Source text in Indonesian | Translation by JH Trads (#13355) |
Suara gaduh terdengar dari rumah Suliah ketika ia sedang memarahi Meriam, anak gadisnya semata wayang. Bagaimana dia tidak mau gusar, Meriam yang kini menginjak umur 16 sering menjadi gunjingan penduduk desa Madurasa. Memang semenjak kecil Meriam merupakan anak kesayangan pasangan Abas dan Suliah yang hanya dikurnai anak satu ini. Gadis cilik ini memiliki paras yang amat cantik, namun kecantikan inilah yang menjadikannya buah godaan kawan-kawan prianya. Ketika Meriam baru berusia 6 tahun, Abas merantau ke Jakarta untuk mencari keberuntungan di ibu kota. Tanggung jawab untuk membesarkan Meriam kini sepenuhnya berada di atas pundak Suliah. “Sudah berapa kali saya peringatkan kamu, jangan main-main sama laki sebelum kamu menikah. Kamu mau jadi lonté apa?” teriak Suliah sambil menampar muka anaknya. “Walaupun kita bukan orang kaya, namun ibumu ini masih cukup dipandang orang di desa ini. Tahu tidak, bahwa dengan kelakuanmu ini kamu mencemarkan nama baik keluarga kita?” Gara-garanya waktu pulang dari mencuci baju di kali, Suliah memergoki anaknya sedang bercekikikan sambil bercumbu-cumbuan di semak-semak dekat sekolah dengan Didi, anak sulung Pak Gadé. Setelah memaki-maki si Didi, Suliah menyeret anaknya sendiri pulang untuk diberi pelajaran. Walaupun dengan hati yang pedih karena sebenarnya ia sendiri tidak tega untuk menyakiti anak kesayangannya, namun dalam alam pikirannya yang sederhana, ia hanya mengenal satu cara untuk memberi pelajaran kepada anaknya yaitu dengan cara memukulinya. Malam itu Meriam dengan mata bengkak akibat tangisnya duduk termenung di atas tempat tidur sambil merenungkan kata-kata ibunya. Darah puber dalam dirinya berontak atas perlakuan kasar terhadap dirinya yang dirasakannya tidak adil. Apakah ini wujud cinta kasih yang layak ia dapatkan dari orangtuanya? Apakah ia salah bahwa teman-teman sekolahnya, terutama yang pria senang pada dirinya? Kalau ibuku tidak mencintaiku lagi apa gunanya aku masih lama-lama tinggal di kampung? Kalaupun pergi aku mau pergi ke mana? Jakarta! Ya, JAKARTA-lah yang akan menjadi tujuanku untuk mencari ayah. Seribu pertanyaan berkecamuk dalam benaknya namun tekadnya sudah bulat. Ia berangkat ke Jakarta! Bulan sudah merayap tinggi di langit ketika pintu rumah Suliah dibuka perlahan-lahan dan sosok tubuh gadis ramping menyelinap keluar dengan membawa bekal satu buntalan berisi dua setel baju dan sepasang sepatu kesayangannya. | A loud voice could be heard coming from Suliah’ house. Suliah was chewing Meriam out like a rag doll. How couldn’t she be irate, when in the entire village of Madurasa tongues were wagging about Meriam, who had barely turned 16 years old. Since she was a little girl Meriam was Abas and Suliah’s darling, as she was the couple’s sole offspring. The little girl had a gorgeous face, but this very beauty made her a temptation to the young boys around her. Just when she turned 6 years old, Abas went on a journey to Jakarta to try to make his own way in life in the capital. The entire burden of raising Meriam rested on Suliah’s shoulders. “I have already warned you several times not to fool around with boys before getting married. A hooker! Is that what you want to become?” yelled Suliah as she slapped the girl across the face. “Even though we are not rich people, your mother has a fairly good reputation in this village. Don’t you know that this behavior of yours sullies our family’s good name?” What a scene Suliah discovered as she was returning home after washing the clothes by the canal! She caught her daughter by surprise giggling and making out with Didi, Mr. Gadé’s eldest son, by the bushes near the school. After reading Didi the riot act, Suliah dragged her daughter home to teach her a good lesson. It was painful for Suliah because in truth she did not have the heart to hurt her precious child, but in her unsophisticated mind there was only one way to discipline her daughter: hitting her. That night, Meriam, with her swollen weepy eyes, sat pensive on her bed, mulling over her mother’s words. Her adolescent blood was getting up in arms against the rough treatment she received, which she felt was unfair. Did she deserve this type of love from her parents? What is wrong with schoolmates, essentially boys, liking her? If my mother does not love me anymore, what is the use of staying in the village? However, if I leave, where should I go? Jakarta! Definitely, JAKARTA will be my choice to look for my father. A thousand questions raced through her mind, but her determination was clear. She was leaving for Jakarta! The moon was already high in the sky when the door of Suliah’s home slowly opened and the tiny girl silhouette slipped away, carrying nothing more than a bundle containing two changes of clothes and her favorite pair of shoes. |