Look At Me Once

Fabi Ayyi Aalaa'i Robbikumaa Tukazzibaan?

Alwi had reached his house, he rushed into the house and climbed the stairs one by one to his room with Anisa.

Clik.

Alwi turned the doorknob and opened it, but he did not find his wife in it.

Alwi rushed towards the bathroom, undressed and flushed all over her body. Eliminating all tired after a day of his mood made a mess by his young wife plus his client's daughter who increasingly makes him feel fed up.

Alwi came out of the bathroom with wet hair and a sheet of towel covered his lower body, revealing his lilac stomach. He saw Anisa standing beside the bed preparing a change of clothes for him, and he walked over to his wife.

“Mas are home?” anisa asked, aware of her husband's presence.

“You saw for yourself, right. I've been near you.” Alwi hugged his wife from behind.

“Wear the clothes first, Mas! My shirt will get wet!” annoyed Anisa.

Many times Anisa nagged her husband to wipe his body dry first before coming out of the bathroom. But Alwi seemed to care for his ears.

“Kangen, Darling,” says Alwi with spoiled.

“Newly also split a few hours. Later if separated forever how?”

Alwi released his embrace and twisted Anisa's body so that they faced each other.

“What do you mean?” alwi asked, both of his hands holding his wife's arms tight.

“Aw! Sa-sickness, Mas ..”

Alwi regained his senses, he relaxed his grip on his wife's arm. “Sorry.”

“Don't say that again! I don't like to hear it, promise me, Nis! Never leave me.”

“Sorry, Mom. I can't promise. Remember, Mum! We all belong to God and to Him shall we return.” Anisa said in a soft voice, trying to calm her husband.

Alwi pulled Anisa's body into her arms and held her tightly.

“I know that, Honey. But I'm not ready. Give me some time! At least until we age together. Having adorable grandchildren and we play with them, must be a lot of fun.”

“Mas-”

“Shortly, Darling. Leave it like this first.” Alwi clenched his wife's body trying to let go of his embrace.

Anisa returned an embrace from Alwi, she could not resist her husband.

‘Sorry if I let you down a lot, Mas. Forgive me for carving so many wounds in your heart, for I am forcing you too much, for I cannot understand you yet, for all your desires. Sorry because I have not been able to make you happy,’ said Anisa in her heart, she hugged her husband's body tighter.

‘Hopefully Lathifa can be my replacement for you, Mas. You need to know, I'm not doing this because I don't love you, Mom. I even love you so much. I'll do anything for your own good, Mom. For happiness. For your future. Forgive your imperfect wife,’ she continued inwardly.

Five minutes passed, slowly Alwi relaxed his embrace. Anisa leads Alwi to sit in front of the dressing table, then she helps dry her husband's hair with a towel.

The couple was just silent. The laughter they usually do, now lost replaced by the splashing sound of rain water fluttering with a rush out there.

“Your hair is dry, Mas. Soon change clothes, I will prepare dinner for us,” said Anisa walking away from her husband.

Anisa hangs a towel in the drying place near the balcony door. He looked at the rain outside his room, the sky was darkened by black clouds.

“You didn't pick up Lathifa, Mas?” anisa asked her hand pulling the curtains to close the glass door of her room balcony.

“Eh, it's-he said he'll be home by taxi.” Alwi looks a little nervous, he forgets about the whereabouts of his young wife.

“Oh, yes already. Mas salat magrib first, I'm on holiday. I'm waiting at the dinner table, yes.”

Anisa comes out of the room leaving Alwi feeling guilty for forgetting Lathifa.

Alwi wants to contact his young wife, but he remembers that he does not keep Lathifa's phone number.

Alwi rushed to fetch water and carry out his duties as a Muslim.

Elsewhere, Lathifa stood alone under a bus stop sheltering from the torrent of rain that was soaking the earth.

The twilight sky looked dark like never before, the sound of thunderous thunder rumbled deafeningly. Lightning flashes are visible from all directions.

Lathifa closed her frozen body, the wind blowing hard enough to blow the rain water soaked her clothes.

Almost an hour Lathifa was silent waiting for the arrival of the city bus or taxi passing by. But not a single vehicle passed in front of him.

Lathifa cursed her stupidity that left her wallet at home. His phone died because he did not have time to charge his phone.

From a distant direction, Lathifa saw a black car approaching towards her. He was afraid that if the one who came was a bad person, Lathifa looked around, dark and lonely.

Lathifa stepped back, squeezing her body when the car stopped right in front of her.

The car slowly lowered its front door glass, bringing up the figure of a young man inside.

“Mbak, why stand in the middle of the storm?” tanyakanya.

Lathifa was silent, reluctant to answer questions from the man she did not know.

“Mbak not to be afraid, I am not a bad person.” The man raised his voice as it was muffled by the sound of rain.

“Mbak! If you want, let me take you home!” exclaimed the man, seeing Lathifa not responding to him.

“Mbak! Hurry up! You want to stay here all night? There will be no public transportation passing in the middle of a storm like this.”

The man grabbed the umbrella he kept in his car and went out to Lathifa.

“Let me drive you home.” The man offered his help, but Lathifa was reluctant to accept and kept turning her face away.

