SR3. 38. Always be Thankful

Laura completed her makeup exams without any issues. Everything went according to the schedule set by their respective course instructors. And semester 6 ended with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.6, alongside Arabella, her close friend and now her sister-in-law.

Laura spent her semester break learning to cook with her mother-in-law, Liana. They experimented with various recipes from both Indonesia and other countries. Aryan no longer worked late into the night at the office, and if there were urgent tasks, he entrusted them to his personal assistant, Jefri. On Sundays, he spent quality time with his family at home or went out with Laura. Trying out new recipes was something Aryan looked forward to every day because his wife's cooking experiments never disappointed.

Finally, the plan to cook together with Laura's friends could be realized. Arabella, along with Andra and Baby Azka, arrived early, followed by Aurora and Laura's younger siblings, who joined in to make the cooking event livelier.

Andre, who was busy preparing the grilling equipment in the backyard, called the guys to help him. Aryan quickly retrieved the fresh fish that had been cleaned by Bi Ana from the refrigerator when his father-in-law called.

"Andra, please take care of Baby Azka," Andra said, pointing to Baby Azka, who was running around.

"Sure, I got it," Nancy replied and chased after Baby Azka as the little one headed towards the kitchen.

Andra and Ricard joined Andre and Aryan, who were lighting up the grill to cook the fish.

Liana and Laura were in charge of making rendang, side dishes, and sambal. Liana also prepared their favorite spicy oseng-oseng dish. Meanwhile, Arabella was assigned to make drinks and peel fruit, tasks that some might consider light but turned out to be quite hectic and troublesome due to Baby Azka's mischief. Ingredients for making ice, such as sugar, syrup, fruit slices, and water, were spilled everywhere.

"Oh my, dear," Arabella exclaimed in shock when she saw Baby Azka's clothes wet with a mixture of water and syrup. Baby Azka's innocent expression as he looked at Arabella made her burst into laughter. Andra, hearing his wife's loud voice, quickly ran to the source of the noise, worried that something had happened to their active son.

Soon, laughter echoed in the kitchen as everyone watched Baby Azka's cute and endearing antics. Seeing Baby Azka's infectious laughter, they all joined in, laughing heartily until tears welled up in the corners of their eyes.

"He's clever, just like his Dad," Andra said, then carried Baby Azka, who was wet, to the bathroom to clean and change his clothes.

Before long, the grilled fish made by the men was ready and served. The women came out of the kitchen with their hands full of side dishes. Now, they all enjoyed their meal together in the gazebo, accompanied by a gentle breeze.

Unbeknownst to them, Baby Azka was busy exploring and had entered Liana's koi fish pond. He enthusiastically chased after the fish, attempting to catch them with a plastic bowl he had brought from the kitchen.

"Oh my goodness, Andra, look at your son! Oh dear, the poor fish," Liana exclaimed in worry as she saw Baby Azka playing in the pond with her beloved koi fish. Everyone shifted their attention to Baby Azka and burst into laughter.

"Give it here, sweetheart, let Grandpa cook it for you," Andre teased, earning a playful glare from Liana.

"Here, Grandpa." Baby Azka showed a small koi fish that he had managed to catch, with an innocent expression on his face.

"Come on, sweetheart, Grandma might scold Dad again later," Andra whispered as he lifted Baby Azka after releasing the koi fish, avoiding eye contact with Liana, who stood with her hands on her hips by the edge of the pond.

The adorable antics of the 1.5-year-old toddler added to the happiness of the Alfarizi family's joyful day.

*****

Five months later...

Her heart rebelled upon hearing the happy news of Arabella's second pregnancy. Not because she wasn't happy about having another niece or nephew, but because of her worries about not being able to conceive after nine months of marriage to Aryan. Baseless fears had eroded her confidence, especially when faced with the rhetorical questions about when they would have children. She had tried her best to ignore those questions, even though they deeply wounded her. She wanted to be strong, especially in front of her family, especially Aryan, her beloved husband. She knew that Aryan must have been yearning for the arrival of a baby to complete their small family.

Drop by drop, tears soaked her cheeks as the evening sky was shrouded in thick dark clouds. Before long, a flock of sparrows and swallows returned to their nests, and the sky seemed to weep in solidarity with her sorrow.

What could she be proud of as a wife without the presence of a fetus in her womb? Would she be willing to let Aryan marry another woman just to have children? How would her heart react when she saw her beloved husband with another woman? If it were to happen, she would rather distance herself from Aryan's life than let her heart slowly wither in sadness.

"What's wrong, Honey?" Aryan panicked when he saw Laura standing on the balcony in soaked and tattered clothes, not responding to his calls. He hugged Laura tightly and guided her back into the room.

Since the morning, Aryan had been feeling uneasy at work. Laura's mournful gaze when he left seemed like an omen, and his foreboding worsened when none of his WhatsApp messages or calls received any response from Laura. Aryan knew that Laura's sensitivity to pregnancy-related matters was the main cause. Laura was deeply affected by such topics, and Aryan was aware of it.

