The Primadona Malam

Job Offers

"How's Ceu? Did Niram come with me to Jakarta?" halim asked his brother.

Halimah who was holding a kebaya cloth, suddenly looked up at her sister. Shortly after, he turned his gaze towards Niram who was lifting a clothesline.

"Eceu doesn't know, Lim. Niram is our only child. Eceu is not convinced that his father Niram will allow Niram to work remotely. After all, Niram was just a high school graduation. Any company would accept him. Especially in a big city like Jakarta," said Halimah.

"Don't be that pessimistic, Ceu. In the past, Halim also graduated from SMK, but Halim was able to get a job in the metropolis. Higher education does need to get a good position, Ceu. However, sustenance, no one knows. It is possible that Niram became a successful person when he came out of this village. What kind of work can we get in our village, Ceu. What could Eceu have, let the mud-strewn Niram follow in his parents' footsteps?" Syndir Halim.

Both of Niram's parents were farm laborers. They will work in the harvest season only. That is also if there are rich people who allow farm workers to work. Because at this time, the rice field owners in his village chose to contract their rice fields to the foundation rather than cultivate it themselves. While the foundation has special workers to harvest rice.

"Uhuk-uhuk-uhuk!"

When the mood is quiet. There was a sound of coughing from inside the room. The source of the voice came from a middle-aged man who was lying weakly. Yes, He is Hanafi, the husband of Halimah who is none other than his father Niram.

Hanafi had long been lying helpless. Ever since doctors diagnosed him with tuberculosis, Hanafi has been unable to work anywhere else. Let alone doing heavy work, to help his wife do homework, Hanafi was no longer able.

"Kang Ana is sick. Eceu needs money to buy Ana's medicine, right? While the income of this house only relies on wages memayet kebaya that is not how much. Not infrequently also Eceu did not give kang Ana medicine because it could not buy it. Could Eceu let Ana cough like that all her life?"

It seemed, Halim was not tired of persuading her brother. Halim did all this not because she wanted to manage the family life of her brother. However, she felt sorry if her brother had to work hard to meet the needs of the family. What can be expected from the wages of the village. Rupiah earned is never worth the sweat poured.

"Give Eceu time, Lim. Eceu wants to discuss it first with his father Niram" Halimah said.

"All right, the day after Halim left. Let Halim know if Eceu and Niram have a decision. You see, Halim must find a replacement if Niram is not willing to accept a job offer from his boss Halim," said Halim.

Halimah just nodded her head. After Halim resigned, Halimah tidied up the kebaya cloth and sequins to be brought into the house. For a moment, he looked at Niram who was still busy flipping through the clothes of the neighbors.

Yes, to support the family economy, Niram helped his mother become a laundry worker. The result is not much, but at least, Niram does not have to ask his mother for money to meet her needs.

"His heart is getting high, Ram. Come inside!" shout Halimah.

"Yes, Mom. In a moment" replied Niram.

Miss Halimah smiled. He then swung his steps into the house.

.

.

Second by second, keep going. Until without feeling, the ruler of the night has developed its wings. Darkness began to envelop nature. Niram lit the lamp. The lighting in his house was cut off a year ago. Since his father was sick and can not look for rupiah anymore.

Niram attached a lamp to the wall made of woven bamboo. After that, he went to the kitchen to get some charcoal. Niram divides the large charcoal into several small pieces. A moment later, he burned it.

The fire began to appear. After turning off the fire, using a wooden spoon, Niram moved the hot charcoal into an old iron. Iron that ends there is a statue of a rooster. An iron that Niram bought at a flea market shortly after lighting in the house died. Niram urgently needed it for his work as an iron-wash worker. Therefore, he was willing to dismantle his chicken piggy bank to buy the object.

After he finished putting the charcoal in, Niram went back inside. He put the iron on a zinc plate. One by one, Niram started taking clothes out of a large basket. The dry clothes he had lifted from the clothesline. A moment later, Niram began rubbing the clothes using a charcoal iron.

Halimah still faithfully opened some medicine from the package. The night air in the village was cold. Plus, Halimah and her husband only slept on a mattress that was held on the floor. There is absolutely no bed or cot that becomes a barrier to damp air sipping into the mattress.

"Take the medicine, Dad," said Halimah, handing over four items of medicine that her husband must regularly take every morning and at bedtime.

Hanafi took the drugs. A glass of water that his wife was holding. One by one, Hanafi swallowed the medicine. After that, he handed his empty glass back to his wife.

"Where is the water, ma'am?" hanafi asked, "is he teaching?" continued.

"No, Dad. Niram was ironing in the front room" Halimah said.

"Why do these nights have to be ironing, Mom. Darkened. He can iron tomorrow" Hanafi said.

"If it's ironing tomorrow, it's getting paid tomorrow afternoon, Dad. Whereas we need money to buy rice and side dishes in the morning" replied Halimah.

There was a heavy sigh from the middle-aged man whose body was now starting to thin. Both of his eyes began to glaze over. Instantly, he also cursed his illness that increasingly undermines his life.

"It's all Dad's fault, Mom. If you weren't sick like this, you wouldn't have had bad luck." Lirih Hanafis.

"Ish, have no Yah .. don't always blame yourself. All this is the destiny of the Gusti of God, and we cannot circumvent it. We just pray, Dad. May Mother and Niram be given complete health, so that they can replace the duty of Father for the survival of our family" said Halimah at length.

"If there was a young man who would propose to Niram, Dad would have immediately approved of his marriage, Mom," Hanafi said.

"Huss! Don't be in such a hurry, Dad. Niram was only 19 years old. Let her enjoy her youth first" Halimah said, disagreeing with her husband's thoughts.

"But pity Niram, ma'am. He has to work hard to meet our needs" Hanafi said.

"Then let her go to the city, Dad," said Halimah as if to get a chance to speak heart to heart with her husband.

"I mean Mom?"

"So Halim came here, Dad. He again asked us our answer to the work he offered Niram" Halimah replied.

Silent.

Truly, Hanafi did not know what to say. The job offer his sister-in-law brought was too difficult for Hanafi to agree. Niram will work in a metropolitan city. A city that is the heart of the country, where various activities are there. The hustle, population density, diversity of work, and various urban frenzies are certainly inversely proportional to the conditions here.

Hanafi scared. Yes, he was very afraid that Niram would fall into the atmosphere of the city. Many girls in the village have forgotten to return home after visiting the metropolis.

"Well," call Halimah who immediately disperse Hanafi daydreams.

"Let's ask Niram first, ma'am."