Sakha returned to his home, his main house in Telaga Waru Village. Several workers greeted shortly after seeing Sakha enter through the gate in a shiny black car. Sakha returned their greetings with a nod and a brief smile. The sun was still shining brightly in the sky; Sakha was sweating and really needed a splash of water to get rid of the stickiness all over his body.
When Sakha went inside, his wives who were sitting in the living room immediately greeted him.
“Mas*, you’re home!” Aisyah Safitria Putri, or as Sakha often calls Ria, was the first to greet him and immediately approached Sakha to kiss his hand.
“Yes,” replied Sakha briefly.
Ria is Sakha’s first wife, the beautiful woman immediately pulled Sakha into the living room. And Sakha did not refuse.
“You don’t usually come home early, Mas,” said Henia, kissing Sakha’s hand.
“Hm, I’m only going home for a while.”
Agistia, Sakha’s second wife was the last to shake Sakha’s hand. “What do you want us to cook for you? It just so happens that it’s lunch time.”
Sakha refuses with a smile. “I’m only here for a moment. You guys eat lunch first.”
“Mas, let’s just have lunch here together. Mas rarely come home in the afternoon, only often in the fields,” Ria interrupted, half whining, she was still clinging to Sakha’s left arm.
“Yes, but I want to take a shower first,” replied Sakha, while gently releasing Ria’s hand from his arm.
“I’ll help you to the room,” Nia replied, following Sakha into the room.
While Nia helps Sakha prepare clothes in his room, two of Sakha’s other wives go to the kitchen to instruct the household members to prepare lunch immediately.
Tia is the only wife of Sakha who can cook and often helps in the kitchen. For almost three years as Sakha’s second wife, Tia has been very familiar with what foods her husband likes. Sakha likes chicken stew with yellow yeast, so that is the menu Tia will make this afternoon.
While Tia is busy in the kitchen, Ria goes to her room and starts to dress up. Of the three wives of Sakha, Ria is the most beautiful and the most diligent in taking care of herself. Moreover, as the first wife as well as the eldest, Ria feels that she must always look attractive to get more attention from her husband.
“That Henia, that flirtatious woman is always rude, disrespectful. She should have respected me in the first place, instead of just snooping around.” Ria grumbled while applying makeup to her cleansed face. During this time, they always seem to get along, but secretly the three of them compete with each other for more attention.
Unlike Tia, who respects her more, Nia really does monopolize Sakha, not giving Sakha’s first and second wives a chance. As for Tia, that woman is always shy and puts Ria first when they are together. However, in hindsight, Ria knew very well that Tia was also competing with her, teasing Sakha in ways that often made Ria jealous. Tia is the type of woman who is very romantic; she cooks for Sakha, invites Sakha to dinner at a luxury restaurant alone, and always whines to go on vacation whenever Sakha has free time.
Even so, all this time, Sakha had always been fair to them. Sakha never treats them differently, and sometimes that is what irritates Ria. It would be better if Sakha treated her differently than when she treated her two young wives. Ria feels more entitled because she is the first woman Sakha married.
After finishing applying makeup to her face, Ria immediately left the room. Their rooms were always separate, either in this country house or in their main house in the city. That is another form of Sakha’s justice, even Sakha also gave them a house one by one for them to live in, but the three of them chose to live together with their husbands at the same time.
When Ria reached the dining room, she only saw Tia there who had also just arrived. The woman had finished cooking and also did a little makeup on her face just like Ria.
“Where’s Nia?” asked Ria.
“She has not come yet?” Tia asks back.
Ria’s previous annoyance is getting worse, but Ria doesn’t show it at all. “Wait here, I’ll call them.” Then Ria went from the dining room to the top floor where Sakha’s room was.
When Ria arrived at the door, she heard Nia’s giggling voice calling for Sakha in a spoiled voice. Ria knocked on the door on purpose, not long after that Sakha appeared, her face looked annoyed.
“Mas, lunch are ready,” said Ria, putting on an innocent face.
Sakha nodded. “I see,” but his expression still looked annoyed.
After Sakha left, Nia came out of the room. Ria immediately spit it out. “You pissed him off again?”
Nia pouted. “What’s pissed him off, Kak*? It was Kak Ria who had made him angry. We were making out, but you were bothering us.”
“You think I’ll believe it?” replied Ria. Because they all know how fair Sakha is to them. Were it not for the time of day that Sakha had set for them, Sakha would not have approached one of his other wives to make out. Moreover, tonight, also tomorrow, is the schedule for Tia, the second wife.
