Let's Divorced

TIRED OF BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP

Chapter 1. Let's get a divorce!?

"Let's divorce Mas..." Naya said in a soft voice. Her face was calm.

I, who was waiting to hear from the doctor, widened my eyes and turned to her.

"Divorce? Didn't you say something wrong, Naya? How can you ask for a divorce when our child is sick? This is a hospital, Naya! Don't talk carelessly!" I snapped.

Realizing that this was in a public place, I took a deep breath to calm my emotions.

Naya, my first wife was quiet again.

"I'm tired, Mas..." Naya stared blankly and gave me a smile.

Tired she said? Her face was so calm, she could still smile, then she said she was tired? What nonsense!

"Tired of what Naya? You just stay at home and take care of our child. I always send my monthly allowance on time. So you're talking about being tired? Isn't that wrong?"

I blasted Naya with a sarcastic question, I hoped she could understand the situation, maybe she was in a rut, that's why she was talking out of her ass.

"The one who should be tired is me! I came all the way from Jakarta to Bandung to meet you. But what did you say in return? You asked for a divorce! It's totally unexpected! It just makes me emotional!"

I ended up nagging. It wasn't me who was fussy, but Naya who was inconsiderate, how could she say she was tired when all she did was stay at home and take care of the kids.

"Tired is what I mean, tired of heart."

Naya said as she looked up at the ceiling of the hospital.

I squinted my eyes at her not understanding.

"I have a husband but you are always away from me and the children. Even when my youngest was sick, you weren't there for us. And..."

"If you had told me earlier, I might have been late to see you guys! How could I have missed seeing Yunita!" I cut off Naya's words to explain, so that she would understand that my rarely coming home wasn't due to irresponsibility. Especially when I'm under pressure.

Naya smiled and then turned to me with a sad look.

"Don't I send you incoming messages every day? I also called you every day to let you know how Yunita was doing when she had a seizure. When she had a bloody nose? And now you're saying that I should have informed you earlier?" he asked with a sarcastic smile.

I was silent for a moment, I just remembered that a month ago my second wife, Calista did give me a new cell phone, a new number and that's what I've been using every day since I passed the days with Calista.

"That's..."

"Tick two Mas! It should have been logged in, it just wasn't opened so I didn't see the blue double tick." Naya explained.

I was silent for a moment, looking for the right reason that I changed my cell phone number and the new cell phone that Calista, my second wife, bought me. I didn't want Naya to take offense.

"Don't tell me that you have two cell phones?" she asked.

"Then you only focus on the other one, the new one. Then you ignore the old one, just like you ignore the old wife and care more about the new one. Don't you think?"

Naya said sarcastically, making me lose my mind to refute her words.

"This is the reason why I want a divorce from you! I feel wasted as a wife who has accompanied you from the beginning. That's why I want us to divorce," Naya said calmly.

"Naya! What are you talking about!" criticized a voice from the other direction.

Naya and I turned our heads towards the owner of the voice.

***

Who was it?

Chapter 2. Mama's advice

Naya and I got up from our seats. It was my mother's voice.

Naya looked calm as she confronted Mama, politely taking her hand and kissing the back of her hand.

Mama turned to Naya, then looked back at me.

"This is a hospital, a public place, it's better for you to pray a lot instead of arguing. Sick children don't need arguments, they need prayers," my mother advised, I was silent and Naya half bowed.

"Sorry, mom. Actually, I also want to talk in a private place. But unfortunately, Mas Yuda and I rarely meet."

Naya replied, relaxed and calm, making me frown, since when did that woman dare to speak up. As I recall, when my mother would advise Naya, my first wife would never respond and just obey. But now ....

Mama let out a rough breath. She looked at Naya in astonishment, just like me.

"You can contact her by phone, right? Then..."

"3 weeks Mas Yuda was at his second wife's house! During those three weeks I sent hundreds of chats and dozens of miss calls. But there was no answer."

Naya explained loudly and firmly, touching my feelings again about when my first wife was so brave to talk?

Mama looked confused, then turned to me. I was dead. I don't know what answer I should give to Mama, if I'm honest that I have a new cellphone from my second wife, surely Naya will be very angry and think that I'm ignoring her, even though the cellphone given by my wife is very sophisticated and expensive, so the old cellphone is completely neglected. Forgot I hadn't saved Naya's number.

Mama looked up slightly, as if the woman was asking me to explain.

"That's... I..." my lips were too weak to open my voice.

"Naya guessed, Mas Yuda got a new cell phone, then neglected the old one. Just like Mas Yudha ignored his first wife and was preoccupied with his second wife. Right?"

Naya quipped at me, gave me a big smile and looked at me, a look that pierced my soul and feelings for once. For some reason, I felt cornered by my first wife's attitude.

"That's..." It was tongue-tied to reply.

"Is it really Yudha?" Mom looked at me sharply, I was forced to nod my head.

"Sorry Ma..." I said softly. My pride dropped, then I turned to Naya, was this my wife's plan to drop my pride in front of my mother?

