Song of the Firebird

Fifty Nine

'So, what do you do with your winning roosters?'

'Why does it matter now?'

'I'm only curious.'

'Well.. Few of my friends, mate them with hens, make money out of eggs—in a small scale. I did the same for a few years, until my brother gave me the idea of letting the eggs hatch and raising them. We will pick the sturdiest ones and keep a few of the chicks with us. We—erm—will raise the rest and eventually, make a feast for the people who raised them along with us, using that.'

'Oh.'

I'm sorry- '

'It's okay. I have had delicious chicken meat countless times and tell me, does the taste differ from the ones that we get in the market?'

'In terms of juiciness, yes. I miss the meat back at my farm. But, in terms of texture, that's a big N-O. The ones from the supermarkets are the softest and easy to chew. You know, even when one has to spend quite a time chewing and pushing the food down their throats, the after taste lingers for a long time. That is the only time I stop taking my breath mints.'

'Is it better than the organic ones here?'

'Trust me, I will get you the best one when we get back next time. And why do you have to pop this rooster topic out of nowhere, baby?'

'I saw sheds with roosters, a few blocks before. They were quite big.'

'Oh, the Marchbankses own them.' Jay parked the Corrado in his parking spot outside the building. Swiftly bagging his car keys, he moved to the other side of his car and helped Natasha out from the car.

Grabbing his hands, she asked him out of the blue, 'Are you angry at me for losing our son? I tried to keep him safe-'

'Are you afraid of me, Tasha?', his hands swept the tears off her eyes. Grabbing both her cheeks, he continued, 'I knew that I wasn't at my best in the cabin, but that doesn't give you the right to assume that I'll be the same with you. I am responsible for the loss as much as you are. Don't carry the blames that you're not entitled to.'

Nodding, she covered her eyes with his hands and let him close the distance between them. Fear, she thought, of his lover's previous outburst, was the last thing she wanted to remember.

Jay cleared his throat, 'Speaking of fear, I think I'm in the wrong and was about to receive your wrath.' Confused, Natasha stared at him, letting his hands loose. 'I have collected a few of your belongings—clothes, toiletries, magazines and a few food items from your place and brought them over to mine. I thought you might need a change of place for a while and I am so willing to be your personal chauffeur. We can carpool, too. June, she will keep you good company, besides mine.'

Natasha snorted, 'Do I have a choice?'

'Not now. Not anytime near.'

'You're not even going to ask me?'

'Who do you take me for, baby? Well, Will you move in with me?'

Natasha grinned, 'Take me to our place!' Locking her hands with his elbow, she let him take her to their place.

Before the couple could reach Jay's door, they were stopped by his neighbours in the block. The couple exchanged greetings and eventually, the neighbours got the hang of their relationship. Few of them wished them upon their status, while a few felt disappointed, throwing a longing look at the kind ex-bachelor whom they adored. When the crowd dismissed, Jay dragged their luggage and crept past his door, leaving Natasha to gawk at the faces under colourful ribbons and mistletoe.

'SURPRISE!!!'

The confetti showered upon her, while there were grins and cackles at her baffled self. Danny held Kiara by her waist, Ivy and Drew jumped around until they hugged Natasha from her sides, and Zoya smirked as she let Iqbal grab her shoulders with a proud smirk playing over his face.