Live is not as sweet as sugar and not as bitter as coffee

"Yun, we've run out of rice at home. Don't forget to buy it when you come home," Mother shouted from the door of the house.

"Yes, Mom, Yuni will buy it later." I said while looking down.

I don't know what I should do to buy rice for my mother. Meanwhile, the money in hand was only ten thousand.

"Father, his chest is tight, Yun. Later, please buy medicine from the pharmacy." The father's order suddenly came out from the back door. He limped back towards his room.

I just nodded, but my mind was blank. For some reason, I carried all my parents' burdens while my two older brothers, Radit and Gino, just stood idly by.

I let out a rough breath, my job as a shop assistant was not enough to support my parents.

My name is Yuni Aria, I have just turned 18 years old. I was born to a husband and wife couple named Mr. Doni and Mrs. Nina. My father used to work as a worker in a factory, but due to a work accident he was laid off by his company and given severance pay, only able to last for 2 years. while my mother is just a housewife who only relies on her husband's salary. My two older brothers have graduated from university but they are lazy to work, because they are embarrassed. With a firm determination to help with my daily food needs, I finally took the initiative to drop out of second year high school to work as a waiter at a school supply store.

I've only been working as a shop assistant for a year, but I sometimes still owe my salary for daily food at a neighboring stall to cover the monthly shortfall.

I have a proportional body, clean white skin even without excessive makeup. and the men in the village sometimes approach me, but I never pay attention to them. The most important thing for me is how to get money for my parents' needs.

Sometimes when I come home from work, I have to leave the tempeh chips that I made at night. everything I do is to help my family, especially as my two older siblings often ask for money to buy cigarettes. I sometimes get angry at both of them and tell them to work, but my mother just scolds me. because I, as the only daughter, have to be at the forefront to provide for them. What a backwards statement, I am the one who should be their responsibility.

I stepped on my bicycle to the shop where I work, maybe I will borrow it again from Mrs. Tari, the boss who owns this shop.

Throughout the trip I felt useless, I should have been able to do more for my mother, especially for my father, who was suffering from pain due to an accident that happened to him two years ago but had not been treated seriously due to limited funds.

because maybe along the way I thought a lot, until without realizing it my bicycle had arrived at the shop where I work. I parked my bicycle in the area outside the shop.

"Hi Yun, your face looks like a tangled clothesline," quipped Erin, my co-worker who was walking towards me.

I just responded to Erin's words with a smile, it was no use telling her because it was enough for me to keep it to myself.

"Eh, why are you asking why you're silent." Erin chimed in while patting my shoulder.

"It's okay Rin, I just had a problem at homeOh yes, is Mrs. Tari here yet?" I said while asking back. I looked in all areas of the shop to look for Mrs. Tari's whereabouts.

"Maybe, in a moment, Yun. What do you need to look for Mrs. Tari? Do you want to borrow more money?" Erin guessed, but it turned out her guess was correct. I really need money to buy rice and medicine for my father.

"Yes Rin, I need things at home. I know my father is no longer working." I answered with a sad expression, I don't know when my life will end.

I felt like my chest was tight, I could only look at the worn shoes that I was wearing now and I needed to buy new ones. But I don't care, the most important thing is to bring money for Mother so she can cook food for the members at home. My breath often felt like it was being squeezed by a rock when I heard my mother screaming for me for this and that money. Until I don't care about my own appearance and needs.

Erin could only sigh and look at me with pity, this is what I hate when other people look at me with pity.

"Yun, why do you have to be responsible for everyone in the house? Haven't your two older siblings also graduated from college?" said Erin, looking closely at my eyes which probably looked sunken because I didn't get enough sleep every day to make chips which I left at the neighboring stalls.

"Rin, I don't understand myself. Why did my mother give me all this responsibility"Meanwhile, if this burden is shared between them, it won't be too heavy for me," said Yuni with teary eyes.

"Be patient, Yun. I'm sure you are strong enough to face all this. Oh yes, have you had breakfast yet?" Erin asked again because she saw my face looked pale.

"I haven't had breakfast yet. There were only enough side dishes for Father, Mother and my two older siblings. Mother said that if you want to eat, you have to buy rice first. Because coincidentally the rice at home ran out." I answered with an awkward smile, I'm actually embarrassed to say that but because I saw Erin carrying lots of packets of rice, I felt hungry.

