The sunset painted the sky in coppery hues when Fern and Reed Patinder returned home after another day in the restaurant kitchens. Their bodies, tired but satisfied from a job well done, moved with the synchronicity that only decades together could achieve.
The gentle breeze carried the familiar scents of the outskirts, wild herbs, freshly turned earth, and the aroma of cooking fires.
"Another new dish that was a success," Reed commented, a note of pride in his weary voice. "It could become a permanent specialty."
Fern nodded, a small smile illuminating her face.
They turned the last corner toward their modest home, conversation flowing naturally between memories and plans for the next day…
But something interrupted their habitual routine.
