15. Marti
Marti ate with her hands. She wore only a simple wrap, a bit slipshod. Her hair was untouched, unadorned. Her feet were on a chair.
"Of course you have a Papa! A demon child! But it’s not clear who he is! And even if it's clear who he is, he doesn't necessarily want to be your Papa. Get it? Learn to live without a Papa!”
***
Marti smoked as she watched the fish in the aquarium.
"Fish, fish. What are you looking for, fish?”
***
Marti looked at herself in the mirror. Looked at the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, mouth and neck. Sometimes, she used her fingers to pull her skin down. She smiled at herself.
“Still attractive,” she thought, “but for how long?”
***
Sandra swallowed a mouthful of ice cream. Marti looked at her daughter with love. She was also eating ice cream.
“Is the ice cream yummy?”
Also read:
> Marti & Sandra (12)
> Marti & Sandra (11)
Sandra nodded. Marti wiped a smudge on Sandra's mouth. “Sandra, Sandra…” she whispered.
Sandra looked up from her bowl of ice cream, waiting for her mother to continue.
"It's nothing," said Marti.
But she smiled affectionately and prettily, squinting her eyes.
***
Marti closed the storybook, adjusted Sandra's pillow and stroked her hair.
”Sandra…”
Sandra answered with her eyes, ready to listen.
"Promise Mama you'll be a good woman, Sandra."
”Like Mama?”
"No, not like Mama. Don't be like Mama."
16. ‘It’s Been 40 Minutes’
Sandra lifted her head from her desk. The teacher, Ms. Tati, stepped forward, looking at her watch.
"It's been 40 minutes, the papers of those who have finished will be collected."
Also read:
> Marti & Sandra (10)
A student completed his writing assignment: “…When I returned home, I was very tired, but very happy. I never get tired of going on vacation with my family to Grandma's house.”
A student completed her writing assignment: “...My mother always greets me at the door whenever I come home. My mother is always at home. She prepares everything for the whole family. Also for me.”
Another student completed his writing assignment: “Now I know I should be grateful for the life that was given to me. Living in a family that is always cheerful and nothing less.”
Another student also completed her writing assignment: “I am very happy. May life stay like this forever. Amen.”
Sandra looked at her blank sheet of paper. Ms. Tati was already behind her. "Your paper is still blank, Sandra?" Sandra looked up with her pretty face. She wrote something.
Her hand wrote the title: “Mother”.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
