Her Strength

A few minutes later, after her lonely eating event which was as gloomy as the gray clouds, Venus is already in Tanjung Beach, not far from where she ate before. The girl sits on one of the fallen trees. Beside her, grew a few trees that she didn't know exactly what their name was. A breeze brings with its salty scent of sea water, lulling the mind of anyone who inhales it. The fishy smell of the sea can be faintly wafted from the murky shoreline.

Venus turned her head and saw several people kneeling on the shore some distance from her. Three small children seemed to be chasing each other. Their laughter was carried along by the wind, even as they plunged into the rather murky water. Those on their knees seemed to be digging for sand and occasionally stuffing things into containers such as plastic bags or jars. Venus guessed they were looking for mussels. One of them turned to look at her. The woman seemed to grin. It's hard to see the details of a person's face at that distance.

Venus sighed. Her eyes turned to the horizon. Her mood became much calmer. We, however, know, that no matter how calm a sea is, it’s never truly open. We know that the sea can and is accustomed to lying. It is calm, so full of beauty. Things that is full of blue and the variety of underwater creatures. The things that the sea makes to distract us from the trough of its deepest heart and, if the sea can't take it anymore, they can vent their emotions in a million ways.

What can Venus do anyways? The girl's emotional overflow will never be useful. Often she shouted in anger and frustration that struck, only to get ignorance. The girl still had a father, but the father she thought must be living in the gauze of death. Venus doesn't remember feeling the warmth of a father that should be in the man, no matter how small, ever. Venus doesn't remember the figure just hugging or calling her "dear" or something. Venus doesn't remember at all.

Her eyes flickered as a tear fell down her cheeks. Her hand suddenly reached into the bag and took something. Her tears flowed again, mercilessly hurting the girl's esophagus with an invisible stone.

A photograph.

In the hard plastic-coated sheet, portrayed a woman in a red dress standing in a room. Her face was beautiful, her smile was contagious and her eyes looked so happy. Venus caresses the image of the woman's long hair in the photo. The girl's fingers trembled. She embraced the photo in her arms. Her tears rose in the form of sad sobs.

It’s just a photo, for God's sake.

“Mama, what should I do?”