BECOMING HONEY'S SISTER
THE QUESTIONABLE RELIC
Me and Ilham didn't talk much. More precisely I decided the conversation even though he said he missed me a lot and hoped I would come back soon. It is true that Ilham was innocent in this matter, he did not know about the hit-and-run incident that was done by Ayu. But still he was exposed to the sap because for me, he was also a trigger mbak Ayu carrying a speeding car. He was also the cause of the bad mood mbak Ayu at that time although it could be the mastermind behind it all. But still, Mbak Ayu is the wife of Ilham and for me he is also responsible for his wife's actions.
Guests have gone home to each other. Now there is only me, Yumna, father, mother, union Siti and her children, as well as some of her distant family.
"Thank God the funeral until the mother's studies have taken place and everything is smooth" said the father.
"How about this house?" asked one of the mother's male relatives whom we called uwak. He counted his mother's distant cousin. But living around here.
"Why this house?" the question came spontaneously, considering that I had heard the same question several times.
"This is just straight away Mil. Mater, mother. We all know that Mila is no longer Hasan's wife because she is already married to another man." the man paused his conversation for a moment. "That means, Mila is no longer your daughter-in-law. Means Mila has no rights to this house anymore. Didn't you?"
"Astag." I shook my head.now I realized where they were going. The legacy. Apparently they were watching so that I wouldn't touch mother's treasure at all because I was no longer considered mother's son-in-law. It's true that I've remarried, but didn't my mother just die a few hours ago, it's not right to talk about inheritance.
"Hem," dad cleared his throat. "You haven't forgotten Yumna, have you? He was Hasan's son. His son Hasan. Her grandson is her only mother" said the father in a soft but firm voice. I am very sure that my father was furious with the actions of his mother's brothers who discussed the issue of inheritance was still on the same day when the deceased died. Totally unethical. And that's not their right anyway. According to Islam, they are also not entitled to inheritance because they are already distant relatives.
Everyone look at each other. As if I just realized that what my father said was right. They forgot Yumna's whereabouts, just because I was remarried.
"So how?" ask Dad.
"Hem" uwak berdehem. "So this is Datuk, actually we just want to make sure that this house will not be sold considering this house is a relic of mother. This house was actually passed down from his great-grandfather Hasan to his mother. Although this house is old and not too big, but used as a gathering place for brothers. Especially when lebaran. Mila must know that, right? There are many memories of our ancestors here. Including the memories of his grandmother and father Yumna. It's a pity that all of that should be lost to our brotherhood."
"Then, like we want to sell how? Yumna has full rights. Moreover, he is now an orphan, it requires living expenses. We have no obligation to him. So, whatever the legacy of Hasan's mother, can be used as the cost of living Yumna. That's our right as Yumna's trustee, legally it's definitely not to be sued, is it?" father even issued a statement that made the people present in this house so thin-ketir.
"So how?" ask dad again. "You want to protest, or sue? Go ahead. Legally you won't win because we have an heir!"
"Of course not Grandpa. We just want to know the plan of Datuk and the next family. Even if Datuk wants to sell it, even if it's hard, we can't resist. Please Grandfather do whatever is good according to Datuk. But if we can ask for help, please do not sell this house because there is our family who are economically very short. During this time the mother occasionally gives them a ride to live even though it is not routine. We hope that this house will be used by his brothers. That's our only hope, Datuk.please if Datuk gives a response" he said.
"Sorry I cut." I asked permission to speak on behalf of father. "If uwak and others want to use this house, please. But I ask you to keep it because we will not sell this house, but we will leave it as a memory for Yumna later." I said.
"Alhamdulillah. Alright. We will use this house as best we can. We will take care of it too. We are truly grateful to Mila "although not satisfied with the results they got, but uwak and the other brothers remain grateful.
I deliberately accelerated this discussion because there would be no misunderstanding later. I don't want to have to be hostile because the name of the legacy is usually very sensitive. Do not let what has been cultivated by the dead even burdensome in the afterlife because it is used as a scramble.
"One theater. Nothing has been said about inheritance. Still mending that sibling, this is the fall of a distant cousin. Do they really not have the slightest treasure to have to ask for someone else's treasure. No shame what, the body is still healthy, age can also still work. Even looking for shortcuts to a good life." Mother kept nagging, along the way to the house.
"Hem," suddenly dad cleared his throat.
We all glanced at Dad, then both kept quiet. Busy with their own minds. Yes, sometimes, so tired of poverty, people choose existing shortcuts to get out of the uncomfortable zone. Same as me. Initially, because it was not strong to see a father who had to work hard at a young age again, while I myself could not do anything, finally chose to accept the application as a second wife. Now, I've had a lot of tests that I think are harder than the poverty test.
At least, if poor I can still force myself to work. Or be patient with poverty. But now, everything has happened. Want to retreat there will be problems, keep going forward even those problems will continue to exist.
"Hopefully our choice is not a wrong shortcut" said the mother, continuing to step in front of me, along with Yumna and my other nieces. While my father was behind my mother. Siti and I in the back row.