RAINA'S POV
Raina—that was the name my mother gave me, a beautiful name full of hope. Sadly, the circumstances of the past had caused my mother to separate from my father when I was still a baby. My mother was a strong woman who raised me alone without anyone's help. She did whatever work she could to provide for me. That's why I love my mother so much, and why I hoped my wedding would complete all my happiness. My mother worked everywhere from salons to school cafeterias, and sold anything she could to earn enough money for me to finish school and get a good job.
Without realizing it, I was now twenty-four—the perfect age to get married and start a family. But people my age still considered themselves too young to marry. I had wondered whether getting married young would make me happy or do the opposite, but I pushed those negative thoughts aside. To me, marriage was an act of worship, and everything done within a marriage would earn God's reward.
I had worked at a private company for about six years and earned enough to cover the needs of my mother and me. To me, the salary I earned also belonged to my mother because of the sacrifices she had made raising me to this age. I could hardly imagine everything she had gone through while raising me.
After graduating from vocational high school, I was accepted at this private company and had stayed there ever since. I was an independent, hardworking woman who never gave up on the things I wanted to achieve. But my weakness was that I became too vulnerable when I loved someone, pouring everything I had into the person I loved.
Eventually, I met Aria and decided to marry him after giving it careful consideration. Aria asked me to marry him so we wouldn't spend too long dating and end up falling into sin. His good intentions were met with mine, and I agreed so we could get married as soon as possible, after dating for only a year and a half. Even in that short time, Aria worked hard to set aside part of his salary for our wedding savings, which would soon be enough for us to hold the wedding.
Aria never seemed tired of earning money to put into our wedding savings. Because of that, we had to sacrifice the time we could have spent going out together so the savings would reach the amount we wanted for our wedding sooner. I didn't mind giving up the pleasures of my youth for a noble purpose. I supported his intentions by never asking Aria for anything throughout our relationship.
I was an independent woman who could buy what I needed with my own salary. I was a permanent employee at my company, so I could use my income for my own needs and give some to my mother. I was also hardworking. I would try any business that could make money, such as selling food on consignment at my office cafeteria. As long as the work was halal and I could manage the time, I would do it. Even when I was in middle school and high school, I had run a small business selling phone credit to supplement my allowance. So I was used to being independent, working hard, and never giving up on life's problems—problems I could solve on my own.
Physically, I wasn't especially beautiful, but I knew how to take care of myself. I had loved cleanliness and personal care since I was a teenager and continued to do so. I went to my regular salon just to take care of myself and keep looking pretty and fresh. As a young employee, I also always paid attention to my appearance so that the people who saw me would feel good too. This mattered because I worked in customer service and often met with customers and other important people.
At the office, I was also easy to get along with and quick to become close to new people. I was humble and adapted easily to change. That was why I had so many friends at work who often invited me to talk, have lunch together, or go out after office hours. They liked me just the way I was, and I could listen to them whenever they needed to vent.
The job I had held for nearly six years had also changed me in many ways, making me more mature every day through the experiences I gained at work. Happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger—I went through all of it with strength so I could stay at this office, because I was also my mother's breadwinner. Whatever I felt and went through, I had to resolve properly and accept with grace the problems at work that drained my emotions, energy, and thoughts.
Having the opportunity to work at a private company while I was still young was what drove me to hold on to this job until I became a permanent employee. To me, not everyone was as lucky as I was—to easily find a good job right after graduating with a vocational high school diploma. My mother's hope was that I would make her proud by working at a large company while I was still young.
Life was a challenge, and I loved challenges, just as suited my birth sign. I was born in April, under Aries. Maybe it was my personality and character that made Aria choose me as the person he wanted to spend his life with.
I often remembered how I first met Aria and how we eventually decided to get married. Aria had been my upperclassman in middle school, and I had known him back then. Because time passed and our school paths separated, we never met again and lost touch after graduating from middle school and moving on to high school.
Eventually, I met Aria again when he sent me a message through my social media account and asked me to meet him. My heart bloomed like a flower when Aria contacted me after quite a long time—about five years—and by then I was already working at this private company. In the end, I accepted his invitation to meet at one of the city parks, where many people sold food and other things, so we wouldn't have trouble grabbing something to eat while we talked.
The long-awaited day finally arrived. I straightened my clothes and applied light makeup so I would look beautiful in front of Aria when we met. My heart was pounding after not seeing Aria for so long. Finally, fate had brought us together again, and it was about to lead me into a life I had never imagined before.
I arrived at the city park and waited for Aria. When I checked my phone, there still wasn't a message from him. Maybe he was on his way and hadn't had a chance to text me yet.
While waiting for Aria, I drank the fruit soup I had ordered because I really loved the fruit soup at this park. Then I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder while calling my name. When I turned around, I saw Aria standing behind me. I choked on the mineral water on my table, still unable to believe what I was seeing.
"Have you been waiting long, Raina?" Aria asked, still calling me by my name.
"N-no, Babe. About fifteen minutes, I guess," I stammered, nerves enveloping me.
We finally sat together and talked about the lives we'd each been leading—with our busy schedules, our jobs, and many other things. The conversation helped me relax, unlike when I had first seen Aria.
As the time for Maghrib drew near, we went our separate ways home. Before we parted, Aria told me to text him often. That was the beginning of our growing closeness and the meetings we squeezed into our busy schedules as employees at private companies.