The Substitute Bride

Chapter 10 (Suffering Night)

The two brides leaned their bodies against the elevator wall. It was almost ten o'clock in the evening when the wedding reception was over. Tami breathed a long breath while folding the end of the pashmina on her chin. Standing on the lap for hours made his body unusually exhausted. It felt like he had just picked up a sack of rice. Experiencing guests who are constantly arriving makes Tami suspicious if his family and Alvin family invite the people of the city of Pontianak to attend their reception.

Tami wagged her hand many times, hoping that the soreness in her hand was slightly reduced.

"Rigid. I don't want to marry again." His complaint.

Alvin, who had fallen asleep for a moment, opened his eyes. She looked at Tami with a smile and said, "Then you must be ready to be born and inner to be a widow for life."

Tami stopped her activities. His eyes glanced sharply at Alvin. The man so thought maybe his wife was followed by the ghost of a Balinese dancer because of his hobby that likes to belittle.

"What's? Want me to bacain Yasin just calm down there? Spots coming out of his body." Alvin's orders fiercely. Tami glanced at Alvin. His teeth were grumbling.

"Do you think I'm in a kunti trance, sundel bolong, pocong or nun?" tanya Tami didn't take it. Alvin may have thought he was possessed. If he was really possessed then the man would have been no longer beside him, because he had thrown all the way to the poles to be eaten by bears. If not, let's just freeze it there as long as Alvin is not with him because the man always irritated him half to death. Patience in his heart so eroded in vain like a rock stricken by beach abrasion.

"Ghost dancer Bali times? Because your eyes are always tickling. Careful your eyes will be a snarl."

"That's because you said a..."

Ting.

Tami never finished her sentence because the elevator door was already open and Alvin had already stepped out of the elevator, leaving himself limping over because of the high heels he wore. Whether because it was too rushed or indeed because it was careless, suddenly his foot that stepped wrongly took a swing to make him fall staggered on the floor. Alvin who heard the sound of someone falling looked back. Instead of helping, the man laughed.

"Already know can not makai shoes that so, why still makain makai, anyway? I love to torture myself."

Tami, who was standing, almost threw the shoes she was about to wear. Istigfar Tami, Istigfar. Astagfirullah...Astagfirullah...Astagfirullah. Tami caressed his chest. Trying to fight the devil who is possessing his mind. If obeying the desire of the devil must be the shoes in his hands have landed on the smooth face of Alvin.

"Don't laugh much. Laughter can harden the heart, let alone laugh at the suffering of others."

Tami stepped hastily ahead of Alvin who followed behind. They went down the hallway looking for hotel room numbers that are specifically provided by the hotel for the newlyweds. Once they find their room, Tami hastily snatches the cardlock from Alvin's hand and attaches it to the sensor box on the room door. He could not wait to lay his tired body on the bed.

When stepping into the second room the bride was flabbergasted to see the decor of the room. If a couple who married for love will definitely say that the atmosphere in the room is very romantic, but not for this one partner. Both Tami and Alvin thought the atmosphere in the room was more like a grave. Tami walked towards the closet. His eyes widened when he saw the clothes hanging in the closet. Everything was a lack of material clothes that perforated here and there. He said all the clothes were better suited to replace the broken fishing nets. The clothes in the closet are completely different from the clothes he put in the suitcase. Even the suitcase that was left on bi Lina was not there either.

This must be your mom's job. His grunts in the heart. Tami tried to look into the bathroom and the atmosphere was not much different from the room. The petals of roses scattered in addition to colorful candles here and there successfully made him shudder in horror.

"This room is like a grave that is sown with seven flowers" said Alvin while shaking his head dramatically.

"Yes, we were told to mop up times while wearing tarzan clothes," Tami showed one of the clothes in the closet. "Tarzan may want to also wear this model clothes because it can make colds" he added.

"Pick your stuff. Tonight we'll stay at my house."

"Nothing needs to be done. My suitcase must have been in your house. Besides in the closet it's all tarzan clothes so just stay here, there's no point also if brought."

"Who knows if you will change your mind. It's gonna be hard if I have to come back here to get it."

Tami was already preparing to pull out her tiger stance but Alvin had already disappeared behind the door.

"Changed mind? Heeh, until the monkey leafan also I won't change my mind!" yell Tami with a hunk.

The journey from the hotel to Alvin's house in the middle of the city does not take a long time. In less than fifteen minutes both of them had reached their destination.

