Marti & Sandra (14)
Sandra was just about to get off the chair when the phone rang again. Marti reached for it and answered in a heavy voice, as if every word was a struggle.
17. Martabak
Marti was drunk when she opened the gate, staggering. She carried her high-heeled shoes.
It was very difficult for Marti to open the front door, even though it was never locked. Once inside, Marti collapsed into a chair, and then bent over and vomited.
Marti tried to crawl to the bathroom, but couldn't get up.
Sandra put a hand on her mother's shoulder.
“Mama! Mama! Are you sick?”
Marti only groaned in reply.
***
Marti was sleeping on the sofa. Her head was on a pillow and Sandra had covered her with a sheet. Marti was still fully clothed and her face was creased, even though she was wearing makeup.
Sandra then mopped the floor, cleaning up her mother’s vomit. She struggled to wring out the thick mop with her small hands.
After everything was done, Sandra sat in the chair staring at her mother sleeping until she fell asleep.
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Suddenly, the house phone rang.
Sandra and Marti both woke up, but Marti looked terrible. Sandra picked up the cordless phone and handed it to Marti.
"Hello. Yes? Yes, I turned off the pager. It’s too bad. I drank too much, maybe. What? At that hotel again? Which room? Ugh. But I think I'm drunk. Yes. Should I? Difficult. Yes, it’s difficult. What time is it? Asking for a woman is like asking for martabak [filled pancake]. Just say my period just started. Yes. Just that. Yes, I will come tomorrow. Bye!”
Marti looked so bad and she immediately fell asleep again. The telephone fell on the carpet.
Sandra picked it up, but it turned out Marti was still awake.
"No need to put it back. Just put it down somewhere. "
Sandra put it on the table near the sofa.
"Sleep, Sandra."
Sandra returned to the chair.
“Sandra just wants to sleep here.”
Marti smiled at her daughter.
"You didn’t bring your doll?"
Sandra shook her head, sitting on the chair.
"Get a sheet, Sandra, there are mosquitoes."
Sandra was just about to get off the chair when the phone rang again. Marti reached for it and answered in a heavy voice, as if every word was a struggle.
"Yes. Can’t people rest? What? Is he again? What did he say? He wants me, even though I have my period? Damn it, what a guy. Just tell him he's crazy! "
Marti put the phone down, annoyed. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling.
"Am I martabak..." she said to herself.
Sandra looked at Marti with an expression that was hard to read.
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***
The students ran and jumped around outside the classroom. Some of them started playing hide-and-seek.
Their teacher, Ms. Tati, tidied up the stack of papers. She glanced at the mostly empty classroom.
Sandra looked around her. The other students who had still not finished their writing assignment were working on them diligently.
Ms. Tati returned to walking around the desks, sometimes taking a quick, sneaky glance at what her students were writing on the lined paper.
“We were excited to gather with family.”
“When I left, I was not sad, knowing I would visit again. Play, play, and play. That's what I always want.”
“Grandma was very kind to me.”
Sandra looked hard at her blank paper. She glanced up at her teacher, who was still walking around the room.
Sandra stared at the blank sheet of white paper. She looked like she was deep in her thoughts.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
