Saudah was in the kitchen when he walked in. She hadn't heard him close the door and he was somewhat thankful for it. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts as she wriggled her bum to whatever was blasting through her ears at that moment. He held in his laugh as she stepped up to her pot in time to the beat. She began to mouth along to the words and she spun around, stopping short when she saw him.

"Hi."

"I-" She pulled her earphones out, tucking it back into her bra before she turned around to compose herself. "I didn't think you would be home yet."

He leaned against the door frame, grinning as every part of her became more and more red- from her forehead, down her chest to what he was sure would be the tips of her toes.

"It's already 7."

She glanced at the clock on the wall and widened her eyes. "So it is..."

"So what's all this?" he asked, gesturing to the multitude of pots and dishes along the counter.

"Well..." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I was going to bribe you."

"For what?" His smile only widened until he heard a soft but distinguishable mew coming from their bedroom. "What's that?"

"That's why I was going to bribe you."

Riyaadh turned to their bedroom. He was about to take a step when Sauda jumped in front of him. "Wait, wait, wait!"

"What now?" he chuckled, finding her antics more and more entertaining.

"What's your stance on pets?"

He considered his answer for a moment. "I don't think I have one."

"Okay, good-" she was interrupted once again by soft taps on the door. "We kind of adopted a cat."

"We adopted a cat?" he stared at her. Just stared.

"Uhm hmm..." she rubbed the corner of her ear, "So I was driving along Beyers and I stopped at the robot and this guy came to the window and he was holding it but its scruff and he wanted fifty bucks for it and..." she shrugged her shoulders.

"And you bought it because you felt bad for it?" He finished off for her.

"Basically..."

"So, let's see it then." Riyaadh nudged her aside before he walked to their room and cracked open the door. He gasped as a little, grey blur attacked his shoe and swotted at his laces as if it were waiting to pounce.

Riyaadh bent down and picked it up, allowing it to sniff his hand before he turned to Saudah. "He's cute."

"I checked the building laws. We can keep him as long as he's trained and doesn't wander."

"He needs to go for a check-up." Riyaadh remarked, lifting it up to examine him properly. "Yup, it's a boy."

"I made an appointment for tomorrow." She petted him alongside his ears till his purrs vibrated against her fingers. "How old do you think he is?"

"Uhm..." Riyaadh shifted the kitten to his other hand as he got bored of sniffing his right one. "I'd say two or three months?"

"So, you're not mad?" she peeked up at him, far more sheepish than she had ever looked.

"And if I was?" he teased.

"I had a whole plan to convince you." Saudah laughed as the cat crawled off Riyaadh's hand and up her arm.

"Was the dancing part of it?"

She shook her head at him, pecking him on his cheek before she walked back into their bedroom to put the cat back into his box.

***

"What are we naming him?"

It had become their ritual. They stood on the balcony far past midnight and just watched. It was peaceful. There was the odd car or bus that passed and occasionally they'd hear muffled voices coming from their neighbour's flat. But it was becoming their own. They owned that little part of the night when no one was around to intrude.

"Uhm, Tommy?" Saudah suggested as she tightened her throw around her shoulders.

"Tommy?" Riyaadh raised his eyebrow.

"Ya, you know... the Aristocats?"

Riyaadh shook his head, entirely clueless.

"Have you never heard of them?" Saudah exclaimed. "But they're- Oh my God!"

Riyaadh chuckled at her response. She had been loosening up more and more as the days went by and he loved seeing this side of her.

"So, Tommy? Thomas?" Saudah suggested once again.

"Sure, why not. He looks a bit like a Thomas." Riyaadh turned around to watch the kitten snoozing on the couch. "Or Tommo?"

"Tommo?"

"Uhm hmm." He took a deep puff, exhaling it all slowly. "From Private Peacefu"

"I like it." She stretched her arms above her head, rolling out the kinks in her back. "Did I tell you my parents are moving?"

"Nope. When?" Riyaadh tapped his box on his thigh before he pulled out another cigarette.

