Haifa sat in her office, working on
the day's invoices, but her mind was far from the task at hand. Her gaze kept
drifting towards her boss's cabin. She had arrived at work early on a Sunday
morning, still preoccupied with the whirlwind of events from the weekend.
However, the moment she walked in, she was immediately overwhelmed with work.
The day began with an all-staff
meeting in the conference room. Lamya took her place at the head of the table,
looking down at the staff with a self-satisfied grin. She delivered a speech
introducing herself and outlining the changes she intended to implement.
Haifa sat in the meeting room, her
attention divided between listening to Lamya's speech and her own wandering
thoughts. Lamya's speech didn't seem to contain any major changes apart from
the shift in management under the new administration. However, what intrigued
Haifa more was the camera that Lamya had placed beside her bag on the chair.
The Sony Alpha 7 IV. It was a
remarkable camera with a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. It
was an exceptional hybrid camera that boasted outstanding still image quality
and advanced video technology. It featured state-of-the-art autofocus, enhanced
operability, and improved workflow capabilities, making it a true superstar
among cameras.
Haifa couldn't help but steal
glances at the camera, a piece of equipment she had long coveted. She knew its
specifications by heart and had spent countless hours watching videos from
lucky owners who had the privilege of using such a magnificent piece of technology.
But the hefty price tag made it a distant dream, something she couldn't afford
without selling several body parts.
As she waited for her boss to leave,
her anxiety grew. Facing Lamya was a daunting prospect, especially so soon
after the weekend's events. Haifa was also worried about Saira's reaction. She
knew Saira would try to talk her out of it, but it was something she needed to
do for herself. She had to be brave and face the situation head-on.
Haifa knew that she needed to
confront Lamya before Saira arrived and when her boss went out for his coffee
break. Their workplace didn't have a sign-in system, so every morning, Saira
went around to collect attendance sheets that needed to be signed by the staff.
Once he left, Haifa approached her
boss's office door. She took a deep breath, knocked, and hesitantly entered.
"Hi," she began, her voice trembling slightly, "um, can I come
in?" Haifa had to summon her courage for what was about to unfold.
Lamya gave Haifa a quick, dismissive
look and then focused her attention back on her laptop screen. Her voice was rigid
as she said, "Come in."
Haifa nervously cleared her throat
and took a couple of steps into the office, closing the door behind her.
“What?” Lamya asked impatiently.
She tried to find her words, her
voice still shaking. "I was thinking," she began tentatively, "Since
we are going to work together, we should, um, bury our differences behind
us."
Lamya glanced at her and raised a
perfectly shaped eyebrow, her expression unchanging as she regarded Haifa.
"I mean," Haifa continued, "Somehow we've managed to start on
the wrong foot more than once in the past. I thought we could move past
that?"
Lamya leaned back in her chair, her
demeanor still icy. "I have no intention of moving past anything with you.
And for the record, we do not work together. You work for me. Be very clear
about it," she said, her tone firm and uncompromising.
Haifa began to sweat, it was time to
leave, “Oh, um, okie then,” she quickly turned to leave. Haifa felt her anxiety
mounting at Lamya's harsh words. She turned to leave the office, eager to
escape the tense confrontation. But Lamya's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"I heard about you entering the
contest," Lamya said with a condescending tone. "It's cute you think
you can just come here and assume you can enter one of the prestigious
competitions in the region."
Lamya pointed her finger at Haifa,
and her thin bangles clanked with the motion. Haifa felt the weight of Lamya's
words bearing down on her.
"I have competed for two years,
and I have better experience and more talent than you," Lamya continued,
her voice dripping with superiority. "I will be winning the competition
this time. If you think for a moment that you can win, you're living in a
delusion."
Haifa found herself at a loss for
how to defuse the situation. She had entered Lamya's office with the intention
of offering an olive branch, yet somehow she had only managed to make things
worse. When Lamya waved her away dismissively and returned to her work, Haifa
took the hint and quickly exited the room.
"You really thought you could
make peace?" Saira asked, her laughter finally subsiding after Haifa
shared the incident. "How did that work out for ya?" she inquired.
