LOVE THE RECEPTIONIST

20. The Monaliza

After asking some neighbors, Firans and Dirga finally knocked on the door of the wooden house appointed by the residents.

There was no sign of the door being opened yet, but inside the house was very crowded the sound of crying children toddlers.

"Wait a minute here" said Firans as he passed leaving Dirga in front of the wooden house alone.

"Where are you going Firans?" dirga asked looking at Firans who had passed away leaving her.

Firans did not answer, he only pointed to a small shop next to Monaliza's house. Soon Firans returned with a bag of plastic containing several boxes of milk and some snacks.

Firans knocked again, and waited for a while outside patiently with Dirga. There were no long sounds of hurried footsteps approaching the door.

Chequek!

An eleven-year-old boy appeared at the door, looking up at Dirga and Firans standing at the door.

"Good afternoon, sir" said Firans looking at the boy in front of him.

"Good afternoon om" said the boy.

"Your mom's here?" ask Firans again.

"There's om, let's go in, I'll call mom," said the boy. Firans glanced at Dirga beside him, with a gesture of his eyes he invited Dirga to enter with him. Both of them sat in plastic guest seats in the guest room which is quite narrow, the house does look a little small and a little messy.

Not long after, a woman several years older than Dirga and Firans came in holding a three-year-old boy who was still crying, and two girls aged four years and five years tailed her while holding tightly to her mother's wide skirt from behind, their faces looking puffy, they looked like they had just finished crying. The eleven-year-old boy also stood near his two younger sisters.

"Good afternoon ma'am, I'm sorry we've come to disturb the busyness of the mother," Firans said opening a chat.

"It's okay, sir, what's the matter, sir?" asked the woman while silencing the toddler she was carrying. His face looked very tired, it seemed that he was lacking rest.

"I'm Firans, and this is Mr. Dirga, we are from the Surya Automotive company where Monaliza works" Firans said.

The woman stared for a moment at the two guests in front of her, but before she could speak, she was again busy silencing her fussy-looking son from before the two guests arrived.

"Mom, this is for her kids" Firans handed her a plastic bag she had prepared earlier.

The woman looked at the plastic bag that Firans had thrust at her, then looked at Firans doubtfully.

"It's okay ma'am, I purposely brought it for these little sisters," Firans said again with a smile, his hands still outstretched thrusting plastic bags, and he was still carrying a plastic bag, now he directed it at the two girls who were looking at him. The two girls hid behind their mother's back.

"Sister, come here" called Firans to the eleven-year-old boy, after he saw the two girls hiding away from him.

The boy turned to his mother who still kept his little sister quiet. After getting a nod from his mother, he then approached Firans who called out to him.

"What's your name?" ask Firans.

"Rony om" said the boy.

"This is for Rony and the sisters, take it and share it with your sisters" Firans said, handing Rony a plastic bag.

"Thank you for that." Rony receives a plastic bag that Firans gave him. He handed out boxes of milk from plastic bags to his two sisters who were hiding behind his mother's back.

Dirga and Firans looked at each other for a moment when they saw all that, then refocused on the woman who was now watching the two.

"How is Monaliza sir?" the woman looked at Firans and Dirga.

"Monaliza, she's better off ma'am, just recovery" Firans said.

"I'm sorry sir, it's been a hassle for the company to take care of my daughter Monaliza in the hospital. I really find it difficult to leave the house, Mr-Bapak can see for himself the state of our family," said Ms. Monaliza explained her condition.

"Actually, I can't bear to let Monaliza work to slam bones alone, working day and night, but what can I do, her sisters are all small, they can't yet be left alone," obviously Monalisa's mother.

"Since her father died three years ago, it was Monaliza who took over in the life of our family" Monaliza's mother said with a sad face.

"I was often worried about Monaliza, because her nightclub work often made her come home late at night, as well as not feeling well with the neighbors" Monaliza's mother said.

"I often asked him to stop there, but Monaliza still wanted to stay there. According to him, his new job as a receptionist at the Surya Automotive company has not been able to fully finance our lives and pay the debt left by his late father first." explained Monaliza's mother.

"How long has Monaliza been working at the entertainment venue tonight ma'am?" ask Firans.

"Since four years ago, when his father was often sickly," explained Monaliza's mother.

"Meaning that he was only sixteen years old, it was still underage to work" said Firans who felt odd.

"Yes sir is right. Because at that time our family really needed income, so Monaliza asked for a job with Leon's sister named Keny, the owner of the night club where Monaliza worked now as a cleaning service at that time,"

"Keny Gamsonrich?" Ask Dirga who joined the talk, when he heard the name of the person he knew.

"Yes sir" said Monaliza's mother.

"So Monaliza at that time only left in the afternoon, after finishing work a few hours before the night's entertainment was opened, she had returned home Mr. Firans," added Monaliza's mother again.

"And now, does Monaliza still work as a cleaning service there?" ask Firans again.

"No sir, Monaliza is now seconded as the bartender's assistant" said Monaliza's mother.

Firans just nodded his head just hearing all the talk from the woman.

"Sir Firans, can I leave some clothes for Monaliza in the hospital?" ask Monaliza's mother.

"Of course you can, ma'am" Firans said.

"Rony, please take the red bag you've prepared in your sister's room" Monaliza's mother told Rony, who was sitting next to her.

"Well ma'am," Rony went inside, before long he returned and carried the red bag that his mother meant.

"This is ma'am" Ronny handed the red bag he had brought to his mother.

"Give it to Firans Rony" ordered Monaliza's mother. Rony immediately picked up the red bag he was carrying and placed it near Firans.