The dawn air in Sukamaju Village still felt bone-chilling, but Amara was already busy in their small bamboo-walled kitchen. While enduring the tightness that was beginning to attack her chest—a constricting sensation that now greeted her every morning—she wrapped corn rice and anchovy sambal in banana leaves.
"Dear, are you really going now?"
Amara turned. Her mother, Sumiyati, stood in the kitchen doorway with swollen eyes. Behind her, Amara's two younger siblings, Sekar, who was seven years old, and Bimo, who was still five, rubbed their eyes, having just woken up.
Amara forced a smile, even though her heart felt like it was being squeezed. "Mom, if Amara doesn't go to Jakarta, what about Sekar and Bimo's school fees? Our debt to the loan shark also needs to be paid off quickly."
"But Jakarta is far away, Mara. You just graduated from school. I feel like a failure as a parent if I have to let you become a maid there," Sumiyati sobbed, stroking her daughter's shoulders, who seemed strong but was actually fragile.
"Mara is going away?" Bimo ran over and hugged Amara's legs. "Sister, don't go... who will accompany Bimo to find grasshoppers?"
Amara knelt, lowering herself to her younger brother's height. She caressed Bimo's round cheeks. "Bimo is a smart boy, right? Sister is going away for a little while to earn money so Bimo can buy a new bag and delicious milk. When I come home, I will bring a big toy."
"Really, Mara?" Bimo asked, his eyes sparkling. Amara nodded firmly, even though her throat felt constricted.
Sekar, who was more mature than her age, just stood silently. She approached and whispered something. "Sister... is your shirt wet again?"
Amara was startled. She immediately pulled her shawl to cover her chest. The seepage had appeared again. "Shhh... it's okay, Sekar. I am just... a little sweaty."
"It's not sweat, Sister. It smells sweet," Sekar whispered innocently.
Amara immediately hugged both of her younger siblings tightly, hiding her face so they wouldn't see her tears falling. Only she knew the strange medical secret she was experiencing. She had read something about it in the school library's health book—something about excess hormones—but she was too afraid to tell her mother, who already had so many burdens.
"Amara promises, mom," Amara said, standing up and reverently kissing her mother's hand. "I'll send money every month. Take care of your health, take care of Sekar and Bimo. Amara will be fine in Mr.Aditama's house. They say they are good people."
Sumiyati handed over a cloth package containing provisions. "This is for the journey. Be careful, honey. Guard your honor. In big cities, there are many wolves in sheep's clothing."
Amara nodded, but in her heart, she thought, 'Let the wolves come, as long as my family can eat.'
With an old backpack and a pounding heart, Amara stepped out of her humble house. She didn't look back as the inter-provincial economy bus began to move away because she knew that if she did, she would never be able to leave.
She didn't know that in Jakarta, she wouldn't just be a baby caregiver, but an oasis for a man whose heart had long been barren.
- - -
Amara took a deep breath as the door of the economy bus opened at Kalideres Terminal. The smell of pollution, exhaust fumes, and the hustle and bustle of people greeted her harshly. However, all the exhaustion seemed to evaporate as she gazed at the skyline.
Skyscrapers stood proudly, piercing the thin clouds of Jakarta. To Amara, the buildings looked like glass giants reflecting the afternoon sunlight.
"Extraordinary... so tall," Amara murmured softly, tightening her grip on her backpack. Her eyes didn't blink as she looked at the grandeur she had never encountered beyond the hills of her village.
"Don't daydream, or you'll get pickpocketed," a crisp female voice startled her.
Amara turned and saw a woman in her 40s with neat but simple clothes. It was Lasmi, a distant relative who had promised her a job.
"Miss Lasmi!" Amara smiled in relief, feeling like she had a protector in this concrete jungle.
"Come on, Mara. Let's take a taxi. Mr.Arlan is waiting. The baby has been fussy all morning," Lasmi said, pulling Amara's hand towards the row of cars waiting in line.
Inside the vehicle heading towards the elite Menteng area, Amara kept pressing her face against the window. She was amazed to see rows of luxury cars and city lights that were starting to turn on. However, the atmosphere turned serious as Lasmi began to give instructions in a low and firm tone.
"Listen carefully, Mara. Working at the Aditama residence is not the same as in the village. Your salary is high, more than enough for Sekar and Bimo's school fees every month, but your responsibilities are also heavy."
Amara nodded quickly, her face showing seriousness. "What do I have to do, Madam? I will learn quickly."
"Your main task is only one: to take care of Baby Kenzo. He's only three months old, and it's unfortunate that he was abandoned by his mother just like that. But remember one thing," Lasmi looked Amara in the eye sharply, "Never ask about Mr.Arlan's wife. In that house, that woman's name is forbidden to be spoken. Don't provoke the Master's anger."
"Okay, madam. I promise not to be presumptuous."
"And about Mr.Arlan..."Lasmi sighed deeply. "He is a very cold person. Very rigid. If he passes by, just bow your head and don't dare look him in the eye for too long unless he speaks first. He doesn't like noise, doesn't like carelessness, and most importantly... never touch anything in his study."
Amara swallowed hard, nervousness beginning to spread to her fingertips. "Mr.Arlan... is he a temperamental person, madam?"
"He's just a man who is hurting, Mara. His heart has been frozen since his wife betrayed him. Oh yeah, one more thing," Lasmi looked Amara up and down. "Mr.Arlan is very obsessed with cleanliness. You must always be neat and fragrant. And... are you ready? You have to be on standby 24 hours because Baby Kenzo refuses all kinds of formula. He is very difficult to calm down."
Amara felt her chest throbbing painfully. That warm seepage appeared again, wetting her underwear until it felt damp. "Amara will try her best, Madam. Amara really needs this job for mom in the village."
The taxi then stopped in front of a towering black gate. As the automatic gate slid open slowly, a magnificent European-style modern mansion stood proudly behind a neatly arranged garden.
"Remember my message earlier, Mara," Lasmi whispered as they got out of the car. "Don't talk if you don't have to, and treat Baby Kenzo like your own world. Understand?"
"Understood," Amara replied softly, trying to calm her racing heart.
As they stepped onto the spacious terrace made of shiny marble, the faint sound of a baby's heartbreaking cries could be heard from upstairs, accompanied by the low roar of a man who sounded very frustrated.
"Why won't he be quiet?! Is there not one of you capable of taking care of a baby?!"
Amara trembled. The voice was so heavy and full of authority. Her footsteps felt heavy, but she knew that behind that big door, her family's fate was determined.
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