My student's my future husband?
Episode 114

The air outside was quite cool, even though the sun had crawled up to its throne. Various vehicles are passing through the road. Ferdian and Ridho walked on the sidewalk, looking at the scenery around the neighborhood where they had just completed their study this afternoon. South State Street is a shopping and shopping area. Buildings that are not too high are lined up on each side of the road. The highway is not too wide. There are many shops and also restaurants and cafes

Ferdian turned his head left and right while watching the shops that were there. He saw there was a bookstore with a fairly antique decorating style at the end of the road. The shop was not too spacious and not narrow as well, and there were several floors there. He asked Ridho to come in.

"What book are you looking for, Fer?"

"Novel, I want to drink to my wife" said Ferdian smiling.

"Ooh..."

Ferdian certainly knows his wife's hobby of reading. Ajeng is very happy to read classic novels despite only borrowing them from his campus library. This time he wants to buy it for his wife, although he himself does not know what his wife's book tastes like. Hopefully Ajeng likes it.

"Where is the literary novel collection?" ferdian asked the officer who was standing guard at the cashier.

"On the second floor, on the left, sir!"

"Okay, thank you!"

"I'm upstairs, wanna come?"

"OK!" Ridho followed Ferdian up the stairs to the second floor. They went straight to the place directed by the store clerk.

Book shelves are clinging, wide corridors are narrow, so that if they are paced with others, they must pull over and attach themselves to the bookshelf. There are also books stacked on a low table that have cheaper prices.

Ferdian noticed one shelf after another lined with classic to popular novel collections. Ajeng once said that he was very happy with the story of Charles Dickens, a novelist in Victorian times. But whether he had read all of Dickens's work or not, Ferdian didn't know much about it. But he found a book called A Christmas Carol with interesting illustrations in it. Maybe Ajeng can tell it again to Arsene later. Ferdian took the book. Then pick up the best children's fairy tale book of all time with colorful illustrations on each page.

"I'm done, Dho! You want to buy something too?"

"No, dear money!"

Ferdian just shook his head.

"Make mating capital?" goda Ferdian laughed.

"You know, even if there is no soul mate, haha!"

"Yeah!"

The two were about to go down the stairs, but something stopped them.

"Hey, how can we meet here!" said a straight blonde woman. That's Patricia Bocchi, their partner in training.

"Hi!" both greet.

"I just bought a book, did you buy Ferdian's?" patricia's words show a popular novel by J. K. Rowling in his hand. Then he approached Ferdian, about to peek at the book that the man was carrying.

"I just bought this," replied Ferdian pointing out his book.

Patricia laughed, her eyes slightly surprised.

"A classic novel and a children's fairy tale book? Are you sure you read that, Ferdian?" tanyanya hesitated.

"of course. It's for someone."

"You have a little sister for sure?" guess Patricia.

"Not really. I don't have a sister," replied Ferdian flatly.

"For whom?" ask Patricia curious.

"This is for my wife and daughter!"

Patricia's heart jumped instantly, like a fighter driver throwing themselves out of their seat as they were about to be attacked by another plane.

"Are you sure?" tanyanya did not believe.

"Of course!" ferdian smiled widely.

"You're married? How old are you now?" it seemed that the woman really could not believe that the handsome man in front of her was married and had children.

"I'm 23 next month. My son is two years old."

"Oh God! I really did not expect! Fortunately, I haven't put my feelings on you yet" he said honestly.

Ferdian chuckled at the surprised expression of the Italian national.

"Don't you get married too?" ask the woman to Ridho.

"Eh, I'm not married yet, take it easy!" ridho is confident.

Patricia laughed broadly at Ridho's silly-sounding reply in his ears.

"Good!" the response raised the thumb.

"Where are you going now?" patricia asked glanced at the two men in front of her.

"After this we may go straight home" replied Ferdian, his foot stepping down the stairs.

"How about we take a short walk around here, don't you guys want to see the scenery here?"

Ferdian looked at Ridho asking for his opinion. Ridho moved his jaw, agreeing to Patricia's proposal.

"okay."

"I'll buy you guys bubble tea at a tavern near here!" patricia is excited.

They walked to the cashier and paid for all the books they bought that day. The wind instantly blew as they opened the bookstore door to exit. Their feet casually stepped on the hot sidewalk of the road, as small trees did not shade them. It turned out that the bubble tea shop referred to by Patricia was not far from the bookstore. A small shop but there is still a seat there if you want to enjoy a meal on the spot. An East Asian-faced maid with her narrow eyes greeted them.

"Please, this is our menu book!" he gave a wide book containing menus of dishes available there.

Patricia picked it up, then headed to a table of four chairs and sat there. The two men behind him just followed him.

"I want this message. Which one do you want?" ask her to the two men who are now sitting next to her. He pointed to a menu Taro Creme Brulee.

"I'm just this," said Ferdian pointing at the menu Red Bean Matcha Milk Tea.

"I'm Flaming Brown Sugar!" Ridho.

"Okay, I'll order you!" patricia said, he went to the cashier and ordered all the drinks for himself and his friends. He soon sat back down.

"So since when did you get married, Ferdian?" patricia asked, it seems that the woman's curiosity has not subsided.

"Since I was in fifth semester."

"You go to college and you get married, how can you?"

"Maybe, because I love my wife."

"Oh my God, to be honest with this one creature. I feel envious."

