Be My Husband (End)

25. Dia

Sebelum pulang, Usman di wajibkan Elmira untuk berkunjung ke rumahnya dan mencicipi berbagai hidangan masakan Indonesia, sedari pagi ia di bantu Alune untuk menyiapkan semuanya.

Seseorang yang menyambut Usman adalah Arfan "I didn't expect to see you here" 

Usman tersenyum "It's been a while. I hope I'm not interrupting anything"

"Not at all, It's good to see you"

Ini pertama kalinya mereka bertemu lagi sejak terakhir kali Arfan menjemput Elmira di Nigeria. Usman, yang dulu lebih gembil, sekarang terlihat berbeda. Posturnya tak segembil dulu, terlihat hanya berisi dan tinggi, rambutnya tertata rapi, begitu pula dengan jambang dan kumisnya yang terawat.

"I'm really excited for you to try this, I've prepared a few of our favorite Indonesia dishes" ucap Elmira ketika mereka duduk di depan meja makan

"Ok give applause to Elmi" ucap Alune sembari bertepuk tangan diikuti Usman, cara mereka bertepuk tangan seperti anak-anak yang melihat temannya tiup lilin, sederhana, tapi membuat Elmira tersenyum lebar

"It looks amazing, what's on the menu?"

Elmira tersenyum "Let me walk you through it. This is nasi goreng, which is a flavorful fried rice, it's often served with vegetables, chicken and sometimes prawns, here we have sate ayam, which are grilled chicken skewers with a delicious peanut sauce, and this is rendang, It's slow -cooked beef stew with coconut milk and a blend of spices, the meat become incredibly tender and the souce is so rich and falvorful"

"Baby, could we maybe focus on enjoying the meal? I'm sure Usman will appreciate it more if we don't spend too much time talking about detail?" sahut Arfan dengan halus namun penuh akan peringatan, Elmira yang mendadak bawel seperti ini semakin memperjelas kedudukan pria itu di mata istrinya

"Well okay, I just thought it would be nice to give some context" sahut Elmira mempertahankan senyuman lembutnya sembari mengangguk singkat

"No, no, Elmi. I appreciate your effort and enthusiasm" ujar Usman yang menangkap gurat kekecewaan dalam sorotnya.

Elmira mengamati Usman dengan tatapan hangat, sesuatu yang tidak luput dari perhatian Arfan. Ada sesuatu yang samar-samar dalam cara Elmira menatap Usman—sebuah kenyamanan yang membuat Arfan merasa tidak nyaman.

"Enjoy the meal" Elmira menyapu pandangan ke semua orang yang berada di meja makan itu.

Alune, yang merasa suasana semakin aneh, mencoba memecahnya. "So, Usman, you mentioned you wanted to visit somewhere. Was it the Mentawai Islands?"

Usman mengangguk, mengalihkan pandangannya dari Arfan ke Alune. "Yeah, I’ve been wanting to go there. But, no time off from work. Still got a few more projects lined up."

Alune, dengan nada sedikit menyindir, menjawab, "You’re always working. Maybe you should learn to take a break, Usman. There are many beautiful places here. I’m sure Elmira wouldn’t mind showing you around."

Usman cepat "No, that's impossible."

Arfan mengangkat alisnya. "What's impossible?"

"I can't just go around with Elmira without a clear purpose, like work or something."

"But aren't you two friends? Isn’t that a clear enough purpose?" tanya Alune

"Yeah, we are friends. This is how we maintain boundaries"

Alune, tidak puas dengan jawaban yang samar itu, menimpali, "And what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means we don't interact much or get too involved but we wish each other the best, from a distance." sahut Elmira