The Dark Side of the Mentari

Not Cinderella

Adhan Isha' had just reverberated when Diah knocked on the door. The sound of his car was not heard because the boarding house was in a narrow alley. The car could not get in. Let alone the car, the motor alone can not cross, must succumb to one so that the road is enough.

Diah entered without waiting for his greeting to be answered. Go straight to the kitchen because it's used to playing here. Diah and Rania knew each other two years ago. At that time on campus there was a demo, both of them were trapped in the bathroom when there was a commotion, not daring to go out until night waiting for students who were demo dispersed. Since then they have been friends. Diah has a lot of acquaintances because she's a real person here. Most of Rania's siomay subscriptions are Diah's acquaintances.

"Are you ready?." Diah stopped in front of the kitchen door while shaking her waist.

"It has. Want to take it now?."

"You're coming with Ran, so you can help me later."

"Yes. But I'll just take the bike, rather than you taking me home."

"OKs. Miss Sari wants to come?." Diah turned to look at Bu Sari who was still washing the equipment.

"No need to, let me finish the kitchen. Let's go home later when Rania doesn't have to clean up."

Little haste they both set off after all the big plastic was stuffed into the trunk of the car. Leave the Sari bu with a pile of pans and buckets to wash.

The journey from Rania boarding house to Diah's house is a bit far because the road is one way, so it must be twisted because Diah brought a car. If you ride a motorbike you can go through the mouse road. Rania was riding her motorcycle behind Diah's car which was driving slowly on a crowded street. Street vendors have lined up neatly along the road, preparing to scavenge the windfall since the day was still bright.

After passing through several red lights, Diah stopped in front of the house with a high fence that opened wide, then entered the spacious yard of the house followed by Rania behind her. Lots of cars and motorcycles are parked there. The invitation has arrived. The two walked in through a side door that was directly connected to the kitchen.

"Hi Ran, has it come?." Dandy, Diah's eldest brother, surprises him from behind a glass cabinet.

"Yes, sister, just waiting for Diah to take the cake order."

"He's been wanted by mother before."

Rania has been here a lot, has known all the Diah family. She has two younger brothers, both of whom are unmarried. Each is only three years old. The familiarity of the three of them did not indicate that their ages were different. They like to joke around, sometimes like kids. Often times there is envy in the depths of Rania's heart. He was an only child raised by his grandmother and father. His mother died when he was just one year old. Her father remarried when Rania entered Elementary School. Lucky she got a good stepmother, but her two children who were a few years older did not like her at all. They consider her mother's greater affection poured out for Rania so that sometimes they do not pay much attention to them. They often look for Rania's mistakes. Only the stepmother always defended him when he argued with his two half-sisters. Being often blamed and cornered, Rania grows up to be a talkative child.

Unfortunately, the good stepmother finally chose to divorce her father because she could not resist the embarrassment because of the attitude of her two children towards Rania. Rania cries when they pack up and leave her parents' house. At that time Rania stepped on fourth grade SD.

Because of the encouragement of her grandmother, her father remarried when Rania entered Junior High School. And that's when the havoc started. His new father's wife was a clothing merchant who sold in the market in the morning and sold around in the afternoon. Because of his busy work, his stepmother was rarely seen at home during the day. After selling around from house to house, he must have been exhausted and there was no time to just joke or share stories. Not only with Rania, with her father as well.

When he comes home there is no cooking for dinner, surely the house will be hell. His father who used to be quiet so an angry handyman because annoyed with the behavior of his wife.if that was so Rania would miss his mother who he could not even remember his face. Or her stepmother who loved her very much, considered her like her own child.

"Kok even daydreamed Ran," Dandy's voice resuscitated Rania From her daydreams about her past.

"No, I just remember my dad in the village."

"How many months have you not been home?." Dandy shifted his seat that was facing the table.

"Four, or five months. I forgot to remember." The girl smiled, but there was a gurgle of sadness in her eyes. He was so restrained from going home. Not not not miss the father, but every time his return must trigger a fight between his father and stepmother. Rania is tired, choosing to stay away from home. If he misses, he'll just call. Why come all the way if you get home even make the father rumat his high blood disease. Not to mention her stepmother's endless complaints about her father's illness, the quiet trade of buyers, the big house that had to be cleaned every day, or the cost of taking care of rice fields that did not match the harvest. Less grateful basis. Anything would be the ingredient to make him complain. Though in hindsight, she could not have needed to sell because her husband was not unemployed who had to be fed. The harvest of rice, corn and palawija in their gardens is enough to just eat and satisfy his desire to shop for clothes every month, as well as pay for Rania's tuition. But of course he would lack the materials to nag. Although not Cinderella, in fact, Rania had to bash her own bones to pay for college and meet her daily needs.

"Let's daydream again." Rania is shocked when her face is hit by a splash of water from the hands of Dandy who just washed his used glass.

"You should eat first Ran, surely you have not had time to eat. "

"Later on. Had already eaten siomay when tasting it feels right or not."

The night is getting late, the Thanksgiving is over. Rania went home to drive her motorcycle on the streets that began to be quiet. He refused on the grounds of riding his own bike when Dandy offered to drive him home. I'm not Cinderella, I don't leave anything at the party. Nothing will make me sad or desperate.. The girl smiled at a glance at the few merchants who started packing about to go home.