Dusk (And Taste)
Chapter 42
“Al, you why ?” reyhan asked who saw his wife curled up on the bed and grimaced.
“My stomach hurts so much,” it weakens.
“You sick, Honey ? Do we need to go to Hospital ?” ask Reyhan to worry.
“No need. It's common. I'm on my period.”
“Really ? But, I'm afraid anything will happen to you.”
Nadhira just nodded.
“Good. You just rest. To the campus was delayed first, yes.”
She looked at her husband. “No!”
Reyhan who saw his wife's attitude looked confused. He felt as if he wanted to be in the Forest King's mouth.
“I have to finish my task quickly,” he snapped.
“Lho, Darling. Why are you angry with me ? I just asked for a break. Something wrong ?” reyhan was confused.
“Certainly wrong. My sister banned me from college. It was the same with my brother forbidding me to finish my final task.”
“It's not so, dear. You are sick. It's only natural that I ask you to rest first, right?”
Nadhira did not answer. He just drowned his face in the pillow. Pull the blanket over his entire body.
Reyhan looked increasingly confused at the strange behavior of his wife. He shuffled his hair in frustration. Then, out of the room left Nadhira alone. Because he doesn't know what to do.
“Ma!” scream Reyhan. His voice echoed throughout the living room.
“Why, Reyhan ?” pissed Papa.
“Pa, Mama where ? Reyhan needs to talk. Important,” said Reyhan by emphasizing the important word at the end of his sentence.
“Maybe in Raina's room,” replied Papa indifferently.
Reyhan rushed towards his youngest sister's room. Seeking the Mother's Existence. However, what was sought was never found.
He left Raina's room. Get down the stairs and walk towards the back garden. There he found someone he was looking for.
“Ma!” reyhan shouted to Mama.
“What's up, Brother ?” asked Mama confused to see the behavior of her firstborn unusual.
“Reyhan wants to talk to Mama about something. This is important, Ma.”
“Talk,” replied Mama who is still focused on arranging her ornamental plants.
Reyhan pulled Mama's hand. Took him forcefully towards the back garden long chair.
“Why, Brother ?”
“Ma, Reyhan thinks something is wrong with Nadhira.”
“You mean ?” mama asked increasingly confused with the eyebrows raised next door.
“Reyhan don't know why. This morning always angry with Reyhan. Though Reyhan said only natural thing.”
“What are you saying ordinary things like to him ?”
“Reyhan just asked him to take a break and not go to campus.”
“Nadhira hurts?”
“She complains of stomach pain due to menstruation.”
Suddenly Mama laughed off to make Reyhan confused.
“Ma ?” Reyhan looked at Mama with an incomprehensible look.
“You please excuse me, yes, Sister. The woman who is coming to the moon is like that. His emotions are unstable.”
“True, Ma ?”
“Iya, Son. So, you have to be patient, yes, face Nadhira.”
Reyhan threw his breath away. “Alright, Ma.”
He walked leaving Mama who still wanted to arrange her plants in the garden behind the house. Meet his wife with all her strangeness this morning.
“Say ?” call Reyhan softly. However, I got no answer.
“Al ?” call Reyhan again by holding Nadhira's shoulder.
Because, I don't get an answer either. Reyhan tried to open the thick blanket that covered Nadhira's entire body. He found traces of tears on his wife's cheeks.
Reyhan removed Nadhira's long hair that covered part of her face. Enjoy the beauty of the work of God's hand in the form of his wife who is asleep.
“You are beautiful, dear,” whispered.
Nadhira's tiny body wriggling.
“Say ?”
Nadhira looked at her husband with slightly puffy eyes.
“Why cry ?” ask Reyhan as gently as possible.
The girl just shook her head.
“Your stomach still hurts, dear ?”
He nodded.
“We're Into the Hospital. Want ?”
“Why ?” Reyhan stroked the top of his head.
“I have to go to campus, Kak.”
