The affair

Yenni Djahidin

The phone kept ringing. Sleepily, Melati picked up the receiver.

She glanced at the clock on the night stand; it was almost one in the morning. She said something and then heard someone speaking rapidly at the other end.

"Please, can you talk slowly," she pleaded. She soon realized it was her sister-in-law, Mimi. Mimi said father had been taken to the hospital after falling from a ladder.

Twenty four hours later, she was in an airplane high above the Pacific Ocean bound for Korea. She made a quick decision with her husband and pooled all their resources so she could fly home with her daughter.

Melati was exhausted when they reached the customs desk in Jakarta. Things got worse when the officer asked her to place one of the bags inside an X-ray machine.

"Random check," the officer said, but he didn't try to help. She put her daughter down and started to lift one of the bags.

"Let me help," a man said politely. She looked up and almost dropped the bag on her feet. Standing before her was the man who had been the love of her life.

It was an awkward moment, but not for long because the toddler pulled her shirt and demanded attention. He helped her with the bag and they passed the customs check without saying a word.

He finally broke the silence.

"Can I offer you a ride?" She said no when she saw a young woman waiving her behind the glass door.

"How long are you going to stay?" he asked again. She said she didn't know.

He asked if he could call. She said, "of course." And then she saw him walking to a waiting car. He ducked toward the passenger seat and gave a young girl a kiss. Melati looked away, with a slight burning feeling inside her chest.

Melati's sister-in-law gave a quick recap about their father's condition. Melati felt relieved. They made a quick stop at the hospital. The old guy's face lit up when he saw them. He looked frail but was in good spirits.

Jakarta was hot and humid, but Melati didn't mind. Washington could be hotter and more humid in July and August. The difference was the air quality.

Melati wished she could one day see Jakarta's air clean. She always dreamed of blue sky over the old city. It seems Jakarta was always covered with smog.

Her father made a remarkable recovery. She called her husband and told him she would stay one more week and would be home by Thanksgiving Day.

She was looking through a family photo album when her niece called. "Auntie, phone for you!" She handed the receiver to Melati. Her heart almost stopped beating when she heard his voice.

They exchanged pleasantries.

"Can I see you before you go back to the States?," the man asked. Melati almost said no, but she had questions she would like him to answer. She thought about her husband, but she could explain it to him later. They agreed to meet at a hotel coffee shop.

He wore a short sleeved shirt with dark pants, which were nicely pressed. His hair was trimmed neatly but not too short. Well, she thought, at least he didn't dress formally like a lawyer. She thanked him when he said she looked good.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the words came out of her mouth right after they placed their order.

"How could you do that to me?" Melati asked before he could even answer the first question.

"It was a difficult situation. I was madly in love with you," he said, staring intensely into her eyes.

At the time, he was a bright young lawyer who defended some human rights cases. She was a young reporter trying to understand as many laws as possible. She found him very helpful in explaining what was going on during a court proceeding. And sometimes, he offered her a lift home.

The relationship became serious in just three months. She enjoyed talking with him about subjects that interested her: social issues. He adored her openness. Her parents liked him, too. And he was planning to take her to Sumatra to meet his parents before things unraveled.

Then a woman came to Melati's office at the newspaper.

She was beautiful and clad in stylish clothes. Her make-up was perfect.

She was cautious at first, but managed to blurt out a few sentences. "Hi, I am Rina. I came here to tell you that I know you are having an affair with my husband, Rusdi."

Melati stood with a surprised look. She tried to cover her mouth with her hand. She tried to absorb the new information. Before she could say anything, the woman started to cry.

"I love him very much. I am pregnant. Please leave him alone," she said while tears streamed down her face, ruining her polished face.

Suddenly, Melati was startled when she felt Rusdi's fingers touching her hand.

"I still think about you a lot. I didn't know why you left without saying goodbye to me."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were married?" Melati shot back.

"I wanted to, but you vanished. Your parents didn't give me your telephone number," Rusdi said, his voice almost a whisper.

"But Rusdi, you were married and your wife was pregnant. I didn't want you to divorce her!" Melati tried not to raise her voice. But his answer almost made her scream and wish she never had agreed to see him.

"I never intended to divorce her. I thought you could be my second wife," he said.

And he had a straight face as he said it.