“Putra Syailendra Fathan...!” The full name flew from his lips, a sign that the tide of emotion in the Kyai’s chest was beginning to rise.
“Enough, Grandpa. Take it easy. I’m fasting. You’ll make me break my fast. Maghrib is almost here, anyway.”
The Kyai snorted and turned his face away. Fathan shifted over and sat in a chair a short distance away. “I’m not your only grandson, you know. There’s still Zaidan.”
Arjuna Zaidan Rabbani. The name was spoken with pride. A calm, dignified young man who was the pride of his family.
“I heard Zaidan wanted to propose to a girl?”
“She rejected him,” the Kyai replied tersely, but with weight.
Fathan’s eyes flew wide. “What? Zaidan got rejected? Seriously, Grandpa?”
“Grandpa never lies.”
“Then why?”
“The girl already has a romantic partner. Zaidan’s marriage proposal was rejected without even being given a chance.”
Laughter nearly escaped Fathan’s lips. He quickly reached for his phone. “I’m going to text Zaidan first. I want to cheer him up.”
“That’s what you’re taking care of? What about Grandpa’s request?”
Fathan stepped toward the doorway. “Relax, Grandpa. A soul mate is the Creator’s business. Even flip-flops come in pairs. How could I not have one?”
“Fathan!”
“I’m going to get some kaffir lime leaves first. I’m afraid Ummi will pinch me.”
He chose to take the long way around, avoiding the kitchen where the female boarding-school students were working. Perhaps that was where fate was weaving a story for Fathan... or maybe for Zaidan.
Dawn slowly broke. The dawn call to prayer echoed through the silence, but the young man remained still, lost in thought.
A rejection. A wound slicing through his heart.
Many women’s hearts had been captivated by him. Yet the girl from the Al-Fariz family, whose family had approved of him and whom they had once praised as a potential life partner, had rejected him. She had not even been willing to look at his face first.
A photograph of the girl, her long hair falling loose, was clenched in his hand. By now, the photo had grown worn.
When he had entrusted the choice to Habibi and Hazelia, what came back was not only disappointment for him, but also grief creeping into the hearts of both his parents.
Knock... knock... knock...
The knock on the door shattered his reverie.
Zaidan reluctantly rose from his bed.
“Come on, let’s go to the prayer hall for the dawn prayer.”
It was his father’s voice. As always, Habibi was inviting him to pray in congregation.
“You go ahead, Dad. I want to grab my mask first.”
“I’ll wait out front.”
Zaidan merely gave a faint nod.
He had been staying at Grandma Lila’s home for several days now, in a small village far from the bustle of the city. The air here was still pristine. Trees stood in the shade, green grass stretched across the land, and flowers bloomed in the yards of the villagers’ homes.
Zaidan had often spent the night here during school breaks since he was a child. He loved this village. Its atmosphere was completely different from the coast, where his parents lived.
Grandpa Ziyad owned many rental houses in the village, and Grandma had chosen to settle there to manage them. She had had enough of worldly luxury. Ever since Zaidan was born, Grandma Lila had no longer enjoyed partying and dressing up. There was a time for glitter and a time for simplicity. To Lila, becoming a rental-property tycoon in the village during her old age was a quiet blessing.
At Lila’s suggestion, Zaidan’s name was put forward to the Al-Fariz family. The parents had all agreed. Unfortunately, the girl already had a romantic partner. Her love ran too deep, so Zaidan’s proposal was rejected outright.
“She’s not my soul mate. I can’t force her,” he had said when Habibi asked how he was doing after the rejection.
“But you’ve gotten quieter.”
“That’s just how it seems to you, Dad.” Zaidan quickened his pace. Today, he intended to return to the city. Work at the office had piled up.
“Are you going to the office?” he asked a little louder because of the distance between them.
Habibi nodded. So father and son set out together for the city. Hazelia was still staying in the village. They would pick her up that afternoon after work.