"Assalamu'alaikum."

"Wa'alaikumussalam."

Tami enters Alvin's room with gontai. Alvin's room is predominantly white. There were long white curtains as well which hung all the way to the floor not far from the bed. The floor of the room with vinyl patterned wood and lighting that is quite bright successfully presents a warm impression. A white bed cover covers the bed while blankets and pillows are grey. The wall attached to the headboard is coated with dark natural stone so that it displays a masculine impression. Contrast, but stay balanced. The long bookshelf contained thick books by the window with a long chair beside it.

As he guessed, his pink suitcase was leaning against the door of the long gray closet behind the curtains. Tami immediately unpacked the contents of her suitcase and took her nightgown, interior and instant hijab and went into the bathroom. Not caring about Alvin who is already holding the doorknob more.

"Tami.I'll take a shower first. Why just play the serobots?" alvin protest not accepted.

"Ladies first." Tami's Laung from the inside.

Alvin relented and chose to tidy his clothes in the closet and move to another empty part so that Tami could put her clothes there. He opened a television channel to ward off boredom waiting for Tami to finish bathing. About half later, Tami came out.

"You bathed for a long time."

Alvin enters the bathroom before hearing a backlash from Tami.

"His name is also female" Tami said with a loud voice.

Tami arranged all her clothes in the inside of the closet that Alvin had deliberately emptied. He held a prayer mat as Alvin came out of the bathroom. He took the scabbard, the cocoa shirt and the peci from the closet and put them on. He held a prayer mat with a little position in front of the Tami prayer mat.

"Where do you know the direction of the Qibla?" alvin asked Tami who had just finished wearing a telekung.

"From Mobile." she answered briefly.

"Oh. You iqomah first, yes." pinta Alvin softly.

Tami smiled and nodded then did the iqomah as Alvin asked. After that, they then did the prayer of congregation and then the prayer of sunnah ba'diyah isya. After performing the rhyme and prayer, Tami kissed Alvin's hand with reverence. Actually Tami also felt awkward and reluctant to do the greeting-night scene, but her annoying husband had already reached out with his eyes slipping and pursed lips. So inevitably he had to obey the husband's request. Doubtfully, Alvin stroked Tami's head that was covered in telekung. If this marriage wasn't based on family decisions maybe they would be the happiest people today.

.....

Several times Tami tried to close her eyes, but her sense of sight still did not want to be compromised. Though the feeling of tired from earlier engulfed his body.

"Tami, why the hell from earlier crasak-krusuk continues? I can't sleep." Alvin who had turned his back on Tami changed his sleeping position to face Tami.

"don't know. Maybe it's because it's new here, so it's not used to it." replied Tami as she stared at the ceiling. He did not dare to look to the side because he knew Alvin was looking at him.

"Who told me to mess with my husband."

Tami remembered the Prophet's hadith about the woman in heaven who could not sleep until she got ridho from her husband. Spontaneous Tami turned her body to face Alvin.There was a nervousness in her heart like the one she felt last afternoon because Alvin was the first man to sleep in a mattress with her. Nevertheless, he tried hard to cover up his nervousness by trying to talk a lot.

"What am I doing so much that you're angry?" Tami raised both eyebrows asking for answers.

"Not really. You're the only one who's so chatty. If talking is like the sound of a string firecracker, don't stop the sound."

"No, why me again."

"The truth is, Tami. Last night at bedtime you said no clearly, so it was difficult to sleep because I swear."

"Who hath sworn? Suudzon is a person."

"If not nyubahin, then what dong? The feeling this afternoon was very long."

"Not swearing, just a little something." Tami tried to show him the little picture he meant by bringing his thumb and index finger closer together.

"Yes, it's the same."

"Yes, already. I'm sorry I said something about you this afternoon." Tami relented too, but there were usually words that she would put out to avenge Alvin.

"Ikhlas no?"

"Yes husband. This wife of yours apologizes from the deepest heart."

"Here I part your belly so that I may see your innermost heart."

Tami's hand immediately took the roll that became the separator between them and tried to hit Alvin. Alvin swiftly held the bolster with both hands.

"Barusan also apologized for KDRT in husband alone."

"I can't believe I'm sincerely sorry."

"You were joking, Tami."

"Dimaafin no." asked Tami impatiently.

"That's dong. From the cake. I'm gonna be pissed."