“Shh! Kak Ria doesn’t know. After all he’s a man, it wouldn’t be surprising if he made a mistake.”
“Don’t be like that, Nia. You have to take care of Tia’s feelings.”
Nia with her innocent face answered, “What do you really feel for Mas Sakha? Aren’t we all the same?”
That statement silenced Ria’s mouth, but it made her anger rise even more. “Watch your words! Or I will report this to Mas Sakha,” she said with a warning.
Nia was silent, looked down, and then walked away past Ria with an annoyed face.
***
After lunch, Sakha returned to the fields, leaving his three wives at home. During that lunch, no one noticed Sakha’s bad mood, not even Ria who knew earlier that Sakha was upset. However, Sakha is a man with high self-control; he rarely shows his feelings through facial expressions. In other words, he was a cold man with an expression that was always flat.
Even so, Sakha responded to all of his wife’s chatter one by one. Sakha was always kind to them like that, never discriminating.
After Sakha left, Tia immediately spoke up. “I heard rumors from those who work back there, they say Mas Sakha wants to get married again?”
Ria who heard that was very surprised, in contrast to Nia who looked normal.
“I’ve heard since yesterday. It’s true,” replied Nia.
Ria looks at her. “Who did you hear that from, Nia?”
“From village women who used to shop for vegetables in front. They don’t know yet that I’m Mas Sakha’s wife, so I pretend to be shopping while eavesdropping on their gossip.”
“Maybe it’s just a rumor, right?” said Tia.
“I’ve also called Galih, Kak. Mas’s future wife is the daughter of Head of the Neighborhood, who said he had a lot of debt and he probably couldn’t pay it off.”
“Mr. Jamal?!” Ria said in disbelief.
Nia nodded with an annoyed face. “That’s why we have to tease Mas often so that he stops having the intention to remarry. It has only been a year since I married; I still have hope of getting pregnant. Why should he rush to get married again anyway?”
Nia’s tirade that sounded sarcastic was ignored by Ria and Tia.
It is true, of the three wives of Sakha, none of them succeeded in having children. Not yet, to be precise. However, Sakha from the beginning really wanted a child to be the successor to his business; an heir.
It is a shame that until this moment his three wives were not pregnant.
“As far as I know Mr. Jamal has two daughters,” said Tia.
“That’s right,” said Ria, “two girls with the nickname the village flowers.”
“No wonder Mas is desperate.”
“Hush! Don’t be careless when you talk!” Ria warned because Nia’s words sounded rude to their husbands.
“I’ll ask Mas later tonight,” said Tia.
“Mas will definitely introduce the new woman to us before they actually carry out the marriage contract, like Mas used to do right before marrying me,” replied Nia.
Ria and Tia nodded in agreement.
***
*Mas: a word that means brother, used to address men who are older or respected
*Kak: a word meaning sister, used to address women who are older or respected
Sakha returned to the field feeling still annoyed. He regretted having gone home earlier, even if only for a moment. Because his third wife, Nia, never stopped teasing him even though she knew that day was not her schedule. Sakha does not really like aggressive women and is always willing to interfere in his affairs. Nia knows that, not to interfere in Sakha’s business, even though they are husband and wife. The three wives of Sakha know this, but sometimes they often forget because they are controlled by their own feelings.Earlier, Nia had mentioned Sakha’s plan, which Sakha had never told anyone other than the person concerned. Sakha was so irritated that his wives began to feel entitled to take control of his life.“Sir!” Galih, who was watching the workers transporting sacks of corn that had been harvested into the box car to be taken to the warehouse, greeted Sakha who had just arrived.“Tonight,” said Sakha after standi
“One hundred and fifty million rupiah,” replied Sakha.Tia who was lying beside him immediately got up and looked at her husband in surprise. “One hundred and fifty million?” she repeated.“Hmm.”“If it’s a poor person who borrows that much money, of course now he’s rich.”“He borrowed it gradually.”“Then why did you let him when you knew he couldn’t pay?” asked Tia not understanding.“I am indebted to him.”Sakha’s second wife was heard chuckling softly, but then she smiled sweetly at her husband. “You are a good person. I salute you. Just let go of those debts, Mas, if he can’t pay. With God’s permission, you will get a much better reward from God.”Sakha wasn’t stupid not to realize what Tia was trying to do from the very beginning she asked about Mr. Jamal, even though now it was time fo
