Chapter 5 Four

In the afternoon, when work in the garden was finished, Maliq offered us to stay at his house tonight, but I refused. Maliq is a kind and friendly man; it's not that I reject someone's kindness; it's just that I don't want to make assumptions that are not good for his neighbours. I have to be careful in making decisions because tonight Mirza and I will sleep in the garden house so we can be early to return to work tomorrow.

"Thanks for the offer; maybe another time," I said, trying not to sound offensive or boastful. I don't know why someone's rejection is considered arrogance for the rejected person; that's strange. Everyone has the right to accept and reject something, depending on their needs; each person's needs differ.

"Why did you reject it?" Mirza asked as we walked away from the palace plantation area. And Maliq had gone home.

"He's been very kind to us today, I don't want him to be talked about by his neighbors when he takes us home," I answered while looking dreamily at the dense leaves of the acacia trees along either side of our journey.

"I like him," exclaimed Mirza; my gaze fell on her, and she smiled shyly.

"Then approach him."

It feels a little annoying if your best friend likes the same things as you, especially about men, but I measure my feelings towards that man. He is ordinary because of his handsome face, sweet smile, and friendly attitude.

"I'm afraid he likes you more." Mirza took a deep breath; we stopped momentarily and stepped aside when we heard the sound of horseshoes from behind. Two horses were pulling a wooden open-air cart with a middle-aged man as the driver; it stopped in front of us and offered us a ride.

"Hi, girls, you can come to the end of this road; it's already dark; you'll reach the end when the sun has set," said the middle-aged man. Mirza and I looked at each other briefly, then climbed into the open tub at the back and sat. This man was right; it was getting dark, and we had to walk through the forest to get to the main road. This plantation area is located at the foot of the mountain, so to reach it, we have to pass through acacia tree forests as far as the eye can see.

"You are harvest workers too?" The middle-aged man opened a conversation between us.

"Yes, Uncle, what about Uncle?" Mirza asked, trying to familiarize herself. Luckily, we got a lift from someone who seemed friendly and had no evil intentions towards us.

"I'm not a harvest worker, I have a garden about one meter away from the palace plantation area, where do you guys live?"

"We're just homeless people who were lucky to get jobs from the palace," I answered while looking at the middle-aged man's back.

"Do you guys have parents?" he asked again.

"No, our parents are dead, we don't have any relatives either." I'm still the one answering.

"Are you guys not from here?"

Mirza and I looked at each other for a moment, our seats facing each other while leaning on the side of the cart. I don't know why the guy assumed we were from out of town. Finally, I was the one who answered.

"No, we are from here."

"It is very unfortunate to see that the regulations that have been made by the sultan are not implemented properly, that neglected children, poor and homeless people receive compensation from the sultanate, many people need this, for example you," he said, making us look at him again with curious eyes.

"Is there a rule like that, Uncle?" This time, Mirza asked; she was as interested as I was.

"Of course, before the queen died, these regulations were still in effect, but since the queen died slowly these regulations no longer apply, for whatever reason the sultans are still in a state of mourning or their concern has begun to wane after the queen died."

We listened to this middle-aged man's chatter while occasionally responding by asking questions or making statements. Then, our discussion spread to the palace plantations.

"I heard that the palace plantation where you work used to belong to one of the rich merchants in this city," he told me, and my gaze immediately turned to Mirza, then slowly shook her head vaguely. I didn't want her to say anything that could direct this topic towards me. Mirza asked while still looking at me, my gaze and feelings turned wary.

"Yes, I also heard that they said they died in a fire incident, all their belongings were burned down, I heard they had adopted children."

My eyes narrowed at Mirza, and then one leg stretched out to kick her leg. Oh no! I'll stuff her mouth with my footwear if she keeps babbling about my old family.

"Yes, people who know this story say that the poor child was deliberately not included as an heir for all of his property because his property was involved in a dispute," said the man. My head turned towards the man's back for a moment in surprise. An information about my adoptive father, and I only found out about it now. I also replaced Mirza to ask questions.

"Dispute? What dispute?"

"I heard that the man was involved in a tax issue; he said he was a merchant who was stingy in paying taxes to the sultan, but I don't know, I don't know for sure about that issue," he answered. We arrived at the main road, the horse stopped on the side, and we immediately went down.

"Thanks for the ride and story, Uncle," Mirza said.

"No problem, you guys are fun to chat with, my name is Tamsir," he said, giving his name.

"Mirza and Maira." Mirza pointed at herself when she said her name, then pointed at me when she said my name.

"See you next time, girls." Then, the man spurred his horse away from us.

"So, where are we sleeping tonight? Are you sure you still want to sleep in the garden house?" Mirza looked doubtful when she asked me; I thought about that, too. The garden house was too dark and scary because we had to return to the forest to get there.

"Tonight, we sleep in the market," I finally decided. The market is our usual place to sleep, and there are more varied locations. Sleeping in small stalls, wooden carts, or the owner's unlocked vegetable storage shed. When dawn had not yet appeared, we had to leave where we were sleeping before being awakened embarrassingly. However, Mirza and I have often experienced this, being woken up and sent away by humiliation. The problem with clothes is that we wear the same clothes for days if we don't find a trash can containing used clothes thrown away by the owner or people who directly give us the used clothes without asking.

We headed to the market to fulfil our purpose, looking for a place to sleep.

"What are we eating tonight?" Mirza asked, to which I responded by thinking again about her question; it's true that we don't have any plans for snacks tonight.

"You have any ideas?" I gave up; I threw the question back in another form. I looked at Mirza, who seemed to be thinking seriously; after thinking for a long time, she gave up with a shrug. Maybe tonight we will have to sleep without dinner. This situation often happens and is not a big problem. I don't know why the problem of eating or not eating is no longer a big problem for me. Just eating one day is enough, and some are kind enough to give us food for free.

"If we don't eat tonight, let's just go to sleep. I'm also tired after working all day on the plantation," I suggested, to which Mirza nodded in agreement.

"I want to shower; we haven't had water in two days." Mirza stopped walking and turned her body towards me; she put on a sullen face. She was right again; I looked at her from toe to head, then checked the condition of my body by inhaling the scent of my clothes. We need a shower, but I do not know where to shower.

"But where?"

"What about at that river at that time? "It's quiet there at night," she suggested. The river is not far from the palace fence wall at the back. Across the river is a shortcut through the forest to the mountain. The journey there take about 30 minutes if traveled on foot and faster if traveled by horse or horse-drawn carriage. Finally, I agreed to the recommendation for a bath Mirza offered; it was better because I also needed to clear my mind. Before that, we stopped at an abandoned tower-shaped building for a house of worship. We kept several pieces of clothing in a wooden box inside the former tower building. After taking a change of clothes and a bit of cloth to dry our bodies with, we rushed to the river before the night got dark. However, we should be careful in areas near the forest, especially at night. The moon is full tonight, so its light illuminates the river area, which is not covered by many pine trees on the right and left sides.