
"When there was a red one" said Ravana, sneering at Nabila's arms. "Smute, Om Zayn's taste is really ugly. You should have bought a red one, why an orange one?"
Nabila seemed unconcerned with Ravana's opinion, still smiling brightly at Zayn as a sign of gratitude. Zayn only replied with a small smile, then focused on the road ahead.
All day Nabila never let go of Zayn's hand. Even when Zayn let go several times, Nabila waited until Zayn clasped his hand again.
Zayn intended to be an important figure for Nabila, but all that is only for Nabila himself. Zayn did not like how he even followed the atmosphere.
Upon returning the two, Zayn chose to leave immediately, because he needed to remember the grudges placed on him.
*
Nabila clutched her clothes tightly to the point that she forgot to have to do a lot of tasks. Nabila was just too happy, because Zayn made her feel loved when so many people hurt her.
"Smute!"
Elis's voice surprised Nabila from the room. The little girl hurriedly hid her clothes in the safest place she could, so that Elis would not damage the clothes again.
After being sure, Nabila also ran down.
"Why isn't your job done yet?!"
Nabila bowed, apologized through the movement and hurriedly went to do what he had to do. The little girl did not realize that Ravana had been staring at her ever since.
Wh why? That's what's filling Ravana's head.
Why is Mute so happy with Zayn's ugly gift? Mute never looks happy when with Ravana. Ravana often went to bring him food. Why did he never take refuge in Ravana but instead chose Zayn who actually wanted to hurt him?
"Rahwana, what are you thinking about?" reprimanded Elis sharply, because he felt Ravana was busy looking at the bastard child.
"No, Mama." Ravana looked down at his food. But a moment later he looked up, "Ma, Fina hasn't come back here?"
"Later. Fina's just married, so she's the same husband she was."
Ravana remembered the words of Zayn. He said Ravana when he grew up would marry Mute.
"Ma, what's married?"
Elis raised an eyebrow at her son's innocent question, but then smiled. His hand gently stroked Ravana's head, then said, "Married that means you want to take care of the woman who will be with you for life."
"...."
"You can't hurt him, you can't accidentally snap at him, let alone cheat on him." Then Elis glanced at Nabila because he would not want to remember his son.
The only child he ever let go of was getting married young because of a proposal from a nice guy's son, but it turns out that his little girl was destroyed for nothing by the misdeeds of their fucking family.
"Women who marry you will have to love you, and vice versa you too. You should always take care of him and he should always be there for you. You have to make her happy and she has to make you happy. It's called marriage, son."
Ravana.
Must guard.
Must love.
Gotta make him happy.
"He's got to be my number one, Ma?"
"Yes. It has to."
Then ....
*
"From now on we're husband and wife, mute."
Nabila tilted his face in wonder at Ravana's words.
"From now on I'm your husband, you're my wife." Ravana points to himself, then to Nabila. "The husband should make his wife happy, the wife should make her husband happy. We make ourselves and each other happy. So from now on you're my wife yeah, mute?"
Nabila did not understand but somehow he felt Ravana was stupid.
*
"Om Zayn lied to me!"
Zayn raised his eyebrows puzzled. Just now his legs stopped walking, fulfilling the call of Ravana who said he wanted to talk something about Nabila. But without further ado the boy shouted, blaming Zayn.
"liying?" Zayn folded his hands. "Om lie what? It's not mowing a mute hand."
What is this boy talking about?
"Why lie?"
"I've got a marriage mute!" Ravana was excited by his statement. "I say we're both mute, husband and wife, but mute doesn't want to! He's just diem! Mute don't want to be with me!"
Zayn knew the little boy was stupid but it was unexpected that his stupidity had turned out so far. Of course, children as small as Nabila understand if invited to marry now.
"Sissu would rather be Om than me!"
Zayn silently held his breath.
But a moment later the man could control himself, folding his hands in front of his chest.
"Rahwana, men don't have much to whine," he said firmly. "Just because you were rejected once, are you guilty Om? That's a woman's habit of actually wronging people. You female?"
Ravana was silent. Don't want to say female because Ravana is male.
"Here, I'm telling you something." Zayn crouched down, hinting at Ravana coming with his hand.
The boy approached, standing right in front of Zayn.
"You want Mute to squirm you, don't like the coercion. Not too much attention. Enough of it."
Ravana was silent, reluctant to admit he did not understand the problem later Zayn mocked him stupidly. But since Zayn is an adult, it's clear he understands this kid doesn't understand.
"Now, I love biscuits." Zayn reached into his pocket, taking out two packs of chocolate biscuits that would obviously not be found at least in this village. "How much will you mute?"
"One." Ravana answered with great confidence. "I have two."
"Wrong." Zayn pushed the biscuit into Ravana's chest. "Both have you. The only one you ate in front of him until he finished, the other half ate the new half of Mute's love."
"That's cheating, Om."
That's the trick, you little boy.
If Ravana gives a biscuit suddenly to Nabila, of course he will be happy, but he does not 'feel like' until his happiness is just to thank him. However, if Ravana eats this delicious biscuit until it runs out, until Nabila secretly feels like and hopes to be loved, he will consider Ravana very good when dividing a piece of two pieces only.
"When I do, Nabila will stop liking Om right?"
"Yep. Om's job is just to help you deket same Mute."
"okay." Ravana bagged the two chocolate biscuits, then left Zayn alone.
Zayn turned his head slightly, looking at Ravana's back which was increasingly visible far away. In his heart he hoped the trick would work.
Nabila's pleasure in Zayn should be proportional to his pleasure in Ravana. Not the next weight.
The boy must consider Zayn as a surrogate father, but he must never forget Ravana.
*
Ravana runs Zayn's advice, eating a packet of biscuits as Nabila is busy sweeping the yard. According to Zayn's advice, Ravana spent the packet of biscuits alone.
"Ravana." Mama saw biscuits in her son's hand. "Om Zayn the love one?"
The boy nodded. "Yes." Yeah."
"You likey? Want Mama to ask Om Zayn to buy a lot?"
"Well, really, Ma? Want, want!"
Mama smiled happily to see her son happy. "Yaudah, but you promise not to mute?"
"Yes!"
In the evening, Ravana sneaks into Nabila's room, wanting to give it to her as Zayn suggested. But Ravana didn't eat half that biscuit. Everything's intact, he wants to give it to the mute.
Ravana only felt that he ate half later Nabila would not be satisfied.
"Sissy, this is for you."
Nabila looked at him with confused eyes, then unexpectedly she shook her head.
Refusing.
*