“You were not the one last afternoon to the boarding school with mbak Nisa ya?” ask the man to make sure that he is not wrong.

“You are familiar with mbak Nisa?” Lathifa looked at the man's face, but her gaze blurred so as not to catch the man's face clearly.

“Yes, I'm Nisa's cousin. Don't be afraid, I don't have the slightest malicious intent.” The man convinced Lathifa to accept his good intentions, feeling sorry to see Lathifa's increasingly pale face with a shivering body.

With a slight hesitation, Lathifa followed the man into her car.

The man covered Lathifa's body and opened the back door for her. Then he rushed in the steering chair.

“Lathifa, whatever you want to call me by what name,” said Lathifa who sat in the back seat while rubbing her hands.

Zahran glanced at Lathifa from the front rearview mirror, he picked up the jacket lying on the seat next to him.

“Wear this! So that your body does not get cold, Lathif.” Zahran gave his jacket to Lathifa.

“Thank you,” said Lathifa received the jacket and put it on.

Zahran delivered Lathifa home according to the address mentioned by Lathifa. During the trip, there was no silence from the two of them.

Zahran parked his car right in front of Alwi's house, he knitted his brow in confusion.

“You stay here?”

“Iya.” Lathifa answered him briefly.

“Bring that jacket, and wear this umbrella.” Zahran gave him the umbrella he had used.

“Thank you. Another time I will return your jacket and umbrella.”

“no need to be returned, I sincerely help you.”

“Sorry, has troubled you. I promise I'll return your belongings.” Lathifa opened the car door and walked out into the gate of her husband's house.

Zahran stared at Lathifa's departure. Many questions he wanted to express, but he pared it because it was rude to have to disturb the privacy of others, let alone they just knew each other.

Zahran launched his car, he rushed to attend his friend's walimah invitation, so he could not take Lathifa to the house of Alwi.

Lathifa went inside the house after saying her greetings, she rushed towards her room. Lathifa wanted to immediately wash herself in a warm bath to eliminate the cold that the terrace pierced to her bones.

But her steps had to be stopped in the living room when she heard her husband's voice.

“Where are you from?” asked Alwi in a cold voice.

Lathifa twisted her body. “Campus,” the answer is short.

“Campus?” Alwi knitted his brows. “From campus this late? Don't lie to you.”

Lathifa continued in her footsteps, not wanting to serve her husband's debate. He just wanted to quickly get to his room and rest.

“I'm not done talking Lathifa! Which men's jacket do you wear?” exclaimed Alwi, making Anisa and Ijah run away from the kitchen.

Lathifa stopped her steps again. Not because she wanted to answer her husband's words, but her body felt limp her gaze blurred.

“Give me news if you're going home late! You're a wife, Lathifa!”

Lathifa still heard vaguely her husband who was angry with her. Lathifa was no longer able to support her weight.

Bruk!

“Fa!”

“Mbak Latif!”

Vaguely Lathifa still heard the voice of Anisa and mbok Ijah who called out her name, but after that everything turned dark.

Anisa and Mbok Ijah ran towards Lathifa lying on the floor.

Alwi just silently stared, suddenly his mind was empty. His feelings were chaotic seeing his young wife not moving on the floor.

Alwi did not intend to get angry, but when he saw his young wife wearing a man's jacket other than hers, he was overwhelmed by anger and could not help it.

“Mas! Quickly lift Lathifa to her room! Don't stand still there!” anisa's cry resuscitated Alwi from her daydream.

Alwi stared at Lathifa without even moving her body, making Anisa feel uneasy with her husband.

“Mas! Hurry along! what are you waiting for?”

Alwi walked closer towards them, he extended his hand about to lift Lathifa's body.

Deg.

Alwi felt Lathifa's wet clothes had dried up a little to touch her skin, with a pale face and blue lips.

Alwi felt a tightness in his chest. But he quickly denied it. ‘You just feel pity and pity for him, Al!’ alwi said in his heart.

Alwi carries Lathifa's small body and takes her into her room, followed by Anisa behind her, while Ijah runs into the kitchen to make ginger water for Lathifa.

“Where are you going, Mas?” anisa asked when she saw Alwi was about to leave the room after putting her young wife's body on the bed.

“Out ... what else?” alwi was confused.

“Help Lathifa to change her clothes, Mas!”

“No!” reject Alwi spontaneously.

Anisa widened her eyes, looking at her husband suspiciously.

“Eh, that means you're the one who helped her, baby. I'm going to the bathroom, my stomach hurts.”

“Oh .. yes already,” said Anisa unsuspecting.

Alwi said he could not look after Lathifa, as there was a lot of work to be done for the meeting tomorrow morning. He asks Anisa to accompany Lathifa.

Anisa painstakingly treated Lathifa whose body was feverish, all night she was awake and just fell asleep at 03:00 after Lathifa fever decreased.

Alwi slowly opened the door of Lathifa's room, he looked at the two faces of his wife who slept next to each other in one bed.

‘Masha Allah’

...Fabi ayyi aalaaa’i Rabbikumaa tukazzibaan....

...“Which is the favor of your Lord do you deny?”...