The Second Marriage

In an elite housing complex lives a family in a simple house. A black fence with brown mixed colors dominates the short fence in the house. A middle-aged woman is seen holding a hose while watering a toga plant that looks withered and dry. While humming, the middle-aged woman seemed to occasionally glance at the house in front of her. While holding the hose her eyes sharply glanced like the tip of a knife. Unaware, the water that should have watered the toga plants mistakenly soaked the complex security guard who was walking, "Masyallahhh... Mom!!!" he exclaimed while wiping his wet face.

Suddenly the middle-aged woman threw the hose "Oh my God, sir! Why are you getting wet like an elementary school student?".

"Mom, you see this, I am wet myself, what is watered," the security guard wiped his face annoyed. The woman just smiled, "Morning intake sir, to be handsome. I rarely say this but you can see that you are handsome and diligent, just like Mia, Cherry's baby sitter," she teased. "Heleh, you are digressing. I'm soaking wet like this if I catch a cold, do you want to replace me on the watch?" the security guard looked still annoyed.

From inside the house came a young woman wearing a baby sitter's uniform. "Mom, how come it's outside. From earlier, Ilham was looking for him, he said he was waiting for breakfast at the dining table, you know, Mr. Mustache, why is his shirt all wet," she said, pointing to the security guard in front of her. "Morning mbak Mia eh, you're already beautiful in the morning," he scratched his head that wasn't itchy.

"That was nagging," the middle-aged woman glanced at the security guard while looking away. The security guard, who was called Mr. Mustache, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Eeee basic grandmother," she thought.

Mia led the woman into her house, "Mas Ilham has eaten, Mia," the woman asked.

Mia nodded her head, "I did mom," she said.

"You don't know how to clean your house, I wonder. All my plants are dead," the woman grumbled while staring at a woman who was hobbling in front of her. The woman was silent and bowed her head.

"Mom, where is mbak Ju? There's Mbak Ju, honey you eat first," asked a man at the dining table while looking at his wife.

"Yes mas in a minute, I'm going to the back first," she said as she waltzed away from the dining table. Ilham knew that his wife must be heading for the kitchen. Ilham looked at his mother and walked after his wife.

Ilham saw his wife washing the dishes, from behind his wife's tiny legs looked swollen, many Stretch Marks in the folds of her legs.

"Let's eat first, there's Mbak Ju. Why don't you wash the dishes," she teased from a distance.

"Yes mas for a moment," his wife refused.

"I'm surprised to hear you say this. Given something good, you don't even want it," Ilham grumbled and left his wife speechless.

Lara turned off the faucet slowly, putting down the dishwashing sponge afterwards. "If I eat like you say, will your mother like it?" she wondered. Tears in her eyes, she remembered her mother-in-law's sarcasm.

"Mommy!" A tiny voice sounded shrill.

Lara wiped her tears quickly and headed towards the source of the sound by walking slowly considering her swollen legs.

"Yes, son!" She said.

"Mother's child is awake, sorry. Did you look for mom earlier?" she said while holding her child.

The little girl nodded her head, "Mommy is beautiful," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" Lara asked again.

The girl nodded her head again. "What are you doing?"

"Mom is washing dishes, then mom wants to cook for selling," said Lara.

"I want to go to my mom's room, come on mom," the girl pulled Lara by the hand and led her to her room.

"Hey Cherry, you're awake." Mia said from a distance.

"Let's go with mbak Mia. Let's take a walk and see the goats at the end of the field," said Mia, who had just arrived.

"NO! I want to be with mom, come on mom," Cherry kept pulling Lara's hand tightly.

"Cherry, look at your mother, you poor thing. Her leg is swollen, walking like a robot must hurt," Mia said.

Cherry glanced at her mother and looked at her mother's swollen legs. "Mommy is sick?" She asked.

Lara shook her head, "Mommy's not sick, Mommy's leg is just swollen," she said.

"People aren't sick, go away!" chased Cherry as she glared at Mia.

Lara looked at Mia and gave the condition to leave. Lara took Cherry by the hand to her room. They slept together and joked around.

Suddenly a middle-aged woman just walked in, "Cherry dear, you're awake. Let's take Oma for a walk," she invited.

"I don't want to," Cherry refused.

"Really don't want to? Oma has candies and chocolates," she said.

"Candy?" Cherry asked curiously.

"Yes, let's go... let's go... Aren't you bored? In your room like a chicken with nothing to do? The princess play is over. It's time to get up, girls wake up at noon," while glancing at Lara.

Lara, who felt insinuated, immediately got up. "Where are you going? Mom is sick," Cherry held back.

"Ehh... Let's just be beautiful, your mother is healthy, she's still breathing. Did you forget that you have to open the shop? The one who cooks is the mother, if your mother doesn't cook it's a pity that the shop isn't open," said Oma.

Cherry nodded her head, "Be careful mom," she said.

Lara made her way to the kitchen with both legs swollen. She tried to walk as slowly as she could. In the distance she heard a commotion. Dragging her aching feet, she walked towards the source of the noise.

"Mas, don't you help your wife?" said a woman.

"What's the point of paying Mbak Ju?" a man replied.

"Beb?" thought Lara.

"Mas, don't go up there a bit," Lara listened again.

"Ahh..." a sigh was clearly heard.

Lara covered her mouth with her hand.

"Can't your wife do this?" the woman asked.

"A disease like that, how come you want to be delicious. What's lazy is not passionate beb. It's good with you when it's good," Lara paused, her eyes red with tears.

"That's why you didn't meet me first, if you had been with me. Surely you wouldn't feel lonely or disappointed," explained Mia.

Lara wrung out her dry shirt as if to endure the tightness. She never expected to receive such deep pain. She walked towards the kitchen, leaving the warehouse with a tightness in her chest.

Lara rushed to cook silently, quickly trying to finish the task. She really wanted to enter her room immediately. Time passed so quickly, two hours had passed Lara was cleaning up the kitchen. She silently cleaned the kitchen utensils that she had used earlier.

Lara closed her eyes, her tiredness overpowered by the pain she was feeling. Lara took off her apron, "Already?" asked Ilham from behind.

Lara just nodded her head, not making any sound. Lara walked away, leaving Ilham in the kitchen. Ilham prepared the necessities to take to the shop.

Meanwhile, Lara struggled with her thoughts in her room.