The Light of Love for Seroja
CCUS 89: Prospective Daughter-in-law

"MashaAllah, this is Mom's daughter-in-law, Ran?"

This morning, Seroja went to Randy's house. For the first time, the twenty-seven-year-old woman set foot in Randy's home and met her mother in person. There was a slight sense of anxiety felt by Seroja. Worried if his presence is not well received by the prospective in-laws. But the truth is just the opposite. Since the soles of his feet rest on the porch of Randy's house, he has been welcomed by prospective in-laws.

"Assalamualaikum Ma'am. I'm Seroja. Seroja Ayu Anjani's. Randy's wife-to-be."

While bending her back slightly, Seroja grabbed Randy's mother's palm and kissed the woman's back. As a form of respect for the future in-laws.

"Waalaikumsalam nak Seroja's. This old lady is Randy's mother. Exactly whose name is Asri's mother."

"Mother, who said old mother? Mom still looks young."

While chuckling softly Seroja tried to respond to what was revealed from the lips of Asri's mother. There was no old impression framing the middle-aged woman's face. There, Randy's mother looks so youthful, very inversely proportional to her age.

A sweet smile broke on the lips of this middle-aged woman. He clasped Seroja's fingers tightly and occasionally rubbed his arms. "Maybe you look young because in the end you can see the happiness of your son, son, Son. Happy for counting the days, he will live with a woman whom he deeply loves."

Yes, just a few days away from the wedding of the three pairs of brides will be held. Everything was prepared carefully. Starting from the wedding dress, make-up, catering, and also the venue that will be occupied. In the final decision, the three pairs of brides will be married in the same day, time, and place.

Parents are seen collaborating to prepare for everything. They work together to prepare everything well.

"Thank you for giving your blessing to Randy to marry me Mom. Pray for me, that I may be a good wife to Randy and a good daughter-in-law to Mom."

"Mother who should be apologizing to you, son. I'm sorry, because this mother's son once dragged you into a pit of shit. Maybe if you didn't force her to marry Rosmala, you could see her happiness in the first place."

The guilt again ambushed a lump of lifeless meat belonging to Asri. Guilty of having subverted the son to take responsibility for circumstances that should not be his responsibility. And that was what kept the middle-aged woman imprisoned in her regrets.

Randy and Seroja linked views, as Asri began to weep. Seroja gives a signal for Randy to do something to calm the mother. As if understanding what Seroja meant, the man took a squatting position in front of the wheelchair occupied by the mother.

"Mother, stop. No need to remember what has passed. Now is the time to look to the future. And the future of Randy inshaAllah will be filled with happiness, ma'am. Randy was living with the woman Randy loved so much. And maybe that's the way Randy went before Randy finally found Randy's happiness."

Gently, Randy tried to give an understanding to the mother that the past was not anyone's fault. It is all the destiny of life that has been written on each sheet of his life path.

"Mom's so sorry Rand, I'm so sorry!"

Randy embraced the body of his mother and rubbed his back with tenderness. "Yes, Mom. From this moment on I no longer need to think about things that have passed. Look, Randy's happiness is already here and standing by Randy's side."

Randy parses his little embrace. He patted Randy on the shoulder as if to be a sign that regardless of any mistake ever made by the son, he was still proud to have Randy as his son. A man devoted to his mother and late father. And a man who puts aside what is his happiness to be able to protect the good name of the family.

"Soja, can you hold me?"

Seroja nodded her head and without waiting for the cue she also squatted in front of Asri and hugged the middle-aged woman's body.

"May God always steal you and Randy with love and affection. May your life be filled with blessings in the world and in the hereafter. And may the light of love from God be the one who will lead your footsteps to be reunited in His jannah."

A string of sincere prayers came out from Asri's lips. Prayers that he believed could open the doors of the heavens and would be a companion to the footsteps of the son with his wife.

"Aamiin, aamiin, aamiin and Rabbal alaamiin. All the good prayers that you pray, may also accompany your footsteps. Always be in the shade of God's love until the end."

"InshaAllah Ma'am, inshaAllah I and also mas Randy will always be together until we return to the side of Allah SWT. And, if God permits, God willing me and Randy will live as a paradise in the life to come."

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

"Well, this is a sweet sour squid menu. Please enjoy!"

Rama, Ellana, Juna, Widya and certainly Fakhru, were seated in a circle at the dining table. In a house that is one of the relics of Fakhru's great-grandfather, namely opa Wijaya and oma Hanna in this city (Pak Wijaya & Hanna's mother is Juna's parents) became their residence for as long as they were here. Certainly while preparing all the wedding needs Fakhru and Adiba.

This morning, Adiba visited the Juna residence and served a delicious dish to accompany the breakfast this morning. And the menu of sweet sour squid and fish head gulai, has been lodged on the dining table.

All who sit in this dining room seem so excited to immediately taste this dish. The fragrant aroma of processed squid and snapper seems more appetizing.

"What Fakhru said, it turns out that your cooking is delicious, son. Fakhru could fall for you immediately."

A sweet sour squid menu has spoiled Ellana's tongue. He praised the cuisine of his future son-in-law which indeed tasted very delicious. That's what makes Adiba shy.

"Thank you very much for your compliment Ma. Adiba is also in the process of learning."

Ellana smiled knot. There was something troubling his mind. "If you see you're so good at processing food like this, you're ashamed of yourself, son."

"Oh yeah? Shame on what Ma?"

Ellana just smiled clumsyly. The expression of his face did not escape the eyes of the husband, Rama. The man seemed to know what Ellana was thinking.

"Your mother-in-law's candidate is ashamed because when she married Papa, she could not cook Nak at all. So when you see you're so good at cooking like this, your mom gets embarrassed." Rama paused for a moment. "Is that so, Ma?"

Ellana just nodded faintly. He remembered the ballad fried chicken and tomato sauce which was the first dish for the husband, but at that time it actually failed miserably. If he remembered that, he was really only embarrassed to die.

"Although Mama is not good at cooking, but Papa is still in love, right?" timpal Fakhru sipped the white water in front of him.

"That's for sure, son. Because the love that Papa has for your mama is intact, so even though he was not good at cooking at that time, Papa was still in love. And in the end, mama succeeded too, right, to be one of the best chefs? Even if it's just being a cook for our family?"

Rama's words only invite laughter for a moment. And that laugh could be heard filling the ceiling of this dining room.

"Pa, don't talk about it anymore. Right now Mama is so happy because Fakhru gets a wife who is good at cooking, so Mama does not have to worry about nutrition and nutrition that enter her body."

"What a complete package of Grandpa's future grandchildren. Hopefully you can learn from these two great women who are in front of you, son. These two women are special women owned by Grandpa, your future Father-in-law and also your future husband."

Adiba nodded his head. He agreed to what Juna said. "Yes Kek, Diba will learn to be a good wife to aa' Fakhru from mama Ellana and also Widya's grandmother. Diba also asked for his guidance, so that Diba could carry out the role of Diba well."

"That's for sure, son. We will all learn together and we must not stop. Because life is a process to be the best," Widya continued to be the last topic they talked about in the morning.

They refocused on the food in front of each. Only the sound of clanking spoon clashing with the plate makes the atmosphere more alive.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