Half of My Husband's life

Andra's Toughest Rival

"I complain with my sin, O Allah, not only Sis Indri but in my heart there is a sin that is difficult for me to reveal to my wife. I'm wrong! I was wrong to marry her without telling the truth first. I thought with a happy marriage everything would be easier, I thought by making my wife happy then my guilt for her would just disappear, apparently not. I have nowhere to tell stories, I have nowhere to complain, I have not even found a way out of this mistake. And truly you know that I love my wife very much."

Andra bowed, still reluctant to move from the prayer mat. Looking at the faces of two people who were fast asleep on his big bed, both of them were special women, who suddenly became part of his life, his soulmate, initially still unchanged, he said, it can never be changed, namely the Indri accident that killed Azzam.

Andra moved, approaching the two beautiful creatures who did not also move from his slanted sleeping position.

"I'm sorry Dad" he said wiping Ara's forehead, then peeked at the adorable little boy's forehead and moved to Hafizah, the woman who had filled his heart.

Andra took a heavy breath, then started sleeping behind Fiza, hugging her from behind, slightly rubbing her flat stomach, there was life there.

"Hemmm.." she squirms.

Feeling that someone was disturbing his sleep, the warm hands of someone who was very familiar.

"Sleep dear." said Andra peeked at his wife's forehead who was currently facing, hugging her to return to a deep sleep.

***

"You're late!" mingho said to Andra who went straight to see his assistant.

"Yes, I'm really tired." replied Andra then sat down in front of Mingho.

Silent, even though they were currently three, Tomi had also entered work.

"What's wrong?" Mingho looked at the grim faces of the person.

Andra glanced at Mingho's face.

"What did you talk to my wife yesterday?"

Tomi immediately turned her head, she was sure that once the two people younger than her would soon clash with each other.

"Nothing" Mingho replied remained focused on his work.

"Nothing you said! Obviously Fiza told me that she was going to meet the woman you told me about!"

"Yes, I did tell it_"

"Why are you discussing something like that with my wife!" pissed Andra.

"He asks constantly! Just so you know that he was suspicious before I came. He heard you talking to Indri."

Andra rubbed her face rough. "You should have avoided that conversation? You can make other excuses for not having to say anything about women, I got dizzy because of your talk!"

"I also had to face Hafizah with a lot of questions. And honestly I'm sick of having to lie, I want to feel like I'm telling the truth to get it all done."

"What kind of finish do you mean?" andra snapped, making his two assistants very surprised.

"Lying is heavy."

"Weight said? You don't see I'm married to Hafizah, she's my wife, Ara my son now. And more importantly, Hafizah is holding my son."

Mingho was quite surprised, also Tomi who did not speak.

"If you say lying is hard? Yeah, that's true. Then what weight if my wife gets angry while holding my son? Think for yourself how next! Don't think I can get that apology so easily. Even Indri like the undead could be because Hafizah still has not let go of Azzam."

Mingho was silent, he felt guilty.

Andra leaned back, rubbing her face.

"Here you go, it's just your excessive worry." Tomi patted Andra's shoulder.

"I realized, I won't lie forever." replied Andra sadly.

"Yes, but now your family is fine, aren't you happy? Fiza and Ara love you so much. Make it a way to make him forget the sorrow of losing Azzam. Give her greater love than what she got from Azzam. Assume Azzam is your rival."

"He's dead." Andra smiled cynically.

"You need to know Andra, the biggest rival is a dead man, not one whose life surpasses yours."

The words that made Andra think.

"I'm gonna let you out for a minute." Mingho moved out of his chair.

Andra stared hard.

"I have to get to the cabin, deliver this to your sister-in-law." Mingho showed me a piece of paper that read the name of the best faculty.

Andra grabbed it, reading for a moment. "Fiza and Nur are graduates of the Egyptian faculty. It doesn't seem fair if Ningrum can only go to college here."

"He didn't want to be away from his father. While still in college I don't think it's a bad idea." said Mingho took back the sheet from Andra's hands.

"I've been planning to finance him to study in Egypt."

Mingho's steps stopped, so he hesitated to hand over the form sheet.

"Go, great men will not give up." Sahut Tomi convinced Mingho who had doubts.

"Then you?" Andra turned to Tomi who always sounded wise.

"I won't give up either. Suppose God gave your brother a chance to open his eyes even for a day." he replied then passed out following Mingho.

"I wish it were like that." murmured Andra.

While at the boarding school, that afternoon all the students gathered in a large hall right next to Kiyai Marzuki's house. Looks Nur already standing in front beside him also stood two young ustadzah.

"Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarokaatuh."

Sahut greetings are heard from many students who sit neatly.

For a moment of prayer and thanksgiving to Allah SWT they said.

"Brothers." Nur's delicate voice paused for a moment. "Especially for the students who have graduated Madrasah Aliyah. I represent Kiyai Marzuki, my father. Apologizing for the twenty sisters, maybe in the few years we were together, there was a lack of guidance, or a hurtful misrepresentation of words, we all apologized, he said, and do not forget to ask for forgiveness from Allah SWT, indeed we are not perfect humans, indeed perfection is only Allah's own."

Silent then among the santri, the more Nur spoke, the more lowered their heads. Until the closing greeting said from Nur's lips and a warm smile.

But instead of replying to the greeting, the twenty santri went up and hugged Nur at the same time.

"Thank you Ustadzah, thank you for accepting us who have none of this."

Cries were heard filling the hall. Of these twenty, four were orphans, their mother a widow. Two other people were victims of divorce, two orphans who since childhood had no parents. One more person was deliberately left in pesantren and in care until adulthood. The rest are children who have parents. Only two people from the family were.