Domino cards were already lined up on the table. Five women in various clothes holding a series of cards in their hands.
One of them, the woman with the most disheveled hair, smirked because she thought she would win tonight, even though she had only five hundred thousand rupiahs left.
'My money is short, so I have to win this round,' the woman thought.
Meanwhile one of the heavy smokers kept on puffing out her chest because tonight she could win this gamble twice in a row.
'Twice in a row. I can buy whiskey when I get home,' the heavy smoker said in her heart.
And the other women among them sank with a crushing defeat because they could no longer issue cards. Their money was going to run out completely tonight.
"Shucks!" cursed one of those who lost.
One of the women was Aunt Arum. Aunt Arum could win the match with the most bets in this third round. But she always played tactics so she could lose.
The disheveled-haired woman pulled out her most powerful card. She placed the card on the far side of her hand. Her eyes sparkled because she saw the money piled up in front of her. She was no longer able to stare.
"I won. I won! Come here, my babies." The woman scooped up all the money that was on the table. But the woman who smoked heavily held the shoulder of the disheveled-haired woman.
"Sorry, mine is better." The woman who smoked heavily then put her cards on the side closest to her hand. Seeing how people couldn't take out cards anymore, they all finally sighed, because they felt that they had lost badly.
"You cheated. How can you win twice in a row? Give me back my money!" demanded one of the women who had always lost when gambling.
"I'm not cheating. The goddess of luck alone is with me, in addition to my skill which is indeed the god of gambling. Hahahaha," laughed the heavy smoker woman. Then prayer scooped up all the money hastily and eagerly. Then she put the money into a bag made of cloth.
"Speaking of skills, Arum is already very developed. She could have won. Look at those beautiful cards!
"Hey, Arum, why didn't you want to take out your card earlier?" asked a fat woman who was also having bad luck that night.
"I didn't know my card was good. I lost, okay, just take my money." Aunt Arum shrugged. She took a sip of the wine in her hand. One sip of wine that she offered to Daniel, her son.
"I think you're overconfident about that girl, huh? Surely you want to make that girl pay your debt again right?" nudged the disheveled-haired woman who was beside Aunt Arum.
The girl meant here was Luci.
Aunt Arum was already quite capable of gambling skills. One year plunged into this kind of life – due to the depression that hit her – had made her adept at fighting in the gambling arena carefully.
It's not that Aunt Arum lost, but instead, she had to lose so that later her gambling debt would increase. After that, the debts would be in Luci's name, and Luci was required to pay all of these.
But even so, Aunt Arum's defeat must be limited, and must not make Luci unable to pay for it. Because if Luci was unable to pay, Aunt Arum might get into trouble. Therefore, Aunt Arum could be said to be very smart and cunning.
"You will also do the same thing if you were me," answered Aunt Arum while observing the ice cubes in her glass.
"Hasn't the judge decided that your son was not killed by that girl? I heard it was all just an accident right?" asked the heavy smoker with a forward look of curiosity.
So far, Aunt Arum had always been silent and avoided being asked about Daniel's death.
"Whatever the judge decides, I don't care. What is clear is that I saw the sickle hit my son's body. And that girl who was holding the sickle. The judge wasn't there to witness it was he?" Aunt Arum squeaked.
Aunt Arum's eyes, which were already drooping from getting drunk, were being devoured by the flames of revenge and fire.
For her, Daniel could die because of Luci's fault. Whether it was an accident or not, Aunt Arum didn't care.
If it was an accident then Luci was still at fault because if Luci wasn't there, Daniel would still be alive today, Aunt Arum thought.
"Then what are you going to do? Will you still seek revenge? I heard you don't even take care of your stepdaughter." The disheveled hair woman asked back.
The music boomed around them with the disco lights flickering. But above the five of them, there was a yellow light that lit up the course of the gamble.
"A mother is just a mother. We just want to demand justice," concluded Aunt Arum. She then got up and left. Aunt Arum had grabbed a cigarette butt belonging to a heavy smoker.
Aunt Arum then lit the cigarette and left the bar without saying anything.
The music buzzing around her was like a mourning song for his son – Daniel – who had to die at the hands of a girl whom Daniel loved dearly.
"Even though I was at the crime scene at the time. I saw her holding a sickle in Daniel's body. Damn judge!" Auntie Arum raved with a headache.
"Even though I've been practicing drinking. Just a few glasses I'm already drunk," she continued.
Her body wobbled as she passed a crowd of people dancing under the twinkling lights of the bar. Music was like a lullaby to her. Her fragile legs from the loss of a child could barely hold on anymore. But with all her strength Aunt Arum got out of the bar.
She then threw up under a low palm tree not far from the bar. Then after she finished vomiting, in front of her as someone suddenly stood up.
The person standing in front of Aunt Arum had a tall body with a gentle smile full of affection. His eyes would always smile even when he's not smiling. The warmth emitted even though the person was not doing anything.
"And – Daniel – my son." Aunt Arum trembled when she touched the empty air at night. But in her eyes that empty air was Daniel, her son who died a year ago.
"Are you happy, son? Did you miss me, your mom?" asked Aunt Arum with a frustrated face because she missed her so much. She also came forward to hug Daniel's body, but of course, what Aunt Arum hugged was emptiness.
Thinking that her son was gone, Aunt Arum roared and cried hysterically beside the highway.
"My son, my son, give me back my son! Don't take him away! He still wants to be with me! My child!" Aunt Arum roared very loudly. Her body shook as if she had just been hit by a vehicle that had lightning speed.
Her eyes looked wildly around, her pupils constricted and dilated indefinitely. She was still looking for Daniel who suddenly disappeared from her sight.
"My child! Come back, Dan…. Daniel. Mother will avenge your death. Back to me, son. Daniel! DANIEL!" Aunt Arum crawled like a blind human.
Her hands even swept the paving on the roadside. Within her eyes, the pavings were leaves that had hidden the still-living figure of Daniel.
But no, Daniel was nowhere to be found. Her fingers were shaking violently with her body unable to stay still. The storm hit her life. The whip of the world had turned her consciousness and happiness upside down.
"I'm just a mother who is looking for justice," whispered Aunt Arum before fainting from drunkenness.