Sharing Love: The Suffering of the Second Wife

Meeting Old Friends

"God does not burden a person except according to his ability. He gets (merit) from (virtue) he does and he gets (torture) from (evil) he does. (They pray), “Yes our Lord, do not punish us if we forget or we make mistakes. Our Lord, do not burden us with a heavy burden as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not give us what we cannot bear. Forgive us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our protector, so help us to confront the infidels.”

(Al-Baqara 286)

*****

Balong Ranca Lentah. A breeze blew away the tip of the hijab the woman was wearing. He sat on the edge of an artificial lake, glued to the ripples of water made by the small fish inside. To ponder the path of life he has taken.

It spelled out everything he had been through. How he does not thank life, by not taking care of the health given by God as one of the greatest blessings in life. Now, he reaped what he had planted in the past.

Nadia wiped the corner of her waterlogged eyes. Didn't expect him to fall on the cheek.

"Punish me, O God!" Broke her crying. He hid the sobs that came out from his lips. Just for a moment, Nadia wiped the tears that came down without any sign of ending. Back to staring at the rippling water.

"Nadia?"

A voice cry jolted Nadia from the daydream. He turned his head and found a young man standing behind him smiling.

"Tie?" lirih Nadia recognized the young man a few seconds later.

The young man called Rai sat his body in the barrier of several jengkal from Nadia. The woman smiled as if she had not seen him for a long time.

"How are you? I heard you're healed? Congratulations, yes!" nadia asked with a sincere smile as usual.

The young man chuckled, he hit his thigh slowly misbehaved and was too happy to meet Nadia.

"Yes ... Alhamdulillahot. It seems like I haven't seen you in a long time. You can be free to fly like a bird, unlike me who has to really crouch in that boring place" he said, recalling the past as they fought together against pain.

"You're right, I forced you to go home even if the doctors didn't allow it" Nadia said.

The two laughed lightly recalling the time, repeating back the story where they were once close. As two hospital patients who suffered severe pain. Silence came to greet the two after getting tired of chatting. For a moment, Nadia forgot her sadness.

"Nad, I heard you finally got married to that ustadz, is that right?" asked Rai after staying for a while. The two stared straight at the middle of the lake with their respective minds.

Nadia sighed, she lowered her head justifying the wind-blown tip of the hijab.

"It's true, and I never expected it" replied Nadia trying to smile despite the pain.

This time it was Rai who sighed, heavy sounding. Disappointment from a friend.

"I'm glad you finally got to be with your loved ones, but, Nad .. being second is not allowed for any reason. Why do you want to be his second wife?" said Rai. Not because he did not like Nadia's decision, but he thought Nadia could get a better man than Ikram who incidentally already has a wife and children.

"I don't understand either. I don't know, Rai. This love that makes me willing to be his second wife without thinking again" said Nadia.

Again Rai sighed, spilling disappointment in his heart.

"You should think longer when you accept the proposal. You should be able to suppress your feelings for her, Nad. I'm sure, there are many men who want to be your husband" said Rai as he glanced at Nadia who kept nailing her gaze at the water ripples.

"You know, Rai. I didn't even meet him when he came to propose to the house. Mamah who met and told me that mas Ikram who came to propose to me. I don't even know what they're talking about. I did not deny that I was happy, I felt that even my love did not clap one hand. I'm sure you also know how I felt back then" Nadia said.

He turned back to the front before continuing, "I don't blame Mamah because at that time I was the one who wanted it, but I didn't really expect the Ikram mas would come to marry me. You're right, I should have thought twice about accepting his proposal. Mamah did not want to plunge me, he just wanted his daughter happy before death to pick me up."

Rai was satisfied, now he knew there was a role for Sarah in the destiny that Nadia lived.

"I'm sure you're also aware that you've hurt another woman, Nadia. What if you were in the position of the first wife of the ustadz?" said Rai berandai.

Nadia laughed crisply, tasteless from the sound of laughter she listened to. Only the form of pain overflows is also regret. More accurately, he laughed at himself.

"Maybe it's been thousands of the same questions people have asked me since I became his second wife. You know, Rai. Had Ikram not come to propose, I never expected him to come. It was all unexpected for me, it just happened. I was willing to be his second wife, but it was only my imagination without hoping it would happen"

"And now, it's all happening. You ask what if I'm in my middle brother's position?" said Nadia while turning her head staring at Rai who was silent listening.

"I would be willing for my husband to remarry even if he didn't want to marry me I would find him a wife because I'm not the perfect woman, Rai. I cannot bear children for my husband because of my illness. If you ask like that then I will sincerely accept my destiny to have honey even I will make it a brother and take care of their children later. Of the thousands of people who asked, only to you I gave an answer," Nadia pruned ended with a heavy sigh to unravel the tightness in the chest.

Rai was full, what Nadia said might be right. For the sake of obtaining offspring he would willingly be combined. However, his position as a second wife greatly disrupted the harmony of their household.

"Did they treat you well? Does your husband know you're sick?" cecar Rai wants to know. Not because he wanted to interfere, but because he cared about Nadia's feelings. The woman had a pure sincerity of heart and she knew all that.

Nadia shook her head before saying, "They are very good to me, but I don't want them to know my pain and pity me. Let them not know."

Rai was silent again. When people are racing for sympathy because of his illness, Nadia actually hides it all. If she was a crafty woman, she could have used her pain excuse to master the Ikram.

"Do you think I should back out of this, Rai?" ask Nadia lirih. Rai remained silent.

"If there is no right reason, then it is illegal for you to smell heaven when you ask for divorce from your husband, Nadia," said Rai.

"You're right. Ah ... already afternoon, I have to go home," said Nadia about to move.

"I'm dropping in," bargained Rai quickly.

"No need, Rai. I'm a married woman, it doesn't feel right to walk with ajnabi (foreign) man. I'll just go home by myself" Nadia softly refused.

Rai sighed resignedly.

"All right." Rai took something from inside his bag.

"He's dead!" call him who stopped the woman's steps, "this, happy birthday. I know it's too late, but a gift for you. I'm sure you'll need it" she continued, giving Nadia something neatly wrapped in a pink ribbon.

Nadia came back closer, she took Rai's gift and flipped through it.

"Thank you, I'll take it, yeah. I say goodbye, assalamu'alaikum!"

"Wa'alaikumussalaam's chat. Remember, Nadia! Laa yukallifullaahu nafsan willaa. You must be healed" he said before Nadia actually left.