My Bow to the Destiny of Love
Reached

"You just rest, son. Your face looks very lethargic. It's okay if you can't keep up with the show until it's over." Santi tried to persuade his daughter to rest because her face looked withered.

Chayra took a few deep breaths. He looked up at his mother who was standing, holding her hand. "No, Ma. God willing, I am strong. The show is just about to start. I haven't even seen how pretty Alesha was when she was a bride."

"Mom take you to her room now. Alesha was there with Tina."

"But..."

"Come..."

"Where are you going, honey?" Tanya Ardian who saw his wife like forced to rise because of her mother's pull.

"Your wife doesn't seem to be well, son. Mom told him to rest in Alesha's room. "

"Let me take her, ma'am."

Santi nodded slowly. "Males are not allowed to set foot on top."

"Why can that be?"

"It's been arranged that way. So you don't argue. Is everything going to be okay today? No one's gonna riot again, right?" Santi looked around the venue which was already crowded with invited guests.

"God willing, be safe, ma'am. There was strict guard at the entrance. There was no way to smuggle either because of the sheer amount of security deployed." Ardian looked around. He looked back at his wife who was back in her place. "You're okay, aren't you, honey?"

"I'm doing fine. But, mother instead told me to rest." Chayra was singing her lips.

Ardian smiled looking at his wife's expression. Although hidden behind a veil, but he has memorized the look of Chayra's face like that. "Your eyes do look a little withered, honey. Looks like you're exhausted from the lack of rest from yesterday."

"Mom stay first then. Your wife is stubborn, Ardian. If you say no, he'll never say yes even if he's wrong."

"I'm fine, Mom." Chayra insisted.

"Yes, that's why. Take care of him, son. Don't leave him alone."

"Yes, Mom."

Santi passed after hearing Ardian's reply. Take a seat in the designated place for the nuclear family.

"We also have to move places, Chay. This is not the place reserved for us."

Chayra got up with a force. His increasingly bulging stomach made him lazy to move a lot.

The event took place Hidmat. Zidane read lafadz qobul in one breath. After the wedding ceremony, the event is directly connected to the reception.

Chayra hugged Alesha's body which stood gracefully beside her brother Zidane.

"Why so haru-blue gini, Ayra." Alesha patted the back of Chayra who was still holding her tightly.

"I didn't know you were going to be my sister-in-law, Lesha."

"Already, Dek. later continue to curve it when it's home. Shame to see the invited guests. They also want to congratulate Brother." Zidane pulls Alesha's hand.

"Hemmm. I've been protesting here, especially later." Chayras

let go of her embrace slowly.

"We sit down again.Pity Alesha.." Ardian grabbed his wife's shoulder.

Chayra nodded as she followed in her husband's footsteps. Sit down and eat the dishes available. Must be able to survive until the event is over. That's his determination in the heart.

********

"Where else is the pegel?" Ardian did a show of incandescent that night. Chayra felt her body ache all. Either because of the slow standing or indeed he is tired. After returning from the reception, he immediately set up Ashar prayer and collapsed on the bed.

"You haven't had dinner yet, honey."

"I don't want to eat, brother. I just want to rest. My body really hurts all this."

"Mom told you to rest, but you're the one who refuses."

"Yes, I'm not good with Alesha, sister. His wedding, my time could not attend. It's a once in a lifetime event."

"That's why you're as stubborn as Mother said."

"Yes, yes, I'm stubborn."

Ardian smiled at Chayra's words. Vaporized widely because he was also sleepy plus tired. "Sir Zidane with Alesha, what song is it..?"

"Eh, how is that?" Chayra brushed off her husband's arm while holding a smile.

"Yes, I suddenly thought of it. Zidane has never been in contact with a woman before. Uh, now even want to sleep in the room with a foreign woman. It must have felt weird. Keep going, if you want to touch his wife, must be afraid."

"What if Brother how did he feel?"

"Mm. if I had a lot of previous experience."

"Eits, wait a minute. I've also been feeling gurgling."

"When...?" Chayra got up out of curiosity about her husband's story.

"Mm. when touching you first time after we are halal. Moreover, I did that with love and did that to the right person. Mm.. you know what?"

