Commensalism

Unwanted

“Get that devil off my sight! Or I’ll kill it….!” Shout the man to the nurse, bringing the crying, new born baby….

“Honey…! Honey….! Argh…!!!!” Shout the man, roaring with anger after his wife gives up her life delivering the baby….

****

The three years old toddler was crying when the door of the house slammed shut in front of her face….

She never knows what her mistake was…. And why her father only bringing her sister for vacation…

“Please don’t be sad, Miss. Febri…” said an elderly maid, working at their house, who can’t hold her tears as she saw the injustice the father did to the sisters….

“We play together, okay…?” She said, calming the crying girl, makes the beautiful face that should be happy, spoiled with sadness….

****

“Ebi….” Said Agustina, slowly, popping her head to the room where the maid put her index finger to her own lips, gesturing the sister to keep quiet because her little sister has just fall asleep after crying for so long….

The maid becomes sadder because she knows how Agustina loves her little sister, and it shows on her young, lovely face that looks gloom as she saw her sister still sobbing in her sleep….

“Please give this to Ebi…” said Agustina, handing a tiger doll to the maid before she runs as she hears her father calling her….

With stars in her eyes, the maid put the doll next to the sleeping girl who unconsciously pull the doll and hug it tightly….

****

“You little thief!” Shout the father as he yanks the tiger doll which being played by the little child at the kitchen floor…

“Kya….! It’s Ebi’s…. It’s Ebi’s…!” Cried the little child, tries to take the doll back, against the hard push her father gives her that makes her fall on the kitchen floor….

“I’m sorry….! It hurts…! Waah….!” Cries the little child when the father removes his belt and hits the little child angrily…

“Sir…! Stop….! Please…” Cries the maid, running to the kitchen as she hears the wailing of the little child, who tries to curls, avoiding the lashes from her father….

“Move, Meena…! I want to punish this little thief….!” Shouts the man furiously….

“Dad! Stop!!!” Shout Agustina who come and protect her sister…

“I gave Febri that doll!” She said angrily….

****

Agustina struggled as her father pulled her away from the kitchen… S

She wanted to protect her sister….

****

“Waah…! It hurts….” Cried the little child, as she was cuddled by the maid who was crying to see the brutality the young child’s father did to his own daughter….

Once she even dared herself to ask the man so she can bring the little child to her village and nurtured as her own daughter….

But not just towards her…. Some family members from the mother side get the same rejection from the man when they wanted to raise the little girl….

I’ll torture that little devil, slowly…. Thought the man….

Deserved punishment for killing my beloved wife….

****

"Waah…." Cried the little girl as he enters the kitchen, dirty and her clothes were rips…

“My god, Miss Febri….?!” Said the maid, panic to see her condition….

“What happened…?” She asked, as she brings the little girl to the bathroom and washes all the dirt away….

“Ebi…. Ebi punch people…” She said stuttered between sobs…

“They said…. Hik… Ebi stupid…. Ebi doesn’t go to school….” She said, sobbing, which makes the old maid cries in sadness….

The sound behind her, surprised the maid who looked around and saw Tina trotted to the living room and met her father…

“Dad! If Febri doesn’t go to school, then I quit!”

****

The little girl giggled as she looked herself in the mirror inside the maid’s room…

The kindergarten uniform makes her even cuter….

Meena shed her tears, feeling happy to see the little girl laughing joyously… It’s been a long time since she saw the girl was so happy….

Yet, part of the tears was from the memory of the father words….

“Meena, go find the cheapest kindergarten for that devil…. Don’t waste my money…!” He said n curt tone as he walks away from her…

Doesn’t she punish enough…? She thought…. But to see the girl who asked her

“Am I pretty…? Am I pretty…?” The maid forced a smile, so the happy child doesn’t see her sadness….

“Yes, Miss Febri… You are so pretty….”

****

“SEE, TINA…! I TOLD YOU THIS DEVIL CAUSES NOTHING BUT TROUBLE…?!” Shout the man as she walks out of the house, slamming the door behind him, leaving Agustina protecting her sister who come from her school with torn and dirty elementary school uniform….

“What happened, Bi…?” As the sister softly, yet her kindness answered with the slap to her hand as she trotted to the maid’s room which also becomes her room….

“Miss Tina… Please don’t be angry towards your sister….” The old maid begged the siter for her understanding….

Smiling, reassuring the maid, Agustina said… “I’m not Angry…. Just please ask Ebi what happened at school…. I’ll talk to Dad…”

****

Between her sobs, with her now cleaned body, and new clothes, the little girl then said…

“My classmates called me a bastard child… That my parents were unclear…. They say I was leftover child…” She said, sobbing but with fiery tone, pouring her heart out to the maid who once again cries, realizing how sad the child life was…

Her father’s condition forced her to find the cheapest school she managed to find which unfortunately crowded with low attitude of most of its students, whose grade was as low as the school passing grade….