"She declared war," Haifa
replied with a grim expression, causing Saira to burst into laughter once more.
Finally sobering up, Saira offered
some wisdom, "Look, you can't please everyone. I know you did what you did
only because you still feel guilty for those silly headphones. But you need to
remember, you were just a kid back then, and Lamya holding a grudge shows how
much she's matured since."
"I guess you're right,"
Haifa said thoughtfully.
"Don't dwell on things you
can't control, it won't help you. Forget about her. Don’t you have a shoot
today?" Saira inquired.
"I do. We're going to one of
the nearby uninhabited islands. I want to capture some untouched natural
beauty, maybe some macro shots," Haifa explained. Seeing Saira's expression,
she explained, "Close-up shots of small things, you know, like shells or
crabs, or even flowers. It shows fine details of small subjects that we don't
normally notice."
"That's cool. Too bad I can't
join," Saira lamented.
"You can’t?" Haifa asked.
"I have an embroidery
order," she said nonchalantly. "Some girls are having a baby shower
for their friend, and they want a blanket with the baby's name."
Haifa looked at her with surprise.
"When did you start doing embroidery?"
Saira shrugged. "Maybe in my
teens. I enjoyed it so much that I started it as a hobby. Then I began creating
my own designs."
Haifa wondered, "How come
you've never mentioned this before?"
"I haven't had any orders for
months, so I've taken a bit of a break," Saira said. "Plus, I've been
in a bit of a lull when it comes to creating new designs. You'll be fine
without me, right? Zishan will be there?"
Haifa nodded. "Yes, he said he
would pick me up around three."
She hadn't heard from him since
Friday. He had only texted her the trip details on Saturday night. She had
wondered if he was deliberately keeping his distance from her or if he was
testing to see if she would reach out to him. Her inclination was to text him,
but she resisted. She knew that showing too much interest might give him the
wrong idea, and she didn't want to lead him on.
***
Haifa waited inside the house,
keeping an eye out for Zishan through the window. When she saw him approaching,
she quickly opened the door. He greeted her with a big smile, sporting a pair
of Ray-Bans and a black cap. He was dressed in a well-worn maroon t-shirt,
along with khaki cargo shorts.
"Good thing you're wearing
outdoor clothes; we might get a bit dirty," he remarked as he glanced at
her long-sleeved t-shirt and leggings.
"I thought so, best to wear
something suitable for the outdoors," she replied.
As they were about to leave, Haifa
noticed Afa, sitting on the small joali swing, hanging from a nearby tree. She
watched them with a somber expression. Haifa frowned and asked, "Why
aren't you in school?"
"It's some teacher development
day, so we have no classes," Afa replied, looking glum.
"Then why are you sitting there
looking sad?" Haifa inquired.
"Mamma went to work at Aunt's
house, Dhonthi said she was busy," Afa explained with a shrug.
Haifa immediately felt a pang of
sadness for the little kid. She couldn't leave Afa sitting there all alone.
Haifa turned to Zishan with a questioning glance, who simply nodded. She smiled
gratefully and turned back to Afa.
"Want to go on a trip with
me?" Haifa asked.
Afa sat upright in a flash, nodding
her head so vigorously that she almost fell off her seat.
Haifa laughed and said, "Let me
just let your mamma know." She called Rugiyya and gave a thumbs-up to Afa
after getting the green signal.
They arrived at the beach, and
Zishan introduced his two teammates, Basith and Razi. Both were tall and
slender and appeared to be in their early twenties. Basith stood on the beach
with a backpack, while Razi pushed a dinghy out into the water.
Haifa looked a bit uncertain and
asked, "We're not taking a speed boat?"
Zishan reassured her, "No, it's
easy to lift up the motor as we near the island and land on beaches with a
dinghy."
They waded into the water and
approached the dinghy. With the boys' help, Haifa and Afa climbed aboard.
Although the dinghy moved slower than a speedboat, it still covered the
distance in less than fifteen minutes.
