02. Three Flowers

Sakha returned to his main house in Waru Village. Some workers greeted him as soon as they saw Sakha enter through the gate in his shiny black car. Sakha returned their greetings with a nod and a brief smile. The sun was still shining brightly in the sky; he was drenched in sweat and really needed a shower to get rid of the stickiness all over his body.

When Sakha entered the house, he was immediately welcomed by his wives who were sitting in the living room. Safitria Ferdinan Putri—whom Sakha often called Ria—was the first to greet him when she saw his arrival. Ria, Sakha's first wife, a beautiful woman, immediately pulled Sakha into the living room, and Sakha did not resist.

“It's rare for you to come home early, Mas,” said Henia—the third wife—while kissing Sakha's hand.

“I’m only home for a short while,” Sakha replied.

Agistia, Sakha's second wife, was the last to greet Sakha. “What do you want to eat, Mas? It’s lunchtime,” she said.

Sakha refused with a smile. “I’m just here for a short while. You all go ahead and eat first.”

“Mas, please have lunch here with us. You rarely come home during the day; you’re often in the field,” Ria interrupted, half-whining as she clung to Sakha’s left arm.

“Alright, but I want to take a bath first,” Sakha replied, gently removing Ria's hand from his arm.

“I’ll help you to the room, Mas,” Nia responded, following Sakha to the room.

While Nia helped Sakha prepare his clothes in the room, Sakha's other two wives went to the kitchen to instruct the household staff to prepare lunch immediately. Tia, the only one among Sakha's wives who could cook, often helped in the kitchen. After nearly three years of being Sakha's second wife, Tia was well-versed in the foods her husband liked, such as chicken stew with yellow yeast. That was the lunch menu Tia planned to make today.

While Tia was busy in the kitchen, Ria went to her room and started putting on makeup. Of Sakha's three wives, Ria was the most beautiful and the most diligent in self-care. As the first and oldest wife, Ria felt she had to always look attractive to gain more attention from her husband.

“That flirt Henia is always so disrespectful. She should respect me as the first wife instead of cutting in line,” Ria muttered as she applied makeup to her freshly cleaned face. Although they always seemed harmonious, the three of them secretly competed with each other for more of their husband's attention.

Unlike Tia, who showed her respect, Nia was aggressive in monopolizing Sakha, not giving the first and second wives any chance. Tia was always shy and gave way to Ria when they were together, but Ria knew that Tia was also competing with her by seducing Sakha in ways that often made Ria jealous. Tia was very romantic; she cooked for Sakha, invited him to dine at luxurious restaurants just the two of them, and always pleaded for vacation trips whenever Sakha had free time.

Despite this, Sakha had always been fair to them, never treating them differently, which sometimes frustrated Ria. It would be better if Sakha treated her differently compared to his two younger wives since she was the first woman Sakha married.

After finishing her makeup, Ria immediately left her room. Their rooms were always separate, whether in this village house or their main house in the city. This was another form of Sakha’s fairness. Sakha even provided them each with their own house, but they often chose to live together in the main family residence in the city.

When Ria reached the dining room, she saw only Tia there, who had also just arrived. Tia had finished cooking and applied some makeup to her face, just like Ria.

“Where’s Nia?” Ria asked.

“She’s not here yet?” Tia replied.

Ria's previous annoyance grew, but she didn’t show it. “Wait here, I’ll call them,” Ria said, then left the dining room and went upstairs to Sakha's room.

When Ria reached the door, she heard Nia’s giggling, calling Sakha in a coquettish voice. Ria intentionally knocked on the door, and shortly after, Sakha appeared, looking annoyed.

“Mas, lunch is ready,” Ria said, feigning innocence.

Sakha nodded. “I understand,” but his expression remained irritated.

After Sakha left, Nia emerged from the room. Ria immediately scolded her. “Did you make Mas upset again?”

Nia pouted. “What do you mean? It was you who made him angry. We were just being affectionate when you interrupted us.”

“You think I’ll believe that?” Ria retorted, knowing how fair Sakha was. If it wasn’t during their scheduled time, Sakha wouldn’t visit one of his other wives for affection. And tonight and tomorrow were Tia's scheduled times as the second wife.

“Ish! You don't understand. Men can be tempted.”

“Don’t be like that, Nia. You should respect Tia’s feelings.”

With a naive expression, Nia replied, “What does Kak Tia feel for Mas Sakha? Aren’t we all the same?”

Ria was rendered speechless, but her anger grew. “Watch your mouth! Or I will report this to Mas,” she warned sternly.

Nia fell silent, then walked away, passing Ria with an annoyed expression.

***

After lunch, Sakha returned to the field, leaving his three wives at home. During lunch, no one noticed Sakha's bad mood, not even Ria, who had known he was upset earlier. But Sakha was a man with great self-control, rarely showing his feelings through facial expressions. In other words, he was a cold man with a consistently neutral expression.

Nevertheless, Sakha responded to all his wives' chatter one by one, always treating them kindly and never showing favoritism.

After Sakha left, Tia spoke up. “Hey, I heard gossip from the workers that Mas Sakha is getting married again?”

Ria was very surprised, unlike Nia, who seemed unfazed.

“I heard it yesterday. It’s true,” Nia replied.

“Where did you hear that, Nia?” Ria asked.

“From the village women who shop for vegetables. They don’t know I’m Mas Sakha's wife, so I pretended to shop while eavesdropping on their gossip.”

“It could just be a rumor,” Tia interjected.

“I also called Galih, Kak (older sister). Mas’s future wife is the Head of the Neighbourhood’’s daughter, who apparently has a lot of debt and can’t pay it off.”

“Sir Jamal?!” Ria exclaimed in disbelief.

Nia nodded, looking annoyed. “That’s why we need to seduce Mas more often so he loses the desire to get married again. I’ve only been married for a year and still have hope of getting pregnant. Why rush into another marriage?”

Ria and Tia ignored Nia’s complaint, which sounded like a veiled criticism. Indeed, none of Sakha's three wives had yet to conceive. But since the beginning, Sakha had wanted a child to continue his business—a successor.

Unfortunately, none of his three wives were pregnant yet.

“As far as I know, Jamal has two daughters,” Tia said.

“Correct,” Ria responded. “Two daughters known as village flowers.”

“No wonder Mas is eager,” Nia added.

“Hush! Watch your words!” Ria warned, as Nia's comment sounded disrespectful towards their husband.

“I’ll ask Mas about it tonight,” Tia said.

“Mas will introduce the new woman to us before they actually marry, like he did before marrying me,” Nia replied.

Ria and Tia nodded in agreement.

***

*Mas: a word that means brother, used to address men who are older or respected

*Kak: a word meaning sister, used to address women who are older or respected