"Apologize to Naya, not to Mama!" my mother protested.

I nodded my head lazily then turned to my first wife.

"I'm sorry Naya," I said reluctantly.

"Will saying sorry solve everything? Does an apology solve everything?" Naya asked quietly but emphatically.

Eh? What the hell? What's going on with Naya? How could she not know herself, instead of accepting my apology she turned around as if looking for my faults. What kind of wife is this?

"What do you mean Naya?" Mama asked this time.

"What I mean is... Because of Mas Yudha who ignored my message, there are many things that have passed in the last three weeks. Mas Yuda should have been fair. Didn't the agreement 3 years ago say that the time spent by Mas Yuda on his first wife and on his second wife is one week. One week at my house and one week at Calista's house?"

"But now what? For three weeks Mas Yuda has ignored us, he's been busy with Calista without knowing that his second child is dying here."

Naya said, making Mama open her mouth halfway with her first daughter-in-law's explanation. Duh Gusti, how could Naya skin me in front of my own mother.

"During those three weeks, there were many things that happened in our house that Mas Yuda didn't know about, right? I feel like a widow, Mas," she said.

I was shocked. How could he think that? I was busy because Calista was also struggling to take care of our child.

"That's why I want us to get a divorce!" he said.

"Naya! What are you talking about!"

A voice interrupted from the other direction. Naya, mom, and I turned our heads towards the source of the voice.

***

Who was it again?

Chapter 3. What's wrong with my wife?

That was Mama Novi, my mother-in-law from my second wife. Also my aunt from my first wife.

I was indeed living a married life between cousins. My first wife and second wife are cousins.

"Naya, don't talk carelessly. It's bad luck. Yuda is busy at Calista's house. It's not that he doesn't care about you. Besides, as a wife, you don't need to be spoiled. If it's not an emergency, you don't have to depend on your husband. You know that Calista has a small baby. Yes, you have to understand her situation, which really needs Yudha's presence," said Mama Novi in my defense.

My mother, Mama Yanti also nodded, as if justifying her besan.

"Well, what she said is true," I said. Feeling I had the strength to defend myself.

Naya half bowed, giving me a smile that... I don't know what kind of smile.

"Spoiled you say? Why didn't you just say that to Calista? I have two children, and so does Calista who has two children. Doesn't that mean Calista should also learn to be independent?" Naya turned my mother-in-law's words upside down.

Once again, I was shocked by Naya's unusual behavior, perhaps something was influencing my first wife to disobey me and our family.

"Just so you know, here, our discussion is not about whether someone is spoiled or independent. It's about justice! Back when I agreed for Mas Yuda to undergo this polygamy, my first request was to be fair. Mas Yuda would organize his time by having one week with me, and one week with Calista. But what happens now is that Mas Yuda spends three weeks with Calista. Is this fair?"

Naya asked with a sarcastic smile. Her face looked calm, her words full of emphasis but no emotion. I felt a little amazed by her attitude.

What's wrong with my wife?

"Well, you said that Calista is taking care of a baby, a toddler. Of course Yuda is more needed by Calista and also..."

"Calista has a baby sitter! What we're talking about right now is justice. I'm only asking for justice so that Mas Yuda is able to split his time a week at my house, and a week at Calista's house, but if he still can't that means he's still failing to carry out this polygamy law, so I'm backing off and please let Mas Yudha take Calista. I don't mind at all!"

In one breath Naya said, making the three of us stare in shock at Naya's assertiveness and confidence, expressing her desire to separate from me.

What's wrong with my wife?

"Naya... Don't talk like that. What was said by... "

"If you feel that I am inconsiderate towards Mas Yuda, then I am indeed a woman who is not worthy to be kept by Mas Yuda, and I am willing if Mas Yuda focuses more on Calista," Naya interrupted my mother.

"It's not like that, divorce is not the solution, think about Yunita and Yesi. They need a father anyway," my mother tried to calm Naya down.

"Sorry, mom. Naya corrected me... Since Mas Yuda married Calista, and then Mas Yuda traveled back and forth between Jakarta and Bandung, we have lost Mas Yuda as a father and husband." He said.

"When Yunita had an art performance in kindergarten, Mas Yuda couldn't attend. When Yesi graduated from elementary school, Mas Yuda couldn't attend either. I took his place, I became a mother and a father to the children. So if you say that the children still need Mas Yudha, I think you're wrong. Because Mas Yudha seems to have failed to be fair to us," Naya explained in a soft but firm voice.

I was shocked. I had also just realized that my busy life with Calista had indeed taken up my time, especially when Kenan - my second son - arrived.

I was too happy to have a son, so I spent more time with my second wife, but I thought Naya was fine because she rarely protested.

"Let's divorce Mas!" Naya said firmly.

"No!"

Another voice interrupted our conversation. This time my eyes widened, Calista was here?

That's my second wife.

I swallowed. I hope these two aren't fighting.