Chapter 10.1 The Wooden Splint
Villa
That afternoon, Wak Saleh arrived at the villa carrying a wooden splint, a walking stick, and traditional herbal remedies to help speed up Rizky's recovery.
Rizky had been lying in bed all day. The wooden splint, which would be fitted to his leg later, was meant to help him walk using a cane without worrying about his injured ankle shifting out of place when he started moving around the next day.
Honestly, for a minor sprain like his, the splint wasn't really necessary. But Kak Ros insisted he use it. Whether she had a hidden reason or was just being overly concerned about his health, no one could say for sure.
As soon as Wak Saleh arrived, Kak Ros welcomed him and led the way to Rizky's room, with Rayan following closely behind.
Rizky's Room
"Assalamu'alaikum," Wak Saleh greeted as he entered.
"Wa'alaikumsalam," Rizky, Nabila, and Zikri responded almost in unison.
"Oh, Wak Saleh!" Rizky exclaimed, smiling at the sight of him. Wak Saleh returned the smile and took a seat near the bed.
Nabila glanced at the items he brought and asked curiously, "What's that, Wak?"
Wak Saleh chuckled before answering, "Oh, this? It's for your future husband, dear." Wak is a respectful term used to address an older man, similar to "Uncle" in English.
Nabila, who had just taken a sip of water, nearly choked. Her face turned crimson as she quickly averted her gaze. "Geez, Wawak, stop that!" she huffed.
Rayan and Zikri immediately burst into laughter. Even Kak Ros couldn't help but smile at Nabila's obvious embarrassment.
"How are you feeling, Rizky? Any better?" Wak Saleh asked.
"Alhamdulillah, Wak. A bit better now," Rizky replied.
"That's good," Wak Saleh nodded, taking out a small bottle of traditional herbal oil from his bag.
Turning to Nabila, he said, "Dear, help Wawak remove Rizky's bandage. I need to apply this oil."
Hearing that, Nabila moved closer and started unwrapping the bandage from Rizky's foot.
Seeing this, Kak Ros interjected, "Now, that's more like it! You have to learn to take care of him properly."
But instead of encouraging Nabila, the comment had the opposite effect. If earlier she had been careful, now her hands moved roughly.
"Ouch! Hey, that hurts!" Rizky winced in pain.
Rayan, noticing the change in Nabila's attitude, nudged Zikri before saying mischievously, "Wak, I think Nabila doesn't want Rizky to recover."
Wak Saleh raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"
Rayan put on a serious face. "She said that if Rizky gets better, she won't have an excuse to visit him every day anymore. Right now, she can drop by anytime, bring him breakfast, even feed him, Wak."
"That's true, Wak! I heard it too," Zikri quickly added, playing along.
Nabila whipped her head toward the two troublemakers, eyes sharp with silent fury. "You two!" she hissed, while Rayan and Zikri immediately pretended to find the floor very interesting, barely holding back their laughter.
Rizky, watching all this, simply shook his head with an amused smile.
After applying the oil and re-bandaging Rizky's foot, Wak Saleh carefully secured the wooden splint around his leg, wrapping it with additional bandages to keep it in place.
"Alright, with this, you should be able to take small steps tomorrow," Wak Saleh announced.
"Thank you, Wak," Rizky said sincerely.
"No problem. Alright then, I should get going. I still have other patients waiting for me at home," Wak Saleh said as he packed up his things.
"Let me walk you out, Wak," Kak Ros said, accompanying him toward the door.
At that moment, Nabila also stood up abruptly. "Ah, I'm coming too!" she declared.
Just before stepping out, she glanced at Rizky and smirked, "See you later, pervert."
In a teasing tone, pervert here doesn't carry a serious meaning—it's more of a playful jab between close friends.
Rizky blinked, caught off guard. He could only let out a small chuckle as he leaned back against his pillow, replaying Nabila's words in his head.
"Pervert, huh…" he muttered, shaking his head with a laugh.
Chapter 10.2 The Kelantan Palace (Krajoh Kelate)
Somewhere else, Cindy was enjoying a private dinner with the Kelantan royal family. The gathering was small—only Kak Hafizah, her younger sister Liza, and Cindy were present at the table.
As the conversation flowed casually, Cindy turned to Kak Hafizah with a playful grin.
"So, when is Kak Hafizah getting married?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity.
Kak Hafizah smiled softly while pouring tea into her cup.
"Maybe in two weeks, Cin. InsyaAllah, if there are no obstacles."
As she took a sip of her warm tea, Kak Hafizah glanced at Cindy with a teasing smile.
"And you, Cindy? When will you follow?" she asked, her tone lighthearted.
