The Pledge of Love Embroidered Heaven

CHAPTER 45. Depart

"Nisa, wake up first we pray at dawn," Azzam pinta in a soft voice, afraid to surprise me who was still asleep.

I replied with a small mutter, and pulled back the blanket while tightly holding the pillow. The cool atmosphere with the unfinished raindrops from last night made me feel at home immersing myself in a blanket.

This time Azzam patted my cheeks slowly that did not want to open my eyes. "Nisa, hey let's get up we pray. Hurry up and get some wudhu water, brother wait now."

I opened my eyes slowly and got out of bed, walking to the bathroom with my eyes still clenched.

Finished ablution I see Azzam has prepared a prayer mat for both of us to pray. Immediately I took a position as a teacher behind Azzam who was standing and ready to perform prayers.

At the end of the prayer, Azzam chanted remembrance and prayer to the creator as a servant indeed should man always remember and ask for the good of the owner of life.

"Allah is merciful, and most merciful, you have entrusted to the handmaid of your chosen woman over me. She is my wife, Nisa, whom you present as a complement to the servant priest. Bring love between the two of us with Your permission. Make your wife a source of happiness. Truly I am very grateful to have it and to be part of half my soul."

I just bowed, pervading every prayer that Azzam said. I'm satiated. I honestly don't love him. But who is the man who is entitled to my love except my own husband, not someone else. My relationship with Fey, I don't think there's anything left, we're just playing in the shadow of a pseudo-love. While I myself have obtained a definite love from a priest, a husband who never breaks up gives his love to me. O Allah thank you for presenting a good man and for giving me full love, open the door of my heart to receive his love, my prayer in my heart.

Aamin.

As I prayed, I crucified Azzam's hand.

"Bang, Nisa is sorry that all this time Nisa has not been able to be a perfect wife as my brother's wishes so far," I said after being bowed before Azzam. I felt unable to look him in the face. I feel negligent in doing the status as a wife.

"Nisa," Azzam lifted my chin so I could look at her face again.

"Abang never expected Nisa to be the perfect wife for her brother, because there really is no perfect partner on this earth. Couples were created to complement each other's flaws. My brother still has many shortcomings. So let's both of us fix that deficiency." Azzam's smile at the end of his sentence. "She wants?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Anything, Nisa would like to ask you one thing?"

Azzam looked back at my face calmly. "What?"

"Have you been happy living with Nisa?" I said, looking at his face bead seriously. "If suppose your brother is not happy and tortured, you can stay in Nisa and find other women who are in accordance with your brother's wishes and can make your brother's heart happy. But that doesn't mean Nisa wants to make a big brother, does it?" I said press.

Azzam took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He turned his face away from my face.

"Once you say with Nisa, you won't leave a woman who's been your choice all along. There is no desire to look for and glance at other women," said Azzam full of emphasis.

I just kept quiet. Looking at Azzam flat, as the statement came out of his lips.

"Why? There are many men out there who are polygamous by marrying many women" I said provoking Azzam's reaction. Actually I want to know what Azzam thinks, whether he has the intention to marry again. Given that until now I have not given what is rightfully his as a husband.

Azzam turned my eyes. "Abang doesn't want to talk about people out there who are polygamous. In life you only want to get married once, Nisa. For why married for two, three, four times but if one wife alone has made us happy. Aren't you?" Azzam throws a smile.

"From the beginning after the brother pledged ijab and qobul, brother always said he would wait until Nisa could accept brother as husband. Brother even willingly fasted and did not demand the inner right as a husband for a while. Brother just wants us to do that with a sincere heart."

I returned Azzam's smile. He always had a sweet word to impress me.

"Although brother knew all this time Nisa still considers brother as a cousin of Nisa. But nothing, hopefully over time Nisa's feelings can change," Azzam hopes.

I took both hands of Azzam. "Bang, Nisa's sorry. But if it's her only wish, Nisa will try," I said smilingly, still staring at her two shady beads.