"What else?"

"I want to say a big thank you, dear.."

"What for?"

Ardian smiled gently at his wife. Fixing his sitting position, cross-legged facing each other with Chayra on the bed. Grabbing Chayra's hand while holding her tightly. Put that hand on his chest. "Thank you for making me the first and last for you. Thank you for carrying my son. Thank you for choosing me and for guiding me to be a good man all this time."

Chayra just smiled while looking at her husband's face. Waiting for the continuation of the words that Ardian would say to her. Only his hand twitched in Ardian's chest. Because of the presence of the hand it can feel the heartbeat of her husband racing faster. It was as if proving the words that Ardian had just spoken to her.

"Right now, I can feel if the life I'm living right now becomes more meaningful. I feel valued and needed. I also feel I can take responsibility for the life I live. Actually, I still often imagine the past. The crimes I committed in the past still come to my dreamland often. But, when the dream comes, I will try to wake up to establish prayer. I have only given my life to God, the Eternal Owner of this life."

Chayra involuntarily shed her tears. She gave a smile back and hugged her husband.

Ardian smiled back at the embrace. Gently stroked his wife's hair that was only a shoulder.

"May I ask you something?"

Chayra took off her embrace, looking at her husband in surprise. "Ask what else?"

Ardian breathed a rough breath. Sit down cross-legged and hold Chayra's hand. Stare deeply at Chayra before saying what she wants to say.

"Why is it still quiet?" Chayra finally could not bear to be stared at without a word coming out.

"I want to dive into the depths of my feelings for you." Ardian lowered his head while taking a deep breath.

"Go to the surface, dive again." Chayra lifted her husband's chin.

Ardian smiled as he shifted his eyes. "What the hell?"

"And he said he was diving again, so I told Big Brother to go up first to the surface." Cupped his hands on Ardian's cheeks for the man to look at him again. "You ask what's that?"

Ardian was wrong to find Chayra's treatment like that. "Don't look at me like that ah, I'm embarrassed.." take a deep breath.

"Son't talk about it long.."

"I want to ask how you feel for me, Chay." Glanced at Chayra who was still staring at him. "Where is my position in your heart, dear? Is it the same as it used to be or may there be a change." This time he looked at his wife right in his eyeballs.

Chayra was stunned to hear the question. Long paused to look at each other before he finally let out a rough breath. "Sister has already managed to shift the name of the man from my heart. I. love Brother Ardian as much as I loved Brother Ghibran before."

Ardian smiled at his wife's reply. Pulling his wife's body. Hugged her tightly while occasionally landing a kiss at the top of the woman's head.

"Sister, don't hug too hard, our son's pinched."

"Oh, astagfirullah..."

********

That morning...

The extended families of Mr. Akmal and Mr. Ismail gathered in the family room of Santi's house to establish congregational Fajr prayer. At first, they will establish prayer in Musholla. But, their number that exceeded the capacity limit of Musholla makes them have to use the family room.

The extended family is still at Santi's house due to Zidane's wedding and reception yesterday. The plan is today they will return to their respective home regions. Some will stay longer like Ms. Fatimah. The woman chooses to stay at her daughter-in-law's house until Chayra gives birth. He wanted to witness the birth of his first great-grandson.

After listening to the brief tausiah ba'da Subuh, they chatted casually to further strengthen their family relationship.

The knock on the front door made them look at each other.

"Has Zidane and his wife come?" The question was suddenly thrown from Bu Ainun. Zidane stayed at the hotel last night because he wanted to spend a lot of time with his wife without any bullies.

"No way, Ma'am. Zidane told us yesterday that he will stay for three nights. After that he's going to the pesantren."

"Who's going to visit so early?"

"Why do you ask each other? Get up and open the door, you won't be curious anymore." Timpal Pak Akmal is upset.

Santi and Bu Ainun rose together. The familiarity of the two women was never saggy even though they lived in a place far apart.

"Yes, wait a minute." said Santi from inside the house because the knock was getting louder.

Brak ...!

"Where's ardian...?" A woman with disheveled hair walks into the house without being invited.

********