Look At Me Once
A letter to Anisa
To Anisa's Mother.
...Assalamualaikum ......
...Before I wanted to thank you because Anisa's sister has been present in my life, Anisa's mother has taught me a lot about this life....
...Thank you because Anisa's mom wants to accept me to be a friend mbak, even Anisa's mom is willing to accept me who is despicable far from this good word for Mbak to consider as a sister....
...I promise in every prayer, I will always pray that Ms. Anisa is always happy and healthy always. Thank you for this year, thank you for all the kindness that Anisa has given me and my mother....
...I want to apologize because my presence was a mistake, a big mistake that made the household Mbak Anisa cracked. I'm sorry, Ma'am ... I chose to leave, I did not want to be the cause of the destruction of another woman's household....
...Sorry if all this time I often bother Anisa, Sorry I could not keep the promise that Mbak asked me at that time. I don't want to be next to Anisa's husband, I gave up until here....
...Goodbye, Ma'am. Hopefully, Anisa is always surrounded by good people wherever Anisa is....
...One request, ma'am. Please don't drag me back between the two of you, don't ever look for me. I'll be fine....
...Oh yeah, thank you for helping pay off my family's debt. One day I will definitely return the money even though it may take a long time....
...Greetings from your sister, Lathifa....
... ...
Alwi dropped the paper in his hand after reading the letter from his young wife, immediately his hand trembled and his body felt limp as if something was piercing his chest.
Despite the shadow of his battle last night with Lathifa, Alwi's body staggered back and could be sure he would fall if there was no wall behind him that held his body weight.
“A-what is this?” alwi asked stuttered while holding his chest that felt tight.
Alwi regretted his actions last night because he could not control his emotions, he did not expect that Lathifa would be desperate to leave the house.
“I'm disappointed in you, Mas!” anisa said coldly, clearly her eyeballs exuded such great disappointment.
“Sayang-”
Alwi's sentence was paused when Anisa quickly interrupted her husband's speech, she did not give the slightest time for Alwi to give an explanation.
“I don't know what kind of dispute there was between you two last night, Mas!” anisa said with a heavy voice.
“But I'm disappointed you guys hid that from me!” point Anisa to the two beds in the room.
Alwi followed the direction of his wife's hand, he was speechless. As the saying goes, whichever carcass is covered, sooner or later the smell will surely smell as well.
As with her relationship with Lathifa, which she hid from Anisa, everything was revealed over time.
“Say,”
“Don't touch me, Mas!” reject Anisa and take off her husband's hand, for the first time Anisa dares to do this to the man who is more than five years into her husband, her priest and her role model.
“Nis ...” Alwi is further devastated to find the woman he loves rejecting him even ignoring him.
“Honey, sorry a-aku-”
“Don't apologize to me, Mas. I'm not the one who should accept your apology, but Lathifa!” sela Anisa fast.
Anisa passed by her husband who was still standing at the door, but Alwi quickly held her back and pulled Anisa into his arms.
“Where are you going?” alwi asked fearfully, he tightened his embrace even more.
“Let me go, Mas! I'm looking for Lathifa!” Anisa rebelled trying to free herself from her husband's embrace.
“But I'm scared-”
“Sttt, he must be fine, honey. You know, she's not a weak woman.”
Hearing her husband's words, for a moment Anisa felt calm. Knowing that Lathifa is a strong and independent woman, Anisa hopes Lathifa will be fine.
The two were silent in each other's minds, without them realizing that there were several pairs of eyes seeing their dispute. But no one intends to mediate a husband and wife who are at odds with that.
“Then, what problem made Lathifa so angry last night?” anisa asked, erasing the silence between them.
“She's pregnant,” Alwi replied softly, and only Anisa can hear her.
Anisa turned her body to face her husband. “Ha-pregnant?” asked Anisa in disbelief, she felt confused why her husband and her madman had a big fight because of Lathifa's pregnancy.
Wasn't that what they had been waiting for, and now Lathifa was pregnant but why did they fight?
“She's pregnant, then why are you guys fighting, Mas?”
“Honey, she's pregnant and I don't know who the baby's father is,” obviously Alwi further confused Anisa.
“What do you mean, Mas?”
“Listen to me, Nis! I swear, ever since I married her even though I never touched her, Nis! And now she's pregnant? Whose child did he bear?” Alwi was carried away by emotions so he unconsciously raised his voice.
“Mas!”
Bruk!
Anisa screamed in disbelief at what she was listening to, along with that came the falling object that managed to distract the two people.
Anisa and Alwi simultaneously turned towards the source of the voice, they were surprised by the presence of the two Alwi parents who were both shocked by the incident in front of him.
“A-what do you mean, Al?” ask Umi Hanifah with reddened and teary eyes. Almost his body fell to the floor if not captured by her husband standing next to her, even he dropped the food in his hand.
“U-mi, A-bi-” Alwi stuttered to call his parents, he did not know if his parents would come today and just as chaos was brewing inside his house.
“Who marries whom, Al?” abi Husein asked firmly with his sharp eyes, from then on they had no voice. The plan wanted to surprise her son and daughter-in-law, instead they were given a surprise by Alwi and Anisa.
“A-abi, a-I can explain-”
“Since when are you polygamous?” abi Husein asked cutting out his son's sentence.
“Nearly a year,” replied Alwi softly, he did not dare to look at the faces of his parents. There was disappointment in the face of her mother, the woman who had conceived and raised her. Alwi felt guilty for keeping it a secret to them.
“Astaghfirullah, Al!” umi Hanifah was privileged and held her chest, she remembered the time she had met Lathifa.
“What is she the woman you used to meet in this house?” ask Umi Hanifah and answered with a nod of the head by Alwi.
Broken was crying umi Hanifah, how she felt guilty to the woman. “Yes Allah, Alwi! Why didn't you tell us? What do you consider your parents, Al?”
“Yes God, I sinned against him. With ease umi actually told him to leave this house,” umi Hanifah cried bitterly, regretting his actions first.
It also made everyone surprised, especially Anisa who felt the most guilty.
“Umi, Abi, forgive Anisa. All this is wrong Anisa, Anisa who asked Mas Alwi to marry Lathifa, forgive Anisa Umi, Abi.” Anisa walked up to her two in-laws and kissed the hands of the two in turn.
“Have it done, there's nothing to forgive, Nduk. Let what has happened, focus on the future,” said Abi Husein mediated.