***

Azzam actually told me to stay at the Umi house for a few days. As long as he was in the city. Azzam was worried that I would stay home alone. At first I refused, on the grounds that I live in Umi's house, of course I have to leave early because the distance from Umi's house to school is quite far. But even though I refused, Azzam still did not give me permission. I can only take a breath. Azzam's glare, made me finally agree to his request.

Azzam said the plane will leave at 10:15 WIB. Marvin's gonna pick her up here, so I don't have to take Azzam to the airport. Now I am in the room with a bersager while busy playing mobile phone with aerphone attached to the ear. Sometimes I steal a look at what Azzam is doing. He was unloading a closet, taking out a few strands of clothes that he planned to use for a few days there.

"Sina?" Azzam called by still busy picking up the suitcase that was on top of the closet while pinching a little.

"Sina?" Call Azzam a second time, when he heard his wife had not answered. Azzam moved his head looking back at the bed. He could only sigh heavily while shaking his head to see the behavior of Nisa who was singing the song with a soft sound while his head swayed to the music that might be played from the aerphone attached to the ear.

Azzam chose to put a brief suitcase after he had taken earlier, and walked closer to his wife. He sat beside the bed while staring at his wife who was busy playing a flat object that was held. I don't know what's being typed in there.

"Nisa, busy?"

"What?" I asked when I saw Azzam's mouth coming, I didn't know what he was saying.

Azzam shook his head, and removed the aephone from my ear for a moment.

"Nisa, busy no?"

I grinned widely, while fixing my sitting position realized on the back of the bed.

"Why?" I asked when I saw Azzam already looking at me with a probing look.

"Help brother?"

I cringe. "What help?"

Azzam threw a forward glance, as soon as I followed his gaze. My eyes saw a suitcase perched next to the closet, while nearby again there were quite a pile of clothes belonging to Azzam there.

"Help my brother to pack the clothes into the suitcase" he asked, throwing a smile at me.

I smiled bitterly as I scratched my forehead. "Abang, did Nisa have to pack-in the clothes of that brother?"

"Who else, who else? My brother had to ask for help with the next-door neighbor's wife," Azzam said as he looked at me, who did not want to help him pack the stacked clothes into a suitcase.

Again I just pushed. "He-he. But if Nisa helps you brother. Nisa will get a gift?"

"Sisa, does everything that's done need a reward?"

"Yes dong, it is now difficult to find a free one"

"Nisa is my brother's wife. A man must prepare the needs of his husband. That is the duty of a wife" Azzam concluded.

I pursed my lips. "Hmm yes."

Without warning, I jumped out of bed.

With the face still bent deeply, I packed some Azzam clothes to put in a black suitcase. I occasionally glanced at Azzam who was still sitting on the edge of the bed. I just grunt.

While at the end there, Azzam was smiling to see the sour face of his wife Daritadi.

"Something must be done with sincerity in order to be rewarded!" azzam quipped when he found out I was still pouting.

I looked towards him while grimacing. "Nisa sincerely, brother"

Azzam laughed softly and walked towards me who was sitting on the floor, packing his clothes.

Azzam looked closely at my face, then shook his head. "Why does Nisa's face wrinkle masgyul? I don't think Nisa is sincere in packing brother's clothes," continued Azzam again.

"Huf! Ustadz Nisa said, sincere is like a black ant that walks on a black rock in the dark of the night. How do you know if Nisa is sincere or not? Does Nisa's face look black?"

Azzam laughed while shaking my head. Again his attitude that makes me so bad.

"Dragon!" I said grumpily, Azzam always does. I don't know why he's so happy to mess up my hair.

The welfare is not enough to get there. Azzam continued to pull my nose with a puff.

"Abang freelan! Sakiettt!" I again clucked furiously because my nose was hot and hurt from being pulled. His hand was only released when I pinched his arm.

