# Chapter 2
When I arrived at the boutique, several customers were already waiting for me. They seemed eager to meet me. I also spotted a couple holding hands as they happily took pictures in front of the wall mirror installed in my boutique. Maybe they were looking for wedding outfits and dresses.
“Miss Nayla?” asked a woman who immediately stood and approached me.
“Hi, ma’am. That’s right. I’m Nayla, the designer and owner of this boutique,” I replied, accepting her outstretched hand.
“Well, Miss, thank Allah, we’ve finally found the right wedding dress for my daughter. She visited several boutiques yesterday, but none of the dresses felt right. Then last night, she came with her fiancé to the Wedding Exhibition and fell in love with the dress you designed.”
“Thank Allah, ma’am. Go ahead and choose whichever dress you like. We can fit it right away.”
“This one, Miss,” Marina, the bride-to-be, answered, pointing to one of the wedding dresses displayed in the boutique’s front window.
“Oh, that’s our newest design,” I said with a little laugh. “I was a bit hesitant because the design isn’t very elaborate. Two people already booked it yesterday to rent for their engagement ceremonies.”
“Well, Miss, I want to wear this for the marriage ceremony. I love the cream-and-gold combination. It’s simple, but still looks sacred.”
“Of course. Let’s get you fitted right away. What date will you be wearing it?” I asked as I walked toward the fitting room.
“July seventh, Miss. But I don’t want to rent the dress. I want to buy it.”
“Masha Allah, absolutely. I’ll make one just for you according to your measurements.”
“Okay, Miss, sounds good. Oh, can my fiancé look at the suits too?”
“Sure, come on. We’ll go to the men’s wedding suit collection,” I invited her before Marina tried on the dress.
“Wow, it’s finally happening, sweetheart,” Marina said, resting her head on Aufar’s shoulder.
“Hey, honey. Be patient. Don’t get too lovey-dovey,” Marina’s mother said with a small smile.
“That’s right, Rin. Soon enough, you’ll have Mama’s son all to yourself,” Aufar’s mother chimed in.
“Hehe. Yeah, sweetheart. You’ve gotten so spoiled lately,” Aufar added.
I could only see the happiness shining in all their eyes. As usual, I was the happiest of all whenever one of my creations was worn by a couple pledging their sacred marriage vows. I got to become a small but important part of their happiest day.
“Go ahead and choose whichever one you like,” I said, showing them the entire wedding suit collection.
“Sweetheart, I think this one would look good on you,” Marina said, choosing a suit for Aufar.
“How can that be? When I first saw it, I thought its color looked similar to that dress of yours.”
“That’s why the two of you were meant for each other, sweetheart,” Aufar’s mother added.
“Hehe, yeah, Mom,” Marina replied shyly.
“All right, if you’re happy with your choices, let’s head to the fitting rooms,” I invited them.
“Yes, Miss. I can’t wait to try mine on either,” Marina said, acting a little bashful.
“Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
Both mothers followed along, escorting their children to the fitting rooms.
Not long after, Aufar came out of the fitting room first. I hadn’t expected the suit I’d made to fit his body and warm golden complexion so perfectly.
I was left speechless by Aufar’s appearance, and so were both mothers. They looked incredibly happy.
Marina came out next, wearing the cream dress paired with songket fabric for the lower portion. The train flowing down the back added an elegant touch to her beautiful figure.
“Masha Allah, my little princess, you’re so beautiful.” Marina’s mother burst into tears at the sight of her daughter in a wedding dress.
“Mama... don’t cry. Now you’re making me emotional too.” Marina approached her mother and hugged her.
“Aufar’s wife is so beautiful, Mom. I didn’t make the wrong choice, did I?” Aufar offered his opinion as well.
“Of course not, sweetheart. Aufar was very clever to choose his bride,” his mother said, also moved as she watched her son and future daughter-in-law in their wedding clothes.
