“Yes, Mom. I heard from a neighbor that the household is currently looking for a lot of female workers, and the pay is pretty good too, Mom,” Anastasya explained to her mother.
Abraham Selamet was a prominent figure in the capital. He could be called the richest person there, as well as number one in the city center.
He owned a fairly large house that was practically a palace—a mansion, you could say—and he also owned a major parent company with several branch offices in almost every other city. That was why Anastasya was so interested in working for the family.
The Abraham Selamet family, on the other hand, had their own reasons for recruiting new workers. They had hired many female workers for their household over the years, but now Mr. Abraham wanted to replace the old personnel with new ones, and naturally, they had to be young and beautiful.
As for the older female workers, whom he considered no longer fit to work in his home, they had to be retired immediately and given proper severance pay. After that, they had to leave the Abraham household without any excuse. That was why Abraham Selamet was opening a job opening at his home again after fifteen years.
Murni, Anastasya’s mother, could no longer work hard because she had a strange illness that had left one of her legs disabled. As a result, she had to walk with a limp as she went about her daily routine.
For that reason, since her mother could no longer work to support her and her younger sibling, Anastasya wanted to change her family’s life for the better. Working in the Abraham family’s home was one way she thought she could do that, especially since the salary being offered was quite large.
Even so, she knew she couldn’t read or write. Still, Anastasya was confident she could become one of the candidates.
“Mom says don’t, Sweetheart,” her mother said, feeling uneasy about her daughter’s decision.
“Why, Mom?” Anastasya asked, needing an explanation from her mother.
Murni fell silent as she thought about something, then drew a breath and spoke. “All I know is that the Abraham family is cruel, Tasya,” her mother said.
“You don’t need to worry about that, Mom. Tasya is strong and can take care of herself. Tasya also needs a lot of money so she can send Bianka to school until she graduates from college,” Anastasya said, steeling her resolve.
“But, Sweetheart …”
“Mom …” Anastasya cut her mother off immediately. Then she continued.
“You’ve struggled and worked hard all this time to raise the two of us. Now let me repay you by working in Mr. Abraham’s home. I’ll get paid a large amount every month, Mom … and then I’ll give the money to you and Bianka. I’m sure our lives will change, Mom,” Anastasya said, trying to convince her mother.
Murni was still worried about letting Anastasya work in the Abraham household, but she also realized that if Anastasya didn’t earn money for her, their life would never change.
To her, Anastasya was the most precious kind of daughter. She had never caused her any trouble. In fact, Anastasya had been the one helping her all this time.
In the end, Murni let Anastasya go, even though her heart still felt heavy at the thought of letting go of the daughter she had protected all these years.
“All right, Sweetheart. If you’re really sure about your decision, then I can’t stop you,” Murni said.
“Thank you, Mom,” Anastasya said, embracing her mother.
Her mother was sad, then said, “You’re right, Sweetheart. We need a lot of money just to survive, and we still haven’t renovated this house your father left us, even though the roof is already leaking,” Murni said, remembering something else.
She grew sad as she recalled the sweet memories she had shared with her late husband. He had given everything for his beloved family. But now he was at peace in heaven.
As for the house they lived in now, whenever it rained, water would seep inside, and Anastasya had to catch it in a bucket on the floor.
Murni had once wanted to change their fate and move out of that leaky house, but she couldn’t take her children anywhere else because of her physical limitations and lack of money.
“Mom, please don’t cry, or Tasya will cry too,” Tasya said, wiping her mother’s tears.
“Forgive me, Sweetheart. I’m happy to have you and Bianka. You’re my most precious treasures,” Murni said, trying to stay strong.
She was sad because Anastasya was going to leave her.
“Anastasya loves you too, Mom,” Anastasya said, continuing to hug her mother.
The two of them became lost in their grief, but a few minutes later, Anastasya released her embrace. Then the girl went into her room and came back carrying a piggy bank in her hand.