That night, Galih comes to the house and talks to Jamal.Airin wanted to go outside and hear what the man had to say for herself, but Yuniarti forbade Airin instead that she would convey her greetings to Galih and Mr. Sakha.Airin didn’t want her mother to do that.Yuniarti also understands the feelings of her eldest daughter. Even though Airin agrees to marry Sakha, Yuniarti can see very clearly that Airin doesn’t like Sakha. Yuniarti’s guilt is getting bigger.So Airin calmed her mother by saying, “After a while, Ririn will definitely fall in love, Mother, with Mr. Sakha.” Airin actually wanted to throw up when she heard those words come out of her own mouth.For a long time, Airin had closed the door to her heart and often thought that her feelings for a man other than her father had died. Airin is biased towards that kind of feeling. Because the only thing on her mind from the start was her family, until now that i
When Airin returned home, she was surprised by a familiar looking car parked in front of her house.Is that perhaps …? Airin thought with her body frozen for a moment. Imagining the man, who has three wives, is sitting on his simple living room sofa. Airin’s body was now covered in sweat and dust after working almost all day in the fields, so she hurriedly walked to the back of the house to wash her feet and hands in the water pouring from the jug.From the back door, Yuniarti walked briskly toward her eldest daughter. “Rin! Rin!” call her.Airin turned around. If her mother had acted like that, surely Airin’s assumption was correct.“What’s the matter, Mother?” said Airin.The girl’s calmness was in stark contrast to the anxiety that was clearly printed on her mother’s face.“Come on, quickly! Mr. Sakha has been waiting for you for a long time. I told you not to go to the fields today!
Airin totally disagreed with the idea that she would move into her future husband’s house earlier than she had predicted. Airin already knew that the day would surely come when she had to leave this house and live with her husband and his three wives whom Airin did not know.What will my fate be? Airin thought. Even just thinking about it already made her giddy.“It’s okay, Rin. After all, we are still in the same village. Later if something goes wrong, you can go back to this house,” said Yuniarti calmly while helping Airin tidy up the clothes which she put in the suitcase.This afternoon, Galih had explained to her family that the day after tomorrow was Airin’s wedding day with Sakha. However, today Airin was ordered to come to her husband’s house because the traditional ceremony will be held there, the performance will be quite large because it is also an event to appreciate the villagers who have received Sakha here.Airin
She is like a rosebud. Sakha had decided to pick it and nursed the rosebud in the vase with other flowers. And in that vase, Sakha treats every flower in the same and fair way.But, this rosebud still hasn’t bloomed yet, who knows what kind of beauty she has inside? And who can guarantee, that Sakha will not be attracted to the beauty of the flower?This is what Sakha’s three wives feared as they sat face to face in the living room with a young girl who would become their sister to share husbands with. The girl was obviously still innocent and looked very weak, but she bravely and filled with composure stared back at the three women who were much older than her. Which makes them feel uncomfortable and at the same time feel disrespected.Meanwhile, Airin with her cold gaze assessed Sakha’s wives one by one. Galih had told them their names and how they behaved at home, at least all that information Galih got from what he had seen, not necessarily that
Galih informed Airin yesterday that her wedding with Mr. Sakha would be held in the morning. Airin took a bath as usual, scrubbed, and didn’t forget to also use a series of skincare that she brought from home.Last night, Airin doesn't know why food is brought to her room. Shouldn't she be joining the dining table with the others?But isn’t that great?Yes, therefore Airin did not have to deal with the other wives.At seven o’clock, after having breakfast and drinking the herbal medicine that her mother left with the maid in this house and brought it along with her breakfast, Airin was confused as to why no one had come to see her. The morning that Galih was referring to was now, right?Airin was just sitting on the bed, staring at the door to her room which was tightly closed, waiting for someone to come knock and tell her that it was time to get ready.For over an hour, no one came. The house is also quiet. There wasn’t a
The man’s steps were steady, no hesitation in sight. Even though he was entering a woman’s room he just met for the first time, he was acting normal.Of course, he’s used to it, Airin thought sarcastically.Sakha stopped in the middle of the room, looking straight at the bed where Airin was. They both couldn’t see each other’s faces clearly because of the transparent valence around the four-poster bed.Airin also chose to remain silent. She didn’t even move. Sakha was probably thinking that she had married a statue instead of a human. Airin then chuckled unconsciously.The woman’s laughter caught Sakha’s attention. “Why?” he asked.Airin who heard the deep low-pitched voice stopped her laughter, she immediately pursed her lips tightly again, her expression then turned cold.Not getting an answer, Sakha stepped closer. From the first time he knocked on the door, Sakha had been wondering why no a