Just a Bond

A Memory of the Past

Is there anyone else there?

Suddenly, I was stunned when that last question came to my mind. If he had a previous lover, he could have refused the match, right? Why force accept if it ends up hurting one? And in the end, back to that boring question again. Fatiguing.

"Najvas? Hey." I flinched when I heard the call right beside me. I gasped at the heartbeat that was racing back like a marathon, as I turned to the side, Mas Farhan's face was right in front of his face. He stood slightly lowered his head towards me who was still sitting in his car seat. My cheeks feel hot, maybe he has also met red because nervousness began to hit.

"Why, Mas?" I asked while lowering my eyes from him. My heart is also not good if long with Mas Farhan.

"We've reached Dad's house. Let's get down."

I'm groping for a second. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry, I wasn't intentionally daydreaming."

I saw Mas Farhan smiling at me. His right hand moved to stroke my head. God, the smile that I missed for a month, today I can enjoy again. How happy I am to see her sweet smile. He took my arm to get out of the car, like the princess his prince picked up.

"Hey, where are you going?" prevent Mas Farhan with a soft voice. Exactly the same tone of voice when we first left for Surabaya.

What happened to you, Mom? Is jinn possession good? Or was it fitting in the journey of the satanic Suramadu? Ih, what the hell.

I knit an eyebrow. "You take our things, Mas. 'Can't it be in the trunk?"

"All the stuff is down, honey."

My body suddenly felt like it was watered by a pile of ice cubes, frozen. The tongue feels weak, unable to speak. The throat felt dry suddenly, like an arid desert, when he heard the soft and loving words spoken from the lips of Mas Farhan. Can I be overwhelmed today? May I be happy with this sweet treatment given by my grumpy and cold husband?

"No."

I followed Mas Farhan's direction. The body that had felt frozen, now felt more than frozen. This time I felt numb from the freezing. The tongue feels increasingly dull, the lips even vibrate violently. The throat is getting stuck. In addition, there are feelings of pain, tenderness, and pain, mixed into one add to the weirdness of my race today. In fact, tightness in the chest began to feel, to break the eye door to shed the clear liquid. The feeling of haru and happy just now, instantly vanished without a trace like being swallowed by the earth, changing ironically.

When I should have been happy when I returned to my homeland and was welcomed by my loved ones, I cried bitterly in silence. The clear liquid that keeps pooling in this eye patch is not because it is happy to meet Mas Reza and Dad who are already standing next to our suitcases that have been perched sweetly on the doorstep of the house. However, when reality dawned on me that Mas Farhan's attitude changed today because of my family. My chameleon was in action apparently.

I lowered my head for a moment while biting my lips, trying to withstand the overflow of negative emotions that were trying to overwhelm me. I don't want to make my father and brother worry if I see me crying today. I don't want them to know why I cry.

Relax, Najwa. Don't let your family realize your grief. Let them deny you happiness with Farhan. Youcan. You are strong, Najwa. Come onl. For your father and brother.

Slowly, I raised my head, then forced a smile on it. Although, these lips feel stiff and heavy to do so.

"Thank you, Mum. You are good," I said with great emphasis.

So good, you indirectly broke me in front of my own family.

We stepped together to greet the two men of different ages who had been waiting for our arrival.

"Dad." I immediately rushed into my father's arms. This time I let tears drip down, wetting the frail chest of this first man of my dreams. The outpouring of negative emotions of the sadness that was just now, as well as the outpouring of longing that had been together mixed into one, pushed those tears to flow profusely. Especially when you stroke your back.

"Dad's daughter's crying, all right?"

Dad put my body back, then cupped my cheek. His gaze was still the same, pacifying.

"Najwa kangen Daddy. You're okay, aren't you, same Mas Reza?"

He put his best smile on me. He gently rubbed my head covered in a veil.

"You don't have to worry. Good dad, son." I breathed a sigh of relief at Dad's reply.

"Han, how are you?" That's Mas Reza's voice.

"Good, Mas." You stingy-word guy. Brief, dense and clear, without further ado.

Ignoring Mas Farhan's really annoying attitude in my eyes with a jaim-ass in front of Mas Reza and Dad, I went to my second brother's side. Without excuse, I hugged him.

"Mas Reza's! Najwa misses the same Mas!" Fuck Mas Farhan's software for my attitude.

"Oh my goodness, Deck. Very awkward, yes, same Mas? Until so enthusiastic?" wonder Mas Reza.

"Yes, dong. Mas Reza' is Najwa's best brother."

"It's just you, Deck." Mas Reza chuckled. "Had better get in first, yuk." I enthusiastically took Father and Mas Reza by my side, then stepped inside the house.

Sorry, Mas. There is no point in ignoring you. However, if I force romantic support with you in front of Father and Mas Reza, I'm afraid it's messed up. I still can't control my tears, Mom.

When I turned my head back, it turned out that Mas Farhan was tailing by dragging our luggage. Durhaka once was me, huh? Ha ha's. I was the one who wanted to bring it, but Mas Farhan did not allow it. So, once in a while I have to enjoy a rare opportunity like this, right?

Oh God, my God, I'm sorry.

Not so responding to Mas Farhan, I brought Dad to sit on the sofa in the front room of the house. Ah, sitting here again, making a little memory of the past before my wedding, again greet the brain space.

...***...

“Najwa, I have betrothed you to a friend's son Father.”

I who was busy fixing pots of ornamental plants on the corner table of the front room of the house, suddenly froze. A soul mate? This news really surprised me. How not? Before, I rarely talked about my soul mate. Then now, suddenly Dad said he had prepared a soul mate for me.

I was still silent, with the last flower pot forgotten. I saw Dad coming towards me who was sitting on the long sofa near the table of the houseplants.

“How, Nak?”

I turned my face, looked at my face.

“Not that Dad's sentence was a statement?” Father lowered his face for a moment. I saw him take a strong breath and exhale slowly.

“Who?” ask again. I think Dad's silent response represented the word ‘iya’, so I immediately switched the subject.

“Farhan, his son Bu Rasti.”

For a moment, my head was down. I've met Miss Rasti before. She is a kind and gentle woman. Attention again. Will his son have the same attitude as his mother?

I was suddenly worried. Indeed, the fruit fell not far from the tree. Every character that a child has a little because it is influenced by the genes of his parents, ‘kan? However, it also does not rule out the possibility if there are additional characters that are slightly different because of the combination of characters between father and mother, right?

A lot of speculation began to appear in my brain considering that I had never once met the son of Bu Rasti.

“What's up, nih, Yah?” Me and Dad turned to the door. There is a figure of Mas Reza who stands with a look of wonder.

“Dad wants to marry your sister to Daddy's business-relationship son, Mas. You are not papa, ‘kan preceded your sister?” dad said directly to the newly arrived Mas Reza, out of nowhere.

Mas Reza stepped in and headed towards where we were sitting. Mas Reza then took a position to sit next to me. Before answering my question, he looked at me first. I was confused to see it.

“How, Mas?” reset Dad.

“If Adek agrees, why don't you, Yah?” saith. He then glanced again at me, then asked, “Adek how?”

I took a breath for a moment. “Insyaallah, Najwa ready, Mas.” That's the answer to both Dad and Mas Reza's questions. Although I was still in doubt about the decision, I could do nothing more. Indeed, Dad said it was just a request. But I can pick up on the signal of hope behind that word. And the only thing I can do is accept that soul mate from Dad.

"Dec? Najwa?"

...***...

Sweet greetings from sweet people.

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Sumenep, Madura, East Java

Monday, 21 May 2021