Chapter 8 Rama's POV (Mayang)

RAMA'S POV

["Hi, Rama. This is Mayang. Remember me?"]

I was stunned when I saw the message. Could she really be Mayang, my ex from eight years ago? I opened her profile photo on WhatsApp to check. It was definitely Mayang.

Suddenly, my heart started racing as I looked at how beautiful Mayang was. Compared to Naina, my wife, Mayang was much more captivating. Sure, Naina was pretty, but since our marriage and her pregnancy, she rarely put on makeup. She didn't even use skincare products, saying she was worried about exposing the baby to mercury and such.

Excuses. Obviously, she just wanted to save money and keep as much of my salary for herself as possible. Day by day, it made me resent having such a plain-looking wife.

[Of course, I remember. What's up, Mayang?]

Sent! I replied to her greeting. Just catching up with an old friend, nothing more.

A knock at the door. Naina appeared, holding a plate of fried snacks she'd made to pass the time on this rainy evening.

"Who are you chatting with? Seems interesting," she asked, probably noticing how much I'd been smiling.

"A colleague."

"Oh."

Her gaze was still full of suspicion, so I locked my phone as a precaution. I enjoyed the thrill that came with a little excitement outside the dullness of my marriage.

"Have you fallen in love with me yet?"

I remembered the question I once asked Naina during a beach trip. My wife had married me without love, all for her niece, who she couldn't bear to leave. I always felt unsatisfied, convinced she never truly loved me.

"Ram, someone's here to see you!"

Agus knocked on my cubicle during lunch break, just as I was about to head to the cafeteria. I envied my colleagues who had lunch brought in by their wives. Ah, Naina couldn't do anything for me; she was always pampered, using pregnancy as an excuse.

"Who?"

"A pretty lady, Ram. Who is she? Don't forget, you have a wife, Ram."

"Just a friend. Don't assume things, Gus."

I quickly got up to meet my visitor. My heartbeat quickened when I saw the slim woman with long, flowing hair smiling at me.

"Rama," she greeted me.

"Mayang?"

Our reunion made my days feel brighter. At least, outside the house, I felt comforted by Mayang, unlike at home, where I had to watch my pregnant, disheveled wife, who couldn't fully take care of me. Mira was the only thing that kept me coming back home.

Three months after we started messaging and meeting up, I finally gathered the courage to visit her home, not far from my office.

"Have you lived here long, May?" I asked, sitting on her porch.

"Only two months."

"Where's your husband?"

I dared to ask this. I should have done it sooner, honestly. If I'd known she was married, I might have thought twice about meeting her.

"I'm divorced. I couldn't take it anymore, having a husband who was so lazy. After he was laid off during the COVID pandemic, he didn't want to look for work again. I had to work hard to support us."

Feeling sorry for Mayang, I gently wiped her tears. I was shocked when Mayang took my hand.

"Do you still have feelings for me?"

I stammered, "I-I have a wife, May."

"I want to be your wife too. I still love you. Remember, we were together for a long time before your father disapproved?"

Yes, long before I met Dian, I had dated Mayang. My father hadn't liked her because he wanted me to marry someone from our own Javanese background, while Mayang was from a different ethnic group.

"Mommy!"

I looked over at a little boy walking toward Mayang, looking adorable in his elementary school uniform and oversized backpack.

"Is he your son, May? Wow, he's grown so much, and you still look so youthful!" I complimented her.

"He's our son."

I was shocked when Mayang said it seriously. "W-what?"

"You left me when I was pregnant. We'd been together, right? I had to move to Kisaran out of shame, and back then, I tried to find you, but you'd disappeared."

My heart pounded as Mayang spoke with tears streaming down her face. I touched the little boy's head gently.

"I moved to Medan to find a decent job to cover Yudha's school expenses and our daily needs. I had to stand on my own two feet, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"Don't you believe Yudha is your son? Do we need a DNA test?"

I shook my head and looked at little Yudha again.

