Between friends

They sat together, these two, watching the oblivious crowd below carrying on with their lives. The rooftop was a frequent meeting place for nocturnal chats back when they were young. Noone would invade their privacy up here amidst the wandering pigeons and floating kites. Of course, that was a long time ago. Now there were rooftops aplenty and even more watchful eyes, always on the lookout for an anomaly. Privacy ? That ended with the fall of the Towers.

They had both grown up a lot too since those days. They had chosen different paths, different means and methods.. they had both found success in their line of work. Neither really approved of the others means, but in the end it didn’t matter. Besides, up here on the roof, after all these years, it was just good to be back together again.

“Look. It’s not like she’s asking you for a divorce or anything. She’s just going abroad on work. I mean, with all the places you’ve traveled in the course of your work, I don’t see why you’re complaining now that she..”
“ I’m not a fool, man. I know she’s just gonna be gone for a few days. It’s just.. I miss her already.”
“Then why don’t you go surprise her ? Heaven knows , you have the means..”
“Believe me, the thought crossed my mind. But she read it faster than I did. She told me not to drop by unexpectedly. Said she tends to get distracted when I’m around. She said she’d have to babysit me till we reached back since I had a tendency to find trouble.”
“Well, you do have a tendency of finding trouble, you know.”
“Are you trying to be supportive ?”
“Look, all I’m saying is she’s a grown woman. You two have been married like forever. You’ve been through the good times and the bad. You knew she was a journalist before you married her. So she’s going on a dangerous assignment. Relax. She knows how too handle herself.”
“You don’t get it, do you ?”
“What ?”
“It isn’t her I’m worried about. It’s me. I don’t know how I can live without having her beside me. You see, B, around everyone else, I’ve this mean complex..”
“You call that ‘mean’ ? I've seen girls who hit rougher than you."
“Shut up. But around her, I’m jelly. My heart skips a beat whenever she walks into the room even now. I can’t wait to tell her about my day when I get back. To hear her rambling about hers.”
“Let me ask you something. In all these years, haven’t you ever been tempted to stray. I mean, heaven knows, a lot of the girls at the workplace would die to be with you. What about Diana, for instance ? C’mon. , You know she has the hots for you. Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like..”
“I’d be lying if I said no, B. But it’s natural to lust, right ? I mean, yes, there have so many nights when working with Di, I felt .. you know.. but it always came down to the same thought – could I bear to spend the rest of my life not waking up besides my snoring groggy eyed wife ? To not hear her glass shattering singing in her shower or bite my tongue as I smiled through her godawful coffee ? Was I ready to not sit and pray in the passenger seat as she drives with one hand on the mobile and the other on her lipstick ? The endless phone bills..”
“Woah. Slow down, cowboy !! Is all this leading to a yes or a no ?”
“Ha ha. Isn’t it obvious. No. Not for one moment could I survive without her love as my beacon. That’s what love is all about, man. All that you would expect to hate, you find yourself loving in her. You enjoy everything about her. So many years have passed and I still can’t get enough of her.. I’d climb the tallest mountain, fight the ugliest demon just to win her over and over again. Just for that one smile.”
“Well, I guess, all I have to say is ‘congrats, you’re still in love.’ I mean, I’ve never had the chance to experience love the way you have.. you know how my work hours are. There just isn’t the time for romance.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, B. There’s always time for love. You’re following the present day world’s policy, I’m afraid. You’re giving up love for everything else, when in fact, you should be doing the opposite. Do you always wanna be known as a dark lonely man ?
“Hey, works for me so far. I don’t know. I just don’t see myself in this dating game. The whole charade – the flowers, the chocolates, poetry.. it just isn’t me, Clark. ”

The sound of a vibrating beeper interrupted the conversation. Clark looked at the number.
“Work. I’ll have to receive this one. Hello ?”
“ Superman, we have a situation going down in Boston. A bunch of masked goons have taken a shopping mall hostage.”
“We’re on it, Flash.”
“We ?”
“Bats is with me.”
“Oh, is he now ?” Batman looked at the mobile. Flash’s tone had a sudden naughty tone to it he didn’t like.
“Well, will you tell Batman that Catwoman’s at the JLA headquarters waiting for him. She told to tell him dinner will be ready in an hour so he’d better hurry. Dang, it smells awful. But then again, compared to the poetry Bats wrote for her that I happened to ahem..‘accidentally’ stumble upon, totally unintentionally of course, I guess awful is too harsh. Anyway, loverboy better like the cuisine. Cats been slaving over the stove all day.
Gotta go, Supes.. call on line 2.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure he gets the message, Flash.” Superman said, his face a portrait of restraint.
“Umm…”
Shut up, Clark.”
“Flash told me to tell you that Catwoman said dinner will be ready in an..”
“I heard what he said, Superman.”
“..hour. She’s been slaving over the stove all day for you..”
“What part of shut up did you not get, boy scout ?”
“Ok. Ok… loverboy.”
“Clark…”
“You know my work hours, he said. There isn’t the time for romance, he said. No time for dating, he said. Definitely no time for poetry..”
WHIRRRRR.. CLANK. The batarang hit the wall where a second ago, Superman had been leaning on and landed harmlessly on the ground.
Superman hovered in the air, his grinning face an absolute contrast to that of his friend.
“Faster than a speeding bullet ain’t just a phrase, my friend. Listen, I’ve got a mall to save, but with Lois away for the week, you wanna catch a movie with me later tonight.. oh wait ! I forgot, you have plans, loverboy !! And hey, how come I never get any poetry from you after all these years.. are you blushing ? Woaah.”

WHIRRRRRR… The batarang, of course, never stood a chance as Superman was long gone even before Batman had flexed his elbow. Bats stared at the receding figure in the sky . ‘Was it a bird ?Was it a plane ? No, it’s a major pain' he mused.’ His grim face thawed and a sheepish smile broke out. “ I do not blush, damn it.” He felt his cheeks slowing regaining their natural shade even as he said the words. He shook his head.
“Oh man. I have got to get a full face mask.” He said, as he headed down the roof.