Strange Situation
An old woman appeared, Alice could guess that it was Aunt Nur. She appeared with a researching look, from the ground up. As if she was scanning a candidate for her beloved nephew. "Auntie, this is Alice."
"Hi." Alice just waved her hand. Aunt Nur raised her eyebrows.
"Alice, kiss Aunt's hand," Noah whispered.
"Oh," Alice then came closer, kissing Aunt Nur's hand in the style of a French man introducing himself. Aunt Nur looked even more confused, while Silva and Eca tried to hold back their laughter at Aunt Nur's expression. "How are you, Auntie, well?"
"Thank God, please have a seat. It just so happens that Auntie has cooked a lot to welcome you."
"Well, don't bother, Auntie." Alice was led to a seat in the living room.
"Brother Noah, let's play! Play PS!" Jason had pulled Noah to play with him. Noah eventually followed his nephew, leaving Alice with her Aunt and older sisters. Alice smiled smugly, unsure of how to respond. What topics will she talk about? What about rising stock prices? The channel just released its newest bag collection? Gold prices are going down? Or Elon Musk who successfully launched a rocket and made him the richest man in the world?
"Where do you come from?" That question came out of Aunt Nur's lips.
"Indonesian, Auntie."
"No, I mean, what lineage?"
"Oh." Alice scratched the back of her neck. "Mommy is of Javanese – Dutch descent, while Daddy is of European descent – Bengkulu."
"Oooh, there's Caucasian blood, huh? But you can't see it Indonesia look, really beautiful," commented Silva, Alice smiled broadly.
"Where do you work? Noah said you have a company?"
"Beauty company, Aunt, Zelle's Beaute."
"Well, Zelle's Beaute, yours? I often shop there you know, lots of promos! The packaging is also good, the products sold are of high quality."
There is also a frequency with Alice's chat. Alice nodded, looking at Eca with a smile.
"You can cook?" Aunt Nur's question sounded defensive.
"No, Auntie."
"Noah prefers home cooking to eat out, how about when you get married?"
Alice fell silent.
"Ca, it looks like the vegetables in the back haven't been heated, can you help me?" Silva pulled Eca as if deliberately to give time for Aunt Nur to have a chance alone with Alice. Usually, Alice was never intimidated, even by her business rivals. Alice always rules the mood. She had never felt cornered once, but this time it was different. The situation felt strange.
"That Noah, has been an orphan since middle school. He lives with Aunt, so far he has never bothered her at all. He always gets a scholarship, he's obedient, his life is straight, there's never been a problem. But marriage is not limited to two people who finally decide to live together. Getting married means we have to be ready to face the madness of the couple," Aunt Nur looked at Alice, "when we were dating, we knew him well, he was considerate, after marriage, things might change. Because we are at home, we know all the bad things about a partner, if we are not prepared and compromise, we will end up separating. Are you ready?"
Alice still didn't have an answer, so the girl just kept quiet.
"Marriage is difficult, but with the right person, difficult things can be easy. And we as women must be a home for our husbands. If the husband is tired, we as wives must be able to welcome him warmly."
"But, if the wife in the house for the husband, then what should the husband be for the wife?"
"The husband is the foundation, the strong pillar for the wife, the protector for the family."
Hearing Aunt Nur's answer, Alice couldn't help but smile sadly. Aunt Nur could say that because perhaps her background had a warm family with a caring husband, but not with Alice. Her thoughts about marriage have been tarnished even since he still doesn't understand what true love means.
****
Alice looked at Noah who was busy chatting with his family. Noah's two older cousins have come, one, working as a civil servant, while the other is a manager at a private bank in West Jakarta. It's true what Rachel said, Noah is a good man and a family man. "Sis, where is Noah's room, huh?" Alice whispered to Eca who was in the kitchen, washing the dishes.
"Ooh, that's Noah's room at the end of the room. It's not locked, is it?"
"Okay, thanks, sis." Alice nodded. He wanted to rest for a while, but it seemed like resting in Aunt Nur's room would be rude. She went to Noah's room, flipped the knob, and turned on the light switch next to the door. The room turned bright and Alice freely saw the situation inside. For a man's room, Noah's room was so neat, even tidier than Alice's. The room is dominated by gray. A minimalist wardrobe is at the end of the room, a study table with a row of books arranged vertically.
Alice walked in. There are several hanging photos on the walls. Little Noah holds a large trophy with the title of 1st place in the national olympiad. Photo of Noah graduating and Noah with his parents.
Feeling exhausted, Alice finally lay down on Noah's bed. The man's scent still clung to the sheets. Alice pulled out her phone, opened Instagram, and was immediately greeted with a photo of her cousin on vacation in Paris against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, and holding a man. Caption below it; thank you for the holiday, honey. I love you so much!
"Sooo flexing!" Alice commented annoyed. Her company was on the brink of needing big funds for her latest project, but no one in her family was willing to help. Having cousins and wealthy families does not guarantee that it will provide benefits. Instead, they prefer to travel abroad, while their other cousins are struggling. They won't care about that.
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To Be Continued...