"If you want to play in the rain, do it outside, not on the balcony," Aryan tried to lighten the mood while taking off Laura's wet clothes and drying her with a towel.

"Tonight, we have a date scheduled. Where would you like to go? How about going to the movies?" Aryan offered, while helping Laura put on a dress.

"Forgive me, Honey. I'm not a perfect woman; I can't give you children," Laura replied, hugging Aryan tightly, her tears cutting deep.

"Oh Lord, Laura, you must not pre-empt fate. God has not entrusted us with His blessing yet. We must not be suspicious of God," Aryan responded, returning Laura's hug and kissing the top of her head.

"You won't leave me, right?"Laura stammered.

"Why would you think that? La, I have never, for a moment, wanted to leave you under any circumstances," Aryan replied, his hands holding Laura's shoulders, looking into her eyes to reassure her, and gently wiping away her tears.

"I love you, Laura. Never think about leaving me," Aryan added, furrowing his brows to emphasize his sincerity.

That evening, Aryan took Laura somewhere special, but before reaching their destination, he stopped by a convenience store and bought several cartons of boxed milk, biscuits, and other snacks. Laura didn't ask too many questions because her heart was heavy, and she didn't care where Aryan was taking her. Soon, Aryan's luxurious car passed through the grand entrance with a sign that read 'KASIH BUNDA ORPHANAGE.' Laura's eyebrows furrowed as she wondered about Aryan's intentions.

"Let's go inside," Aryan invited, noticing Laura's puzzled expression.

Aryan pressed the doorbell next to the entrance, and shortly, a middle-aged woman appeared with a friendly smile. Aryan immediately took her hand and kissed the back of it after exchanging greetings. Laura followed suit, forcing a polite smile.

"Let's go in, Aryan. This must be your wife, right? You've done well to find such a beautiful wife," the caretaker remarked.

"Yes, Ma'am. Allow me to introduce my wife, Laura. I apologize for not visiting sooner. During the charity event a while ago, I couldn't make it as I had work out of town," Aryan explained politely. Laura smiled, trying to process all the information from Aryan's conversation with Mrs. Khodijah, who seemed quite familiar with him.

"By the way, last Sunday, Mrs. Liana and Mr. Andre came by with their son, little Andra," Mrs. Khodijah mentioned while placing glasses of drinks in front of Aryan and Laura.

"Oh, I brought some snacks for the kids," Aryan said and was met with gratitude from Mrs. Khodijah.

Mrs. Khodijah called Ringgo, one of the older children at the orphanage who was now in the 10th grade, and he came to retrieve the snacks from Aryan's car before bringing them inside. Laura watched Aryan's every move, her heart heavy with confusion and doubt as he led her into the baby room.

Laura stared in bewilderment at the babies inside their wooden cribs, who were all calling out for "Mommy" and "Daddy" with unclear pronunciation, reaching out their tiny hands from between the crib bars, their faces cute and innocent. The babies in this room ranged from newborns to two years old. Aryan picked up one of the one-year-old girls from her crib and began to play with her, while Laura continued to walk around, occasionally pinching the cheeks of the children with affection or accepting their outstretched hands.

Her heart ached when she realized how fortunate she had been to be born into a family filled with love and care, and she felt ashamed of her lack of gratitude for the blessings she had received from God. Laura couldn't help but contrast her life with these babies who had never known who their parents were or where their families were.

"It's getting late; let's pray and then go watch a movie," Aryan whispered, shifting Laura's attention away from the babies in front of her. Laura gazed at Aryan without uttering a word.

"Let's go," Aryan said, wrapping an arm around Laura as they left the room.

After performing the Maghrib prayer with the children, they bid their farewells. Laura remained mostly silent during the drive, but she couldn't help stealing glances at Aryan, wanting to understand the truth behind the questions swirling in her mind.

Sensing Laura's restlessness, Aryan pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. The cool evening breeze greeted them as he opened the car window halfway.

"Why did you stop here?" Laura asked in confusion. Aryan smiled and shifted his seat to face Laura, taking her hands in his.

"That orphanage belongs to Andra. Back when he was a college student, Andra was involved in social activism on campus. In his spare time, he used to teach street children. He always set aside money from his earnings as a book translator to support that orphanage. Three years ago, there was a land dispute regarding the orphanage, and it was going to be demolished. But look at it now, thanks to Andra, it has grown bigger, and many donors contribute, too. That's when I realized why I've always lost to Andra. He always thinks about the people around him, unlike me, who used to squander money I earned from my hard work on useless things. But since I married you, my eyes have been opened wide, and I've become more aware of other people's needs. So, promise me, will you always be by my side until the end of our days, whether we have children or not?" Aryan explained, his eyes pleading.

"Of course, we will always be together. You are the best husband for me, and I am grateful to have you," Laura replied, without averting her gaze.

"Thank you, my love." Aryan pulled Laura into his embrace. This time, he allowed her teardrops to flow freely.