"illness?" asked Azzam when he saw my face was getting ripped off.

"It hurts!" whining me, while rubbing the nose that I have made sure red like a tomato. "What a bad thing!"

"That's not evil, just my dear brother," Azzam's remark made me stop the activity for a while from rubbing my nose, and turn to look at Azzam.

He said as he looked at my face fixedly. We sat for a long time. Azzam's eyes made me unable to turn my gaze in any other direction.

Unknowingly I also drew a smile line looking at her beautiful face. My feelings are strange, why I think the presence of Azzam now makes my heart happy, especially when he continues to express his love and affection to me openly.

"Nisa too. "I said unconsciously.

"What?" Azzam's eyes were wide open, with both hands holding my shoulders.

I'm gasped. "Np... No!"

"So Nisa said?"

I patted my mouth softly, Duh, speaking wrongly like that.

"say what? Nisa didn't say anything," I said as I continued the work, so I could hide the reddened look of my face from the embarrassment I had just said.

Azzam cupped my face with both hands. It made my face look back at Azzam's face.

"Abang will wait," Azzam smiled.

That's all Azzam said then helped me fold the unfinished clothes I put in the suitcase.

I just silently looked at what he was doing while observing his calm face.

For a few minutes we did not talk anymore. Until Azzam finished packing his clothes that were not much.

"Why are the clothes just a little?" I asked when Azzam had closed his suitcase.

Azzam stood up and put the suitcase near the nightstand. "That's only three days so don't have to bring a lot of clothes. Unless you leave for three years, it's not just the clothes you bring, but your brother's wife is a hag," Azzam said.

"Ih, indeed Nisa's goods, transported!"

Azzam laughed softly.

"About Nisa not if you're staying?"

I lifted both my shoulders. "don't know. If you don't miss now. I don't know it's late afternoon" I said.

"Lho why suddenly became Dilan" said Azzam.

"Abang, you know Dilan?"

"No, brother has never met Dilan so do not know but know."

"Gee! What the hell!" my retorted decak laughed broke out by Azzam.

Tin... Tinn

The horn from outside. Azzam pointed to the window peeking at who was coming.

"Who, bang?" I asked when Azzam was ready to repackage his needs.

"Marvin has arrived. Get ready first."

I immediately stood up and helped with anything else that Azzam needed to bring.

"Abang, why the rush?"

"Yes, because then you have to stop by Ustadz Ahmad's house to pick up the goods there."

Azzam dragged the suitcase and walked out. I immediately put on an instant hijab and followed closely behind. Upon reaching the door, Azzam turned his body against me.

"Nisa, take care of yourself." Seloroh Azzam's. "Remember the message brother after this Nisa is ready to go to Umi's house and lock the house meetings?"

"Yes" I said slowly as I looked at Azzam. Suddenly both of our eyes were locked for a few seconds. However, the sound of Marvin's call from inside the car made us both immediately cut off eye contact.

"Yes patient!" sahut Azzam replied to Marvin's call with a slightly screaming voice.

Azzam looked at me for a while then gently dipped on my forehead. He let go of the kiss with a happy smile.

"Don't miss. Brother was only three days old," seduced Azzam later

I'm hissing. "Who misses trying. Ge-er!" I said firmly, and Azzam seemed to give in.

"Yes-yes. It was not Nisa who missed. But it's my brother who will miss Nisa" he said.

"Come salim brother's hand?" azzam Pinta. I followed and welcomed Azzam's hand which had hung in front of me and kissed him.

"Abang leaves first. Assalamu'alaikum," Azzam smiled as he left me still standing in the doorway.

"Wa'alaikumsalam"

I stared at Azzam's departure, a gaze that suddenly turned into a silent highlight. I only smiled a little as Azzam waved his hand at me. I don't know why I'm harboring such grief that I've never had before. Not that this moment is the moment that I have been waiting for because there will be no more people who are underhanded to prohibit me from traveling.

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