Hamid inclined his head gently, "شكراً، يا عمّتي."
"Thank you, Auntie!" He murmured.
Hamid lifted the delicate cup and tasted the tea, its jasmine fragrance unfurling softly in the air, working its way into his restless nerves until they eased, little by little.
A moment earlier, Khalid and Fadhilah had exchanged a few words in Arabic.
They knew perfectly well that many Indonesians of Arab descent no longer understood the language, and the habit was half-test, half-nostalgia.
To their quiet relief, Hamid understood every word, and not in the strained way of someone piecing together fragments, but with an ease that surprised them both.
In their minds, he was already Zara's young suitor, which explained the particularly generous hospitality.
"So then, how long has it been, Hamid?" Khalid asked, shifting at last into Indonesian, his tone casual yet unmistakably probing.
Hamid cleared his throat, a faint tremor in his voice, "Ahem… Forgive me, Uncle! How long has what been?" He asked, quite honestly perplexed.
"You and Zara. How long have the two of you been seeing each other?" Khalid said, laying the matter bare.
"Cough… Cough…"
Hamid choked at once, nearly spilling his tea as he coughed, stunned by the question.
"I… I… I'm not courting Zara, Uncle!" He said, cheeks heating with embarrassment.
Khalid and Fadhilah exchanged a knowing glance and burst into laughter, convinced he was simply being bashful.
"Come now, Hamid! It's quite all right! If you're truly serious about Zara, you have our blessing!" Fadhilah said, her smile warm enough to soften the blow of her assumption.
"But… I'm genuinely not seeing Zara, Uncle, Auntie!" Hamid insisted. "Even if I wished it, it wouldn't be possible with Zara!"
Their laughter returned, gentler but no less dismissive, "There you have it… It's perfectly fine! We already approve!" Khalid said, waving a hand as though the matter were settled.
"That's not what I meant, Uncle," Hamid replied, voice tightening with urgency.
"Then what?!" Khalid pressed, leaning forward.
"I… I'm… already married!" Hamid said at last, the truth landing between them like a dropped glass.
"What?!" Khalid and Fadhilah cried in unison.
"Then… what is this?! Do you mean for Zara to be your second wife?!" Fadhilah demanded, her shock sharp enough to cut through the warm jasmine-scented air.
Hamid pressed a hand to his forehead as though steadying an unruly thought.
"Uncle, Aunt, I came here not only because I wanted to see Zara, but also because I've been entrusted with a rather delicate matter by the parents of my cousin!" He said, his voice carrying a blend of earnestness and quiet strain.
"The matter is about finding a match for my cousin. His name is Zein Al-Ghifari. He's a doctor, and he… is a widower!"
Khalid and Fadhilah exchanged a sharp, startled look, "A widower?!" They exclaimed together.
Hurriedly, Hamid explained Zein's past, how his wife had died merely two months into their marriage, how the loss had carved a hollow that nine long years had yet to fill.
The weight of the story settled gently upon the room, tempering their surprise with sympathy.
"Do speak to Zara about it later, will you?" said Fadhilah, her tone softening with compassion.
"We'll support you from behind the scenes!" Khalid added, firm and reassuring.
"Thank you, Uncle, Aunt!" Hamid replied, a breath of relief easing out of him.
As he stepped back, a dry thought flickered through his mind, "It's lucky they didn't ask Zein's age! If they knew… truly, Zein has a way of making things unnecessarily complicated!"
A short while later, as Hamid was still in earnest conversation with Zara's parents, a greeting floated in from outside.
"Salamu aleykom…"
"Wa aleykom salam…" The three of them replied at once.
A tall, veiled woman stepped gracefully into the house.
"Zara! One of your friends has come!" Khalid called out.
"A friend? Who?" Zara murmured, curiosity pulling her forward.
The instant she saw the man standing in the doorway, her eyes widened.
"Masha Allah, Hamid!" She exclaimed, startled yet unmistakably delighted.
She had never imagined he would appear at her doorstep.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" She demanded, half-scolding, half-amused.
"Um… a surprise, hehe…" Hamid chuckled sheepishly.
"Sit down, Zara! There is something we need to discuss!" said Fadhillah in a tone that suggested gravity cloaked in gentleness.
Zara slipped into her seat beside Khalid and Fadhillah.
"What are we discussing? Are you all preparing to propose to me?" She asked, her excitement barely contained.
Hamid, Khalid, and Fadhillah exchanged a startled glance.
Her guess wasn't entirely accurate, yet it brushed uncomfortably close to the truth.
"How did you know?" Khalid asked, bewildered.
"Isn't it obvious? A man turning up at a woman's house, if he's not proposing, what else could he be doing? Especially one who lives far away!" Zara said with breezy certainty.
"But it's not Hamid who intends to propose, Zara!" Fadhillah replied carefully.
"Then who?!" Zara asked, her disappointment almost audible.
