A Reluctant Blessing

The mouthwatering aroma of Mom’s cooking greeted Aruna even before she reached the front porch.

She opened the door and called out a greeting, which her father answered with his deep voice from behind the book he was reading in the living room. After kissing the back of his hand, Aruna hurried to find her mother in the kitchen, passing her younger sister, who was chopping carrots with a sulky expression.

“Must be nice, coming home after dinner. You’ve got so much work, yet you still come home late!” Rianti grumbled, shooting Aruna a sharp look that made her stop in her tracks.

“I’m sorry, Dek. But Mom said it was okay for me to leave. And she said tomorrow’s catering menu is simple—just honey-glazed chicken, tofu and tempeh, and capcay, so it shouldn’t take long. Mbak Rumi is helping too, right?” Aruna answered gently as she pulled out one of the dining chairs.

She put off sharing the good news with her mother for a moment. First, she had to deal with her sulking little sister.

Rianti continued to grumble. Aruna could clearly see the pile of vegetables her sister had already prepared for tomorrow. No wonder she looked annoyed.

Aruna glanced around, looking for Mbak Rumi, their next-door neighbor who helped with their mother’s home catering business every day.

As if reading her mind, Rianti immediately said sourly, “Mbak Rumi’s husband came after her earlier. That mokondo of hers. They got into a fight because he wanted money for gambling, and Dad had to separate them. In the end, Mbak Rumi said she had to go home.”

“Hey, what’s with you saying mokondo, mokondo?” Mom scolded as she entered the dining room carrying several large transparent containers.

Aruna quickly took the containers from her mother and placed them on the dining table.

“Where’s Danar, Nduk? Did he go straight home? Why didn’t you ask him to come in first?”

Mom pulled out a chair, picked up a knife and cutting board from the table, and began slicing baby corn. Rianti had already finished preparing the cauliflower, broccoli, and green beans, which were neatly arranged inside the large refrigerator in the dining room alongside the other vegetables that wilted easily and would only be chopped the next morning before they were cooked.

“Danar still had to go back to the office, Bu. That’s why I came home alone in an online taxi,” Aruna replied as she put all the containers into the refrigerator.

“What kind of man behaves like that? My daughter gets treated like a jelangkung. He doesn’t pick her up, and he doesn’t even take her home.”

Dad’s voice came from the living room, which was connected directly to the dining area, so he could hear everything being said around the table.

“There you go again,” Mom said. “You’re always criticizing Danar. Everything that boy does is wrong in your eyes. I really don’t understand you.”

Dad merely cleared his throat loudly in response.

The atmosphere in the dining room suddenly felt suffocating.

The walls seemed to close in around Aruna, leaving her no room to breathe. She began to feel uncomfortable.

She sat beside her mother, rubbing the ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

Should she put off telling them about Danar’s proposal for now?

“Oh, my God! Is that a new ring, Kak? From your boyfriend? It’s so shiny, I’m practically blinded!”

Rianti squealed excitedly and immediately grabbed Aruna’s hand from across the table. She clicked her tongue dramatically as she examined the ring on her older sister’s finger.

Aruna was certain her mischievous but easily sulky sister was deliberately putting on a show to provoke their parents.

Aruna smiled nervously and quickly glanced at her mother, who was looking at her questioningly.

Dad had suddenly appeared beside the table too.

“That ring is from him?” Dad asked suspiciously.

His deep voice was intimidating. Aruna instinctively pulled her hand away, which Rianti was still examining with an exaggerated expression.

“Y-yes, Pak,” Aruna answered nervously.

She even tried to cover the ring finger resting on the table, as though she could somehow avoid her father’s unwavering gaze fixed on the ring.

“Danar proposed to you, Nduk?” Mom whispered softly.

The question sent a jolt through Aruna like an electric shock. She flinched, then gave another nervous smile and nodded.

Aruna glanced at Rianti, who was grinning mischievously from across the table, repeatedly raising both eyebrows.

Aruna immediately felt annoyed.

This was not how she had wanted to give her parents the good news.

She should have waited until things were calmer, when she had time to prepare herself. She wanted to choose the right words and be ready to give clear answers if Dad bombarded her with questions.

Damn you, Rianti!

“Oh, I’m so happy to hear that. I’m finally going to have a son-in-law, and maybe I’ll get to hold my grandchildren soon. This is wonderful news, Pak!”

Mom immediately hugged Aruna, who hugged her back. A small sense of relief washed over her.

“Proposing to someone’s daughter in a restaurant. Does he think you don’t have parents? He has absolutely no manners!”

“Paakk…” Mom chided him, earning nothing but a grunt in response.

Aruna cleared her throat softly, trying to make sure the words she was about to say would come out clearly and reach both of her parents—especially Dad—with the right impression.

“Dinner tonight wasn’t the formal proposal, Pak. This ring is just… a sign that Danar is serious about me. He said he wants to come and meet you and Mom this weekend to ask for your blessing.”

Aruna held her breath, waiting for Dad’s reaction as he stood motionless beside the table.

“What do you think, Pak?”

“I’m fine with it, Nduk,” Mom replied immediately. “I give you both my blessing. It doesn’t look like we have anything planned this weekend anyway.”

Aruna let out a relieved breath. She squeezed her mother’s hand gratefully, then slowly turned toward her father, who was still standing there with an unreadable expression.

“Dad, what do you think?” Aruna asked hesitantly.

The silence that followed made her heart pound again.

Dad took a deep breath, then looked straight into Aruna’s eyes.

“It’s up to you. You’re old enough to decide your own path in life.”

Dad turned and slowly walked toward his bedroom.

The soft sound of the door closing felt like a thunderclap in Aruna’s heart.

That wasn’t the blessing I was hoping for, Aruna thought.

“Don’t worry about it, Kak. You know how Dad is. He’s always been like that when it comes to Mas Danar.”

Rianti’s casual voice from across the table broke the silence after Dad left.

The ponytailed, bespectacled girl had already gone back to chopping the carrots Mom had left unfinished.

Yes, Aruna knew this wasn’t the first time.

But why?

Why did Dad always put such a high wall between himself and Danar?

“Nduk, just tell Danar that your father and I will be expecting him this weekend. As for your father’s attitude earlier, I’ll take care of that.”

Mom gently patted Aruna’s shoulder before getting up and returning to the kitchen.

Aruna took a deep breath.

All she could do was hope that by the time Danar came to formally ask for her hand, everything would have gotten better.