Legally In Love

After the wedding festivities ended, Nur Balqis sat in her room, pondering about whether she should take a quick shower or leave it until the next morning. Her newly-wedded husband was busy entertaining the remainders of their attending families. She was feeling slightly dizzy, so she excused herself into her room.

She finally decided to go for the quick shower, quietly reminding herself to bring an extra towel and ‘kain batik’ just in case.

Amirul Aiman entered the room a little while after, throwing himself onto the queen-sized bed with a tired sigh. He stared towards the white-washed ceiling, wondering where his newly-wedded wife went until he heard the pattering sounds of water coming from the bathroom. He slowly sat up straight, convincing his mind not to wander elsewhere...‘naughty’.

Ten minutes later, Nur Balqis came out of the toilet fully wrapped in her kain batik and towels. She looked a bit startled when she noticed that she wasn’t alone in the room. The same could be said about Amirul Aiman as well. Both of them couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at the thought of having an opposite gender in one room with them. More over, they weren’t really that well acquainted with each other despite the fact they are now husband and wife.

“Can you please excuse me? I need to change.” said Nur Balqis, trying to avoid Amirul Aiman’s eyes. Amirul Aiman stood up, grabbed a towel and some clothes from his opened luggage and headed for the bathroom.

Half an hour later, both of them were sitting awkwardly on the opposite ends of the bed, not quite looking at each other but trying not to seem too uncomfortable as well. Amirul Aiman scratched his un-itchy forehead and sighed.

“Firstly, I want you to know that I am quite neutral about this wedding, although this wasn’t totally my idea in the first place.” Nur Balqis started. “I understand that my father and yours are best friends. I probably remembered you as a child but that is all. So, before anything, I hope you’d understand that my actions are naturally because you’re still a stranger to me.”

Amirul Aiman nodded slowly.

“The same goes for me. I do hope this would change soon. For better or for worse.” Amirul Aiman replied.

“Yes. And secondly, since we’re…um…legal…now, I think we’re expected to do what we’re expected to do. But - I do not mean to defy God Almighty’s power - but I need some time AND space. We’re not like other married couples.”

Nur Balqis glanced towards Amirul Aiman, embarrassed at the thought of the topic she had just brought upon, but she needed to clarify these matters before anything gets worse. Thankfully for her, Amirul Aiman seemed calm and composed, not the slightest hint of discomfort coming from his expression.

“I guess I can understand that. I mean, I wasn’t really in this in the first place either.”

She didn’t know whether she felt relieved or slightly worried with his answer, but it sounded okay to her so she let it pass.

“Thirdly, before anything unwelcoming ever happens, I want us to make an oath with each other. I know we’ve already said our vows in front of the kadi, but this one’s more personal and we should really mean it.”

There was firmness in her eyes, and he felt as if he was dragged into a whirlpool of unfathomable emotions.

“Okay. Bring it on.” He replied with his own sense of certainty. It felt as if he was accepting a challenge that would cost him his life. In a way, it really was.

“You, Amirul Aiman, would promise to become a responsible and understanding husband, leader of the household, not conforming me in any way that is against my will, not demanding, and you will always be hardworking to ensure our relationship, if not built out of love, will at least remain together as servants of God Almighty.”

“I promise I will try to become a responsible and understanding husband, leader of the household, I will not conform you to my orders in any way that is against your will, I will not be demanding anything from you, and I will work hard to ensure this relationship, although not built out of love, will remain intact because we are servants of God Almighty.”

“And I, Nur Balqis, will promise to become a responsible and understanding wife, although I am flawed in many ways, I will work hard to be perfect so I can make this union worthwhile. I will not demand from you more than I deserve, and I shall obey you where I see fit and I will help you where possible to ensure this relationship, although not built out of love, will remain strong because we are servants of God Almighty.”

There was a minute of silence between the two.

“Fair enough,” Amirul Aiman said, gazing into his wife’s eyes.

“Yeah.” She looked back into his, and they both smiled awkwardly towards each other.

“So, where do we start?”

To be continued...