"Ayu, every day and night you are always daydreaming. Since that poor man left, you have been like this constantly. What is so special about him that you keep being like this?" said Mr. Hasan, Ayu's father, trying to start a conversation with his daughter.
After Roni's departure, Ayu indeed always looked absent-minded, lost in her thoughts. Moreover, Roni had never sent any news at all since the first time he left.
"Papa doesn't understand what I feel. Papa only sees Roni from his bad side," Ayu replied while looking at her father with deep regret.
"How could your father not think like that? Just look, he left just like that and left you in this condition. Anyway, tomorrow you must prepare yourself. Reza and his father will come to the house to propose to you," Mr. Hasan said firmly, informing that Reza, the son of a wealthy businessman and a well-known landlord in the village, would propose to Ayu the next morning.
"Papa, Ayu doesn't want to get married! Whatever happens, Ayu will remain faithful to Brother Roni," Ayu answered, directly rejecting her father's decision without hesitation.
"You must marry Reza! His family is respected, his business is big, and his father is a landlord. You will surely live prosperously with him. What else are you thinking about?" said Mr. Hasan, but Ayu ignored him. She only looked out the window, gazing at the rice fields in the distance while resting her chin on her hand.
Seeing his stubborn daughter, Mr. Hasan shook his head, gave up for now, and left Ayu's room.
When Mr. Hasan came out, his wife, who saw it directly, approached him. "How is it, Pa? Is Ayu okay?" his wife asked with a worried expression.
"She is still thinking about that young man. I don't know how to talk to her anymore. You try talking to her. I'm amazed, for that poor young man, she can be this way," said Mr. Hasan while sighing.
"Enough, Pa, don't take it to heart. I will try to talk to her slowly. After all, Ayu is our only daughter. We must be gentler," his wife said, trying to calm her husband.
"Alright, you talk to her instead. Make sure she agrees with this arranged marriage. If not, we will be embarrassed in front of Juragan Said's family," Mr. Hasan said firmly before leaving.
His wife nodded and then climbed the stairs toward Ayu's room. As soon as she entered, Ayu immediately interrupted, "If it's only to persuade me to accept the arrangement, it's better for Mother to just leave. Forever, Ayu will never leave Brother Roni!" Ayu shouted loudly.
With a heavy breath, her mother approached Ayu and tried to speak gently. "My dear, Reza loves you very much. He even helps your father manage our rice fields. If not for Reza, your father would have difficulties. Try to consider it. Besides, Roni doesn't seem like he will return. He has no one in our village," her mother said, trying to convince Ayu.
But Ayu remained firm. "Brother Roni is only mine! He will definitely come back. If Mama keeps forcing me, I will leave this house and find Brother Roni!" Ayu replied loudly, then cried and threw her body onto the bed while hugging a bolster.
Seeing Ayu's emotional condition, her mother decided to let her calm down first. "It's useless to talk when she's like this," the mother muttered before leaving the room.
In the city, Roni was sleeping when suddenly he broke into a cold sweat. In his sleep, he shouted, "Eh… eh… Ayu!" which woke Mbak Maya, the woman sleeping beside him.
"Roni, what's wrong?" asked Mbak Maya, who looked shocked seeing Roni sweating with an anxious face.
"Oh my God, I had a nightmare. Sorry, Mbak, I'm fine," Roni answered while getting up from the bed and walking out to get a drink of water. His throat felt very dry.
While drinking the water, Roni murmured, "Why did I dream about Ayu? Is it because I haven't sent her any news at all?"
Roni then fell silent, imagining Ayu. "Ayu, how are you there? Forgive me, until now I still haven't given you any news," he said softly, staring blankly ahead.
Ayu was the woman Roni loved very much. Since childhood, Ayu was always there for him, entertaining and calming him whenever he was insulted or belittled by people in the village. Their togetherness since childhood grew into love and affection like a couple. However, Roni was forced to move to the city to change his life.