"I think loving someone doesn't need commitment. Just go through what is. That's according. Because I see my parents like that. My mom just left my dad when she didn't love him anymore. He went with the man he loved at the time" Patricia tells.

"Then?"

"My father also made love to other women he loved. I don't think too much about it, because there are a lot of people in my country doing it. They just want to channel their s*ks. Whether love is true or not, I'm not too sure. How can you be young to think of such a hard thing as getting married?"

"It seems to be our culture and traditions that ultimately determine this marriage-related mindset, Patricia. I am especially a Muslim. Having sexual relations outside of marriage is forbidden in my religion. It is also taboo in our culture. Even though someone did it. But they must accept the moral and social sanction of their actions. For me, marriage is sacred, and I wish I had only married one woman in my entire life. So before marriage I had a lot of discussions with my wife about the future of our household" Ferdian said.

"You really are a great man. I admit it. People who are as committed as you are in my country are very few. They'll get married when they're old, I mean mostly in the age range of 33 and up."

"And do you not intend to marry young like Ferdian?" patricia asked Ridho.

A waiter suddenly came to bring their order bubble tea, cutting out Ridho's mouthpiece that would answer Patricia's question. Finally the three people for a moment enjoyed the cold drink typical of Asia. Sweet and refreshing.

"Let's answer my question!" patricia cried again, when Ridho was still sucking his drink.

"Naha rasana siga cendol?" said Ridho reflex when he finished sipping one suck his drink.

Ferdian laughed at Ridho's words in Sundanese, while Patricia seemed to curl her brows inexplicably.

"What say? I don't understand" Patricia asked Ferdian, who was still laughing.

"He said this drink is similar to our regional drink in Bandung, Indonesia."

Patricia nodded.

"I've never been to Indonesia, I think I should write it down in my dream book, which places I should go."

"Yes, you must visit our country. Because our country has a very beautiful natural scenery," said Ferdian sipped matcha milk tea.

"Hey, quickly answer my question!" exclaimed Patricia hit lightly on Ridho's arm.

"Eh, uh sorry! If there is a woman who wants to marry me, I will certainly consider," replied Ridho in the end. He went back to drinking. Although it tasted a little sweeter than the cendol he once drank, he still liked it.

"Hmm..so age doesn't matter means yes?" ask Patricia.

"Not too much of a problem. The important thing is self-readiness, science, faith, and matter." replied Ridho.

"Then what are your considerations when looking for a future wife?"

"First religion, second nature, third intelligence."

"Wow, that's the first condition you want your wife to be in your religion, is that it?"

"Yes that's right!" answer Ridho steady.

Patricia looked fixedly at Ridho, making the man groggy instantly. I don't know what that look meant, Ridho didn't understand. It was just that there was a slight tickle in Ferdian's mind when he saw that before his eyes.

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Patricia brought a pack of boxes of macaroons to take home. The two men thanked him after being treated to bubble tea, then they separated there. Ferdian and Ridho decided to return to the Ashar prayer congregation at the Islamic Center because the ashar adhan had been reverberating. Patricia only smiled as she parted ways with her two friends. There was an insight he had just gained from those two unique men he thought were. He wanted to get to know the two more closely. She took a taxi to Winston Tower. Ferdian and Ridho return to the Islamic Center.

Ustadz Ahmed Rasheed, who had completed the study, greeted the two men from Indonesia.

"I think I just saw your faces today, huh?" he said when he saw the two men still talking in the room, while the other pilgrims had dispersed.

"Betul Ustadz, we just came here for training" replied Ridho.

"Where are you guys from? Looks like you guys came from East or Southeast Asia."

"We're from Indonesia, Tadz!" answer Ridho again.

"Alhamdulillah, finally met with relatives from the homeland," he said this time using Indonesian.

"God willing, Ustadz Indonesian too?" ask Ferdian.

"Na'am. I was born in Padang, because my mother is Bukittinggi. While my father was Pakistani."

"Alhamdulillah."

"When did you guys get to Chicago?" his tananya is more familiar with Bahasa Indonesia, although dialects between Arabic and English are mixed in the language.

"Sunday yesterday, Tadz!" answer Ridho.

"Ooh, where do you live now?"

"We live in Winston Tower on Madison Street."

"Oh yes, I know. It's a 50-story building, isn't it?"

"Tadz Bull!"

"Where are you going now?"

"We're straight back home, Tadz! We have to study again tomorrow!" answer Ferdian.

"Oh so, fine! My wife and I also have a study this afternoon with Chicago Muslims."

Ferdian and Ridho nodded.

"Please excuse me, Tadz! Hopefully next time we can talk again" replied Ridho.

"All right!"

"Assalamu'alaikum.." said Ridho and Ferdian simultaneously.

"Wa'alaikumsalam."

The two men came out of the prayer room and went down the stairs to get out of the building. There are some Muslim women who have just arrived are storing their footwear on a shoe rack. Their faces are diverse, some have faces Caucasian, East Asian, South Asian, and also black. Ferdian and Ridho looked at the Muslims, who numbered about eight.

Ferdian and Ridho bowed their eyes as the Muslims passed by them to head for the stairs. There was one face that stole the attention of Ridho there, a white-skinned and narrow-eyed Muslim woman who was beautiful in appearance. He saw her just now when the woman was keeping her footwear.

Who is that woman? ask in the heart.

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