"Well, I happened to bring a lot of food today. Let's just eat in the corner over there." Erin asked while holding my hand. I'm grateful to have a friend like Erin because sometimes she pays a lot of attention to me. Like now, he always brings extra breakfast because he often shares it for me.

The two packs of uduk rice brought by Erin were very appetizing, I immediately devoured the uduk rice without leaving anything left.

"Thank God, Rin, thank you. I'm full now. One day, if I'm successful, the first person after my family that I'll make happy is you." I said smiling broadly at Erin. I don't know what I should reply to my friend, he is so caring and always there when I am at a weak point.

"Amen. Never mind Yun, you are my family to me. So don't ever hesitate if you have any problems and tell me." said Erin as she took a sip of her drink then threw it in the trash.

"Yes Rin, let's get to work. Have you finished eating yet?" I asked while throwing away my food wrapper and Erin's food, but I saw that Erin still had quite a lot of food left.

"Enough Rin, I have a stomach ache so I don't have any appetite." Erin answered by holding her stomach.

"I'll apply wind oil, I'll bring it." Yuni said while taking out eucalyptus oil from her bag.

"No need Rin, I'm just having my period." said Erin, whispering shyly, afraid of being heard by other people.

Today Yuni is working without enthusiasm, because she is thinking about what she should do to buy her mother's order. Namely asking to buy rice.

With a heavy heart, Yuni took the courage to borrow money from Mrs. Tari when she came to check the stock of goods.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Sorry, I want to talk for a moment, is that okay, ma'am?" Yuni asked hesitantly.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Tari, who already understood the direction of Yuni's conversation, only snorted softly. In fact, Mrs. Tari has wanted to fire Yuni for a long time, but because of her good work performance, Mrs. Tari has retained her until now.

"You come with me now!" Mrs. Tari said, walking ahead, Yuni bit her lip, afraid, she glanced at Erin for a moment to give encouragement.

"O-okay ma'am." Yuni said briefly, she walked while lowering her face. However, he had memorized the direction of Mrs. Tari's room without looking ahead.

Yuni's legs felt heavy and she stepped very slowly. But somehow he needed the money for dinner today.

Yuni carefully entered Mrs. Tari's room, while the owner of the room was sitting and staring intently at Yuni.

Yuni dared to nod and smile at Mrs. Tari, out of respect for her.

"Yun, you definitely know my purpose in inviting you to talk here." said Mrs. Tari in a low voice but it made Yuni feel afraid. It's unusual for Mrs. Tari to invite one of her employees to talk in her private room.

"N-no ma'am, what did I do wrong?" Yuni asked, stammering, she felt like she was in court ready for trial.

"You were the one who said you wanted to talk to me! What do you want to talk about?" Asked Mrs. Tari, who already knew that what Yuni was going to talk about was definitely financial matters. It is not a public secret that Yuni is always in debt to the Mrs. Tari Shop and even to her co-workers, including Erin.

"Sorry ma'am, I'm really embarrassed to talk about this. But because of the urgent need, I dared to talk to Mrs. Tari." Yuni answered with a scared face, because she actually still had a debt to Mrs. Tari but she hadn't paid it yet. and now he is confused about whether to say whether he will borrow it again or not. But what's wrong with trying to think, Yuni?

"What do you want? Just speak straight away." Mrs. Tari said with a very serious expression.

gulping hard, Yuni finally had the courage to express her desire to borrow more money from Mrs. Tari.

"So it's like this, ma'am, I actually want to borrow some more money." Yuni answered briefly, but her heart felt nervous because she was afraid that her request would not be granted.

Mrs. Tari was silent without being able to say anything, she was really confused about her decision.However, he actually felt sorry for Yuni because he had heard from Yuni's friends that she was the backbone of her family, and Yuni even dropped out of school just to support her daily living.

"Yun, I don't have the heart to live with you"But you have borrowed too often from shops and your friends," said Mrs. Tari after a moment of silence.

Yuni realized after hearing her boss's words, she just looked down because it was her mistake.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but my family really needs money. Because my father doesn't work and still needs treatment when he had an accident." Yuni said with her eyes starting to water, she really didn't sell her tears to make other people pity her. but it is true that his family needs money.

