Inem was 8 years old. She was going to marry soon. Muk’s older than Inem two years and she is a best friend with Inem. Inem was very obedient girl to her family.
Her mother made a living by doing batik work. Inem’s father kept gamecocks. Sometimes, when he not gambling on cockfights, he would play cards with his neighbors. Previously, her father’s main occupation had been robbing people and was a criminal. Furthermore, almost all of Inem’s mother relatives were policemen.
There was even one with the rank of agent first class. Inem’s father himself had once been a policeman but had been discharged for taking bribes.Before Inem got married, Inem’s father always beat Inem’s mother. Inem’s mother had planned for her to get married after the coming harvest. Muk’s mother did not agree the married for the Inem, because she thinks the Inem was so young when she was going to be married in 8 years old.
Marbakan is seventeen years old, he the son of a well-to-do man at the same times, he also going to be Inem future husband. When the day of the wedding arrived, Inem was dressed in all her finery. The house was decorated with constructions of banyan leaves and young coconut fronds. All the house pillars were similarly.All the house pillar were similarly decorated with tricolor bunting. Inem’s family had found it impossible to contract for a puppet performance.
The puppet masters had already been engaged by other families in various neighborhoods. Because they were no puppet masters available, Inem’s family engaged a troupe of dancing girls. The dance troupe came, with its gamelan orchestra, and put on a tajuban. The tajuban lasted for two days and nights.
The bridegroom had reached the veranda. Inem squatted and made obeisance to her future husbands, and then washed his feet with flower water from a brass pot.Then the couple were tied together and conducted side by side to the nuptial seat. And the women who were watching beamed as though they were to be the recipients of the happiness to come.
At that very moment, Inem was crying so much that her make-up was spoiled, and tears were trickling down her pretty face. She had to urinate, but was afraid to tell anyone. After the wedding, Inem’s mother and Inem herself went on doing batik work-day and night. And once, when Muk was sleeping with her mother, a loud scream awakened him.
The scream were repeated again and again, accompanied by the sound of blows and pounding on a door.The scrams came from Inem’s mouth. Muk recognized her voice, they’re fighting. Such scream were almost sure to be heard every night. Screams and screams.
One day Inem came to Muk house. Her face was pale bloodless. Muk’s mother advise Inem to be a good wife to his husband. A year passed imperceptibly and Inem had divorced with his husband.
And thereafter, the nine-years-old divorcee – since she was nothing but a burden to her family. And from then on she was seldom seen outside her house. Yet Inem never again came to Muk’s house.
