Part 11
1453 Words
Adi
It’s been a week since Anyelir and I haven’t greeted each other. Even to Melati, she keeps a little distance. I feel reluctant to ask why she keeps ignoring me. Even when I dropped her and picked her up, she didn’t even thank me as usual. I once asked Melati about Anyelir’s constant silence, but my second wife just shook her head, not knowing anything either.
This afternoon, I steer the wheel towards Anyelir’s workplace, picking her up as usual. It’s been ten minutes. I wait for her while looking at the sales graph of my branch cafe in Bandung. It shows a drastic decline, making my head throb with pain.
Averting my gaze from the Mac Book to the windshield, I hear someone knock from outside. A girl — I know as Anyelir’s friend — is standing next to my car. Finally, I come out approaching her.
“Hi.” The girl — I know as Marta — nods politely with a smile.
I smile back at her.
“Good afternoon, Marta. Where’s Anyelir?” I ask, still not seeing the figure of my wife beside this girl. I usually see them going out of the office together even though they ride their own motorbikes.
“Anyelir went home already. Just now.”
Anyelir really is avoiding me, it seems.
I nod. “Can we talk for a moment?” There are many things I want to ask Marta.
”If you want to know why Anyelir left, go after her, instead of asking me.”
I am shocked to hear what this girl with glasses just said. A little guilt hits me for ignoring Anyelir back, who has been ignoring me first.
“But....”
“Go after her. She’s been gloomy these days.”
After Marta said that, I quickly steeredsteer the wheel, heading back home. Along the way home, I am overcome with feelings of guilt as well as curiosity about why Anyelir estrangedestranges herself from us. Luckily when I arrive, Anyelir’s motorbike is already parked in the garage.
The house seems so quiet as soon as I step inside. I rush to her room because I can’t find the figure I am looking for in the living room. For some reason, I feel worried about her. Usually, I don’t care what happens to her, just like when she chose to live alone in the sharehouse. Actually, if Melati hadn’t whined at me to bring her back, I wouldn’t have picked her up and asked her to come home.
I head for her room, looking for her whereabouts. And just as I open the door of her room, I see a delectable sight that makes me gulp so hard.
*****
Anyelir’s POV
It’s been a week since I have ignored Adi and only talked to Melati when it’s necessary.
Am I angry?
Yes. I’m angry, jealous, envious. I’m mad at the situation that forced us into this polygamous household. Jealous and envious because – again, Adi only shows his affection for Melati. It’s not like I don’t approve of polygamy. But I just don’t like Adi’s attitude that tends to love only one of his wives.
This afternoon, Adi picked me up as usual. His white Pajero was already parked in front of the gate to my workplace when I left, but I chose to go home alone and asked Marta to tell him.
After arriving at Adi’s house, I immediately head for the room, opting to throw myself on the sofa to stretch my tired body muscles while listening to the sweet voice of Nissa Sabyan.
I decide to take a shower after relaxing my body. I take off the hijab, then untie my hair, and slowly take off the polka-dot shirt I’ve been wearing since this morning. I stare at my reflection in the mirror in front of me, only in a bra. Just then, the door is suddenly pushed open from the outside. I jump in surprise when I see Adi’s figure with widened eyelids standing in the doorway of my room.
“You!” I snarl. I quickly grab a blanket to cover my exposed upper body.
*****
Adi’s POV
Anyelir’s upper body is plastered in front of me. Her olive skin, her jet-black hair that flows down instantly make my male instincts react. I’m used to seeing a woman’s bare body. Yes, it’s been no one else but Melati. But this is different now. Anyelir is different because she always wears closed-clothes, even when she is in front of me.
“You!”
“Sorry!” I say instantly when I see her startled and immediately grab the blanket to cover her upper body.
“W-what are you doing here?” she asks, tugging the blanket on her body.
“I want to talk.”
“I want to shower.”
“Alright, you take a shower first. I’m waiting.”
“Alright, please get out,” she says.
“I’ll wait here,” I say dryly, and I love seeing her surprised expression with widened eyelids.
“Wait outside!”
I opt to ignore her words. Instead, my footsteps are now slowly entering the room, approaching her. I can already guess that one step closer I am, Anyelir will take a step back away from me. What a coy girl, when I kissed her back then she did not even reject me before she started sulking. Before I realize it, an upward curve is forming on my lips. My Anyelir.
“Why are you smiling!”
“Hurry up. Take a shower. I want to talk,” I say, opting to sit on the edge of the bed.
Anyelir smacks her lips irritably. Stomping her feet, she then steps into the bathroom.
*****
Anyelir’s POV
Adi is really driving me mad. When I was observing my own body in the mirror, he suddenly popped into my room, standing and staring at me with a super weird face. Luckily, I was quick enough to grab the blanket in a mere second, so that the iceman — who is half melted — did not have enough time to strip me through his gaze.
I could feel it, the heart-pounding so fast. Fear and mortification merged into one. I was afraid that Adi would go too far and get embarrassed because it was the first time he saw any part of my body other than the face, legs, and arms. I’m still not willing to surrender my chastity to him. Not because I wish to be considered a disobedient wife, but I just can’t give everything in me while Adi does not even love me.
I’ve been in the bathroom for an hour. I finishedI have finished cleaning my body halfbody since half an hour ago. I don’t want to leave here yet, feeling reluctant to face Adi after the earlier scene.
“Anyelir, are you done yet?” Adi’s voice echoes from outside the bathroom. I smack irritatedly, but finally, I open the door too. And as soon as the door opens, I just pass his body that is standing in the doorway. Luckily, I didn’t forget to bring clothes to change before entering the bathroom.
“I was picking you up earlier,” he says, already standingstands beside me who is folding the blanket.
“I can go home by myself,” I reply without turning to look at him.
“Anyelir, look at me!” Adi’s voice grows colder, making me suddenly overcome with fear.
Finally, I turn around and I look reluctantly at his smiling face.
“Say what you want to say. Quick.”
“Why have you been avoiding us these days?”
I laugh heartily at the question. Us? So, he is worried about me for avoiding Melati, not for avoiding him.
“Wasn’t our relationship like this from the start?”
“Nye, please. I’m trying to be fair to you.”
“Fair as in took Melati out for dinner, gave her a ring, and lied to me.” I can see Adi is surprised.
“ANSWER ME! IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN BY BEING FAIR, DI?!”
Continued.
- Writer
