“Assalamualaikum, Uncle,” Hanan greeted him, looking calmer even though he was nervous inside.
The man took Pak Sholihin’s hand and respectfully kissed it.
“Waalaikumsalam! What brings you here again?” Pak Sholihin asked, brushing his hand away as if he had no desire to shake Hanan’s hand.
“Uncle, I want to apologize for everything that happened. I also want to talk to Alya and apologize to her in person. Alya’s here, right? I just went to her house, but it was empty, like no one was there.”
“Alya isn’t here! She’s at her own house!” Bu Erna suddenly chimed in. The middle-aged woman was already standing behind Pak Sholihin.
“Oh, Auntie.” Hanan quickly extended his hand. However, the middle-aged woman did not welcome him warmly at all.
“Uncle, Auntie. I’m truly sorry. I never meant to deceive anyone, but…” Hanan paused and drew a heavy breath. “The point is, I never intended to deceive anyone. This has really been difficult for me too.”
Pak Sholihin narrowed his eyes as if weighing something. “Let’s talk while we sit,” he said, walking to the side of the door.
There were two rattan chairs there. Pak Sholihin sat in one and invited Hanan to sit beside him, then asked Bu Erna to make Hanan some coffee.
“Oh, no, Auntie. I’ll just have unsweetened tea, or plain water is fine too. I already had coffee earlier,” Hanan said politely.
Bu Erna glared at him and snapped, “How picky! You should be grateful anyone offered you a drink.”
Although she clearly disliked it, Bu Erna still hurried to the kitchen and prepared a drink for her guest.
“So, what exactly do you want now, Honey Hanan?” Pak Sholihin asked, pressing him for an answer.
“I want to meet Alya first, Uncle. Is that okay?”
“I won’t tell you to do it, and I won’t tell you not to. But will Alya even agree to meet you, Honey Hanan?” Pak Sholihin patted the thigh of the man sitting beside him. “Alya’s heartbroken. Auntie and I are heartbroken too, seeing her so miserable. To be honest, I’m deeply disappointed in you.”
“Uncle, I never intended to deceive anyone. I had a reason for doing this. My wife… she doesn’t want children, so I intended to find another wife who did want children. That was when I found Alya. I never meant to lie to Alya. I was going to tell her everything, but I was waiting for the right time. Unfortunately… before I could tell her, everything came to light and ended up like this.”
Hanan told Pak Sholihin the whole story: at first, he had not intended to make Alya his second wife because he had planned to divorce Maudy. That was in accordance with the agreement he had made with his wife: if she did not want to share her husband, they would get divorced. But things did not always go smoothly. In the end, everything became a mess. Maudy still did not want a divorce and stubbornly held on to her childfree principle. Hanan was completely confused about what he was supposed to do.
Hanan’s story seemed to make Pak Sholihin feel sorry for him.
“So what’s the bottom line? Does your wife agree to share her husband?” Pak Sholihin demanded, wanting certainty. He was still curious about what Maudy had said when he was about to leave Hanan’s house.
“She said she would agree if her junior co-wife were someone like Alya.”
“Well, then!” Pak Sholihin slammed his hand on the table. “That means it all depends on Alya now. Whether she’ll agree to marry you and become your second wife.”
“What do you mean? Second wife, second wife! I don’t agree!” Bu Erna arrived carrying a tray with a glass of tea and a jar of snacks.
“Mom, you just barged in. Enough—just keep quiet. Alya is my responsibility.”
“You can’t do that, dear! Alya is practically my daughter! Don’t make decisions carelessly.” Bu Erna was still standing, clutching the tray.
“Who said I was going to make the decision by myself? Of course I’ll discuss this with Alya first.” Pak Sholihin stood and took the tray from Bu Erna’s hands. “Enough. Just go inside. This is my business.”
“Just you wait if you try to persuade Alya to become your second wife!” Bu Erna said with a threatening look.
Pak Sholihin placed the tray on the table, then patted his wife’s shoulder. “It’s fine, I’ll handle it. Go on, get inside.”
Although reluctant, Bu Erna still walked back into the house. However, the middle-aged woman was not about to let go of the conversation between the two men of different ages outside. She continued peeking through a gap in the window, trying to eavesdrop on what her husband and Hanan were discussing.
They talked for more than thirty minutes. Eventually, Hanan excused himself because he had received a call from the office where he worked.
“All right, Honey Hanan, just focus on your work,” Pak Sholihin told him. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Alya later,” he said, patting Hanan’s shoulder repeatedly. His behavior was much friendlier now, unlike the previous days.
Hanan smiled. “Yes, Uncle. Thank you. I’ll definitely come back tomorrow.”
Then Hanan said goodbye, feeling relieved, and quickly left Pak Sholihin’s house.
The middle-aged man remained standing in the yard, watching Hanan’s car until it disappeared at the intersection.
Bu Erna ran outside, demanding an explanation of what Pak Sholihin and Hanan had discussed. “What were you two talking about, dear? I absolutely do not agree to Alya becoming a second wife!”
“Good grief, don’t interfere. This is my business. Honestly! You’ve been eavesdropping this whole time, haven’t you? That’s incredibly rude!”
“I don’t care if you call me rude! I don’t agree to Alya becoming a second wife!” Bu Erna declared emphatically this time.
“What’s going on? Why are you making such a fuss? Who said Alya wants to become a second wife?” Alya suddenly appeared. She was walking beside Arin. The two women were carrying plastic bags filled with traditional cakes.
“Arin, Alya. Where have you two been?” Bu Erna approached them.
“Oh, this? Arin just went out to look for food. I kept Sis Alya company so she wouldn’t stay depressed,” Arin said with a broad smile. She looked absolutely radiant.
“Who says I’m depressed?” Alya elbowed the girl standing beside her.
“Are you sure you’re not depressed?” Arin teased, raising and lowering both eyebrows.
“Oh, stop it. Don’t keep teasing your big sister,” Alya said, pinching her younger cousin’s cheek playfully.
“Ow, ow! That hurts!”
“That’s what you get for teasing me nonstop.” Alya giggled at Arin, who was wincing in pain with her lips pursed.
“See, dear? Alya isn’t depressed. She’s moved on. Look, she can even laugh now. So there’s no need for anything else to do with that Hanan! Especially not turning Alya into a second wife! I don’t agree!”
“What exactly is going on, Auntie?” Alya asked again, seeking clarification.
“That Hanan just came here and talked to your uncle. Not talked—he was trying to manipulate your uncle into giving his blessing again. I’m so frustrated! How could Hanan possibly want to make you his second wife?”
“Hey, enough! Don’t make a scene here. It’s embarrassing. The neighbors might see. Come on, let’s talk inside. Alya, come on. Uncle wants to talk to you.”
“Don’t, Alya. Whatever you do, don’t listen to your uncle. Come home with me instead. I’ll go with you,” Bu Erna urged, pulling Alya’s right hand. (Ulah means Don’t.)
“Mom, what are you doing? Alya, come on. There’s something Uncle needs to discuss with you.” Pak Sholihin pulled Alya’s left hand.
“Uncle, Auntie. Let go of Alya,” Alya said firmly. She was tired of being pulled back and forth by the two older adults.
“Let Alya hear what Honey Hanan discussed with Uncle first,” Alya said after Bu Erna and Pak Sholihin released her hands.
Then Alya hurried into the gray-painted house, followed by Arin, Bu Erna, and Pak Sholihin.