“Good. I'm with you, yes, dear,” Reyhan said with a sweet smile.
“But, shouldn't you go to the office ?”
“Tak why today I did not go to the office. I prefer to accompany my wife to complete her duties and make sure she is okay.”
Nadhira said nothing. She just blushed and smiled at her husband's words.
“Aleea ?”
Her eyes turned to look at the black bead that belonged to her husband.
“Against improving, yes, Darling.”
She smiled again and got up to embrace her husband.
“Iaaang,” he said spoiled making Reyhan anxious.
_____
Dozens of pairs of eyes stared questioningly at a pair of people who walked hand in hand in the campus area. The woman with the pink dress combined with the old ash hijab and the well-built man with the sunglasses perched on the nose added to the aura of her good looks. They walked through the crowd of students in the parking area.
“Who is it ? How handsome.”
“Not that student who won the writing at that time, yes.”
Whispers from the lips of the students who saw sounded in the ears of both.
Hearing that made Nadhira feel annoyed. She wanted to silence the mouth of the student who adored her husband's good looks if her hands were not blocked by Reyhan.
“Already, Baby. Let it go,” said Reyhan soothing.
“But, I don't like it if there are other women who praise big sister like that,” he snapped.
“Honey, already, yes. Now you just focus on your initial intention to come to campus for what. Yes, dear, yes ?” persuaded Reyhan who finally made Nadhira relented by force.
She walked down the corridor to the lecturer room accompanied by her husband. For the first time.
“Sister wait here, yes,” he said after arriving in front of the intended room.
“Iya, Darling. Hopefully launched all his business, yes,” said Reyhan stroked the top of his wife's head.
“Thank you, Husband,” she replied before actually leaving Reyhan into the room.
_____
Reyhan stared at the clock that was coiled around his wrist. Almost two hours he had been waiting for his wife to finish his affairs in the room that the contents were like nothing.
“Whose waiting, Mas ?” ask someone who suddenly came and sat beside Reyhan.
“Oh. I'm waiting for my wife.”
The man nodded in understanding. Then, the two were caught in silence until the door of the room opened wide. Showing Nadhira with her sweet smile.
Reyhan and the man stood up and looked at Nadhira at the same time.
“Say ?”
“Nadhira ?”
Reyhan and the man said at the same time.
Reyhan threw a glance at each other with the man who had just called his wife. He approached Nadhira who was still standing on the doorstep.
“How, Dear ?” ask Reyhan.
“Alhamdulillah smoothly, Brother,” replied Nadhira sumringah.
“You know the man ?” reyhan whispered so that his voice would not be heard by someone he intended.
“That's Finza's friend, darling.”
“Hei! What's up, Nadhira ?” asked Faris without hesitation to approach. Ja. The man who greeted Reyhan was Faris. The man who had hit Nadhira accidentally in the campus corridor at that time.
“Good, Brother,” replied Nadhira.
Reyhan looked at Faris.
“Include, Brother. This is Reyhan,”, said Nadhira to introduce Reyhan with pride.
“Honey, this is Kak Faris,” explained Nadhira to Reyhan who replied with a thin smile.
“Your husband, Ra ?” asked Faris hesitatingly.
“Iya, Brother. Reyhan's brother is Nadhira's husband,” he said and held Reyhan's arm.
Like being struck by the lightning Faris was shocked. His heart ached like a sharp knife to hear the reality he just knew it.
“Oh,” Reply Faris. He can only afford to have a oh-h. His tongue is too thick to say.
“You're done ‘kan, Darling ?” ask Reyhan.
“Iya, Brother. We go home ?”
“No. Just hang out with me at the office for a second. There's work I need to finish. It's okay, ‘kan ?”
“Of course.”
“We'll excuse you, Faris. Assalamu’alaikum,” Reyhan said.
“Wa’alaikumussalam,” reply Faris almost inaudible. He stared at the newlyweds' backs away with a cheerful laugh from before him. Adding to the pain of the injury created accidentally.