Love? A Disaster

♪ 32 (c): Tethered Liberties ♪

Checking the time on her phone, Sila locked her car and hurriedly made her way through the gates. She was supposed to meet Sonia today, they had decided a suitable time but Sila's work commitments held her up and now, she was running late—way to go.

The shrubbery and rose plantation covered the walkway on both sides. The manicured grass went as far as the eye could go. The stone pathway turned into a raised platform and ended in a stone canopy. Columns flanked it and inside were ornate stone benches to sit. Standing at the edge, the running city beyond, with its high-rise buildings, seemed as alive as ever but as a distance echo, a rarity in the metropolis that never seemed to take a breather. The sun was preparing to call it a day, its glow painted the horizon in a pleasant canary orange, and birds marked the scenery as flapping silhouettes, returning to their abodes.

Sila had always found a peaceful sanctuary in this place. It was fascinating that a city, filled to the brim with chaos could still possess and retain the peace some places offered, where the time seemed to flow in a slow succession, and life problems weren't as daunting, even for a short while.

Sonia was standing in the arch, feeding the pigeons on the other side. They swooped down to pluck the bits in their beaks and returned to the water basin they were crowding.

As Sila entered the canopy, Sonia's eyes fell on her. Sila gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry. My boss called a meeting without prior notice."

"I was about to throw the tantrum of the century but I guess, your corporate plight just saved you from my wrath," Sonia remarked good-naturedly, making Sila chuckle.

"I don't think tantrums are your to-go method as it is, but you can try." She sat down on the stone bench. The evening air helped her considerably in feeling at ease.

Sonia paused, momentarily surprised. Sila found it peculiar and waited for her to explain.

"Would you believe me if I said that your husband, more or less, told me the same when we first met?"

Sila wasn't surprised. Just amused. "Oh, I believe you. I'm also not shocked that he was late to meet you the first time." A small laugh escaped her lips to punctuate her words.

Sonia's eyes twinkled with mirth as she caressed the head of a pigeon. The bird was comfortable with Sonia's touch, picking on the food from her palm.

"You are a regular here." Sila pointed out. Sonia nodded, looking around as if reminiscing the memories the years prior had bestowed with.

"This place is special to me. It was here I bumped into Cyrus during one of my evening strolls. He refused to leave my side after that so, I took pity on him and married him." She placed her hand on the wall, chuckling already. "He proposed here. I was yet to say yes when his knee gave up on him and he lost the balance. But these frivolous things don't perturb my husband. He grinned at me as he lay on the floor and said see, I've fallen hard. Everything vouches for this."

Sila laughed along with her. Cyrus' loud personality had always been a plus point but it was good to know his goofiness was so cherished by his wife.

"Did you help him get up or just resorted to say yes?"

Sonia gave it a thought. "I had to do the former. His lying there was endearing to me but we had started to garner weird stares."

It wasn't hard to imagine, if anything this anecdote cemented that Cyrus and Sonia hadn't changed their ways after years of being married. They were as much fools in love as Sonia's retelling of their proposal suggested.

Once the laughter subsided, they fell into a comfortable silence. Sila fiddled with her phone case. Then she looked at Sonia. "If someone told me a few weeks back that I'll be hanging out with you and Cyrus, I'd have called them silly."