Chapter 12
I held his hand again and we walked together into the room where the event was being held. The host's welcome and applause from the guests greeted our arrival.
I did ask Mama that the party would only take place nationally, I didn't like it if my wedding was carried out according to custom.
I want a simple but festive party. Shasa smiled welcoming the guests who wanted to congratulate us.
Mama and Papa also looked very happy, Uncle and Aunt, Mama's sister who became Shasa's companion, were also happy.
Guests kept coming one after another, I accepted their congratulations while smiling even though frankly I didn't know most of them.
Maybe they were Papa's guests, because Papa had invited all his colleagues and acquaintances. I'm happy because Mama and Papa are happy but now I'm even happier to see the guests I've been waiting for have come.
"Congratulations Bro, wow you succeeded too!" Marcel came with his wife and child.
"Thanks Cel, where's Didu?"
"Still on the road, maybe hit by traffic jams," answered Marcel, glancing at Shasa who just looked down since Marcel arrived earlier.
I noticed a strange attitude Shasa. It was even stranger when I heard Marcel congratulating Shasa.
"Congratulations, I wish you happiness Caca!"
Caca? Who is Caca?
***
Finally, my wedding party was over, my legs felt like they were about to fall off. But seeing Mama's happy face makes all my tiredness disappear.
I arrange the sofa in my room so that it can be comfortably used as a bed. Starting tonight, like it or not I have to sleep on the couch, while Shasa will sleep on my bed.
After cleaning up I lay down my body, the sound of gurgling water could still be heard from the bathroom. Shasa was cleaning herself after I finished bathing earlier. Slowly my memory returned to the party earlier.
Caca, Marcel called Shasa as Caca. Did they know each other before, why did Shasa look uncomfortable when she saw Marcel's arrival?
Ceklek ... I heard the sound of the door opening, Shasa must have finished bathing. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep by using my right arm to cover my eyes.
From behind my arm I could see Shasa leaving the bathroom wearing nightgowns. Her hair, which was still covered with a towel, was now brushed aside, occasionally drying it with the small towel earlier.
I was mesmerized by the beauty of her long, thick black hair. This is the first time I saw Shasa without wearing the hijab, I swallowed my saliva with difficulty.
Shasa's beauty is like an angel that Mama used to tell about when I was little.
Shasa looked at me, then approached me.
"Mas, why are you sleeping. Have you prayed Isya yet. Mas, wake up!" Shasa shook my arm, I pretended to have just woken up.
"What's wrong, Sha? You're sleepy, tired," I said while stretching my body.
"Have you prayed yet, if you haven't prayed first then sleep!" she repeated.
"Yes, badass!" I answered while getting up from my sleep.
I rushed to the bathroom to take ablution, for some reason I felt happy when Shasa forced me to do something. It's like someone is paying attention to this
Shasa asked me to pray together but I frankly admitted that I couldn't become a priest. My reading was still a mess, Shasa understood until we finally prayed.
After the prayer, Shasa asked me to read the Koran, again I felt inferior when I heard Shasa's melodious and eloquent reading verse by verse smoothly.
Hisham, what have you been doing all this time! You lost to your wife, I cursed in my heart.
Uh, wife? My feelings warmed instantly.
"Mas, even stunned. Do you want to read or not?" asked Shasa cut off my reverie.
"Um, no, Sha. It's a shame, Mas' reading is still a mess," I refused.
"It's okay, Mas, just read slowly. The more you read, the smoother you will be reading!"
Shasa kept on encouraging me until finally I read it in a stutter, it took half an hour to finish reading one page of the Qur'an.
"Alhamdulillah, you can do it. Your voice isn't too bad either. The important thing is to keep reading, don't be lazy. You can do it because you're used to it. Have you ever heard of that saying, right, Mas?"
I nodded, then thanked him. Shasa just smiled, then said goodbye to leave the room. He said he wasn't sleepy yet and still wanted to chat with my mom.
After the death of Shasa I lay back on the couch. My mind wandered somewhere until drowsiness came and soon I was fast asleep.
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"Which do you usually wear, Mas?" Shasa asked while pointing out two types of clothing perfume brands.
"The blue one," I answered simply.
Shasa put the perfume that I pointed earlier into the trolley. He walked back down the aisle Supermarket which contains various types of goods and products.
Today I accompany Shasa to shop for household needs for one month. Usually Mama who goes shopping is accompanied by my dad. This time Mama even told me and Shasa to do the shopping.
"There's still a lot more to buy, Sha?" I asked when he was choosing bath soap products.
"A little more, Mas. Why, are you tired, Mas?"
"Mas thirsty, hungry too," I replied.
I do feel thirsty and a little hungry. From earlier pushing the shopping cart around this Supermarket following Shasa made me feel tired.
"Just a little more, Mas. Be patient, can you stand it?"
I chuckled annoyed to hear that, while Shasa smiled at my tired face and then continued to choose the items to buy.
Half an hour later, Shasa ended his hunt. Hufttt, finally I can sit too. I straightened my sore back from pushing the shopping cart.
"What do you want to order?" asked Shasa.
He flipped through the menu book he was holding. We were at the cafe in front of the supermarket earlier.
"Sounds like good chicken soup, Sha. Just drink orange juice!" I replied.
Shasa mentioned my order plus hers to the waitress who waited patiently for us.
After ordering food, I excused myself to go to the toilet. When I got to the toilet I had to queue because it was full. After waiting a few minutes it was also my turn to enter the toilet, I finished my business immediately.
To be continued