said Izar while removing Killa's embrace.

"Name ... Fira is considered fat like Mas Izar," he told Umi.

"It's not fat but it's heavy,"

"Ah, just the same," he said as he struck his brother on the back.

The girl is indeed very sensitive if touched on about weight. Umi just smiled at the behavior of her three children who mocked each other.

"Had ... no, Mas tired it was not hit by Nak, kasian," said Umi again walked to the kitchen leaving his three children who were still joking with laughter.