"This is the nearest island; I
wanted to give you a feel of what it’s like. It also has a sandbank at the
back, which would be beautiful for a photo," Zishan explained as they
walked onto the beach and of the island.
"It's really small," Haifa
said in wonder. She was fairly new to island life and never thought she would
set foot on an uninhabited one. The vegetation seemed overgrown, with the
ground covered in leaves and grass, giving the island a wild forest vibe.
"So, no one lives here?" she asked.
"No, there are several small
islands around without any human population, mostly used for farms. They're too
small for habitation or even to be turned into a resort," he clarified.
His team left them once they found a
good spot for her to capture a few shots and continued with their work.
"What exactly are they doing?" Haifa asked after they left.
"They are going to check the
marked trees and identify if any erosion is present. We usually do a few months
of rotation in updating our records," he said as Afa happily ran around
them, collecting shells and chasing a butterfly.
"Are they also trained like
you?" she asked.
"No, I've taught them what I
know. Hopefully, I can get them more interested in the field once my project
gets approval," he said.
She got some great shots before
Zishan led her to the sandbank he had mentioned, and it was breathtaking. The
formation was like a path of sand with saltwater lapping lazily on both sides.
The path extended to a small sandbank with one or two grey herons, or Maakana
as they were called in Maldives, walked gracefully on their long legs.
Haifa made Afa sit while she held
her breath, trying her best not to disturb them as they set up her tripod. She
took photos of the scene with the birds. One even took flight the moment she
took the photo, giving her an astounding picture. She was almost dancing with
excitement; it was a one-in-a-million photo.
The boys arrived, and they discussed
something. Zishan turned to her, “I need to check something, will you be okay
with Razi here? I won't take long,” he asked.
“Sure, go. We will be fine,” Haifa
said, waving him off.
After fussing with more photos, she
asked Razi, "Have you worked with him for long?"
"Maybe two years," he
replied, sitting next to Afa, both of them drawing in the sand with small
sticks.
"What got you interested in
this?" she asked, curious.
He thought for a moment, "I had
just finished school and was wondering about starting work. Zishan suggested I
try working with him for a few months. I was hooked after that."
“That’s all? He just suggested, and
you came?” she asked skeptically.
“I guess, yes,” he laughed. “I didn’t
want to say no to Zishan, he is like a brother to me. But I stayed because I
liked the work. It felt good to be part of something.” He replied.
Haifa shook her head, wondering how
that man could convince people so easily. She needed to know his secret.
After everyone had finished their
work, she waited on the shore while Razi and Basith once again got busy with
pushing the dinghy back into the water. Then she turned to Zishan. “So, are you
going to tell me how everyone sings your praises and jumps through hoops when
you ask for something?”
Zishan looked surprised at her
question, “What do you mean?” he asked.
She counted with her finger, “First Muneez
came to my home to fix my phone, then Khalid opened his resort for me to take
as many photos as I like, and now Razi says you asked him to work for you,” she
told him, holding up three fingers in front of him., “That’s three, for all I
know. Tell me what you have over these poor people?”
Zishan laughed as he ran his fingers
through his hair, “I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. They are
friends, very good friends of mine,” he tried to explain.
Haifa crossed her arms and eyed him,
“You're a wizard, aren’t you? You're using spells and enchanting everyone to do
your bidding?”
Zishan stepped closer, his eyes no
longer playful, an unreadable expression crossing his face “Have I enchanted
you?” he asked in a low voice, causing her to take a sharp breath.
It felt as if butterflies had suddenly
erupted in her belly, their delicate wings grazing her, making her curl her
toes. Haifa felt her face heat up, and her voice seemed to desert her. It was
as if she had been caught in the grip of a wild, overpowering storm. His gaze
held a magnetic allure, and she swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
Afa tugged on her hand, snapping her
out of the trance. “Let's go,” she said impatiently, seemingly oblivious to the
heated moment Haifa had found herself in. Shaking off her daze, she quickly
followed Afa, her heart still drumming loudly in her ears.
Did you love the chapter, please let me know your thoughts
in the comments.
Have a wonderful day!
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