Prison of Love

Wedding Dress

79

I should have called Hengky from the beginning. It should have been from the beginning that I ‘guzzled’ magic herbs contained words that always managed to calm me down.

Hengky's right, what should I worry about? If I panic, the logic will die and I will get cornered. Again, I had to slap myself with the fact that only I could help myself.

After bathing, taking ablution water and praying two rakaat, like magic, the heart instantly becomes calmer. I can even while choosing clothes, while humming cheerfully. The mother who was bending her head through the door frowned, maybe she was wondering, why can I sing but with eyes that look puffy?

Make up skills are very useful to cover the puddle in the eyes. I apply natural makeup and wear a black abaya and pashmina syar’i colored in line with the abaya. I'm ready, no matter what happens, no one can rule my future but myself. Especially for my marriage.

When I left the room, everything was fine. The house as usual is always neat, snack food is available on the living room table. Just waiting for Fatih's arrival. Abah was already sitting on the living room couch, engrossed in reading books. The mother who was sitting next to Abah was busy sending messages in the family group.

I don't know what they were talking about in the group.

At exactly eleven o'clock in the afternoon, Fatih came. His face looks tired. He's not as good at pretending as I am. Emotions and resentment were evident from the look on his face.

Fatih wears an olive color shirt and cream color trousers. Objectively, the clothes he was wearing could always support his good looks but still, could not help my heart flinch. No matter how handsome he is, he is not Hengky. He was not the man who had accompanied me through the most painful crisis of my life.

After nearly ten minutes of Abah and Fatih chatting in the living room, Mom took me out. I calmly went out and sat down next to Mom, right opposite her.

“Change, Mother, before I want to ask about how Naya answered, about whether she wants to continue our ta’aruf process, I want to tell you something that Abah and I might not know about Naya.”

I who initially lowered my head was surprised and stared straight at his eyes. My heart rate immediately hunted,

No, he didn't mean to complain about what I said earlier, did he?

Fatih did not pry my eyes. As if assuming I wasn't there, he just focused alternately on making eye contact with Abah and Mom, she said,

“On my way here, Naya contacted me. He told me something that made me very surprised,” Fatih postponed his sentence, his eyes then directed at me, his lips grinned,”Naya...ingin..stop..process ta’aruf us.”.

Goddamnit! This guy is really insolent!

Fatih deliberately emphasized her last words with a different emphasis. Making the atmosphere that was once full of smiles instantly change with a gaze of judgment towards me, making the atmosphere feel tense.

Fatih raised both of her eyebrows while smiling meaningfully. Her smile seemed to tell me, “See, you can't do anything now!”

But Fatih didn't know anything about me, she was already playing around with the wrong woman. My hair is goosebumps imagining not being her partner, she has manipulated both my parents and humbled me through body gestures and the look in her eyes.

Sorry Fatih, no one can demean Naya Khairunnisa!

Miraculously, unexpectedly, I felt no fear or worry. All I felt were heightened emotions and a burst of disgust. Forcing my eyes not to take my eyes off her, pressing her every move with my grinning lips.

As expected, a woman's instinct is never wrong.

Overly perfect men always keep unexpected plot twists.

“I did not think, how could Naya desperately contact me just to let me know that she did not like me and could not continue our taaruf process just based on feelings alone. Not to mention he said, he already had another man he was waiting for. Oh my God, what kind of reason is that?”

“Sorry Abah, Mother, I go back and forth Depok-Lampung is not close, loh. There are a lot of agendas that I have to pending, spending a lot of time and material. Then suddenly it ended just like this? The sacrifices I made ended in vain.”

Abah breathed a heavy sigh. While massaging his forehead, Abah turned his head towards me, “What is the truth that Fatih said, Son?”

This is the moment I've been waiting for!

I slightly tilted my head, looking straight at Fatih, “To be honest this is the thing I was afraid of happening. In fact, I wish this never happened. It never crossed the slightest thought in my mind that Big Brother would do such a lowly deed.”

“What?! You who obviously canceled everything then blamed me?!” Fatih's eyes bulged furiously, her clenched hands held back emotions.

I smiled, casually, my finger playing the handle of the tea cup on the table, “Look Abah, Mother, look at me, How can a man be called a good husband if in front of his parents alone he dares to yell at a woman?”

Fatih's face suddenly pale, he swallowed saliva then alternately looked at Abah and Mother, “Ti-no, that's not what I mean.”.

“Even now Brother doesn't give me time to talk? Why does Brother always interrupt me?” I raised my face, smilingly looking into her evasive eyes as our gaze met.

Fatih. His shoulders suddenly go limp.

“Bah, Mother, actually Naya contacted Fatih this morning just to test whether Fatih would be a trustworthy husband in closing down every little detail of his wife's ugliness? Already Naya told him, please do not tell Abah and Mother, but in fact, arrogantly he raised his head while revealing something that he should keep tight,”

“Didn't God describe a husband and wife as clothes? Allah even said in the Qur’an in the letter of Al-baqarah verse 187, ‘Wives, they are clothes for you, and you are clothes for them’, and you are clothes for them,It clearly describes marriage as well as the interrelation relationship between husband and wife as clothing,”

“First, clothing as a necessity. Marriage is a relationship between husband and wife. There is no position of the highest and the lowest, while in need of each other, is not our position to be equal? Although it is clear the position of the husband as a priest that must be followed by the wife as a teacher. But still can not make a leader act as he pleases and a teacher who stepped over the position of a priest,”

“Secondly, clothes serve to cover the aurat while protecting the body from various weather. Similarly with the function and position of husband and wife. Each must be able to cover and protect his partner. Husband must be able to cover the secrets and disgrace of the wife, and vice versa,”

“Until here, isn't it clear that Brother is not qualified as a good husband candidate? How can you sacrifice the ugliness that I have clearly said, ‘don't tell Abah and Ibu’, as an advantage for your own personal brother?”

“About the sacrifice that brother said earlier. Sorry, sis, if only about the trip Depok-Lampung new three times Brother did already make Brother pongah, then what if later we get married and make us have to go back and forth for the rest of our lives?”

I ended my sentence by not letting go of my eyes on Fatih. The more words that came out of my mouth the more it made him bow down. When my sentence was finished, he let out a heavy sigh.

“This is new son Abah!”

Suddenly I turned towards Abah, half in disbelief at the sentence Abah had just said.

Abah smiled at me, his eyes full of pride. While nodding he patted Mom's shoulder,

“Look, Mom... We've managed to raise a tough woman who can stand up for her own self-esteem in front of others.”

Mom nodded, smiling she turned to me, “Good job, Naya. And for you, Fatih, “ Mother turned her eyes towards Fatih, “Sorry we refuse to continue this ta’aruf process.”