"Doesn't Mr. Indra smells good, Ma'am? So handsome, the Big Boss. Just give him to me if you ever get bored, even second-hand is fine, I'm ready to take Mr. Indra," said Astia, often called Tia, the new maid in Priska's house.
What? What on earth was this maid thinking? Trying to climb the social ladder from a maid to a mistress? Priska couldn't wrap her mind around Tia's thoughts. Did Tia really think Indra would be interested in someone like her? This wasn't a fairy tale... If you wanted to be with a great man, you had to have value. And what did Tia have? She flirted with Indra every chance she got.
The 20-year-old woman was the new maid in Priska's household. This was because Gaffie was getting older, and Priska was overwhelmed with other tasks while caring for their child. Her mother wasn't always around, and Rica had her own family.
Initially, Priska wasn't suspicious, but over time, she grew irritated as Tia constantly tried to curry favor and flirt with Indra. Priska wanted to fire her but didn't have a valid reason, and Indra always dismissed Tia's behavior as mere joking.
However, her instincts as a woman screamed at her to remove Tia from the house, jealousy creeping in over her husband. Unfortunately, her mother didn't believe that the flirtatious maid often tried to seduce Indra, because Tia always acted so demure and sweet whenever her mother was home.
Tia didn't live in the house and only came at certain times. So, Priska at least had some space to think and calm her heart when the house was occupied only by its true residents. That night, Priska and her mother were cooking dinner together. Meanwhile, Indra was putting Gaffie to bed in the bedroom, so Priska and her mother could talk about sensitive matters.
One of the things Priska wanted to discuss was their two-faced maid. She was annoying and disobedient with Priska, but overly sweet and attentive when Indra was around. The tone of her voice made Priska's ears ache, and Tia's meaningful smiles gave her a headache. Fortunately, Tia wasn't allowed to take care of Gaffie.
"Mom, can we get a new maid? I can't relax whenever Indra is home," said Priska as she poured a brew of rosella tea.
Her mother, who was taking vegetables out of a plastic bag, immediately turned to her eldest daughter. "Why? We've already paid in advance with the agency. Her work is quite good too. You can focus on Gaffie while Tia is busy cleaning the house."
"Yes, but it's just uncomfortable."
"Be patient. Finding a suitable maid is tricky. Besides, Indra isn't always at home, right?"
"Yes, Mom," Priska conceded.
Priska was also confused about how to explain it. Her heart was uneasy every time she saw Tia looking at Indra. It wasn't that she didn't trust Indra. After all, the women from her husband's list of ex-girlfriends were much prettier than Priska. However, every woman has a certain feeling to detect danger from other women's behavior towards their partners. That's what made Priska so upset with Tia.
***
Indra woke up from his sleep, unsure of the time. He checked the wall clock. Priska was not by his side, even though they had fallen asleep cuddling. He got up from the bed to check on their child. Thankfully, Gaffie was still sound asleep in the baby crib.
"Where's his mother?" Indra muttered, yawning.
It was one in the morning, and the air was quite cold. Perhaps Priska had woken up and couldn't go back to sleep. The man reluctantly left the bedroom to find his wife.
Indra then went downstairs to the first floor, smiling in amusement when he heard footsteps in the kitchen. That must be Priska, making food or something.
Tonight, the moon shone brighter than usual. The sight of Priska daydreaming with her back to Indra made her look fragile and lonely. His wife was gazing out the kitchen window, looking so beautiful in Indra's eyes.
"Can't sleep?" Indra asked as he approached her.
"Yeah, something like that," Priska mumbled.
"You have your own clothes, Pris, but you like wearing mine. Without asking permission too. Give it back," Indra leaned against the kitchen set, smiling in amusement as he looked at her.
Priska was wearing one of Indra's T-shirts, which was too big on her. Her hair fell over her shoulders, her face bare of makeup, and she didn't seem to be in a good mood. Sad? Sad about what? Indra didn't understand. His heart ached because he felt like he was failing as a husband if things had come to this. But there was the most effective way to solve problems between a husband and wife, and Indra was an expert when it came to that.
Indra used to think it would be fun to have a daughter, but instead, they had a baby boy. But that was no problem as long as their child was healthy. Indra loved Gaffie because he resembled him as a baby. However, lately, his wife had been daydreaming a lot and seemed sad. Sometimes Indra didn't know what to do to make her happy.
"Babe, what do you think about Tia?" Priska turned to Indra.
"Well, how should I know, Darling? I hardly interact with her, just small talk."
"Her work is good, but I don't know why I haven't been feeling right lately. Like something's bothering me."
Indra sighed before pulling his wife into a comforting hug. They were used to discussing everything, from trivial to difficult matters, so Indra knew Priska's nature quite well. She was sensitive and had strong intuition.
"Do you want to change maids? Have you asked your mom yet?"
"My mom said it would be too much trouble. We've already signed a contract and paid the agency in advance."