
"All your sins are with your father!"
"You shouldn't have been born, you bastard!"
"Your mom's just a whore! Denger you?! A whore!"
I don't know how long the day has passed but Nabila is too used to hearing the insults. So accustomed, Nabila does not even need to look back or jerk if someone insulted him.
They are getting used to living in this environment.
As he now carried the bags of groceries from the market, single-handedly stepping barefoot. Nabila goes to the market with Elis, but the woman tells him to walk home because the car is filled with toys for Ravana.
Suddenly ....
Yoke!
Nabila was surprised to feel the stone throw at his feet. But a second later Nabila was silent, walking again.
"Fucking son," said the people who saw him.
"Don't go in front of my house! You stink!"
"Go far away!"
"Basin' a whore boy."
Elis tells everyone in the village that Nabila is a child prostitute until everyone in the village views her as a human disgrace. Nabila does not know whether it is true or not, because even wrong does not change the fact everyone hates it.
For Nabila now a comfortable life is just his dreams. The boy begins to believe that the sweet memory in his head about Mama and Papa is just a delusion. The longer Nabila himself the more he forgets who he is.
"How long do you walk," recounted Elis when Nabila arrived with bags of heavy groceries. "Rahwana is laper. Sana cutin fruit first for my son. That's when you cook."
Nabila. Run to the kitchen to cut the fruit.
There are actually many more mature helpers. Obviously there are workers who can do things better than small children. But Elis was willing to see the maid he paid casually as long as it could make Nabila stumble to work.
When Nabila was busy chopping up boxes of apples, his ears caught the conversation between Lina and Fina.
"What are you really? So the rich widower's story wants to treat you?" As soon as Fina said, to Lina.
"He said that." Lina smiled happily but was also confused. "The problem is, he said if we marry, I have to stay with them."
"Yeah, mending you marry me. Definitely better than work."
"That's yeah?"
"His family is he handsome? I know dong too! Who knows, actually married to a real Indian guy. It's gonna be nice with my son."
Lina wants to get married? If he gets married he can go?
Nabila kept thinking about it until he forgot that he was being told. Of course it doesn't take time for Nabila to be shouted at.
"THE TISSUE!"
Lina and Fina immediately turned to Nabila.
"Lelet is so much a kid!" snapped Fina. The woman came, pushing Nabila. "There's hunting! Tired of knowing that she is not angry because of you!"
Nabila almost tripped made it. But he tried quickly, unwilling to give an excuse that Elis hit him.
She faintly heard Lina say, "It's so rude of you to be with her. It's not necessary, Fin."
"But the fact is he's a bad boy, right? No need to be okay!" reply Fina. "You're kind of like she'd get scolded by Madam?"
Lina was silent.
*
Nabila looked up at the night sky with all her tired little body. He looked at the moon up there, unable to let go of the thought of Lina who said she was getting married.
Will Lina really leave if she's married?
Then .... if Nabila gets married too .. will he leave here?
But who should Nabila marry?
Does anyone want to marry him too? Or should he ask Lina to also introduce someone in order to get married?
"Mute."
Since Nabila was caught being fed by Ravana, he has vowed never to talk again. I don't want to do something that makes me feel sick anymore.
Meanwhile up there Ravana wondered why the mute was hiding. The boy had forgotten about the events of that time, so Ravana was astonished.
Ravana sneaks out of the room, descends to the second floor, pushing the door of Nabila's room in order.
"Mute."
Nabila was terrified. The boy still remembers how angry Elis was when Ravana was caught talking to Nabila.
"Sissy, it's me."
Nabila rebelled when Ravana touched her blanket. The little girl ran scared towards the corner of the room, curled up with a trembling badal.
All he had in his head was fear.
He was afraid of being hit.
He was afraid of being pinched.
He was afraid of being blamed for what he felt his hands were not doing.
"Mute." Ravana put the candy on the floor by force, because Nabila did not want to hear it. "Now, it's Om Zayn who gives."
Nabila was stunned to hear the name Om Baik Hati. The girl finally wanted to see Ravana, then saw the candy on the floor.
"So when you went to the market, Om Zayn came home. He said he couldn't wait for you to be busy."
Nabila slowly approached, taking the candy. Usually Nabila will immediately put something in his mouth because he often feels hungry, but he feels like keeping this candy rather than eating it.
The Good Heart will come again later, right?
"Bisu," called Ravana in a weak voice. "I .. will take care of you from now on."
Eh?
"I won't tell you why. If I grow up, will I marry you?"
Nabila. His mouth opened to ask if they would leave after marriage, but his mouth closed again because there was no sound.
The question can only be conveyed through a gaze that unfortunately cannot be understood by Ravana.
The boy looked at Nabila while recalling his conversation with Zayn during the day.
"You're fine with Nabila."
"His name is Mute, Nabila, Om?"
"Yes. But mending you call him a mute, because your mama would be angry."
"Emang why?" Ravana always questioned it. "Why don't you like being dumb? Is Mama the same Dad really evil mute? If so, how did the mute get hit? Why isn't Mama the same Dad?"
"Om also didn't know. It's up to your mom." Zayn smiled. "But obviously, you have to take care of Nabila. Must. That's your promise to Om yeah."
"Why should?"
"Because," Zayn crouched down, grabbing Ravana's shoulder to whisper in her ear, "she's your future wife."
Ravana. "Wife candidate?"
"Yes. If you grow up, you will marry Nabila."
"No. She's sick said Mama."
"It was just your mom talking. If Nabila is really a disease, where maybe he was allowed to live in your home. Keep Om also carry him but Om healthy aja tuh."
Yes, too, so thought Ravana.
"Rahwana, real men always take care of women, let alone weak women. If you don't take care of Nabila, it means you're not a man."
Ravana felt that he was a man so Ravana swore to take care of him.
Although he does not fully understand why.
*