HUSBAND PROBLEM

Solid Powder

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Shaka and Jean are on their way home to the Avveroes. Two hours ago, Selma told him to come back soon. And this is where they were on their way home amid the drizzle of rain that afternoon.

"Do my eyes still look swollen?" Jean moved her face slightly so that Shaka could see it clearly.

Shaka turned his head for a while then refocused his attention on the wheel. "It's better."

"really?" Jean glazed using the glass contained in his solid powder. "If I've been compressing using a cold spoon." he murmured slowly.

Looking at the powder herself, Jean recalled the powder that Ola left in Shaka's car. He looked down, looking for where Ola powder was left by the woman. Jean looks around on the dashboard of the car, but does not find it.

"Search what?" Ask Shaka.

"Ola powder."

"There's in the dashboard drawer. I found it in the basemant." Shaka. While picking up the car in the basemant he accidentally saw a white round shaped object under the passenger seat. The curious Shaka picked it up and realized it was solid powder that likely belonged to Ola as Jean had said yesterday.

Jean opened the dashboard drawer and found a solid powder packed in ivory white. "He really left her on purpose, yes." she murmured.

"Hm."

"What do you think is the reason?" ask Jean.

"It could be that the powder is really left in my car" said Shaka, who appeared to be trying to think positively.

Jean is already suspicious can not think positively like Shaka. Moreover, Jean clearly understands the change in Ola's face and Ola's behavior that looks strange. Don't forget Jean, who's about to graduate as a psychologist. He certainly studied about humans, including the behavior and also the soul that influences the behavior.

Not that Jean was prejudiced against Ola, but how could Jean not be prejudiced against the woman if Ola's changes were so obvious before her eyes.

The sound of Shaka's phone lying on the dashboard broke the silence.

"Please lift."

According to Jean, take Shaka's phone and then slide the green button on the screen. "Speaker." Shaka said.

Jean then pushed the speaker button.

"Hello, boss." said Delvin from across the street.

Jean brings Shaka's phone closer to the man while holding him.

"Yes." Yeah."

"Where are you? I want to talk about Ola and Karen."

"Speak." said Shaka without any intention of hiding anything from Jean.

"I got information that Karen was Ola's cousin who previously lived in Canada. At first they were on good terms, but somehow since two years ago their relationship was tenuous precisely after the boss had a relationship with Karen."

"Continue."

"Karen was put in a mental hospital by Ola herself two months ago."

"alright. We'll discuss it further tomorrow at the office."

"Good, boss."

Connection died. Shaka noticed Jean's gaze directed at him with a question mark. Shaka stepped on the brake pedal slowly while in front of him the red traffic sign.

Shaka gave a faint smile seeing Jean still with a puzzled look, "Your head is full, huh?"

Jean neutralized his expression, then spoke. "Are you happy to be in a relationship with a woman who is still a family tree?"

Jean's words suddenly made Shaka laugh. "I didn't know that they were still in one family lineage, you heard that too, right."

"So, how much is Karen?"

"Three."

Jean nodded beginning to speculate that there was a family quarrel fighting over one man.

"CLBK." muttered Jean softly.

Shaka started running his car back. "Hm?"

"Love hasn't gone long."

"Who?"

Shaka laughed cynically, "I never even liked it."

"Then why are you dating her?" Ask Jean curiously. Because Shaka always avoids talking about the love relationship between the man and Ola in the past as if Shaka was just playing around and never took it seriously. Like playboy.

"long story. I'll tell you about it when we get married." Shaka replied accordingly.

"What does this have to do with when you get married? Isn't it the same?" Ask Jean who is very curious.

Shaka just smiled thinly, the story he would tell is not far there must be a connection with Jean considering the silly reason to change women is to seek experience only.

"Later, yes." said Shaka in a soft tone while stroking Jean's head.

***

Selma opened the door of the house when the bell rang out from the front door. "You have arrived. Come on, come on in."

Jean steps in, followed by Shaka next to her. Arriving at the living room, Selma turned her body to face the two of them.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Dinner first, yes." bargain Selma. His gaze led to his daughter's two eyes that looked strange, like they were swollen. "What's with your two eyes, Jean?"

Jean quickly rubbed her eyelids, "I-ini-"

"Shaka, did you make Jean cry?" Accuse Selma of looking hard at Shaka. Thinking maybe Shaka hurt his daughter to make her two eyes look swollen like this. Selma was sure Jean wasn't crying for a while.

"It's not like that, Ma."

"We watched a movie together. Jean cried because the movie was so heartbreaking." Shaka helps explain.

The sharp gaze softened, turning to look at Jean with an inexhaustible look. "Watching the movie apparently. This child indeed if watching a movie as if he himself is a female actor. Ck,ck,ck." Selma clucking.

Shaka and Jean respond with an awkward laugh considering there are many events that happened yesterday to this day.

"Oh, let's go in first. There's a Gavi inside."

They followed Selma's steps into the kitchen. Suddenly Gavi appears with a bottle of ice that Jean believes is milk ice coffee.

"Hi, Uncle's nephew." Gavi greets. "Oh, there's Shaka too."

Shaka lowered his head slightly, greeting politely.

Gavi thrust the bottle containing the iced coffee milk at Jean who was immediately shaved by the girl. "Uncle from outside?"

"Yes." Yeah." He answered while walking to the dining table.

"Don't buy martabak?" Jean sat across from Gavi.

"Whatever knows you're coming home in the afternoon" Gavi said, sipping a drink. "So, Shaka have you set a date?" ask her to Shaka.

"Next week, Uncle" said Shaka who sat next to Jean.

Selma who was putting some side dishes on the dining table was helping with Bi Tuti; the only maid in the house, looked at Shaka with a sigh. "Quick that? Well, you guys are so impatient, huh?"

Shaka and Jean smiled shyly in response.

"Yesterday Jean was like a foggy man hearing that he would be betrothed. It seems now even with pleasure, yes." Selma's temptation to Jean is avenged by the girl's plot.

"It's not like that - I mean." said Jean stammered, seeming confused how to respond to the words of the mother.

"You even spent the night together."

Gavi cheered, "Well, that far? Although you two are getting married, but you're still not allowed to sleep together, you know."

"No. We don't sleep together." said Jean quickly.

"really."

Jean nodded.

"Where did Shaka sleep?" Ask Selma.

"He's on the front sofa of the living room." Said Jean.

"Oh my goodness, what a pity this son-in-law-to-be. Patience, yes, son." Selma rubbed Shaka's head fondly in reply to a thin smile by Shaka.