Akad Shackle

Crackle

Rahma's return from Bandung precisely from her father-in-law's house this time was spiked by a fairly gaping inner wound. How not, during a routine meeting of her husband's extended family, she repeatedly got an attack from aunt Anggara. And the estuary of all the innuendo directed at her is when the aunt finally compares herself to Anggara's former lover who is much better and more worthy of being Anggara's companion according to her.

No one knows how the aunt launched the slick action. Everyone seemed ordinary, happy and happy to gather with a large family, the usual thing Rahma felt. But that was at previous family meetings. Today Rahma truly feels like a stranger in the midst of the warmth of that family.

"Why are you quiet?" Anggara finally began to make a sound, when the car he was driving to deliver Rahma to Garut had been driving since fifteen minutes ago leaving the residence of his parents.

"Mas, what would you do if I couldn't give you a child?" Rahma felt she had a way to express the contents of the heart she had been harboring all this time, when Anggara asked her the reason she was silent did not say a word.

"Why do you ask that?" anggara asked, at a glance he glanced to his left side, clearly he could see there was a sense of worry and curiosity on the face of the woman he was legally married to,

"I just want to know, all this time Mas so expect the presence of a child as well as Mama and Papa. It even seems that Mas is now changing, and I wonder what I would do if I couldn't fulfill your wishes as your parents expected" clearly Rahma who was out of courage from where she finally revealed what she harbored since a while ago.

"You think?" Anggara asked Rahma back, she did not even look. His gaze was straight on the road they were going through.

"I don't know and I don't want to speculate" Rahma replied as she was, she was too naive to imagine being divorced just for that reason, she thought.

"I don't need to answer it" replied Anggara firmly that finally made Rahma conclude it ambiguously, she chose silence and enjoyed her journey with her own mind.

His conversation about the child in the car on the way back to Garut seemed to be the last conversation they had face-to-face.

As the days change, Rahma and Anggara weeks switch more often engage in conversation via chat in the whattappsnya application. An important moment becomes a trigger for conversations that occur between them, if nothing important their chat history can be paused for up to several days.

"How's Nak Anggara Tea?" The father spoke without shifting his focus to the small grasses that filled the large pot of ornamental plants, since experiencing a long illness a few months ago Mr. has reduced his activities of gardening and rice fields in his retirement. All of his children forbid and ask the Father to stay at home and only do light activities that are not too draining and time.

And here is the Father this morning, he was arranging plants that became friends in filling his days in the backyard of the house accompanied by his first daughter, Rahma.

"Well sir" replied Rahma briefly, his hand did not stop plucking small grasses in the pot area of ornamental plants that became the father's pet at this time.

Currently Rahma is at her parents' house, after getting news from the sister who lives far away following her husband after marriage, if his sister is going to come and stay, Rahma also decided to stay at her parents' house. The presence of his nephew is something he always looks forward to, Rahma is very fond of small children.

"Thank God, he has not been here for a long time" continued the father with the same focus, he said,

"Yes, surely, Allah is pleased and protected wherever your husband is in charge" his father Rahma was sincere, and was assured by Rahma.

"Teh, will?" on the sidelines of the conversation between the father and the boy, the, maya, who is the second daughter in the family, came with a plate containing a piece of young mango in her right hand and a small bowl of spices in her left hand.

Rahma also stood up and walked towards the sister who was sitting on a plastic carpet held under a mango tree that was quite shady in their backyard.

"You're ngarujak wayah kieu?" Rahma sat in front of her sister who began to mix spices with young mango kalkal which was picked from a mango tree in their yard.

"Yes tea, pregnant now mah I so like rujak. Early in the morning if you do not start eating rujak until noon like the males of the innate food nausea continues" maya answered while continuing to mix pieces of young mangoes to the spice that their mother had prepared yesterday when she knew her second child would come.

Maya is currently pregnant with her second child, her first child just one year old. Maya who now lives in Bandung following her husband became rarely met with Rahma and other families. And this week was a precious moment because they were all gathered at their parents' house, except for their first brother who did live far outside the island.

"Teteh mau dong, it looks good" Rahma swallowed her own saliva when she saw Maya continue to chocolate the spice with pieces by pieces of mango cloves that are still clenching it.

"It's...." Maya also brought closer the spice and dishes containing pieces of young mango fruit in front of her brother, and her brother,

Rahma began to mix the young mango pieces to the spice rujak. One, two, three, four, and did not feel the plate containing the pieces of mango was now empty.

"Teteh eat rujak?" Mother who suddenly came to rebuke her first daughter who was so greedy to eat rujak, even though before mother knew Rahma did not like rujak too much.

"Yes Ma'am, it's delicious" Rahma replied with a grin on her face, Mother simply shook her head and went back inside after serving a plate of fried cassava studded with cheese and thrusting a large cup of warm tea on her husband.

"Tea, don't-don't just crave too. Is it late for the moon yet?"

Deg..The statement as well as Maya's question suddenly stopped Rahma's hand movements that would take fried cassava.

Rahma looked closely at the sister who was right in front of her. His mind wandered, remembering the time, when was the last time he had a period of stability.