"I had to be both father and mother to raise Yudha."

My heart fluttered, looking at Mayang's forgiving smile. She wasn't angry at me for abandoning my responsibility. So selfless, she had patiently raised a handsome boy who was utterly adorable.

I leaned toward Yudha, patting his head. "What did you learn at school, Yudha?"

"I can count, Uncle. And I can read too."

My heart warmed. The once monotonous days now had a spark of life.

Within a week, after work, I would go to Mayang's house three times to play with Yudha. I missed having a son. Naina was pregnant, but we didn't know the gender yet. I hoped she would give me a son.

"Are you ready? Let's leave Mirna with my mother," I instructed Naina.

Today, she had an appointment for a prenatal check-up. My heart raced as I awaited news of my baby's gender.

"Alhamdulillah, it's a girl."

I felt a wave of disappointment as the doctor revealed the baby was a girl. I left the doctor's office and headed to the parking lot, looking at the photos of Yudha that Mayang sent me daily.

[Bang, could I borrow some money to pay rent and Yudha's school fees? I haven't received my salary this month.]

Poor Mayang. She had to work so hard to support our son alone.

[Send me your bank account details, May.]

I opened my banking app and transferred two million rupiah to her account.

[Bang, that's a lot-two million. Are you sure?]

I smiled and replied, [It's fine. My salary has gone up. Normally, I save half for Mira, but it's okay, this time it's for Yudha. He's my son too.]

After the appointment, I stopped by my mother's house, bringing her favorite bika ambon cake.

Chatting with her, I ignored her complaints about wanting a grandson. My days had become slightly brighter thanks to Yudha's presence.

But my mother was adamant about having a grandson. What could I do?

"An unregistered marriage?"

I was startled when my mother suggested it. She wanted me to marry again, confident that Naina would only ever give me daughters if I kept waiting.

My relationship with Naina suddenly felt cold. She kept asking me about money, but she couldn't make me happy by giving me a son. Only Mayang and Yudha kept me going.

One evening at Mayang's house, she rested her head on my shoulder, gently holding my hand.

"After tonight, you shouldn't come here anymore."

"Huh? Why?"

"I got a warning from the neighborhood head. It's common for widows to be looked down upon."

My heart ached to hear her worry. I took her and little Yudha to the mall. Mayang said they rarely went out due to financial limits. We enjoyed sitting together, sharing McDonald's, which Yudha ate with enthusiasm. Then he played on the slides and swings.

"Living alone isn't easy, you know!" Mayang started talking.

"Why?"

"It's about money. I work, but I'm always worried about not being able to take care of my son properly. Maybe I should accept the marriage proposal from my mother's friend back in the village."

A pang of jealousy hit me. If Mayang married, she would leave with Yudha, whom I'd come to love. But I was already married. What could I do?

"Don't you want to marry me?" Mayang asked softly.

"I'm married, May. Nai is about to give birth."

"It's okay if it's just an unregistered marriage," she said, squeezing my hand. "I still love you."

Mayang still loved me, igniting a desire for her, a woman who cared about me. Very different from Naina, who only knew about money and carried my child without realizing that I needed to be loved.

"I'll talk to my mother tomorrow."

Maybe she could help me find a solution.

The next day, I went to my mother's house to discuss Mayang. I glanced around.

"Where's Dad?"

"At the workshop," my mother replied, placing a cup of tea on the table.

I hesitated, rubbing my neck, unsure where to start.

"Mom, do you remember Mayang, my ex?"

"Yes. Why?"

"What if I married her unregistered?"

Mom was shocked, her mouth full of fried bananas. "What?"

She quickly drank to avoid choking. "Are you out of your mind? I told you to marry unregistered, but not with Mayang! Find a Javanese woman. Don't you have any Javanese friends around? Your dad will be furious."

I took a deep breath, wanting to share something that might make my mother happy.

"Mom, it turns out Mayang was pregnant when we broke up. I have a son, Mom! I have a son!"