New Love For My Wife

The Forgotten Anniversary

At precisely seven-thirty, Nanette parks her car in front of the Dharmawangsa Hotel. Valdi is probably on his way from his lab Nanette decides to enter the restaurant first and wait for Valdi there. Their specially prepared table in the corner of the room is already adorned with rose decorations and long candles.

"Welcome, Mrs. Amarta . Your table is ready. Please wait for Mr. Amarta over there," the F&B Manager greets Nanette upon her arrival.

"Thank you," Nanette replies with a smile.

Nanette sits at the beautifully arranged table, patiently waiting for her husband Valdi. It's now exactly 8 o'clock but Valdi hasn't shown up yet. Is he stuck in traffic? Nanette wants to call him but is afraid of disturbing Valdi's concentration while he's driving. So she decides to wait for another fifteen minutes before calling him. Nanette goes back to waiting while replying to some emails from her students who have submitted their homework assignments.

Valdi pulls his car into the garage with a hint of confusion. Where is Nanette's silver car ? Where is Nanette? It's unusual for his wife to arrive home later than Valdi. Normally, Nanette would be home by half-past six to have dinner ready. But it seems like there's no one at home. Could something have happened to Nanette and Viona?

Worried, Valdi quickly opens the front door. Their old maid, Sumi who is watching TV in the service room near the swimming pool, is surprised to see his master enter the house in such a hurry. He immediately gets up and runs to the living room to greet his master.

"Master, isn't it the plan for you to stay at the hotel with Ma'am ?" she asks, puzzled. That's what she received in a message from her Madam . Today, her Master and Madam were supposed to stay at the hotel for two days, while Viona was supposed to stay at her grandparents' house.

Hearing Sumi's words, Valdi is immediately shocked and facepalms. "Oh my God!" he exclaims. He had forgotten about Nanette's message inviting him to dinner at the Dharmawangsa Hotel. Valdi suddenly feels his phone vibrating, and it shows Nanette's call. He signals his maid to stay quiet before answering Nanette's call.

"Yes, dear. I'm sorry I'm running late. You can go ahead and eat if you're hungry. I had some issues in my lab. One of the genomes got contaminated, so I had to redo my research. I'm on my way now," Valdi lies in a hushed voice. He feels incredibly guilty.

Normally, he would just forget their anniversary, but he remembered his promise to have dinner with Nanette. However Today, he even forgot that Nanette invited him to dinner, which was surely to celebrate their wedding anniversary. "I feel really guilty," Valdi mutters.

He quickly grabs his work bag again and instructs his maid to keep this from Nanette. Sumi nods obediently.

Valdi immediately drives his black CR-V towards the Dharmawangsa Hotel. He concentrates on driving, hoping that the Jakarta traffic will be kind to him so he can reach his destination and apologize to his beloved wife. He doesn't know what's been going on in his mind lately. Ever since he forgot his ATM PIN a few months ago and accidentally forgot to use protection during an intimate moment with Nanette, he hasn't had any more lapses in memory. But now, on this very important occasion, he forgot again. Valdi feels incredibly guilty.

It's been five years, and he has never remembered their anniversary. Even though he set a reminder alarm on his phone, he probably ignored it when he was in the lab. When Nanette sent him a message, Valdi didn't pay much attention, thinking she just wanted to have a private dinner. But when it was time to leave the office, Valdi completely forgot about their dinner arrangement and went straight home. Oh... I don't know how I'm going to make up for my mistake this time. My wife, who's been so kind, prepared a romantic dinner for us and even booked a hotel so we could be intimate and celebrate the day we united our love in holy matrimony, and I just forgot about it. I'm truly a heartless and unromantic man. Despite my wife never demanding anything and never getting angry when I forget. I feel incredibly guilty. Valdi hits his head, frustrated with his negligence this time.

At exactly 9 o'clock, Valdi parks his car in the parking area and sprints towards the restaurant. When he sees Nanette sitting there in her red dress, his heart aches. His beloved wife is patiently waiting for him, smiling sweetly as if he has never been late. Valdi walks quickly to Nanette's table, disregarding the stares of those around them. He embraces Nanette tightly. 'Forgive me,' he whispers in her ear.

Nanette pats Valdi's back and says, " It's okay, dear, people are watching."

“ Let me hold you for a moment . I'm sorry for making you wait so long.” Valdi says, still holding Nanette.

" I understand. You must have been dealing with those contaminated samples. It's alright, I waited. Let's eat first. We can continue this embrace in the room," Nanette whispers back.

Valdi releases his embrace and smiles at his wife. He nods in agreement, then sits in the chair across from Nanette and whispers,

"I'll give you warmth and affection you won't forget, to make up for my mistake. How many rounds would you like?"

"Ohh... since when did my husband become so cheeky?" Nanette says with a smile.

They dine while gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Nanette loves Valdi deeply, and Valdi also adores his wife immensely. Valdi promises to find a way to never forget their wedding anniversary again next year. This is his last forgetful moment. He will make a concerted effort to surprise Nanette on their sixth anniversary, not the other way around. Valdi makes this vow silently, looking at his wife with gratitude and deepening affection for her.

But can Valdi keep his promise? Because he has been forgetting more and more lately.