"In a few months' time. The house is too big for the two of them."

"And how do you feel about it?" Riyaadh asked, watching her face as she thought about it.

"You know we don't actually say that, right?" she smacked him playfully on his arm before she turned her head back to the street. "I don't really think I care. I mean home is just..."

It was innocent. It wasn't anything harder than a tap to his shoulder, but his body shifted away from her without him even realising it. He told himself that he was being ridiculous. He told himself that she wasn't Farhana. He believed it too but the hurried puffs and the frantic fumbling for the next smoke told him enough.

"-you coming in?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Her smile dimmed. "Are you coming in?"

"Let me just finish this." He gestured towards his cigarette.

"Okay... don't take too long." Her shoulders had dropped ever so slightly, and she pulled her throw just a little tighter around herself.

They both knew.

It was just a formality now.

They knew the truth. The moment on the balcony belonged to them but it would never surpass that.

He would stay out there and smoke another and another and another, walking in only when the whole world had gone to sleep, and his mind was too tired to even conjure up one last image before he closed his eyes.

***

It still intimidated Riyaadh to be the ILS in the truck. He had only passed his exam a few months prior and knowing he was a little higher up than the other guy still caused something of a panic within him.

"Who's that?" Lerato nodded to the hulking man in uniform outside the house they were called to.

"CPF? Or their security company I guess." Riyaadh shrugged as he pulled in.

"Nice of them..." Lerato remarked offhandedly before he got out.

"Hey, man." Riyaadh nodded to the guy at the gate. "So, what are we looking at?" He already knew but it was the easiest way to make small talk.

"Dunno. We got the call and forwarded it to you. They left the gate open for you though."

"Who you guys with?" Riyaadh asked as he got his gear from the back.

"KPS."

"Cool. Another guy is coming in a bit, so will you just keep an eye out for him?"

"Ya, sure. Why is he coming though?"

"We can't issue the medication so he's coming with it. He'll probably be driving a Subaru."

"Got it."

Riyaadh nodded at him as he walked past the giant of a man and hurried into the house.

"Thank God! You're finally here!"

This was familiar to Riyaadh. The relief when he walked in; the confusion as they wondered what was wrong; the pain as they were examined and checked out; the sheer exhaustion of hurting as they were put into the back of the truck.

It was always different, yet it was always the same.

It was easy to determine other peoples' emotions. It was easy to know if they were okay or not- if they trusted him or not. He could see it in their eyes when they looked at him. They trusted him to know what he was doing. They trusted him with their lives, and it humbled him every single time.

He didn't think much of it as they performed their standard checks. It was routine- check her breathing, listen to her pulse, assess her blood pressure...

All standard.

All normal.

Just a job.

He was tired as they pulled in at the station. Lerato had elected to drive, allowing Riyaadh to smoke his last two. "We doing stocktaking now or tomorrow?"

"Let's just do it now. I'm not on shift tomorrow." Riyaadh replied, chucking his stompie into the bin beside their truck.

"Ya, okay. Did you-" Lerato stopped speaking, his attention directed to something behind Riyaadh.

"Sorry?"

Riyaadh turned around, looking up at the man before him. That in itself was strange considering Riyaadh was usually the tallest one in the room.

"Ya?"

"Are you Riyaadh?"

"Uh huh."

"I was wondering if it would be possible to see my sister."

Riyaadh tilted his head, unable to place his face at all. "I'm sorry I don't think I know you."

"You wouldn't." the man said, almost too soft for Riyaadh to hear. "I'm Farhana's brother."

Riyaadh took a step back, bumping into Lerato. "Oh."

"I'm Riaz." He held out a hand for Riyaadh to shake. "I know it's sudden but I really need to see her."

"I don't know where she is though." This was surreal.

He couldn't put into words the garbled emotions blurring through his mind. It made it all real. Everything he had forgotten had become real again.

The man looked down at him in utter confusion. "But aren't you two-"

"We got divorced three years ago."