****

“Congratulation, Bi…. You’ve passed…” said Agustina genuinely, which answered with cynical gaze from her younger sister who avoid her face and left her sister…

“Miss Febri….!” Said the maid, disapprovingly, as she saw what happened….

“It’s okay, Meena…”

“No, Miss Tina… If Miss Febri doing something wrong, it’s my duty to remind her…” She said, as she looks for the angry girl to their room….

****

“If you were angry with your father, I can understand. But don’t you ever try to get angry or even hate Miss Tina…. Because, despite the luxury she has, her heart was hurt and torn just as we are…. And don’t you forget that she’s the one who fought tooth and nails so you can go to school… Now come with me….” The maid said, taking the girl’s hand who looks reluctant to see her sister who hugged her lovingly, even before the girl managed to say a word…

****

A child is a child no matter what…

Hoping that her father would be proud of her graduation, the little girl brings him a mug of tea on top of a tray, with the graduation certificate which rolled neatly next to it…

*****

The slap of his hand makes the warm tea spilled on her body as she falls to the floor….

Her heart aches as she saw her years of efforts ripped to pieces by the man who yell at her with swarm of curses….

***

“Why is he like that, to me, Meena…?”

“It’s not my fault that Mom died, right…?”

“It’s not my fault that I was born a girl, right…?” the little girl asked, weeping at the night of her graduation, which supposed to be the night of joy, yet it turns to be the bitter night for the girl….

The three women cries…. Even in that day, Agustina failed to calm his father wrath…

***

The constant bitterness she has, makes her mentality roughened between her effort to be acknowledged by her father and rebellion against the injustice and brutality from her father she has to endures….

And in the middle school, her attitude changes drastically….

If you want me to be a boy, then I’ll be a boy… She thought as she grabbed on her ponytail and push the sharp kitchen knife up….

“Febri….!” Shout the maid as she saw the girl holding the severed hair of her thick ponytail before hurriedly, she runs off to a barbershop and asked the barber, who a little pity on her, finally agree to give her a crew cut ….

She wears shots underneath her skirt, since her school didn’t allow her to wear boy pants uniform….

****

“SON OF A b***h! ALWAYS CAUSING TROBLE!!!” Shout the man as he saw his eldest daughter, accompanied with his maid, picks up the trouble maker from school, black and blue…

It was her countless fight she has at school….

And the two weeks suspensions given to her, was used by her to get wild…

“Miss… Mis Febri…!” Shout the old maid, hurriedly to the gate as she saw the girl runs outside the gate, jumped at the saddle of a modified motorcycle, already occupied with two punk teenagers, who crank its throttle and speeds away…

****

The city car stopped not far from a group of youth, hanging out after the illegal race….

All looked drunk…. Including….

****

Febri was surprised, she tries to get up, but her legs feel like jelly as she tries to run away from her furious sister….

“Well… well… well!” Said one of the youths, who accompanied by his goon, blocking her to get to her little sister…

“Where did you think, you’re going, sweetheart…” said the youth, whose breath reeks with alcohol…

Agustina pulls her face as the teenager flick on her chin….

****

The sudden blaring sound of the siren makes the crowd suddenly scattered too safe themselves, leaving only the dead drunk few who passes away, lying on the sidewalk while Agustina stands tall, looking furiously towards her siter who slumps with fear as she saw her angry sister approaches her and dragged her to the car and push a button that turn the siren off….

****

“Akh…. I’m Sorry…. Tina… Sorry…. Sorry…!” Plead the girl, gasping for air as her sister pours dippers of cold water on her, still clothed, sister…

At the bathroom door, the maid was standing, with tears in her eyes, feeling sad to see her little child has fallen tis far…

“You are fighting, I still accepted it…!” Said Agustina, pouring the cold water on her sister… “You hate all off this house, I still can take it! But to ruin yourself like this…?!” She shouted… “Drinking cheap drinks…?! If you want to die, then die with dignity!” Shot the angry girl, throwing the dipper to the bathroom floor, and leaves the shivering girl, with tears in her eyes to the maid’s room, next to the bathroom….

The old mad only able to cry as she removes the soaking wet clothes, spoiled with the girl’s own vomit she couldn’t hold inside…

She then washes the girl with warm water, clean her body with care, pity, and sadness… Not only for the girl, but also to the girl’s sister….

If only she can do more…

*****

“I am truly sorry, Sis….” Said the girl, changed into dry clothes as she lay herself next to her sister who then looked at her genuinely feeling guilty, little sister….

“Don’t do it again, Bi…” Agustina said, kissing her sister forehead lovingly, mending her little sister position, tugging her blanket, and kissed her forehead once again, and leaves the girl who quickly fall asleep….

“Meena…” said the girl, as she hugs the old maid, who hugs her back, as if she was her own daughter….

She can feel the struggle of the girl who always get different treatment, forced by her father on her….

She finally let the girl go as the girl, reluctantly let her hug go too, and with sadness in her face, reluctantly went inside the her hated, plush bedroom….

****