Chapter 2 Engagement Canceled

"Yes, Ridwan and Kintani are both Caniago. And that means they are siblings," Uncle Gindo shook his head and rubbed his face.

"Gosh, how could this happen!?!" Mr. Rustam exclaimed in shock.

"Did they know from the start when they met?" this time it was Mrs. Suci who asked.

"I don't know, I don't think they knew that they were from the same tribe," Mrs. Anggini answered.

"This is Uncle Ridwan's mistake for not telling his nephew about our customs including his tribe," said Uncle Gindo blaming Uncle Ramli.

"Don't just blame one party, it's not good, Brother Gindo himself, has he ever told Kintani about it? Absolutely not, right?" Mrs. Anggini, who is Uncle Gindo's younger sister, defended her Uncle Ridwan.

"Well, that's it, Brother. Ants across the ocean are visible, but elephants in our own eyes are invisible," added Mr. Wisnu, joining in the grilling of Uncle Gindo who only blamed Uncle Ridwan, while he himself as Kintani's uncle never told us about his nephew's tribe and traditions.

"Enough, enough! We don't need to question who is right and who is wrong, this is a warning for us who have been careless in educating and informing our nephews about traditions. Until now they are the victims," said Uncle Gindo who felt cornered.

"So what is the solution, do we continue with this engagement?" asked Mrs. Anggini.

"No way, Anggini. We must still uphold traditions and customs, if we ignore that and still force Kintani to be engaged to Ridwan, it is the same as throwing dirt in our own faces, it would be so embarrassing!" replied Uncle Gindo.

It should be noted that in the Minangkabau tradition itself there are many tribes, including; Koto, Piliang, Caniago, Sikumbang, Melayu, Jambak, and many more.

Being within the scope of one tribe is a brotherhood even though they are not blood related, one of the provisions that must not be violated is marrying within the same tribe or the same tribe. For example, the Caniago tribe is not allowed to marry someone who is also of the Caniago tribe, if that is violated there will be severe sanctions according to customs.

The worst sanction if violated is being banished from the tradition, Uncles who have an important position in a family will never approve or come if their nephew marries someone from the same tribe.

Being banished from the tradition here also prohibits holding wedding events, let alone wedding receptions, marriage is not allowed in that area. If a couple from the same tribe still insists on getting married, then they must leave that area or their hometown.

Another sanction they received was the loss of their rights to inheritance in the extended family, if in the past the entire family would also be affected by all of that, in the form of shame and being ostracized from community life for an indefinite period of time.

However, in this modern era, the impact of this sanction only applies to couples who marry within the same tribe, and now not all areas in West Sumatra enforce this sanction. In the area where Ridwan and Kintani come from, this is still enforced, the people there still uphold the customs and traditions passed down from their ancestors since the past.

"Then what about Brother Gindo?" this time it was Mr. Rustam who asked, he was also very devastated by this reality.

"The only way we have to separate them, and that means it is no longer permissible for them to have a loving relationship," answered Uncle Gindo.

"But the problem now is, Ridwan and Kintani are in the same city. Ridwan works there, while Kintani is studying," Mrs. Anggini was also confused about how to separate them.

"Let's put it this way, doesn't Ridwan have an uncle who now lives in Jakarta?"

"That's right, brother, Gindo," replied Mr. Rustam.

"Well, how about we tell Ridwan to go with his uncle there? Regarding the cost of going to Jakarta, we will cover it later," offered Uncle Gindo.

"Regarding the cost of Ridwan going to Jakarta, we think we can still afford it. What we are worried about now is how they feel, how devastated Ridwan and Kintani will be after we tell them all this," said Mrs. Suci.

"What can we do, Sister Suci. We are forced to act like that, so that our extended family will not be embarrassed later. And we have to keep this a secret," said Uncle Gindo.

"Okay, now we will take Ridwan home. At home later we will tell them about the engagement that we canceled," said Mr. Rustam.

"Yes Brother Rustam, we will also tell Kintani about it after you leave. Actually, we don't have the heart because they didn't know anything about this from the start, but what can we do, we will bear all the risks," Uncle Gindo said in a heavy tone.

"Ridwan, let's go home now," invited Mrs. Suci who had come out of the living room.

"Hey, hasn't the main event started yet, Mom?" Ridwan looked surprised by his mother's invitation to go home, as did Kintani.

"Later, Mom and Dad will explain when we get home." This time, it was Mr. Rustam who persuaded his son to go home.

Even though he had a tired face and was curious, Ridwan, who was also known to be obedient to both of them, followed Mr. Rustam and Mrs. Suci's invitation to go home.

After Ridwan left, who was invited back home by his parents, Uncle Gindo, Mr. Wisnu and Mrs. Anggini approached Kintani who was still sitting cross-legged in the room where the engagement ceremony was planned to be held.

"Kintani, Uncle wants to talk to you about something. I hope you can understand it later," Uncle Gindo started the conversation.

"What's wrong, Uncle?" Kintani asked curiously because she saw Ridwan had just been taken home by his parents.

"It's like this, Kintani, it's actually hard for me to say because I know this won't be easy for you to accept. But what can I do, I have to reveal what really happened," Uncle Gindo paused for a moment, he seemed to take a deep breath.

"We canceled your engagement with Ridwan," Uncle Gindo had not finished speaking when Kintani interrupted.

"What? Canceled? Why is that, Uncle? Father, Mother! What really happened, why did it turn out like this?" Kintani was shocked beyond belief and she increasingly did not understand what her uncle was saying.