My Sacrifice is worthless

I'm Fitri

I'm Fitri. The second of four children.

Our lives are not as lucky as other children our age, even in terms of affection. Ever since Mom died, we had to fight and mature before her time. Even leaving school to lighten the burden of father and grandmother. We don't want their burden to get heavier because we still have two little sisters.

We never chose the food provided. We are used to eating with a simple menu when the mother is still there, even just with butter and warm rice is very delicious.

My brother Ita, has aspirations from childhood. I know he has a strong will and never give up on the appeal of me and my sisters. At least, there's one of us so people and better.

I got married again a year after my mother died. It's okay for me, I hope my stepmother can love us. I'm happy if dad's happy. I no longer have to search for sustenance out of town. Dad settled in a different mother village house, working odd jobs to meet our needs.

My brother Ita also did not stand idly by, he helped take care of the granddaughter of the village chief in my village for two hundred thousand a month.

I don't understand why grandma doesn't seem to like my brother and my sister Nur. Though we are the same grandchildren of the grandmother and children of one mother father. Sometimes I feel sorry to see my sister treated like that. He is my only brother and we love him very much.

One day, my grandmother took us to my stepmother's village, to join the rice harvest in my stepmother's neighbor. I'm happy to go there, because I'm going to meet my father every day and my little sister from my father's and mother's wedding.

That morning, my grandmother and brother were harvesting the rice from the neighbors. Akqu and my two sisters stayed at home. I should help with mom's work. There was no way he could do it all because there was our little brother he had to take care of. I wash dishes, sweep, mop and bathe my sisters.

Mom was cooking rice, when my little sister cried. Mother asked me to stir the rice in the boiler that was on the stove. I was confused, the furnace for cooking was rather high. Plus a big rice boiler. I was too tired to reach him. With some fear, I approached the mother who was breastfeeding my little sister.

"Mother, I can't stir her rice, her legs are high. I'm afraid the dress fell."

I saw my mother looking at me with a sharp look and exhaling violently.

"This you, I'm just asking you to stir the rice you can't?Then, what can you do? Is it just eating?" snapped mom.

Mother got out of bed while carrying her child to the kitchen.

"Look at this, here's how. You take this wooden stand and go up on it," explained the mother as she stirred the rice in the boiler.

"Yes ma'am, sorry." I'm afraid as I pay attention to what mom taught me.

"Sorry .. sorry ... Is that all you can do? This is feel ...!"

I can't dodge anymore. The rice sauce made of wood was already on top of my head with hot rice. It hurts, it hurts so much. I sat down with shock and pain in my head. I cried as I felt my aching head and threw away the hot rice. My sisters, Nur and Aji ran to find me crying. They don't understand what's going on. Mom went back into the room after doing that to me.

I soon heard my grandmother and brother coming home from the rice fields. I was too late to stop crying and clean my head of rice. I don't want any quarrel between mom and grandma.

"Daddy, why are you crying?" ask brother.

"Mother hit me on the head with a wooden serving, Brother ...."

My brother also cried and cleaned the rice that was still a bit hot in my head. Grandma who heard my words immediately came in and yelled angrily at mom.

"What are you doing, Tina?" asked grandma in a loud voice.

"You know Tina, the furnace is high and Fitri isn't up to reach her."

"Here you go, you better take them home. It's just rice."

Grandma did not answer again, maybe grandma was sad and shocked to hear the words of mother. Grandma asked my sister to pack our clothes and go home. Mother's house is more precisely, because after mother died, grandmother lived in our house.

We went home without eating first. Honestly, I'm very hungry, and so are my brothers and sisters. Because we haven't had enough to eat in the morning. We walked down the village road a little far to get to the edge of the big river and get a ride on a water motorbike. Grandma was holding Aji, while me, my sister and Nur were walking in tandem behind grandma. I'm sorry, why didn't I clean my head off the rice. If I did, this would not happen.

Before long we reached the river bank, there was a water motorbike passing by and pulled over for us to ride. Our journey in the quiet liputi and stomach rumbling. Hope to get home and eat soon. Arriving at the market, grandma bought rice and seasoning to cook the golden snail that brother brought from the rice field. Then I went back to a house not far from the market. My grandmother and brother were busy cooking, while I waited for Aji in the swing in the room. The cooking process is a bit long, because we still use wood stoves to cook rice and so on. An hour later, my sister called me and Nur to eat. We ate well because it was late afternoon. After eating, Nur and I washed the dishes, while my sister and grandmother took a bath in the river.

"Assalamualaikum Mother. Not busy?" someone said hello.

"Vaalaikumsalam. Enter Tik." said Grandma.

"Loh Mak? How did you get back from Tina village? Is the harvest finished?" ask Bik Atik.

"Not Tik. There was something going on there, so we went home, "grandmother replied.

"What event is Mak? Is there no dear in Mak's stay? If there's still a lot of harvest there?"

"Tina hit Fitri's head with a wooden serve. You know, Fitri is not how high to stir the rice that the legs are high so," explained Granny upset.

"Yes is Mak. How about Mom come with me just insert coconut skin? They are looking for additional employees, because the production demand is a lot," Ajawk Bik Atik.

"By Tik, can. When can I start work?" ask grandma enthusiastically.

"This body, we're off in Mak's pickup truck."

"But, how are my grandchildren, Tik?"

"It could Mak bring, to help mengumpulin coconut for Mum clean. Fitri can take care of Nur and Aji at Mak's house."

Grandma listened carefully to Bik Atik's words.

"Before you go, you cook for them at home. At 05:00 am the invitation came Mak. How's it?"

"Well Tik, I'm coming. We also need food and milk for Aji. Her father was already unreliable after remarrying," replied the sad grandmother.

"Alright Mak. Then I go home first, it's late afternoon. At dawn we leave. Don't forget to have lunch, Mommy?"

"Yes, I'll stop by your house first."

"Yes Mak. Assalamualaikum."

"Waalaikumsalam" we answered simultaneously.

I saw a doubt on Grandma's face. Maybe grandma was confused to leave me and my sisters at home. If we don't work, what do we eat? I can take care of my brothers.

"Yes, Fitri. Come here Grandma would say, "call Grandma the other night.