"Can't you call him the other one? Don't me you."

"What do you want to call? Aa, Akang, Mas, Brother, Sister, Daeng, Hubby, Honey, Husband, Habibie, or Kakanda." Tami mentions all the calls of the wife to the husband ranging from the National level to the International.

"It's true, like a string firecracker."

"And I call it his choice. Monggo was chosen later if I chose you to disagree."

"As much as you are, it's important not me you."

"Yes, I thought in a dream. Now go to sleep. Assalamu'alaikum." Tami dipped herself under the blanket as usual.

"Wa'alaikumussalam." replied Alvin and closed his eyes.

Time indicates at half-four in the morning when the alarm goes off loud enough. Half closed, Tami lazily grabbed the alarm clock and turned it off. Tami turned on the room light by pressing the socket that was behind the lamp on the nightstand. When he turned to the side accidentally his nose hit someone's toes. Before bad thoughts came to his mind swiftly Tami flicked the blanket until it fell on the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief because it turned out that the toe belonged to Alvin who slept in the opposite direction to him until Alvin's foot met his head, Alvin's head met his feet.

"The feeling last night that he slept his head on top, why is it downstairs now?"

No one answered the question because Alvin was still in deep sleep. Tami got out of bed and picked up the blanket and placed it on Alvin's body, which looked cold because of the room temperature. After that he took a bath and performed sunnah tahajud and witir prayers and then prepared to perform dawn prayers. Tami patted Alvin on the shoulder to wake him up but the man was not disturbed.

"Sleep like a kebo, it's hard to build." - grunts. Tami had run out of sense to wake Alvin up. He opened a murrotal letter by Sheikh Mishary Rashid from his phone and placed it right in Alvin's right ear. It turns out his efforts were not in vain, Alvin woke up also from his slumber.

"Why are you doing the murrotal letter yasin? I haven't died knowing."

"Say people if someone is sick it's good to read a letter yasin."

"I'm not sick."

"Who said? You have two diseases, namely the disease lazy wake up and the disease lazy morning prayer. Ckckck, it's a terrible disease" Tami said dramatically.

"That's all because of you last night."

"Well, what am I?" tami is confused. He really doesn't know why Alvin blames him for having trouble waking up at dawn.

Alvin shuffled out of bed and grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom without answering Tami's question first.

.....

"Assalamu'alaikum, Mah." Tami greeted her mother-in-law who was in the kitchen. Ms. Rafika who was focusing on an omelet in the pan answered Tami's greeting without seeing who had just said the greeting.

"Wa'alaikumussalam's chat. Tumben you into the kitchen early this morning, Lya."

Tami chuckled softly while closing her mouth. It turns out that Ms. Rafika thinks that she is Alya, her youngest child.

"It's Tami, Mah. Not Alya."

Ms. Rafika immediately shifted her focus from the omelet to look at her son-in-law. His forehead creased deeply because he thought Tami was in the hotel with Alvin.

"Well, is Tami here? Early in the morning you're back from the hotel."

"Rather than last night, Mah."

Tami has taken over her mother-in-law's job because Ms. Rafika looks confused. If left unchecked, can scoop an omelet on the stove. Although he could not cook, but to do small things like egg laying was not a problem for him. Her mother never let her hands touch the kitchen. Tami was like the king's daughter in his house, spoiled with an abundance of love and upbringing that fit religious law. That's how his mother made up for all her mistakes because it took Tami from her family. Only a few times when visiting Mai's house, then he would steal the opportunity to cook something as simple as an omelet and noodle soup, nothing more than that.

"Why come back, Tami? Don't you feel at the hotel?"

Tami moved the omelet from the frying pan onto a flat plate while answering Ms. Rafika's question.

"Yes, Mah. Not at home because the room is sown with flowers like in a grave. There are candles here and there like people mopping and clothes like all tarzan clothes, no one is worth wearing."

Tami walks to the dinner table to put an omelet followed by Bu Rafika behind her. The woman pulled out one of the chairs and anchored her body.

"That would be romantic, Tami." Ms. Rafika was so anxious to hear Tami's innocent reply. Why the son-in-law did not understand that such an atmosphere was deliberately made for newly married couples or honeymooners.

"There's no romance, Mah. Even the creeps Tami." He said while shivering in horror.

