It's been two full moons since I sat with my lover by the river near our house. The silence was profound. There was no moon tonight. Even the stars had vanished, shrouded by thick, dark clouds in the night sky. A cold wind blew into my room through the slightly open window. The room looked the same. Comic books were scattered on the study desk, a worn mattress stood in one corner of the room, and a mirrored wardrobe stood in another. A red sleeve peeked out from the gap in the door, its vibrant red color visible.
Mother was busy in the kitchen as usual. Preparing dinner, arranging the plates for the meal, and cleaning the kitchen so there wouldn't be too much work later. There were usually four plates placed on the dining table. One for Father, one for Mother, one for me, and one for my brother. But now, only three plates were placed on the dining table. The fourth plate had been smashed, broken into pieces by Father when they discovered that my brother had left them.
The sound of a car horn came from the front door of the house. I walked to open the door so Mother wouldn't have to bother leaving her work. I turned the doorknob, and immediately a strong gust of wind hit my face. I ran to the gate, pushed it aside, and waited until Father's car was neatly parked in the garage, then quickly closed the gate. When I got inside, my clothes were soaked, and water dripped from my loose hair.
“Father!” Mother called from the kitchen.
“Where’s the food, Mother?” he shouted, half-angry.
“Almost ready, Father,” Mother replied, trembling.
I saw Mother come out of the kitchen carrying a giant plate full of delicious food. Her face tensed when she saw Father's face. I intended to take the plate when Mother lost control, and it crashed onto the ceramic floor with a loud clang.
“What are you doing, Wati!” Father snapped at Mother.
“I’m sorry, Mas,” she said softly. “I’m sorry!
“Do you think earning money is easy these days? Wasting food we have! Do you think your husband is a money vault, huh?”
“I mean…”
“In the morning, you should be washing the car, but instead, you're watching gossip on TV. In the afternoon, instead of ironing, you're gossiping with the arisan ladies! At night, instead of preparing a proper welcome for your husband who's been working all day, you're doing such a shoddy job. You can't even carry a plate from the kitchen to the dining table! What kind of wife are you? The older you get, instead of getting better, you just get worse! No wonder my other child chose to run away rather than have parents like you.” Father ranted incessantly. I felt like slapping Father's face, which was red with anger.
“I’m sorry, Mas,” Mother said again, even softer. I saw blood gushing from her foot, pierced by a shard of glass.
“You too!” Father snapped at me.
“Get a broom and clean up these glass shards!”
“Fine!” I exclaimed, unable to bear it.
Swiftly, I grabbed the broom and cleaned up the scattered glass shards mixed with Mother's cooked food. Meanwhile, Mother left the room and walked towards her bedroom. Father picked up the phone and a moment later spoke to someone on the other end.
“Can you go to the restaurant tonight, Dri? Okay, I'll wait for you at Mekar Mulia restaurant. Relax, no rush, it's only seven o'clock.” Father put the phone receiver back in its place. He wiped the rainwater from his hair with a handkerchief, and smiling, left the room.
“Hypocrite,” I thought to myself.
As soon as Father left the house, Mother came down from her room and limped towards the kitchen.
“Help me fry eggs! My foot hurts!” she ordered.
“Fine!” I replied sarcastically.
When Father is here, he's angry at Mother and me. When Father isn't here, I get yelled at because Mother doesn't dare to be angry at Father. When neither Father nor Mother is here, I get angry at myself. This 'happy family' is truly shattered. A hypocritical Father, an overly weak Mother, a brother who refuses to face reality and ran away from home, and me, who is desperate.” I thought to myself.
Two full moons ago, I sat by the river flowing near our house with my lover. But now he has left me after getting bored of me. Men's words truly cannot be trusted. He promised to take me away from this house. I gave him everything, but in the end, he left alone without me.
What will become of our family? My brother's statement didn't help my parents realize anything; instead, it only worsened the situation. Father refused to be called a corrupt bureaucrat. He was even more offended when my brother called him a coward for not daring to uphold justice. If only I were a boy, I would surely follow in his footsteps. But alas, fate had me born a girl.
I have lost my self-respect and honor because of my own actions, trusting empty sweet talk too much. Tomorrow, I have to sit for the national final exam that will determine my future in two months.
I don't know what I should do. I haven't studied, and I can't even think straight. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mother leave the room with a bandage on her foot. But I think that bandage would be more fitting on her heart. Mother's heart is already wounded by all our actions. In my room, I opened my diary and picked up the black pen lying on the side of the table.
The storm never passes. When will it pass? I always long for your prayers and love, But you never give them. Wealth and material things will be useless. They won't be taken to the grave. Then why, why must you pursue them?
All of this is unfair to me. I haven't even finished high school, but I'm already tired of this life. Goodbye, Father and Mother. I am leaving forever. Not like my brother, who left home and lives somewhere else. I will go far, even further. Flying into the sky among the white clouds, Gone forever.
Note: This short story was written to fulfill one of the required syllabi. In this syllabus, the author was asked to write a short story based on W.S. Rendra's "Sajak Portret Keluarga" (Poem: Family Portrait). Although the events in this story are based on the poem, the plot was created by the author.