The Shades of Spring

Being lost is a necessity to be found

She hurried to the venue, having missed the first bus and getting off at the wrong stop in the second. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on her brow with all the walking around trying to locate the correct turn.
"Who keeps a carnival in the end of this Dunya? You're supposed to have it in easy locations," she complained to Google maps with bitter annoyance.

She glanced around helplessly again as her frustration teetered dangerously close to the edge of panic. Any other day, she would have staunchly opted to find the way herself without asking for help, but not today. She tried calling Hafsa first and then Musa, who picked up on the second try.
"Assalamu alaikum, what's wrong?"
This is how you greet, Mister.
"Wa alaikum-us-salaam. Musa, I think I lost my way."

"Parks, shut up for a minute. Sidra, where are you, now?"

To the best of her ability she gave him a rough location
"...and there was mall, I think. And-"

"Sid, Sid, wait. Give me a landmark. An obvious one."

"Uh..." she looked around desperately, "Ugly blue monument of a man on horseback?"

"Does it have a name?"

"Wait...." she squinted thinking how weak her eyesight was growing. "John Cooper."

"Okay. Stay right next to that. I'm still in the jam closer to home than the venue. Stay tight."

"Okay."

She hung up with an irate huff, scolding her phone and the internet and everything technology got wrong. A couple minutes later Musa called her again.
"What are you wearing?"

"Blue abaya, cream hijab. Same as last week."

"Sorry. Forgot the dress code."

"Where are you?"

"Just entered the highway."

"Ya Rabbi..."

"I'll call you, okay? There's a cop in front."

"Fine."

_______________

Two whole minutes later, he showed up in the same pale pink jersey, hanging on the phone and waving to her across the road.
Cautiously and self-consciously she approached Ayaan who greeted her with a half smile.
"Musa called. Sorry I couldn't come any earlier. Just arrived myself."

"Sorry for the trouble," she planned Musa's murder behind the smile. "I just....I'm not good with roads."

"Never mind, you made it pretty close."

He led her past a few closely constructed boutiques, across a street or two and finally up the small hillock atop which the perimeter was set.
"You could've seen it if it wasn't for that big building," he pointed out as she trailed behind. "And this is the back entrance. Sorry again. Which bus did you take?" She replied. "Oh. You should've taken (route number) they come right down the main road and literally drop you off at the gates."

Sidra was extremely thankful he was still in front and wouldn't see the embarrassment which turned her face pink. Like a lot of things she screwed up, she just didn't take the time to look up a different route to get where she wanted to be. Now at the top, she saw how much easier things would've been had she set off on time and preplanned the transport without hopping on the usual commute with blind confidence.
He led her right up to the tent where only Hafsa was sitting dejectedly and were joined by their two colleagues minutes later while Ayaan sat on his haunches and chugged water.

"You said you were in the bus," Josh clapped him on the back.

"I was," he admitted but refused to elaborate.