Tami did not not not not understand why the room was decorated so beautifully, she understood. But from the beginning he realized that it was not for him and not for his right but for Karina, the real bride. He could also clearly read the disappointment and hurt on Alvin's face as he looked at the rest of the room. The night that should be special for Alvin and Karina in fact even ravaged because of the behavior of her brother who blatantly scratched a deep wound in the heart of her husband.

Nah! Maybe it is not just a scratch, but a gaping wound that is uncertain when it will heal because there is no antidote. It might get better if Karina comes back and apologizes. Now she is dragged into the flow of relationship between her husband and brother, like a third person who never expected her presence.

Madam Rafika breathed a disappointed breath. Though he and Rahma had arranged in such a way that both of them could accept each other sincerely this marriage. Maybe they were in too much of a hurry. Tami and Alvin need time to get to know each other and the seeds of love can be expected to grow.

"Mommy, early in the morning, what's wrong?"

Ms. Rafika regained her senses from the daydream as soon as she felt the touch of Alya's hand on her shoulder. He smiled at his well-dressed daughter wearing a gray robe that swept the floor and a dusty-choco rectangular chimar that extended to waist level. Alya danced the chair next to Rafika's mother and then put her body there.

"Fragrant bener, Ly. Is there a lecture today?" ask Rafika ma'am to the princess only wayangnya. No, Alya is no longer the only princess because now there is Tami who is his daughter too.

"Nothing, Mah. Today there is a collection of donations for our brothers in Palestine by the campus da'wah team" he explained.

"Oh. Abah, Arga, Alvin where is Naufal? It's not down yet." Rafika's mom extended her neck to see if the people she was asking about had come down or not.

"Mas Arga's been gone since this morning. Ordinary, in true workaholic. If Naufal sleeps again after dawn, Mah. Nila said Naufal had a hard time sleeping last night. Didn't know that Abah was Alvin, probably still in the room.

"Eh, you know that Alvin came home last night?" ask Rafika ma'am full of probes.

"Yes, last night Lya opened the fence."

Alya immediately turned her attention as her father and older brother, Alvin sat at the dinner table. Tami came in throngs while carrying a few glasses for a warm tea container. He pulled the chair on the side but he had not yet had time to anchor his body, Rafika ma'am first stopped him.

"Tami why are you sitting there? Sit next to Alvin, yes." ask Rafika's mom gently. Tami just followed her mother-in-law's request. Alya shifted the chair to cause a creak because the legs of the chair rubbed against the floor. Alya then stood extending her right hand across the dining table, she was about to shake hands with her sister-in-law.

"Know, Brother. I'm Alya, Bang Alvin's youngest brother. Yesterday Alya had not been able to meet with mbak."

Tami smiled gently shaking her sister-in-law's hand.

"Sister's name, Tami." said Tami introduced herself. Both of them sat back in their seats.

"Will Tami take the fried rice?" he gave it to Abah. Abah smiled and nodded accepting the offer of her son-in-law. From his shady face Tami could see the wisdom imprinted there. Abah was wearing a sturdy shirt with a white skullcap perched dashing on his head. Although it looks scary at first glance, but Tami can see the softness in her shady eyes.

"Thank you, son."

"Yes, Bah."

Tami then spooned the fried rice to Alvin's plate, Alya and her mother-in-law.

"Well, Tami's daughter-in-law is very dreamy. Alya wants to go to school later before marriage with sister Tami." Tami blushed to hear her sister-in-law's praise.

"Where was his first night last night, Vin?"

Sontak Alvin and Tami stop their eating activities. Tami glanced to the side to see Alvin's reaction, but the man was silent as if he didn't want to answer his mother's question. Tami is also confused about what to answer because they are just sleeping without doing any other activity.

What's the first night? Not the first night, but a miserable night to be exact. Inner Alvin. He really had a hard time sleeping last night because of Tami's uncaring behavior in bed. His smooth face even several times became the place where Tami landed a hand, if not to say slap her face. He even fell out of bed because Tami slept clapping himself until his body landed on the floor. He can only sleep when reversing the direction of his sleep, in the opposite direction to Tami.

"So how was his first night, bang?" Alya was also so enthusiastic about wanting to know about her first night. Because of seeing Tami wrong behavior finally Alvin replied as well.

"If you want to know how, mending you a piece of marriage."

"Ih...Brother."

Ms. Rafika and Alya seemed to forget the question as soon as they heard Alvin's answer. Tami breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out that Alvin knew also how to answer the questions of his mother and sister without having to lie.