Roni was indeed handsome, intelligent, and skilled in martial arts. However, his weakness was that he could not restrain himself from women who teased him. With a tall, athletic body and a handsome face, many women were tempted even though Roni was only a simple man without much wealth.
"Ayu, forgive me. I have betrayed you. I have slept with another woman here, until I forgot about you. Is that why I had a nightmare about you? I should never have promised to return so that you wouldn't keep hoping for a dirty man like me," Roni said full of regret, then drank the plain water again from the glass in his hand.
The day began to grow dark, and the atmosphere of the city felt very different compared to the village; that was what Roni felt. In his village, before night came, Roni always returned from work and bathed in the river to clean his dirty body after working all day in the fields. His village indeed looked hot under the blazing sun that shone all day long, but the air was actually cold because of its location near the mountains.
"Ah, I miss my village. But I must not go home before I get what I dream of. Yes, I must succeed first before I return to my hometown. I don't care how hard the obstacles ahead are, I must succeed," Roni muttered while sitting on the guest chair on the front terrace of Mbak Maya's house.
Mbak Maya, who had been busy in the kitchen, came out to call Roni to eat together with her. "Come on, the food is ready. Let's eat first," Mbak Maya invited.
However, Roni just sat silently with a blank stare ahead.
Seeing something strange about Roni since he woke up from his nightmare earlier, Mbak Maya approached him. She sat on the opposite chair while watching Roni attentively.
"Roni, what's wrong? I see you've been daydreaming continuously. Is there a problem? Or are you not feeling well?" Mbak Maya asked while gently touching Roni's shoulder.
Roni turned and looked at Mbak Maya who looked worried about him. "It's nothing, Mbak. I'm just missing someone," Roni answered honestly.
"Who is she? Is she your family, your sister, or who?" Mbak Maya asked curiously.
"No, she is someone special in my life. Somehow, I had a nightmare about her earlier," Roni answered softly.
Mbak Maya touched Roni's shoulder again while saying, "If that's the case, just go back to the village to see her first, so you don't keep thinking about her. About the travel cost, I'll arrange it, how about that?" Mbak Maya said sincerely.
"Mbak, I have promised not to return before achieving my dream. All of this may just be a test for me, whether I will give up or not. If I go home now, the people in the village will laugh at me because I bring no results. So, I won't go home yet. I will chase my dream here," Roni said confidently.
"If that's so, you have to be enthusiastic! Don't be so gloomy. Relax, I'm here to help you achieve what you dream of," Mbak Maya said while throwing a sweet smile at Roni.
"Mbak, you are always so kind to me. Aren't you afraid that someday I will leave and won't be able to be with you like this anymore? Sometimes I feel uncomfortable with your kindness, being willing to accommodate a village man like me. If I leave, I feel bad. If I stay longer, I also feel bad. So I'm confused, Mbak," Roni said while staring ahead.
Mbak Maya digested Roni's words. She smiled sweetly, showing that she did not regret anything that happened with Roni at this moment. Whatever happened in the future, she was ready to accept it.
"If that's the case, how about you start staying in the empty boarding room? Coincidentally, the occupant is no longer there. So you won't feel uncomfortable anymore. For the payment, since you don't have a job yet, you can pay however much you are able. As long as you don't leave," Mbak Maya said.
However, in her heart, Mbak Maya added, Because I am already comfortable with you and not ready for you to leave. But she did not have the courage to say it directly.
"Alright, Mbak. I agree with Mbak's suggestion. Starting tomorrow, I will become a resident of Mbak's boarding house," Roni said with a smile. His smile was returned by Mbak Maya, even though it was actually heavy for her to let Roni move sleeping places. She was afraid Roni would end up leaving her.
"If that's the case, since tonight you are still in my house, let's have dinner together," Mbak Maya invited. Roni agreed, still with a sweet smile.
They began to enjoy dinner together. After finishing, they decided to sleep. However, as usual, before sleeping, Mbak Maya teased Roni again. They then did activities like a sleeping couple in general, satisfying each other until the night grew late.