Episode 5

After seeing all his citizens calm down, Wicaksono reopened the conversation. "Alright, now explain, what actually happened?", he asked.

Bambang, as a resident who lost jewelry and money from the sale of cows that would be used to pay for his mother's treatment, began to speak.

The portly man explained the theft that occurred in his house, which ended in the pursuit and capture of the person they suspected of being the thief.

Due to minimal lighting and Sunarti's exact resemblance to the thief that Bambang had caught a glimpse of, he immediately shouted, causing several people who were on patrol that night to chase her and accuse her of being the thief.

"What did you say, I stole your jewelry and money! I'm already rich! I have a lot of jewelry and money, so why would I steal from your house!", Sunarti shouted, refusing to accept after hearing Bambang's story.

"The characteristics of the perpetrator are exactly like yours. All the residents saw it too. If you didn't steal, why are you dressed like that", Bambang said suspiciously.

Sunarti was stunned, she realized that her appearance was indeed similar to the thief. She dressed like that so that her second younger sibling wouldn't recognize her face when she carried out the action to kidnap her baby.

Sunarti couldn't possibly explain this to Bambang where several residents and the village head were nearby because the crime of kidnapping a baby is a pretty fatal crime and could land her behind bars for five to seven years.

"This...I'm just cold so I covered my head with a sarong", she said, making an excuse.

However, everyone there didn't believe her, making Sunarti panic.

"If you don't believe me, please search me, see if you can find the missing money or not", she said bravely.

Sunarti knew very well that she was completely innocent without knowing that the karma of her bad intentions would soon come.

Fortunately, Bambang's wife, Rodiyah, came to the village hall after hearing that the thief had been caught, so the awkward atmosphere that initially gripped when they wanted to search Sunarti's body disappeared.

At first, Rodiyah wasn't happy, the five million rupiah from the sale of the cow wasn't found on Sunarti's body, making her mouth protrude a few centimeters forward.

Sunarti, who felt that Rodiyah wouldn't find anything on her body, raised her chin arrogantly and began to sneer at everyone in the village hall.

After this, she would demand accountability from them all for tarnishing her reputation and hurting her.

In Sunarti's mind, it was already well-structured, how much compensation she would ask for medical expenses for the suffering and shame she received.

At least, with the injuries she suffered, even though not all of them she got from being beaten by residents because she was injured first at her younger sibling's house, but Sunarti who was narrow-minded would certainly ask for more money from those who were considered to have harmed her.

"Getting a few hundred thousand, I think that's good enough after I failed to take the baby to give to Aminah", she muttered in her heart.

However, the joy in Sunarti's heart immediately disappeared as soon as two gold bracelets fell from her body.

"This! My gold bracelet!", Rodiyah shouted.

Everyone who witnessed the incident, looked back at Sunarti cynically and some even mocked her directly.

After taking her two gold bracelets, Rodiyah stood up and gripped the sarong that was still hanging around her neck tightly, "Now tell me, where did you hide the five million you stole!", she said, glaring.

"I don't know! It wasn't me who stole it, so how would I know where the money is hidden", Sunarti still kept denying because it wasn't her who stole it.

BANG!

Bambang hit the pillar supporting the village hall hard. "The evidence is already there, what else do you want to say!", he said, challenging.

"Yes, what else do you want to say, all the evidence is on you"

"The bracelet couldn't possibly appear on your body if you didn't steal it, so just confess"

"A thief, even if the evidence is already there, still denies it"

The words of everyone who kept coming and accusing her of being a thief and cornering her, made Sunarti's face pale.

She never expected that something like this would happen when she was about to kidnap her youngest sibling's newborn child.

If Sunarti had known it would be like this, maybe she would have looked for another time to carry out her action.

But alas, what's done is done. Denying is also useless because there is evidence on her body even though she doesn't know why Rodiyah's bracelet is in her pocket.

When Sunarti was cornered and could only surrender when everyone led her to the police station to be held accountable for her actions.

While Sunarti was being led to the police station, inside Supardi's house, the husband and wife who couldn't fall back asleep after knowing that Sunarti was eyeing their child were still awake at this time.

"Hehe...I didn't expect that the sky is still protecting me. Maybe God knows, that I'm still a baby so I can't do anything so he's giving me this big fortune. Now, my family doesn't have to worry anymore. With the accusation of kidnapping, even if she didn't kidnap directly and only became a scapegoat after the original thief was exposed, at least that evil woman will be behind bars for several years. In that time, I will have grown up and can use my strength to protect myself and my family from people who intend to harm us", Tari said, chattering.

Even though they didn't know clearly what their baby was actually saying in their heart, but the husband and wife could conclude that Sunarti had now received her karma and wouldn't bother them for a while.

"Ah, a baby's body is very weak. Just using a little strength to think makes me tired and sleepy. Hoam...", she said, yawning.

After being breastfed, Tari immediately fell fast asleep. Supardi and Srikandi who saw their baby sleeping soundly, the danger that threatened was also gone, both of them unconsciously also closed their eyes so that the next day they could return to their normal activities.

***

The next day, the news about Sunarti stealing money and jewelry from Bambang's house spread quickly, making Tarjo and Solikah, Sunarti's parents no longer have the face to leave the house.

"Such a disobedient child! Tain's income of 60 thousand per month isn't used up for a month's worth of food. She can buy whatever she wants easily. The house is also brick. What else is lacking", Solika said while caressing her chest several times, expressing her sadness to her husband.

It should be noted, that in the 80s era, the minimum wage for employees was only 18,000. People who could earn like Tain, sixty thousand a month were already considered very rich because with that kind of income, they could live in a brick house and own a motorcycle which was a rare vehicle in that era. Therefore, Tarjo and Solika were very surprised, why Sunarti had to steal when her life didn't lack anything.

Tarjo could only sigh deeply several times, "That's because your child is ungrateful. Given a good husband and children and a comfortable life, she's looking for trouble", he said sadly.

The news about Sunarti stealing money and jewelry belonging to Bambang's family wasn't only spread in Sukorejo village, but had reached Sukadadi village, Sukorame village, and Sukoharjo village because the news was widely discussed by residents who sold at the main market where residents of four villages met and traded there.

Aminah who also heard the news felt a little disappointed. With Sunarti's arrest, the possibility of her child getting a beautiful baby girl who has a lot of luck could fail.

"Should I go directly to Sunarti's younger sibling's house and ask them about this directly", Aminah muttered in her heart.

For the happiness of her child, Aminah immediately told her nephew who worked with her husband to take her to Supardi's house.

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