Chapter 174: A couple’s walk.
For once, they didn’t go off to bed after dinner. Hades decided to take a romantic walk around their section of the wall. He had seen some couples doing it regularly. All the benches on the base were occupied by pairs when evening set.
Most would be munching on something they had acquired from the market. Others would be listening to music, sharing earphones and cuddling.
Some would be wrapped in blankets, reading a book. Couples could also be found in the bar, on the field and the movie halls. So, Hades had decided that they would join those couples.
Their lives did not have to be about danger and rationing all the time.
His gloved right hand held her left one as they walked down the path leading to the gardens. They did not say anything as they enjoyed the relaxed silence and smiled back at others that gave them more than one interested gaze.
It was interesting to meet all the people that were out walking their pets. As a rule on the base, all pets had to be kept on leashes when they were taken out for walks.
So, they met dogs, cats, ducks, a rabbit, and a guinea pig. All on leashes. Some looked cute and others just looked funny. All made the base livelier at night.
Sunshine laughed when she saw Nimo’s uncle Bill walking with his wife and their potted cactus on a walk. Nimo claimed he loved the cactus more than his life.
Mrs. Potter was walking her fish which were in a glass bowl. Her teenage son was sulking because he was missing the movie which all of his friends were watching.
As they passed mother and son, they both heard the boy asking if they could go home and he could go to the movies.
"Should we also go and watch the movie?" Hades suddenly asked her.
She pondered on it and made a "mmm" sound from her throat. "I think the gardens are a better option. They are private because they are out of bounds to those that don’t work in that section. And, I have many laptops in my space and storage devices with hundreds of movies."
He pulled her hand and folded it in his arm. "Garden it is. It is getting colder and colder every day. I cannot imagine what we would be doing without the bubble to keep the snow out."
She bumped him on the side with her hip. "I thought you said no apocalypse talk."
Hades laughed. "That is like saying no business talk. I always talk business, it is inevitable. Just as you talk about your love for fixing broken things."
"Nothing is too broken to be fixed." She held out one hand and folded one fist, raising it with determination in her eyes. "Except for human relationships. If they are broken, do not fix them."
Hades stopped walking and he looked at her curiously. "Is this about Amber?"
She wanted to say no but she could not lie to herself or him. Every day that passed, she wondered if Amber would show up to the gates, human or superhuman, demanding to take back what was once hers.
"Don’t say anything just yet." He told her.
He rushed her to the green house, and they went inside. The lights were on, but there were no workers. Some flowers, herbs and plants were growing successfully. An orange tree that had mutated was already bearing fruit, large oranges that were dangling from vines which crept on the sides of the greenhouse and the ground.
Hades sat her down and swung one leg over the bench, facing her. It was a small bench, which made the distance between them equally small.
"What is it about Amber that worries you?" He asked her directly.
Sunshine took a deep breath. "Do you still hold love for her in your heart?" She asked, as direct as he was. "If she shows up here looking for help, will you take her into our base? Will you bring her to our home just because she is the birth mother of the children?
I will be direct with you Hades, I do not want to be entangled in a love triangle. I am also not willing to move and upend my life just because she shows up here and cries a few tears. If you are going to go back to your ex-wife eventually, we should end this arrangement....."
He covered her mouth quickly. "Hush," She was speaking too quickly and making way too many assumptions. If she kept going, he was afraid that she would pull out divorce papers from her space and ask for a signature.
She tapped his hand, urging him to take it back.
He did so and said, "This is supposed to be a fun date. I see daggers in your eyes and hear hints of accusation when I have done nothing wrong. Where is this coming from?"
She sighed. "Moon."
"Moon. You actually listened to that lunatic’s opinion about something!" He admonished
The last person whose words he would ever believe about anything was Moon Raine. The woman had tried to accuse him of rape. She was poison.
"Suni," he said her name softly.
This time, she covered his mouth with her gloved palm. "Let me finish what I have to say. Please."
She needed to get it all out so that she could make her decisions more easily. So that Amber’s ghost stopped haunting her.
"Moon married you in our last life." She told him. "She drugged your food and climbed into your bed so that she could become your wife. After the meteors fell and the first light acid rain fell, we all decided to find safety because the world had become unpredictable.
Your grandfather did not think that it was wise for everyone to go to a single place as one group, so we split up. I went with Cassius, Rowena, Dustin, some bodyguards and some Quinn’s. We headed to Cross town. You, Moon, the children and other Quinn’s headed this way, to Westbrook.
When I saw Moon again, three years had passed. She was being sold by a slave trader. She was thin, starving and sick. I saved her of course and our family reunited. She never told me your fate...but she was very clear. Amber found you and I think you kicked Moon out for her something....I am not sure. All I know is that she told me not to get too comfortable because of Amber.
My worry is that I am going to invest my emotions and time into you and the children and in the end, you will welcome her back with open arms. I would rather leave now than wait for that day."
Much as it would pain her to leave the children, an early separation would help everyone move on quickly.
They had the base and the supplies. Both of them had accomplished their goals. The marriage did not necessarily need to hold anymore.