Assalamu'Alaikum Love

Rival

Gibran

Moved at the age of 28, and somehow the Wibisana extended family seemed to get a disgrace so shameful with such a reality. I am a man and still single at the age of twenty-eight years either since when it became a topic of conversation so warm every time there is a family gathering. As if the existence of one single Wibisana family member at the age of twenty-eight is a big sin that must be cleaned up immediately.

“Work already have, home already provided by parents. What are you waiting for, Gibran?”

Really, what's wrong with being single at twenty-eight? There are many men out there who are single until they are fifty years old and two, and they are fine. They did not die just because they were not married at twenty-five.

“I'm not thirty yet, um. Not thinking of getting married.”

Om Rudi, the man even invited me to dinner together just to ask if I now have a wife or not. As if by asking by phone, a short message, or email is too difficult for him to do. It only made me sigh in annoyance and catch my breath a few times. Just because this man is om Rudi, papa's older brother who I have considered ‘the second father’ since I was very young, I was very young, so with a heavy heart I responded to all the questions about my miserable romantic life.

“Indeed you want to wait until thirty more want to get married? Many of your friends have children. You don't want to be like them?”

“Just because my friends choose to marry young, does not mean I also have to be like them ‘kan om?”

Married young and had children at the age of 25, in fact I had such ambitions.

In the past, when Gibran Wibisana was still a 22-year-old young man who had just become a scholar and became a young teacher at a High School in Jakarta. In the past, when a Gibran Wibisana was still so happy with the relationship he lived with a girl he loved so much. I even proposed to her and the girl accepted my proposal.

“Aida Restanti, will you marry me?” it was as simple as that I asked the girl to marry me.

It was as simple as me sitting next to Aida and pinning a small silver ring from my side job as a student. It was also as simple as Aida who nodded and chuckled while accepting my simple proposal. There was no question about how I would support our family while I had just gotten a job a month ago. There is also no question about what kind of household to build when I was 22 years old and Aida who had not even finished her studies. There was only a nod of agreement from the girl and speechlessly hugged me straight away.

All we had in mind at that time was the desire to be together in a legitimate bond. Without having to tarnish the trust of our parents, nor violate the norms and rules that we have been obeying without but.

“The most important thing is our intention not to linger, pa. Work and residence issues, that's our business later.” But again Aida with her simple mind can make the situation so controlled. Aida who was 21 years old, a year younger than me even had a much more mature mind than me.

If I go back to the current mirror and look at myself six years ago, I will surely laugh bitterly and condemn the attitude of the loser who is currently so dominating a Gibran Wibisana.

I was 22 years old when I was so confident in proposing to a girl, now even like reluctant to get close to women at my age of 28. I am ashamed of myself in the past who was so brave to make a decision while at this time I have to think dozens of times to just decide even a small thing.

I once read a quote that was either made by whom, that the reason someone changed was twofold. First because a person who is so meaningful comes into his life, while the second because a person who is very meaningful goes out of his life. And I experienced the second reason.

“This is unfair, Da. You even promised to stay with me and we'd live together forever. But in fact you are lying.”

It was two days after Aida's graduation from university and two months before our wedding day. Yes, with all the limitations that I had at that time, Aida even agreed to my invitation to get married four months after I proposed to her. Again the girl casually told me that I had spoken enough qabul in front of the ruler, his father and the witnesses without thinking about the party and all that. But it's all just a plan. Before everything made me realize that the human realm is only limited to making plans.

Aida Restani, my future wife who was so modest and accepted all my shortcomings and limitations at that time, in fact had to go ahead of me without giving us a chance to realize our noble dream. Leaving me alone without even wishing for a word back and building distance between us. Distance is called death. I know that everything that happened between me and Aida was never separated from the interference of the Supreme Lord of All, only that I could not take Aida's death for granted without blaming the circumstances, without blaming myself, either.

“Or want to introduce you to his son friend om?” again the voice of Rudi dragged me from a short daydream about Aida.

The short daydream that managed to wake up my melancholy side and broke the defenses I had made. The defense that was always broken every time I remembered about Aida and I painstakingly repaired it, only to be later re-damaged by the memories between the two of us. Keep repeating like that, until I realize that Gibran Wibisana is still the same loser as six years ago. Only to re-confess that Gibran Wibisana is still a 28-year-old man who was heartbroken by the death of his future wife.

“No need to bother like that, om. If I have found someone right for me, I will introduce him to the extended family of Wibisana.”

It's just that I really don't know when I'm going to find the right person. The position that Aida occupies is too special for me to pass on to others just because my extended family asked me to get married soon. I'm getting married, when I find a girl who makes me fall in love like Aida who makes me fall in love over and over again.

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