The Love of the Sinner

Chapter 26. Guests Coming to Ndalem

Read until it's over, yeah. Keep loving and commenting. Have a nice day.

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Chapter 26

     Aulia made an order sponge to ship to ndalem. Joseph's grandfather and Halima's grandmother had no idea what event would be there. Aulia exaggerated when making the sponge for Joseph's grandfather and partly for his grandmother Pearl.

"Aulia, this is a sweet potato sponge like most of you make it?" joseph's grandfather asked when he saw that there were seven balls on the table.

"That one is for Grandpa," Aulia replied smilingly.

"Well, you accidentally bolt grandpa, huh?" asked Joseph's grandfather happy.

"Yes. Aulia knew very well, food to Grandpa's tribe," replied Aulia.

"Then, for grandma?" asked Grandma Halimah not to lose with grandfather Joseph. He also wants to make his favorite food.

"There, Grandma. Take it easy, it's still in the pot" Aulia replied in a whisper.

"Really?" Grandma Halimah smiled happily with sparkling eyes. Aulia nodded her head while smiling.

     Grandma Halimah really likes babantal or lemon. Food made from shredded cassava and then wrapped with banana leaves, in the middle of which is given brown sugar that is combed and will later melt. 

***

     The situation in ndalem is very crowded with people, more crowded than usual. Aulia was assisted by Fathir while carrying the steamed balls. 

"Thank you, Gus," said Aulia.

"Together," Fathir replied with a charming smile.

    Aulia directly lowered her head. He still felt uneasy, looking at the smile of the man.

     Tennis Annisa also welcomed the arrival of her friend and helped bring a bag of crackles containing various kinds of chips. Just before Aulia sent the sponge, she had asked for all the chips.

"What's this show, Ning? How, so many!" aulia asked after putting all her luggage in the kitchen room.

"There will be a guest from his friend Mbah kakung boarding school" replied Annisa.

"Oh, the pantes are crowded." Aulia also helps to clean up the food that has been served there a lot.

"Ning Annisa, the guest has arrived! Asked by Ms Nyai to prepare drinking water," said a santri who often helps in ndalem, if there are guests.

     Aulia also helped Annisa make sweet tea water for the guests who came. There were some students who helped them too.

"How many guests are there?" aulia asked because Annisa made so much sweet tea water.

"I don't know for sure" replied Annisa.

     The santri also brought the glasses to be served to guests. Annisa and Aulia brought snacks that had been arranged neatly on dishes and jars. They also brought them to the living room. It turned out that the guests who came were quite a lot as well, there were dozens of people who felt foreign to Aulia.

"Gus Fathir, meet Ning Aliyah, my youngest daughter," said a man wearing a white turban.

"She is a beautiful and intelligent girl, suitable for Gus Fathir, to be a wife" said Kiai Basir with a small laugh.

DEG!

    Aulia's heart stopped beating when she heard her grandfather Fathir's words. Almost the tray that was being held by him was detached from the handle.

"How does Gus Fathir, like not the same Ning Aliyah?" the man asked Fathir who was sitting stiffly.

     Aulia and Fathir's eyes clashed for a moment. The girl then turned her face away and hurried to retreat backwards.

"Oh, I did not expect that Kiai Rojaq had any intention of matching his daughter with my son," Kiai Akbar's reply could still be heard by Aulia.

"Aulia," call Annisa softly.

"Yes, Ning. What's up?" reply Aulia.

"That's .. just now our family doesn't know about Mbah kakung will say that," Annisa said.

"I'm okay, really. She also looks like a nice girl" Aulia said with narrowed eyes with a smile.

"But Mas Fathir likes you!" annisa hatch.

"Like feelings that one day can fade and disappear" said Aulia.

"Mas Fathir will certainly also refuse the match," said Annisa who also felt heartache when she saw her brother and best friend were both hurt at this time.

"We don't know who our soul mate is. We certainly hope to be given the best by God. If, Ning Aliyah is best for Gus Fathir, you should not refuse this matchmaking," said Aulia with a restraining heart that felt slashed.

"No. No. I want you to be Mas Fathir's wife" Annisa said in tears. Then, Annisa hugged Aulia tightly. The two girls were crying sobbing.

     Without them realizing that since then there was a young man who clenched his hands. I felt the pain of seeing the girl I liked crying.

***

     The news that Fathir was betrothed to a daughter of the owner of the Darussalam Pesantren, spread among the students and residents around the pesantren. Many people support this match.

"Just accept this match!" kiai Basir to Fathir.

"But, Mbah Kakung, I already have a girl that I want to betrothed" Fathir said in front of his family.

"You can marry him and make a second wife. If the santri and residents refuse the girl to be the future wife of the leader of the cottage," said Kiai Basir gave advice.

"How, Son?" ask Nyai Khadijah.

"Umma, does Aulia want to be a second wife?" Fathir asked back.

"You can ask him that. Umma hope he is ready," replied Nyai Khadijah.

***

     The wound in Aulia's heart that had just dried up was now, reopened. The talk of the people comparing her to Ning Aliyah. Of course Aulia was self-conscious, she was nothing, when compared to that Al-Azhar graduate girl. Especially with the status of children who own pesantren.

"Aulia" called Joseph's grandfather from behind the door.

     Aulia's footsteps were so shaky. He walked as if he did not step onto the tile floor. 

"What's up, Cake?" aulia asked as soon as the door opened.

"Grandfather wants to talk" replied Aulia.

     Now Joseph and Aulia's grandfather were sitting in the middle room. Not long after, Halimah's grandmother also joined while carrying 3 glasses of warm tea water, 2 dishes of babantal or lemon and sweet potato sponge.

"Grandfather heard what happened today. If Gus Fathir were your soul mate, then that would be nowhere. You will be able to unite in the end. However, if you are not a match, then believe me there will be a better substitute man than Gus Fathir, whom God has prepared for you" said Joseph's grandfather.

"Yes, Cake. Aulia believes that good women are for good men. On the contrary, men are good for good women. Bad women for bad men, vice versa, bad men for bad women. Aulia judged that Gus Fathir was very worthy if he was a match with Ning Aliyah, on the contrary, Ning Aliyah was worthy of Gus Fathir," Aulia replied.

"You are also a good woman, Aulia. God willing, you will also have good men" said Halimah's grandmother, rubbing Aulia's back.

"Assalamualaikum," greetings from people who meet at night.

***

Who comes at night? Will Fathir follow his grandfather's orders? Wait for it to go, yeah!