Behind the Veil (Aisha)

Kafe

"Are you happy, son?" Ummi asked cautiously on the other end of the phone.

Lela held her harbour.

"Alhamdulillah Ummi. Prayers of Ummi and the late Abah. This time Lela's got a really good husband."

"I'm so lucky Ummi, my husband is so kind to me."

"Alhamdulillah Son. Ummi was so happy to hear that." Ummi is of course very happy. He almost cried happily when he heard the words of the princess who felt honest and what they were.

The two then talked, exchanged news and stories.

After a while, Lela hung up the phone. From his face is very visible if he feels very happy to know the news of the mother who is healthy and fine.

Lela looked outwards, the afternoon sun still shining brightly, making her immediately remember the clothesline of hers that must have been dry, rushing her out of her room to lift her clothes and the husband.

He was surprised to see Zayn who was lifting the clothes clothes clothes belonging to both of them.

"Astaghfirullah's. Let me just." Lela half ran up to her husband while picking up the clothes

it was dry in his hands.

Zayn. He gawked at Lela who quickly picked up the dry clothes in her hand in fear.

"It's okay. I'll help you."

"No. Let me just." Lela swiftly picked up all the clothes that were still left on the clothesline.

Zayn was stunned to see his panicked wife.

After Lela finished then retreated slowly while occasionally glancing at Zayn who was standing by continuing to pay attention to her.

"I'll iron these clothes first,"

Zayn nodded still wondering why his wife was so scared just because she wanted to help her work.

Until Lela went into her room, Zayn who was still astonished to walk into the kitchen, she who felt a little hungry even though it had been lunch thought to make her favorite instant noodles.

Zayn turned on the stove.

Suddenly Lela's room opened and her wife ran towards her with her face again panicking.

Zayn was shocked.

"What do you want?"

"Noodle cooking," Zayn replied as he lifted a packet of noodles in his hand.

"Let me just." Lela immediately picked up the pot then filled with water then approached the already living stove, making Zayn slightly shift from his place.

"I can cook by myself."

"No. Let me just." Lela glanced at her husband.

Zayn remained standing there, watching Lela who kept looking at the pot waiting for the water to boil.

"I don't cook noodles like that ."

Lela immediately saw her husband in shock.

"I don't like to eat noodles when cooked like that" Zayn said, looking at his wife.

Lela's confused.

"Then? How do you cook it?" ask him while turning off the stove.

Zayn smiled. He instantly picked up the ingredients needed to cook his favorite noodles. Lela continued to pay attention to how her husband seemed deftly cooking noodles that were different as usual.

She then took the initiative to help her husband cut vegetables, both of them then compactly cooked their special noodles.

Lela smiled to see that the noodles were finally finished cooking. It seems very tempting to eat right away.

Zayn asked his wife to eat.

Both of them sat at the dining table.

"Work will be faster and lighter if done together," said Zayn while taking noodles into his plate.

Lela saw her husband.

"The husband and wife are partners in a marriage relationship. Not like a maid and a master. The wife is trust, not the servant who is charged with obligations to serve the husband. The wife has the right to be blessed and glorified by her husband. Then the two must share the role so that the household goes hand in hand."

Lela fell silent.

"After this let's do the housework together." Zayn smiled at his wife.

Lela nodded slowly while returning her husband's smile.

***

Desi stared at Zaidan's face sharply.

"Anita deserves a much more decent life."

Zaidan looked down and was silent.

"I'm her mother has tried to give her all the best for her, education, shelter, expensive clothes and she's used to it. Do you have the heart that after marrying you, her life has suffered?" desi asked furiously.

Zaidan remained silent.

"As parents, you understand that we always want the best for our children, as well as our mothers. Wanting Anita to live a happy and decent life with her husband."

"Then we as parents give you the opportunity to do it, offering jobs that will automatically change your life in the future."

"Mother asks you to accept a job offer from your father-in-law. This is our last offer for you."

Zaidan slightly raised his head to look at the mother-in-law.

"I understand mom's wishes."

"I discussed with my wife this and Anita supported my decision to reject my father's offer."

"Otherwise if Anita wanted otherwise, as a husband I would definitely consider my wife's wishes."

"What if Anita's just pretending, what if she really wants you to accept her father's offer?"

Zaidan smiled.

"I don't know if my wife is pretending or not. But the mother as her birth mother can judge for herself, whether my wife has been pretending to be happy to marry me or not. From her smile I can judge whether she is truly happy or just a pretense. I want to know that too."

"Yes mother. Tell me if I look like I'm pretending to be happy during my marriage with my husband." Anita suddenly comes to shock the two.

Anita sat down next to her husband.

Desi wavers knowing Anita knows their meeting.

"I'm so happy mom, have you ever seen me this happy? Am I not getting better now? Where my emotions are often overflowing not because, where my powerful nature is always asking to be noticed, where is my jealousy that always does not want to lose from others. Everything is gone, mother. My mother's daughter no longer wants to live a luxurious and rich life, I just want to live a prosperous and simple life with my husband. That's it."

Desi looked at her daughter in annoyance.

"And once again mother, my husband has given me a life far from worth, with the salary he has given me, I have felt very happy and grateful."

"Once in a while look down on my mother, there are still many people whose lives are not much better than mine, they are all lacking in inadequacy. So compared to me, I'm much luckier."

Desi seemed very upset to hear Anita's words.

"All right then. It's up to you." Desi moved from her seat.

She leaves Anita and her husband.

Anita then looked at her husband with her slightly irritated face.

"Good thing you told me about this meeting of yours."

"Why didn't you tell me that mom invited you to meet?"

"Mother won't let me tell you," Zaidan replied feeling guilty.

Anita looks disappointed.

"You ignored my message this morning."

"Yes. Sorry." Zaidan felt very guilty for disappointing his wife. He remembered that this morning his wife, who had expected that his mother would ask him to meet, asked him to tell her that he would not go alone to see her mother.

Anita stand.

"Sorry I have to go back to the clinic immediately, there's a patient waiting for me." Anita kissed her husband's hand and left Zaidan with her face still showing disappointment.

Zaidan only looked guiltily.

***

Zaidan, who was forced to overtime due to a lot of work, could not focus on working, thinking of his wife who still seemed a little angry at him.

While at home, Anita sat with an occasional look at the wall clock of her house, she waited for her husband who had not yet returned home despite the late night.

Anita was silent and regretful about her attitude this afternoon to her husband, she knew the reason why Zaidan ignored her request to tell her when her mother invited her husband to meet.

She knew her husband thought he could face his mother-in-law alone, while she worried that his mother would say something that would not hurt her husband. She was afraid that her husband Zaidan would be hurt by her mother's words because she knew exactly her mother's character.

Suddenly the phone rings.

Zaidan called.

"I'll be home soon. We should meet soon and settle this dispute with a hug."

Anita smiles.