USTADZ
55. Press Conference

Syahla was frying eggs in the kitchen when the apartment door opened. Ustadz Amar came in with a lethargic face. His hand was injured from punching the Kos-kosan gate with his bare hands. For a moment, Syahla and Ustadz Amar looked at each other, then looked away at each other awkwardly.

After putting the fried egg on the plate, Syahla approached Ustadz Amar who was sitting on the sofa. Slowly, she grabbed the hand of her wounded husband and washed it carefully using alcohol.

"Shhhh.." Ustadz Amar sizzled, his wound sore. But when he saw Shahla looking at him sharply, he silenced his mouth and chose to hold it in his heart.

"Why did it get like this anyway?" Syahla. "Why do you always get hurt when you get out of the house?".

Ustadz Amar grimacing. "Lately my emotions have often gone out of control. I'm sorry,"

Syahla this time applying antibiotics to the wound of the husband. "What's the matter until it gets this angry?"

Ustadz Amar lowered his head for a moment. "Said the police, Rama was found not guilty because no evidence was found."

"Huh?" Shahla looked up "Didn't that time Kak Rama had confessed himself?"

"He confessed only in front of me, but not in front of the police. But I promise I'll make sure he's in jail."

Syahla grunts. "Then, is there any possibility that Kak Rama is cooperating with others? For example, the person closest to him?"

Ustadz Amar thought for a moment. "You know who is close to Rama?"

Syahla. "I don't know. I'm not that close to Brother Rama, let alone sleeping with him." Shahla answered sourly. Ustadz Amar felt his wife's words stab him, so quickly the hands of Shahla.

"Darling, I know I don't deserve to be forgiven. But, allow me to get a second chance from you. I'm really sorry."

Syahla took a long breath. "I actually also want to forgive sampeyan and assume this all never happened. But, I'm still heartbroken." Shahla lowered her head. "But I will decide from now on. I will delay my anger until this matter is over."

"Pending? Can anger be delayed?"

"Why? Does your husband not accept?" Shahla let go of her husband's hand. "If you want me to be angry forever, that's fine."

"Eh, no!" Ustadz Amar hugged his wife. "Thank you for understanding, my dear. So, tonight I can sleep in my wife's room?"

"What the fuck? The heart is asking for a heart,"

"Just hold your hand, baby" Ustadz Amar said

"Yes, hold his hand like this" Shahla held the injured hand of Ustadz Amar until the man grimaced in pain.

"Oh, sick, baby!"

"Thankiratin!"

...----------------...

As a result, Ustadz Amar and Syahla who collaborated with the campus today held a Press Conference. The reason, the news uploaded by the rectorate did not dampen the rumors circulating. The students even more extreme in bullying Syahla which makes the girl eventually feel unable to stand it too. Ustadz Amar, who originally planned to hold a Press Conference after the perpetrators were caught, has finally chosen to do so now.

"Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi. I am Amar Maulana Syarief, always a lecturer from this campus and next to me, Syahla Nafisa who is a sophomore. In response to the rumors, we denied that sister Shahla was my mistress, but she was my legitimate wife. You can see from the dates listed on our marriage book,"

The camera shines on the wedding book held by Ustadz Amar, and the large screen behind it shows it to the students and the assembled lecturers.

"Over the years, we've decided to cover up our relationship to maintain professionalism, we didn't expect that to bring about a baseless slander."

A large screen then shows the footage of the video that has been blurred.

"This video, recorded secretly by an irresponsible person, was also shared without our knowledge. We have already bagged the name of the perpetrator, but it took a long process to catch him. So with this, my wife and I implore everyone to no longer spread untrue news that could harm us, and not believe the hoax news. Here we also apologize profusely for causing this mess."

The students were rowdy, discussing each other. Syahla gulped nervously, all eyes that looked at her making her heart beat fast and her legs felt limp.

Ustadz Amar knew the movements of his wife who looked agitated, then clasped her hand tightly.

"Everything will be fine" Ustadz Amar smiled, making Syahla's heart feel calm for a moment. She smiled back and held the husband's hand tightly.

...----------------...

After the Press Conference was over, Syahla returned to her class to study. His classmates who had originally looked at him with scornful gazes this time could only look away. No one apologized, but it didn't matter to Shahla.

"La! It's la!" Anggika patted Syahla's shoulder with a splash. "Look!"

"What else?" Syahla responds lazily. Seeing the news from social media traumatized her. "There's more hoax news about me?"

"No!" Anggika directs her phone screen right in front of Syahla's face so that the girl can clearly see what she sees. "Rama! He was found unconscious inside an empty shophouse!"

Syahla hastily snatched the phone from Anggika's hand. Justright. It was a picture of Brother Rama lying in blood, while several people gathered around him.

"Bogor area, anyone know? Found unconscious in an empty shophouse. His leg was broken like a blow. Now it's been rushed to RSUD Bogor." Shahla read the message accompanying the photo. It looks like this photo was spread by the person who first found Kak Rama and passed on many times until it reached Anggika.

"It's really Rama, right?" Angika. "Even though his face is bonyok, I can recognize that it's Rama."

"You're real Nggi," Syahla hurriedly tidied her writing tools into the bag and hurried to her feet. "I'm going to go first."

"Loh, where are you going? Classes are about to start!"

"Of course, meet the perpetrator. This time, he will not let me escape," said Syahla as she clenched her hand. "Pray me Nggi,"

"Surely." The word sincere Anggika. "Hopefully be given a way out for your problems."