Tari's mother sighed heavily, she also couldn't continue to give loans to Yuni because it would cause jealousy among the other employees.

"Tell you what Rin, do you want to work at Mother's House?" asked Mrs. Tari after thinking long and hard about how Yuni could earn extra money.

Yuni, who heard that she would get a job and as a result she would get additional salary, was happy. For him, it doesn't matter if his body feels tired, because for him the most important thing is that his father and mother don't feel deprived anymore.

"I-is it true what you said? I want it, Mom, I can cook and clean the house very cleanly." Yuni answered quickly, God's help was really right for her.

"Well then, how about you start working tonight because coincidentally my son's college friends are coming to my house and I definitely need extra energy to help me." said Mrs. Tari with a smile, she was happy to be able to help Yuni, even though it wasn't with money.

"Thank you ma'am, okay I will work tonight. After I get home from work from hereYuni said happily, she really felt grateful that she was surrounded by good people even though her own family didn't treat Yuni like a human being.

"Now you go back to work, remember good work. because you work in two places, but I don't want to get a report that your work has become lazy," said Mrs. Tari as she stood up and opened the door to her room with graceful steps.

"Okay ma'am, I promise I won't disappoint you. Once again I thank you." Yuni said by kissing Mrs. Tari's hand many times.

Tari's mother just smiled at Yuni's happy behavior, for some reason she felt sorry for this child. Even though many of her employees are the same age as Yuni, Mrs. Tari feels that Yuni is very different and Mrs. Tari admits that she loves Yuni like her own child.

Yuni left Mrs. Tari's room with a big smile, but suddenly she remembered her mother's request to buy rice for food tonight.

Yuni thought again and felt sad. However, he is still responsible for working well, because he doesn't want to disappoint Mrs. Tari because she has been very good with Yuni all this time.

"Yun, let's go home. It's time to go home." Erin asked while pinching my arm as I was daydreaming.

"You go ahead, Rin, I have something to do with Mrs. Tari." Yuni refused softly, not wanting Erin to know that she worked at Mrs. Tari's house because Erin would ask a lot of questions. Yuni didn't want to reveal it because only she and Mrs. Tari knew.

"Are you having a problem with Miss Tari, RinI saw you were called by Mrs. Dance to her room." Erin asked curiously, because she was afraid that Yuni would get fired from here. How would Yuni survive if she didn't have a job.

"There weren't any problems, I was just asked about a loan." Yuni answered by lying.

After returning from Mrs. Tari's shop, Yuni continued working as a household assistant at Mrs. Tari's house. The boss at the shop where Yuni works.

This afternoon, Yuni immediately tidied up Mrs. Tari's luxurious house. It turned out that Mrs. Tari had a husband who was a painter, so Yuni was not surprised that Mrs. Tari's house was so big.

Yuni was surprised why Mrs. Tari lived in such a big house with only her husband. Meanwhile, his son, who has an event with his friends today, lives outside the city to attend college.

Mrs. Tari's son hasn't come yet because he planned to come with his friends and he just sent a message to Mrs. Tari to prepare everything he needs when he comes.

"Yun, can you cook opor or not? Because Rafael really likes free-range chicken opor"He sent a message earlier asking to make it in very large portions," said Mrs. Tari from the middle while carrying pieces of chicken that were in the pot.

"Yes ma'am, I'm used to cooking opor during Eid. Hopefully it suits Mrs. Tari's family." said Yuni while taking the container brought by Mrs. Tari.

"Yes, I'll check the taste of your cooking later"Later, if it's delicious, I'll promote it to my social gathering friends to make catering orders for you," said Mrs. Tari with a smile when she saw Yuni deftly cleaning the cut chicken with running water.

"Then Mom, just go to the front first, while preparing the guest room where Rafael's friends will gather later." Mrs. Tari said as she walked out of the kitchen.

Yuni felt happy because Mrs. Tari was a very kind person, Yuni even saw how she treated all her employees in her house so well, even according to the story of the household assistant who was with Yuni.

"Madam's son is very handsome, sir"You'll be amazed, it seems like you're the same age," said Ms. Tari's household assistant, Ningsih. Ms. Ningsih is the same age as Yuni's mother, but Ms. Ningsih looks more patient and smiling.

