1: Bastard Employer

The man's breath was loud. When he opened the door to Mira's narrow room, his back was hit hard to close the door again. Mira stepped back, frightened to see her Master's face.

"Not again, sir...."

Mira pleaded with teary eyes.

"I beg you, Mr. Ahbek."

Even the woman who refused to be defiled for the umpteenth time bent down and hugged her Master's feet.

Ahbek's smile was cynical. His big hand stroked Mira's head gently. Then join the bend, aligning their height. His two big hands cupped Mira's chin. Mira could feel Ahbek's lips adjusting to her soft lips.

"NO!" Mira screamed. "Listen, sir. I'm not lawful to touch. Your hands are forbidden to touch me!"

Mira screamed once more, "I am only a worker in your house, not a slave girl!"

"Oh yes?" The answer did not care about the defendant. Soaring and reckless that broad chest pushed the tiny body to end up on the same bed.

This time Mira will act. Even if it's too late she wants to maintain her dignity as a woman. She picked up a heavy object that was in her room. She swung it at her master's head until the blood splattered around Ahbek's head.

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POV Hilya

"Gus Dur said that there were many cases of rape or sexual violence against domestic workers in Saudi Arabia because the Saudis considered domestic servants to be equal to female slaves (atun). In other words, according to Gus Dur, Saudis had intercourse with maids are legal where they apply ancient Islamic law, where female slaves can be mixed up just like that."

When I read it I was speechless. I glanced back at my sister who was crying in Mother's arms. I'm concerned about her. To be precise, I empathize. Participate in the pain and shame that she feels. Her initial intention was to migrate to become a foreign worker, to provide for my mother and I after my father died, two years living in Saudi Arabia, my sister came home young pregnant.

She said her employer, who is already married, sexually assaulted her. Actually from the start, my sister had experienced it in a row for two years. Her employer came to her in the maid's room and just fucked her. At first, my sister gave up, because she needed money and work, moreover, the salary she got while working there was pretty decent, for my mother's medical expenses and our needs here.

But, constantly being bullied like an animal, my sister finally couldn't stand it. She once tried to fight back when her employer was about to rape her again. From my sister's story of her resistance, the Master got a significant head wound. In fact, it was my sister who was reported to the police and was the guilty party. My sister did not go to jail, because her employer withdrew her charge. After that, my sister took a vacation to return home to Indonesian even though the contract period was still about three years away.

When she came home, she was surprised when she tried the test phack, my sister came home pregnant.

Since this afternoon, in the arms of my mother, my sister has not stopped crying. Her eyes and nose were red, looking frustrated. "How about it, Mom... I don't want to bear that bastard's child. Let alone bear a child for him." Gently pat Mother's wrinkled hands on the back of her body and head. Trying to calm down, even though my sister can barely be calmed. She's really messed up.

"Even if you don't want it, you can't abort it, Mir... just keep it. The baby also your flesh and blood and Mother's grandchild."

Mother's voice is warm. Always managed to calm the heart.

Gradually, my sister finally stopped crying. Still in Mother's arms, I hugged my sister's back. Feeling the back of her warm body mixed with cold, what I know now from that one body are two very precious lives. My sister and her baby.

My sister was really shocked when she found out she was pregnant. Even though she hated the bastard who raped her, she actually loved her flesh and blood. All of this was seen from her intention not to abort the baby she was carrying. My sister cares for and maintains the womb. Even when she left the house, the neighbors started to make fun of them, because of their taunts after her stomach grew. My sister almost never left the house. She stayed indoors, never went out, always doing small chores like cleaning, cooking, sewing and the like that were within her means.

Because my savings were running low after my sister returned from Saudi Arabia, there was no remittance at all. My elderly mother and I work outside the home to earn a living. Most of it is for our food every day and the rest is saved for my sister's birth expenses later. The results of our labor from one place to another, are actually far from sufficient. I was also concerned to see Mother so exhausted. When I say, let me do the work myself.

She refused. She said, the wages of one person alone will not be able to feed three mouths at once. Moreover, we need savings for new lives that will be born. I know Mom is not well. Her body was old and all this time she was actually sickly. When I insisted, because we were both stubborn, my mother finally won the debate. Mother always manages to settle an argument with her child, if there is a broom in her hand. She would hit me who nagged with a broom stick to keep me quiet, even though it didn't hurt at all I obeyed. It's been a habit since I was little when my mother held up a broomstick.

Today, at the age of 5 months of my sister's pregnancy, I brought my mother home because her circumstances were absolutely impossible. She looked so tired, coughing and seemed to be about to pass out. At home, my sister greeted frantically. I lay my mother down on the bed, as I touched her forehead and body. Everything was hot. All day long I worry, we don't have to pay to call a doctor or take Mom to the hospital. I saw my sister crying next to Mother's body, Mother even scolded her child.

I took wages from neighbors who were harvesting their thick coconuts planted in the yard. Even though they didn't really need my services, in the end they gave me a job to open all the coconuts. One coconut whose skin I peeled off, I will be paid two thousand rupiah.

Not bad, the number of coconuts in the tens. If I get everything right, maybe I can take Mother to the nearest health center. Actually I wanted to owe one of my neighbors, but my mother refused to do that. She said, embarrassed. How many times have we borrowed their money. Mother insisted that she was fine. Just a normal fever. But I'm worried about it.

Fifty coconuts, peeled properly with a knife. My fingers are cramping, my knuckles are red. But there are still a few dozen more, I hurry and hurry a little. Just because of a carelessness, finally the knife I swung accidentally cut the small tip of my index finger. I groaned in pain as blood gushed out. The owner of the coconut tree was hysterical and immediately treated me. After I was paid more money and even bothered the neighbors again because the work I took was not done properly, at home I was scolded by Mother.

She lectured with a shriek, exactly not worried about seeing me goofy and end up hurting myself. I saw, her tears dripped when she saw me my index finger was bandaged.

"You brat! Why don't you listen to me!"

She screamed and then cried. She grabbed my forefinger which was missing the tip. Exasperated, she patted the back of my hand many times. While crying. "For just a small amount of money, you lose your finger! You brat."

"But... this is for Mom's medical expenses...." I pleaded.

She stopped nagging. I saw her body was touched, then sobbed again. I know, Mom has been very sorry for this. Regretfully, because of our poverty, my sister was rejected by her future father-in-law and did not marry the man she loves. Even more regretful, when my father died, my sister was forced to become a Female Worker abroad and ended up like this. She also regrets that her old body is sickly, costing a lot of money for treatment and causing trouble for her daughter who goes all the way to another country just to support us. I once scolded Mother, because she had prayed that her life would be taken away so that she would not trouble her two children again. Inherited the gene, we are both talkative.

"If you cut your finger like this, who will marry you again, huh?" Mother continued to nag.

Mother had always discussed the absolute future for girls like us, which was marriage. That's why she is grateful that all of his daughters are born beautiful, diligent, can cook and are good at cleaning. But she was so sorry, because of our low economic situation, a few years ago my sister failed to become a bride.

The man's family canceled it.