Song of the Firebird

Epilogue

67 months later...

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

'I could always get used to this.'

'...'

Groggily, Natasha opened her eyes and sighed. Her hands swept through the blanket and pocketed her smartphone. 0600. Behind the digital clock display, sat her and Jay's candid portrait from their wedding in the States. Though it had been five years, she could not stop gawking at the picture where they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Not to mention, a traditional Tamil wedding that followed, where after tying the knot, they shared a deep kiss that left the rest of the crowd gasp with sheer embarrassment.

Looking again at the picture, she saw them holding hands as their forehead bumped through their kiss, in a lush green and brown backdrop of the woods in the south of Bunna town. She could not complain when Jay was determined to make a happy memory that could overstep on the bad one that they were once part of. At that time, there was neither snow nor the gang to shake them in the slightest.

Natasha, not wanting to forget even a frame of it, replayed the scene, while fixated on her mobile screen.

Ivy, Kiara and Mandhira were all bustling, demanding and requesting the MUA. It did not take long for Natasha to snap at them when the bride in question was calm herself. Listening to their nonchalant mumbling, Natasha chuckled and let them order around. Their tirade lasted until Maggie's arrival into the bride's designated room.

When Maggie shooed away the younger women surrounding her daughter, Natasha saw a peeping Danny who was winking at his wife, Kiara. Seconds later, said man had been dragged by none other than Jay's elder brother Jeeva. Locking eyes with his soon-to-be sister-in-law, Jeeva smiled and nodded.

Closing the door behind her, Maggie beamed at Natasha. 'My baby is finally getting married!' She engulfed her daughter and savoured the latter's appearance for the celebration. The short cocktail dress with full skirt, all-over lace and a beautiful illusion neckline was nothing short of perfection. Maggie shed happy tears for witnessing the day she had always dreamt of. Rubbing the last of her tears and kissing her daughter's forehead, she said, 'God bless both of you, my child.'

While the mother-daughter duo exchanged silent happy minutes, there was a knock at their door, followed by a creaking sound. Drew peeped in and cleared his throat. 'Everyone's waiting, boss.' The women nodded silently at the announcement. A second later, he whispered, 'You look beautiful.' Not caring about ruining her makeup, Natasha hugged Drew and sniffled. 'Do you want me to knock him out boss? He sure made you cry right now.'

She smacked his back playfully, 'I dare you, Drew.'

The moment she hooked her hand to her mother's, Natasha could not stop both her nervousness and happiness to flow away. Her hands shook, and it didn't go unnoticed by her mother. Clasping her other hand over her daughter's, Maggie asked Natasha, 'Honey, do you love him enough to forget all your hard times combined?' Natasha stopped walking and nodded silently. 'Well, you must lose your fears and not let your feet hit the ground.'

Bobbing her head up and down, Natasha watched ahead into her wedding scene. With no more than thirty guests on the tables, including the officiant and the organizers, the entire spot resembled a picnic in the woods. A three-tier wedding cake was placed next to the catering table. Natasha admired the figurines resembling a dark groom and his white bride, wherein the man carried his bride, piggyback.

Taking her first steps on the carpet, she watched Iqbal and Zoya grin and wave at her, with intertwined hands. As Natasha crossed the pair, Zoya let out the loudest whistle, letting the rest of the crowd cheer at her onset. Laughing out loud, Natasha took her steps closer to the altar. She then saw Rosie, Ivy's date for the wedding, wink at her and give a thumbs up to her. Nodding back, she was drawn to the side where the rented piano was brought in. She was indeed mesmerised when Drew sat on the seat, punching keys to John Legend's All of Me. She wondered where he tuned in his talent for the instrument since there weren't any notable differences with the original musical notes of the famous artist.