"My cousin!" Hamid answered. "He's looking for a wife!" He began recounting the story of his cousin, Zein Al-Ghifari, a doctor, a quiet man, and a widower.
"What… a widower?!" Zara groaned. "I'd rather Hamid propose to me! At least he and I have known each other for years!"
Zara had never known that Hamid was already married.
For all the weeks they had spoken through their late night chats, neither had ever ventured into the territory of personal confessions.
That was why she had dared to tease him, hinting that she was looking for a spouse.
A hint meant solely for Hamid, never for anyone else.
She had not imagined that Hamid would take her words as something earnest, as though she were truly searching for a match.
"If I proposed to you, my wife would have me torn apart!" Hamid exclaimed.
The air in the room halted. A single, stunned heartbeat passed before...
"What?!!!"
"Hamid… you're married?!!!" Zara cried, her voice pitching high with disbelief.
The blow struck deep. Disappointment burst within her like a bruised fruit, and a sting rose behind her eyes, threatening tears.
"Why didn't you ever tell me you were married?!" She shouted, her composure shattering.
"You never asked!" Hamid replied, far too casually for the moment.
"Then what were you doing on that chat app?!" Zara demanded, anger surging up through her shock.
"I only wanted a friend!" Hamid answered truthfully.
"Arrghhh!!!" The cry tore out of Zara as if pulled from somewhere raw inside her.
Khalid and Fadhillah exchanged looks of alarm before stepping in, trying to steady her.
"That's enough, Zara! Steady yourself!" Khalid said softly.
"I'm disappointed, Dad!" Zara whispered, her voice trembling.
"Compose yourself, Zara!" Fadhillah urged, firm yet gentle, as though reminding her daughter not to drown in her own hurt.
Zara drew a deep breath and forced the tremor in her voice to settle.
A long moment passed before she managed to speak with something resembling composure.
"Hamid, you're heartless, aren't you?! You came to my house, and I thought you were here to propose! Instead, the proposal comes from your cousin!" Her voice wavered, sharpened by hurt.
"How am I supposed to feel if I end up marrying this cousin of yours, this Zein, while I watch you with another woman?!" Her eyes shimmered, her anger tangled with disappointment.
Hamid said nothing. Inwardly, he muttered to himself, "If you saw how absurdly handsome Zein is, you'd be grateful I'm already married!"
"Answer me, Hamid!!!" Zara snapped, jolting him from his thoughts.
Hamid let out a long breath, "I'm sorry… It's my fault…" He said quietly.
"If you don't want to, it's all right… I was only helping my uncle and aunt find a match for their son! I don't have many female friends, and as far as I knew, you're the only one who's not married!" He added, the honesty softening his tone.
Then Hamid stood, "Excuse me, Uncle, Aunt. I'll go now!" He said, bowing respectfully.
"I'm going home, Zara..." He added gently.
"Suit yourself!" Zara retorted, turning her face away, her pride a brittle shield over the sting.
Hamid shook his head, offered his parting salam, and stepped out into the open air.
Khalid and Fadhillah exchanged a long, weary breath.
Their daughter was stubborn, fiercely so, far more than either had expected.
"You're meant to show a little appreciation towards Hamid, you know?!" said Fadhillah in a gentle tone. "He's travelled all the way from Derisa City just to see you and to bring news about his cousin!"
"Derisa City?! But I thought Brother Hamid was from Solo City, Mum?!" Zara's surprise showed plainly, her brows furrowing.
Fadhillah inclined her head with quiet patience, "Yes, he does live in Solo City. But he said he's also planning to visit his uncle and aunt, who happen to be Zein's parents!" She explained.
Khalid added his voice, watching Zara with the deliberation of a man trying to nudge fate along.
"You should've accepted his proposal earlier! At the very least, you could've listened properly to what he came for!"
"Dad... I don't know Zein! I don't even know what sort of person he is!" Zara replied, drawing the small cushion close as if it might shield her from expectations.
"Which is precisely why you should get to know him first?!" Khalid said, his voice steady.
"We've no idea what he's like! What if he turns out to be far more handsome, far kinder, far more mature than Hamid?!" Khalid allowed himself a faint, knowing smile, the kind fathers use when nudging daughters towards possibilities.
"In that case... he's simply not my match!" Zara said lightly, though there was a clear line of resolve beneath her tone.
"I'm going to have a shower, Dad, Mum! I'm worn out after karate practice, my whole body's stiff!" She added, rising and heading towards the bathroom.
Fadhillah cast Khalid a sideways glance and shook her head, "Stubborn girl! Exactly like you!" She said, her voice laced with affectionate mockery.
"Now hold on! How has this suddenly become my fault?!" Khalid lifted a brow, laughing softly at the injustice of it.
They shared a brief look, the kind that carried both exasperation and warmth, before returning to their own quiet routines, leaving the house to settle once more while the question of their daughter's future hung gently in the air, unresolved yet inevitable.