Song of the Firebird

Thirty Three

'Do you have anything else to let me know before your next visit? Your foetus is doing great.'

'I have been thinking about it for quite a while. Can you give me clearance for air travel?'

'Air travel? Tasha, what the hell has been going on in your damn mind?'

'Shush, little one! Let the adults do the talking. Clearance for air travel, ooh! Taking your little one on a vacation?'

'Well, things have been intense these days. I felt that a break would do good for the mind and body.'

'It was indeed intense. Tell me, young lady, do you need to rely only on "air travel" for your "break"?'

'Excuse my annoying sister, Natasha. I wish you had come here with your partner and Ivy is obviously not that. As you say, a lot of young mothers think that they deserve a break after their first trimester. The second one is always flexible. You did choose well, the dates of your travel. But I'd rather suggest that they are too sudden. And, it is only for a weekend! Will you not be needing a week or so? You know, go to a spa, spend time on the beach, go sightseeing, a lazy day inside your room?'

'A couple of days will be fine, I presume, Dr. Williams.'

'...'

'Ah! Then here it is', scribbling down the mandatory fields in a form and stamping her seal, Iris handed Natasha a declaration letter for the latter's clearance for air travel. 'Stay safe and have fun. And, feel free to drag my sister wherever you go, in case your partner is not back yet.' She winked at Ivy and said, 'I've got your back.'

Ivy, who still was speechless at the unforeseen statement, blinked at her sister's words. 'You mean, I get to go too? If Tasha's okay with it?'

Natasha looked lovingly at her flabbergasted friend and said, 'Of course, I wanted to ask you as soon as I stepped out of this room. Ivy Williams, will you come with me on my short trip?'

'Yes! A thousand times YES!'

Iris snorted. 'Stop ruining my tea break, ladies. I have had too much drama today.'

The women walked silently all the way to the taxi stand. As soon as they got inside one, Ivy shrieked, 'Yay! Where is it? When are we starting? Is Ki coming as well? Are we going to the beach? Spa? Shopping?' Natasha scratched her neck and looked through the windows, not meeting Ivy's gaze. Pretending to suppress the tension from her face, Ivy asked, 'Tasha, where are we going? Is it too far?'

Natasha lowered her eyes to her hands on the seat and nodded. 'To Madurai.'

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Ivy's excitement turned to a wide frown, lapsing throughout their journey. Her mind was posing questions, her emotions ranging from contempt to concern. At that point, she didn't know if it's worth changing her friend's tangled mind. Even if she were pushed into Natasha's shoes, her first move will always be flight.

When the car stopped outside Lizzie's, Ivy said, 'Let's talk over lunch. I am calling dibs on the corner cabin.' Sighing, Natasha swept past her to the counter and grabbed two sandwiches and iced teas.

A woman's voice came behind her, 'Being the owner of the shop, you should not break the rules yourself, boss.'

Natasha called out, 'Put these on my tab, Zoya!' When she joined Ivy on their spot, she folded her fingers and took a deep breath. 'Look, if you can't make it, that's okay. I—Ever since Danny gave me Jay's details, I wanted to hop on the next flight and see Jay, to at least know that he was doing okay. Whatever that emergency was, I wanted to see him one last time, before things got worse. With the days slipping away, I was growing impatient. Besides, it's not fair that I drag you all into this without respecting your decisions. I feel good and bad at the same time.'