"Oh my gosh, Sis, how dare I like Mrs. Tari's child. Besides, I haven't thought about love matters yet because I still want to make my family happy first," Yuni said with a smile as her hands prepared the spices for Opor Chicken.

"This neng likes to be humble. Auntie, look at this neng, she's really beautiful"There are definitely lots of people who have a crush on her smooth white skin," Praises Bik Ningsih while looking closely at Yuni's face.

"You can do it, Auntie, I'm used to being in the kitchen. So if I'm beautiful, lots of people have a crush on me." Yuni said, lying and because all this time many people had been stealing glances at her, but Yuni never paid attention to it, because for Yuni dating was a waste of time and feelings. He also doesn't want his time to be divided and in the end he can't earn money for his mother and father to eat.

"Neng is a funny person like Den Rafael, likes to tease Bibik in the kitchen." Bik Ningsih said with a smiling face because she felt happy because from now on she wouldn't be lonely because every day Yuni would accompany her to help with the housework, even if only from afternoon to evening.

"That's it, Sis, we'd better finish quickly because we're afraid that when the event starts, the food won't be ready yet." Cut Yuni while boiling the free-range chicken in a large pot so that the meat is soft.

After a few hours later the food that would be served for Rafael's event was ready. Yuni was cutting watermelon for dessert and Aunt Ningsih was tidying up the plates and arranging them on the dining table.

"How's Yun, is the cooking ready?" Mrs. Tari asked suddenly from the front, startling the two people.

"Oh my gosh, ma'am, I was shockedDon't worry ma'am, it's all ready and I hope it's delicious," said Yuni, holding her chest, her heart beating fast.

"You two are too serious to realize that I called you earlier." said Mrs. Tari, who was already wearing very beautiful clothes, and her appearance looked different when she was at the shop every day.

"Masya Allah, you're so beautiful, Mom. I was shocked, Mom, I'm really amazed." Yuni said in amazement at her boss, who was dressed up like an official lady.

"This lady, this madam is usually like this. Her clothes when she welcomes guests at her house are very nice because they are made by the tailor you subscribe to." Said Aunt Ningsih, which made Yuni immediately turn around.

"You're a designer, Bik, not a tailor. It's just this Bibik." said Yuni, laughing when she heard Aunt Ningsih's statement that she thought designers were like tailors.

"Apparently you guys are already close, thank goodness. I don't need to bother telling you to get close." Said Mrs. Tari, seeing Yuni and Aunt Ningsih's greatness, they even dared to joke with each other.

"Aunt Ningsih is very kind, ma'am, she is patient in teaching me to work here." Yuni said as she continued her work of cutting kupat in a box to make it easier for Rafael's friends to eat without having to peel the kupat and their hands wouldn't get sticky.

Mrs. Tari just smiled briefly, and she felt happy with Yuni's work, which was considered good and neat. Hopefully the cooking will be delicious too, because Mrs. Tari is looking for someone who can cook because Mrs. Tari's husband, Mr. Andi, doesn't really like Mrs. Ningsih's cooking. In fact, Mr. Andi prefers Mrs. Tari's cooking, he says it has luxurious spices.

However, due to her busy work schedule, Mrs. Tari couldn't cook every day, so she took the initiative to hire Yuni to cook.

Suddenly a very handsome young man with thick eyebrows entered from the front.

"Mommy, I miss...!" Said the young man while hugging Mrs. Tari tightly.

Tari's mother, who received a sudden hug from her child, almost fell forward. Luckily, Yuni grabbed Mrs. Tari's body quickly so she didn't fall.

"Oh my God, son, luckily Yuni held Mami so she didn't fall." Mrs. Tari snapped, hitting the child angrily.

"Oh, sorry Mami, Rafa didn't mean to." Rafael said with a regretful face, but his expression glanced slightly at Yuni. He felt unfamiliar with Yuni, that's why he didn't think that Yuni worked at his house.

Rafael thinks that Yuni is Aunt Ningsih's daughter.

"You are just like a child. Every time we meet, we always hug you." Said the mother, smiling at her child.

Rafael smiled broadly at his mother and he stole a glance at Yuni. There is an interesting side to Yuni that Rafael doesn't know what it is, because Yuni looks innocent but is very beautiful and doesn't hesitate to jump straight into the kitchen