Spirit Tiger by Barbara Ismail Page B

Khatijah kept up a stream of talk they barely listened to, before reappearing from the kitchen carrying three teacups and four home-rolled cigarettes on a plate.
    â€˜ Jangan susah susah , don’t trouble yourself,’ Maryam admonished her as she placed the tray on the floor in front of them. ‘No trouble at all,’ Khatijah said happily and Maryam, who had come in already disliking her, felt herself melt somewhat towards her. After all, she was a cheerful and enthusiastic hostess, and that meant something.
    â€˜Where is Suleiman?’ Maryam asked with an air of confusion. ‘Isn’t he here? I understand you’re married now.’
    Khatijah made a face, and some of her happiness seemed to evaporate. ‘Well … it was very short-lived,’ she admitted, subdued. ‘He registered one talak yesterday and went back to his … home.’ She smiled again, regaining her spirits. ‘It wasn’t very long we were married. Maybe a mistake, you know.’
    She put her hand on Maryam’s arm. ‘He has seven kids already, you know. Too many to leave, I think. Maybe we both got carried away when we got married, but then we began to think about it, really think about it, and it couldn’t really work.’
    She didn’t seem all that upset by it, and her explanation raised her significantly in Maryam’s estimation. She found herself actually liking Khatijah, which surprised her. And even more, the woman no longer looked quite as dark, or as small, as Maryam had formerly considered her.
    â€˜Did I hear correctly, you adopted a child?’
    Khatijah smiled, a smile of pure delight. ‘A daughter, yes. She’s at my mother’s now.’ She reached into the folds of her sarong, unrolling it slightly, and removed a small photograph of a Chinese girl of about a year-and-a-half. A pretty girl, with a big smile and thick, straight hair. ‘Siti Hawa,’ she announced grandly. She sat back and radiated pride.
    â€˜So nice,’ both Maryam and Rubiah cooed, admiring the photo, pointing out her fine features. ‘So cute!’
    â€˜She’s wonderful,’ the proud mother said shyly, blushing a little, clearly in love with the child. ‘People say she’s very smart. I’m moving back to my mother’s house at the end of this month,’ she confided. ‘I need her help taking care of the baby, and what’s the point of just us living out here in the middle of nowhere? My mother’s in Kampong Tikat,’ she named a village a bit farther out of the city than Kampong Penambang. ‘I’m happy to move back there. Siti Hawa will have friends – you know, her family. Much better than here. This place is terrible,’ she opined, looking around the bare room ‘Don’t you think so?’
    They returned her honesty. ‘I was surprised when I saw it,’ Maryam admitted. ‘So isolated.’
    Khatijah nodded. ‘I thought so too when I saw it. Suleiman found it. He’s not much of a character, if you know what I mean. Kerbau cucuk hidung , a buffalo with a ring through his nose. He just wants to be led around.
    â€˜Well,’ she sighed, ‘I guess I just wanted to get married, you know, have a father for my daughter. He was the wrong one, and besides, he’s got plenty of children already to be a father to, if he wants to. I don’t think he’s very interested, and I’ll tell you,’ she leaned forward, ‘I can’t say I have much respect for him when he doesn’t take care of them.’
    She thought for a moment. ‘That sounds strange coming from me, doesn’t it, Mak Cik ? Since I married him. I mean, knowing he was such a terrible father to his own kids. But it was a mistake, and now it’s corrected.’ She looked at them seriously, and then her expression changed to a happier, more light-hearted one. ‘More tea?’
    Maryam smiled and