The next day, Anastasya set out, leaving her younger sibling and mother behind in order to change their fate.
Though it looked sad and was incredibly painful, Anastasya had to take this step for both their futures—and, of course, for her own as well.
She rode an ojek first, then continued by city bus. After a thirty-minute journey, Anastasya finally arrived at a rather magnificent and enormous house—a mansion like a grand palace.
Two male guards stood on either side of the gate, and it seemed the house was under very tight security.
Anastasya didn't care about that. The only thing on her mind was how she could get hired at such a magnificent home despite having no school diploma.
Steeling her resolve, she approached the gate and asked a uniformed officer on duty.
"Sir, is this really Mr. Abraham Selamet's house?" Anastasya asked, summoning her courage.
"Yes, it is. What brings you here?" the man in the black uniform asked Anastasya.
"I heard the Abraham Selamet family is looking for a female worker, and I'm interested in applying here," Anastasya explained, making clear the purpose of her visit.
"Oh, yes. You're right. We are looking for a female worker," the uniformed man said.
Anastasya's eyes lit up, and the man continued, "In that case, please come in, miss," he said, opening the gate for her and allowing Anastasya inside.
"Thank you, sir," Anastasya said.
"Yeah," the gate guard replied.
Carrying her clothes in a bag, Anastasya stepped into the grounds and looked around at the front yard.
The building really was enormous, like a palace. Yet its owner wasn't a government official, but merely a successful businessman. Rumors circulating through the community claimed that Mr. Abraham possessed immense wealth.
When she reached the front of the house, Anastasya saw many girls gathered there, each holding a bag just like she was. They were probably candidates applying to become a maid in that house, too.
"Are you here to work for Mr. Abraham?"
Another woman suddenly emerged from the house and asked the question in a firm voice.
"Yes, ma'am," several girls answered with a nod.
"Then line up neatly. The selection starts now," the woman ordered firmly.
Anastasya and the other girls immediately formed a line. Their faces looked tense, nervous, and afraid of being yelled at. But they didn't want to go home empty-handed, because an opportunity like this was incredibly rare. To them, this job promised a better future.
"All right. First, I'm going to inspect your appearance. If you're suitable, you may enter the house. But if I don't like you, find another job and don't wait here any longer. I don't like spoiled girls who beg me for pity. Do you understand?" the woman asked sharply.
"Yes, ma'am," the girls answered with some hesitation.
"Good. I'll start from the far right," the woman said as she began walking, studying the girls with a serious expression.
The selection turned out to be like a military inspection—extremely strict and enough to make anyone's heart pound. Only the strong would survive and be allowed into that magnificent house.
The woman would choose whichever candidates she wanted. There were twenty applicants, arranged in two rows, front and back.
The woman paced back and forth, then approached each girl and inspected her from head to toe before deciding who was suitable.
"You, go inside," the woman said, selecting the first girl on the far right.
"Yes! Thank you, ma'am!" the girl exclaimed.
The girl was visibly thrilled. She nodded and carried her bag of clothes into the house.
The second girl, however, was eliminated. Anastasya wasn't sure what that meant, but the woman clearly told her to go home immediately and forget her dream of working in the Abraham Selamet household.
"We don't need you here. Please go home," the woman said firmly.
Anastasya stood at the far left, her heart pounding as she waited for her turn. Meanwhile, the eliminated girls looked utterly devastated. Some even cried because they didn't want to leave, but there was nothing they could do. Only fate could decide their future, as if their lives depended on it.