I was swept away in my thoughts. Every time I saw a bride and groom wearing wedding clothes, I found myself wondering, “When will it be my turn? I’m already twenty-eight this year. My father is starting to suffer from one illness after another, and my mother passed away almost eight years ago. Is it written in my destiny to become a bride who finds her soulmate and walks with him toward a beautiful flower-covered wedding stage, or...”
“Miss, I’ve decided on this one,” Marina suddenly said, startling me.
“Oh, right. Let me take your measurements first and see if anything needs to be loosened or taken in.”
“Miss, look. How is it already such a perfect fit? I don’t think it needs any alterations.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, I can see that it fits your body perfectly too,” Aufar said.
“Sweetheart, your suit fits perfectly too. And you look so handsome,” Marina replied, bashfully admiring Aufar’s appearance.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing, sweetheart.”
“Did you know that they say when something is ‘the perfect fit,’ it means it belongs to you?” Aufar’s mother said in the middle of their conversation.
“That’s right, sweetheart. Mama agrees with Ms. Sinta.”
“Finally, Mom. I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” Marina said, tears trickling down her cheeks.
“I hope this can become a beautiful memory for the two of you, my two angels, when God calls us back to Him.”
I was jolted by what Aufar had just said. What did he mean?
“Excuse me, sir, what did you mean?” I asked, curious about Aufar’s words.
“Miss, the truth is, both of us were adopted by our mothers from the same orphanage. When we were children, we were both diagnosed with blood cancer. Marina’s cancer was already at the terminal stage, and so was mine. We’re still so young—only twenty-three. Before we leave this world and return to God... we’ve been told we have only two months left to live...” Aufar could no longer hold back his anguished tears at the painful truth of his life.
I was just as stunned and devastated by his revelation.
“So, please let us bind our sacred love in this world before we leave for the long journey that comes next,” Aufar continued, his voice filled with pain.
“All right, then. How long have the two of you been in love?”
“Since we were around fifteen. We lived in the same orphanage, but my mother adopted me first, when I was ten,” Marina said.
“When we were in middle school and about to graduate, we met again at the same high school. By then, I had just been adopted by my mother.”
They all broke down crying, as if the pain of reality could no longer be avoided. Tears immediately streamed down my face, and I couldn’t hold them back.
“In that case, take these dress and suit as a gift for your happy story together. But please let me come to your wedding,” I said, holding back the tears that kept falling.
“The wedding will be held at RS Melati during Marina’s chemotherapy next month. Come, sweetheart,” Marina’s mother said.
“After my chemotherapy, I’ll wear your dress, even if I have to lie in a hospital bed,” Marina said.
“Why does it have to be held at the hospital?” I asked again.
“We might grow weaker after the chemotherapy phase, and if we postpone it again, we’ll be terribly sad if we pass away before our love has been properly bound,” Aufar said, his voice trembling as he held back his sorrow.
“And we only received our mothers’ blessing last month, when they both found out about our illnesses,” Marina added.
“Yes, Miss. If only Marina had told me sooner that her illness was already so severe. I might not have been so demanding. The orphanage also hid information about Marina’s condition,” her mother added, revealing yet another painful fact.
“So come to RS Melati next month. This is a direct invitation from me, the groom’s mother. Just pray that the two of them will have longer lives,” Aufar’s mother said, bravely expressing her feelings to me.
“All right, ma’am. I’ll wrap up these two outfits for the best bride and groom of the year, wearing my designs. I pray that the best will come to you and that you’ll live long enough to celebrate your love every day. Besides, doctors may pronounce how much time someone has left, but God is the true owner of every life.”
“Thank you so much for giving all of us strength, Miss. If your soulmate hasn’t arrived yet, I pray that your heart will find the right man very soon,” Marina said.
“Come to our wedding, Miss. Thank you for these matching wedding outfits. Our clothes will be proof of your kind heart and your sincere, optimistic faith in destiny,” Aufar added.
“Of course I’ll come. And thank you for your prayers too, dear Marina. Be happy in this love.”
Marina hugged me, and afterward, they left my boutique.
I had just given away a pair of wedding outfits to people who were going to die, and I had almost let jealousy fill my heart. But life really is always full of plot twists.