Cindy, who had just reached for a snack, suddenly choked a little.
"Eh? Me?" she asked, startled.
Liza chuckled at Cindy's reaction.
"Of course, Cin. Don't let us be the only ones moving forward first," she teased.
Cindy sighed dramatically, then smirked.
"If it's me, maybe I'll wait for Liza Kelantan first. Let her get married before I follow suit."
( Liza terus tengok Cindy dengan muka protes. "Demo ni dari dulu kalau panggil aku, selalu guna 'Kelate' di belakangnya. Sampai bila demo nok jadi lagu ni?" tanyanya dengan nada menggerutu.)
Liza immediately turned to Cindy with a protesting look."You always call me 'Liza Kelantan'! How long are you going to keep doing this?" she grumbled.
( Cindy Cuma tekeheh. "Tok tahu lah. Doh biasa doh, Liza Kelate!" jawabnya selamba.)
Cindy simply giggled."I don't know, it's just a habit, Liza Kelantan!" she replied cheekily.
Kak Hafizah chuckled as she shook her head before asking, "So, when are you going back to Brunei, Cin?"
"Maybe next week, Kak," Cindy replied, leaning back comfortably in her chair.
( Liza yang dengar jawapan tu terus menyampuk. "Eh, esok jah! Lagi dua hari kita gi Brunei sekali!" serunya dengan ghairah.)
Liza, upon hearing that answer, immediately interjected
"Eh, just come with me! Two days from now, let's go to Brunei together!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
Cindy let out a small sigh and shook her head.
"Eh, I can't, Liza. I have to stop by the Villa in KL first. I already promised to stay for two days. After that, I'll head to Brunei."
Liza pouted slightly.
"Fine, you always like arranging your own schedule," she muttered in playful annoyance.
(Kak Hafizah tengok Liza dengan renung bermakna. "Liza ni semangat sungguh kalau bab Brunei. Sebab doh serasi dengan Kak Mutia, buleh jadi?" godanya.)
Kak Hafizah looked at Liza meaningfully.
"Liza is really excited when it comes to Brunei. It's because she gets along so well with Kak Mutia, isn't it?" she teased.
Liza, who was in the middle of sipping her tea, suddenly choked.
"Eh, Kak! Why are you saying that?!" she exclaimed, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Cindy burst into laughter at Liza's reaction.
"It's true, Kak! Mutia is really nice! Liza and her can talk for hours without running out of topics."
Their conversation continued with more laughter, shifting to lighter topics. As they enjoyed their desserts, the three of them became immersed in the warm and cheerful atmosphere of their gathering.
Chapter 10.3 A Long Night
At Dian's House
That night, a gentle breeze rustled outside the window. Dian and Heri sat leaning against the bed, talking in a peaceful atmosphere.
Heri let out a long sigh, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
"How could Rizky have entered the wrong wedding?" he muttered, still struggling to make sense of the bizarre incident.
Dian, who had been absentmindedly playing with the edge of the blanket, turned to her husband.
"Maybe he was already nervous, Yang. By the time he got there, his mind just went blank," she said with a small laugh.
Heri smirked.
"That makes sense. But still, it's weird. He should've asked someone before stepping onto the wedding stage, right?"
Dian fell silent for a moment, then looked at Heri with thoughtful eyes.
"You know… I have a different feeling about this. What if this was God's way of revealing the old woman's story to the world?" she murmured, her voice laced with contemplation.
Heri turned to her, intrigued.
"What do you mean?"
Dian took a deep breath before speaking, her tone calm yet certain.
"Think about it. Would an elderly woman like that normally hold a wedding celebration? If there wasn't a deeper reason, it would be hard to understand. And everything that happened… it all felt too perfectly arranged, as if an invisible hand was guiding it."
Heri pondered over the events they had heard about.
"Yeah… Rizky's journey got delayed, forcing him to take another route. And when his phone died, none of his friends had theirs with them either."
Dian nodded slowly.
"Too many coincidences happening all at once. I don't think this was just a simple mistake."
Heri stroked his chin, his mind beginning to shift.
"So, you think this was destined to happen?"
Dian gave a faint smile.
"Maybe. Or maybe, this was how God made sure a forgotten story would finally be told."
Heri exhaled deeply before reaching for his wife's hand, holding it gently.
"I never expected you to see it from that perspective. I'm proud to have a wife like you," he said, sincerity shining in his eyes.
Dian's lips curled into a soft smile, her eyes warm with emotion. She stretched out her arms slightly, silently asking for an embrace.
Heri pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. In that quiet moment, he whispered into her ear—
"Thank you, God, for sending me the one who soothes my heart."