The Step Sister of Tiri

7. Find a husband candidate

Early in the morning, Zayna went to the kitchen. She intended to cook, but the girl remembered that no one had come home from last night. Zayna decided to make a warm tea. Today he is lazy to cook, then buy it on the road, he thought.

After finishing her tea, the girl cleansed her body so that she could immediately go to work. Zayna also needs to buy food on the street. As usual, he always uses his bike to go anywhere.

"Na," call Alifia when Zayna just got off her bike. "You brought provisions? No breakfast?"

"Not yet, lazy cooking. There was nobody at home either" Zayna replied as she walked into the restaurant. There is still quiet there is only cleaning service that is cleaning.

"Where is everyone going?"

"Not come home last night, since the reception."

"You're at home? Not coming there?"

"Come, just a minute." Zayna didn't want to tell me what she went through last night. Everything has also passed, it is not good to expose the ugliness of others.

Alifia also did not ask anymore. He let his best friend enjoy breakfast alone. The girl chose to help her friend who cleaned cooking utensils and prepared groceries.

*****

In the afternoon, Zayna came home from the restaurant. He saw two cars parked in the yard. One of his papa's cars and one of Fahri's. It is no stranger to him because the girl used to ride it often.

"Assalamualaikum" said Zayna as soon as he entered the house.

"Getishalight."

It was seen that everyone was gathering in the middle room. Zayna approached her papa and kissed the back of the man's hand. After that he went to his room. There was Savina there, but the girl did not do the same as she did to Grace. That's because her stepmother didn't want to.

Back in elementary school, Zayna always kissed the back of her hand when she was going to go and come from anywhere. One day the girl had a severe flu, so her nose was spitting out snot and she kissed the back of Savina's hand. Of course the woman was angry and no longer allowed her stepdaughter to do that anymore.

"Pa, shouldn't we find a mate for Zayna? Papa listen, right, the neighbors say Zayna's a spinster! His peers are all married, and some even have children" Savina said.

"Ma, getting married is not easy. Where are we gonna find Zayna anyway? Papa doesn't want to just marry a child."

"Papa forgot? Mr. Warsiman, right, proposed to Zayna! We accepted his proposal at that time. Let Mama do the talking."

"What do you mean, Mama? We all know who Mr. Warsiman's son is. He's a thug, likes to drink and play gambling! Until whenever Papa won't agree."

Grace was so angry to hear his wife speak like that. Indeed, he really wanted to see Zayna get married soon, but not with a real man like the son of Mr. Warsiman. He was sure that someone would propose to his daughter one day.

"What Papa is not ashamed to see Zayna being the gossip of the neighbors. If we marry him ti—"

"She became a gossip material also because of the marriage of Zanita and Fahri. Not for any other reason. Never mind, Papa does not want this talk again," concluded Grace soon passed. The man did not want to get more angry if he heard what his wife was going to say.

"Mama, why the hell should we talk about Zayna's marriage? So I'm the one who got it, right!" zanita Protest.

"Here you go, you shut up."

Savina just wants to keep Zanita's household. He was afraid that Fahri would come back to Zayna. They have ever had a relationship. Savina will not give up. He'll get his stepdaughter married soon. If it's not with Mr. Warsiman's son, no other man's problem.

"You don't have to cook. Bik Ima had cooked a lot, just warmed up," said Rahmat when he saw Zayna enter the kitchen.

The girl just nodded and saw what food Bik Ima cooked. Grace watched what her daughter did. She also wanted to see Zayna get married soon, but the man wanted a man from a good family who would be her husband, whether she was rich or poor.

"Na, if Papa finds you a mate, do you want to accept it?" ask Grace by looking at her daughter.

Zayna, who was in the kitchen, moved to the dining table and sat down next to her papa. They rarely talk, but once they talk, they are very serious.

"May I know why you want me to get married?"

"Do you need Papa to answer? You must already know the answer."

"I just want to know Papa's answer."

Rahmad looked at his daughter for a moment and then turned his eyes away. Always like that, he did not hold on for long staring at Zayna as the face reminded him of his late wife.

"Papa just doesn't want you to be someone else's gossip. It's the same as smearing Papa's face."

Zayna's heart felt pinched by her papa's answer. It was not wrong, but the girl hoped her papa would answer, that the man wanted to see her happy together with her husband. However, all that was just wishful thinking, Zayna should have known that.

"Whoever is Papa's chosen man, I will accept him" Zayna replied confidently.

He believed that no parent would ever plunge his child. And so too with grace. Although all this time the man was never fair in treating his daughters, but the girl was sure his papa choice was the best.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Are you not afraid that Papa will pick the wrong person?"

"I'm sure Papa will make the right choice for me because Papa is my papa."

Grace nodded her head. It seems like he has to make a decision and this is indeed the best choice for Zayna. His daughter was also not a highly educated person so it was indeed the man who was a match.

"What is this talking about?" asked Savina who had just arrived. She had wanted to get some water, but the woman saw her husband with his stepdaughter as if talking about something very serious. A curious Savina came over.

"It's okay" said Grace. "Na, you heat the food first. After that we eat together."

"Yes, Pa." Zayna immediately turned on the stove and warmed up all the food. He never complained about this job. For him, this is all a woman's job. One day the girl will do it for her husband.

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