SET DUSK

Part 49's

The orange glow of dusk began to cover the sky when Ida and her children reached her homeland, Kubang Putih. The bus they were riding stopped in the courtyard of the wooden house he had left ten years ago. The lawn is no longer maintained, the dried leaves of mango trees scattered to add to the dullness of the home page. The building of the house stood gloomy before them, as if grieving for the abandonment of its inhabitants. The house looks unkempt since Tini moved to follow her husband to Padang Sidwahan. A speck of longing for peace and Tini made him stunned to see the house as if looking back at it cold.

Ida's last home Lebaran five years ago gathered with her mother's brother who also returned to the village. Since then, he has never set foot in White Hole.

Ida walked slowly up the wooden stairs to the door of the house, the urn on the right side of the stairs that usually always contain water to wash the feet, seemed filled with dry leaves. Ida reached her hand over the top of the door, pulling a key that was still stored there. The damp smell of the room immediately came out when Ida opened the door of the house.

"Assalamualaikum ..." said Ida lirih.

Ida took a deep breath before she entered. Trying to strengthen the heart to be strong against the deluge of memories that began to revolve in the room. The memory of his last morning chatted with amai.

"Amak, are we going to stay here?" Laili's voice broke Ida's daydream.

"Yes, we'll clean it up tomorrow. Now we rest, you must be tired."

"I'm hungry, Mom." This time Fatimah spoke.

"We go in first, we want magrib." Ida turned on the outboard lights that were still in the usual place.

Nothing changed from the contents of the house, still the same as when amai was still alive. Even the carano[1] where amai keeps betel and the equipment is still on the table. Ah, how much he missed that time, the time when he and amai began to understand each other. The time when he and Amai are no longer in conflict.

Ida seemed to be jolted from her memories when she felt Salma's small hand tightly hug Ida's leg. Salma circulated her gaze throughout the room with a scared face.

"Salma why, son? Salma scared?"

The little girl simply replied with a nod.

"It's a house too. Before Amak lived in our house in Payakumbuh, amak lived here" Ida told Salma to relieve the girl's discomfort.

Salma just glanced at Ida. No answer came from her little lips. The eyes of the plump-cheeked girl were still widened to pay attention to every empty space in the house.

Laili led Salma to sit in the living room.

"This is the same Union, amak want to prepare food for us," he asked.

Salma, according to him, sat unmoved beside Laili. Ida took out the bushel she brought from Payakumbuh, arranged it on a mat and spooned it for the children. They eat in silence. The tired face was still clearly stern from the plain faces of his son. The look inexplicably always made Ida's heart sliced, a look that reminded her of her half-hearted owner.

Silence immediately ambushed when the children were asleep with their dreams. Tired and cold air at the foot of Mount Marapi makes Ida drift into a dream with her children.

****

Starting a new life in Kubang Putih is not as easy as Iida's expectations. The neighbor's gossip that accused him of being dumped by Burhan spread out of nowhere. The situation is getting heavier because of the economic needs with three children that he had to bear makes Ida almost despair.

Ida does whatever she can do as long as she can make money to meet her needs and the children. Fortunately, Laili and Fatimah were not demanding much. They even helped Ida make a living by selling around the village while taking turns caring for Salma who was three years old.

Eight months in the village, her originally clean and well-groomed children began to look unkempt. Their cheeks that used to be plump are getting thinner and thinner. Every night Ida prostrated herself a third of the night, begging that God would be a little kind to give her a way to support her children.

One morning, Kubang Putih was still shrouded in thick fog. The clock has shown at nine o'clock, but the air at the foot of Marapi mountain is still cold. Ida wants to go to the rice fields of Sutan Palimo to weed the grass between rice plants. Ida also even wants to take care of the rice fields of residents in her village in order to earn income to support her children. The origin of halal work, he does.

"Did you?" greet a voice when he wants to get out of the yard.

"Mr Etek?" Ida made sure the tall man with gray hair started standing before her. He was surprised when he saw his mother's brother who had long migrated to Pematang Siantar was in front of him. For a long time he had not met with mak etek, his mother's sister. Even when he married, his grandfather did not attend.

"Yes, do you live here now?"

"Yes, Mom. You're alone?" Ida didn't see her mama's family coming along.

"Eh, come in first, Mom. Ida make me drink kawa," take Ida.

After listening to Ida's story, her mother's face looked sad.

"I didn't think your life would be this bad, Da. I'm sorry I haven't been a good mom" she said.

"It's okay, Mama. Mama also has life's dependents."

"Do you want to come with me to Siantar, Da? At least you can get away from the neighbor's gossip that makes the ear heat."

"Later I'll just be a mammoth burden" Ida refused.

"In Siantar there are still many jobs that you can do, not like here."

"Think about it, Mom."

"Yes, think about it. Pity also your children if your condition continues like this." There was a sad murat on the face of the etchant when saying that.

****

Hope wants to get a better life for children, Ida finally decided to join her mamm to Pematang Siantar. He also hopes, if starting his new life in a distant place, will make it easier to organize the heart, it will be easier for him not to get too immersed in the memory that continues to overshadow it.

"Amak, why are we moving again?" laili asked as they were tidying up the items to be brought.

"So that Amak can have money for Laili's school. Here Amak can't get a job to pay for Laili's school."

"What's the place going to be like, Mom?" asked Fatimah who was sitting on the bed with Salma, watching the rampage and the camel packing.

Ida stopped her movements, looking at Fatimah. To be honest, he also did not know what kind of place they would go. Fatimah's question made her a little gamete. Is it true what decision he made, what fate awaits them there?

"Let's see what the place is like there, amak has never been there, either" answered Ida honestly.

"What are we going to ride?" Fatimah asked again.

"We'll take the bus. Ima now rest first yes, tomorrow our journey is far away, so Ima is not tired."

"Yes, Mommy."

The night was getting late, Ida was still unable to close her eyes. She stared at the dark ceiling, hoping that her decision this time could really make her forget all the sadness of the past few years, forgetting her wish to be reunited with her husband. Trying to accept the fact that he must be the backbone of his family now.

***

Bukittinggi had been enveloped the night as they began to move away from the city. The bus they were riding was moving slowly to the southwest, passing the road he had traveled sixteen years ago when their headquarters had to be moved to Palupuh.

If he used to go through that road to fight for the independence of his country, today he passed that road to fight for his independence. Struggling to escape from all the memories that make him feel bad. Struggling for a better life for her children. He tried to dismiss all the feelings that began to disturb his heart. He tries to raise his heart with new hope. Hope for a better life.

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Note :

[1] Carano \= Boko. Copper containers for storing betel