Deep Wells

CAGES

THE MAYORESS

The luminous yellow, orange purple and pink hues of summer cascaded and peaked between the garden pergolas, vividly illuminating the hanging bronze birdcage. The sun's brightness reflected against the vertical metals and intricate carvings of flowers and swirls on its base. And inside, almost dancing along with the wavering sunset's light was an alone peach-faced lovebird. The specie's tiny claws grasped tightly around the customised horizontal wood of the cage. The bird's rosy-peach face and its plumage's array of green colours highlighted its bounty wings even more. The lovebird effortlessly glowed and shimmered in perfect radiance inside the iron enclosure that held the animal captive. But it was alone.

"She's alone," Dianna Fontanilla's index finger reached for the bird but the animal only blinked. Unmoving. Motionless. With a sigh, Dianna placed her hand back on her side away from the cage. And just like the bird, she did not even stir from her spot. The setting sunlight continued to shine against her body, sending a seemingly incandescent glimmer on her porcelain skin. Her eyes too were lustrous, just like the bronze antique cage, just like fluttering wings of the lovebird, like her skin, her hair.  But she did not dare to turn around. "I did not even realise her partner fled," she said again not even bothering whether her husband was standing, waiting, and staring at the bird few metres away behind her.

"I want your support," replied Arthur Fontanilla without paying much attention to her earlier nonsense statements about their lonely lovebird.  "I need you." Upon hearing her husband's words, Dianna Fontanilla's eyes now glimmered even more but this moment, they glistened with tears. Her throat suddenly tightened. Her heart eventually sank with her curdled blood. She blinked. She exhaled. She nodded. Still staring at the bird, Dianna uttered, "Yes of course." She then inhaled slowly. Her eyes were closed this time. Who would have thought that the fresh breeze of summer would be the only remaining entity to comfort her weary lungs? "Of course," she whispered.

"Thank you." Dianna swallowed hard before finally turning around. Under her garden's pergola, there, she stood a metre apart from her husband. Behind her, the lonely lovebird remained still. The spontaneity of the sun's glorious vibrancy persisted to glare through them. It was in fact, almost blinding but Dianna Fontanilla held her husband's gazes with pure gentleness and incredulous compassion. Her tears evaporated. Her pain remained invisible. Her agony, unseen. Perfectly camouflaged by her elegance and incredible kindness. "And when will the campaign start?"

"Next week."

"Okay." But none of them moved. None of them dared to look away from each other. Arthur Fontanilla even smiled at her, quite frankly, he looked little too thankful. But Dianna Fontanilla did not mind. Inside, as she crumbled along with the heaviness of her heart and with the fragility of her soul, she breathed in. She breathed out.  As expected, Arthur finally took a step forward, without taking her eyes away from him; he automatically held her hips and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Then his lips travelled down to her jawline, down to her chin until he finally claimed her lips. And they kissed. Almost passionately. But not quite.

Dianna Fontanilla responded hesitantly. His tongue's eagerness to invade her mouth overwhelmed her. She felt his hands around her hips pulling her closer to his body. But Dianna could only clutch on his polo for support. She thought she was about to fall yet his kisses drowned her with an intense wintry touch of dullness. It was ponderous. Rather banal.

They kissed simply because they had to. Simply because he had to.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

When Arthur Fontanilla finally let go of her, they were panting. Breathless. She did not realise she was holding on his polo a little bit too tightly. Once Dianna Fontanilla realised this, she immediately released her hands, she then looked down and looked up again to find his eyes. But this time, though still gasping from their prosaic and rather uneventful kiss; Dianna pulled a melancholic smile. It faded quickly. And her eyes, as if the sun finally was submerged in the horizon, no longer shone as it used to be. "I love you." Dianna Fontanilla mumbled. It was almost inaudible but with her husband still cupping her cheeks, he was able to hear her words properly. Loud and clear.