Between Two Hearts

She stood at the wide glass window that links to her room’s balcony admiring the weather. It had been raining since midnight and it’s already past 8:00am, but the water drops are still dribbling racing against one another. She matched to a door adjacent to the window and pulled the door gently making herself into the balcony. She sat on one of the chairs placing her cup of decafenated coffee on the table. She closed her eyes listening to the sound of water dropping with a soft thud, hitting the ground surface fiercely. Although she fears rainy season — thunderstorms to be precise, but she can live happily forever in this kind of elated atmosphere — sipping her hot coffee, letting the smell of coffee amalgamated with the smell of wet sand fills her nostrils, while feeling the fresh air as it blows.

Fifteen minutes later, she returned to her room looking at every corner, how messy it looked. Her clothes were all over the room despite it’s quite big. She remembered the reason why the room was all messed up. She was looking for a particular handkerchief that she adores and probably run mad if she’s to lose it. She couldn’t locate it, so she pulled her clothes out of her closet in extreme frustration, throwing them all over the room. She later found it had stuck to a cloth when she was about to go crazy, trying to pull out the rest of her clothes out.

She sighed thinking of how to pack the clothes and put them back to their place.

“No that will be difficult, I can’t do it...yeah!” She thought, quickly dismissing the earlier thought of putting the clothes back to where they were.

She sluggishly made her way to her study table. Immediately after she sat, she opened her laptop scrolling through her emails, whether she have received new ones but hoping she doesn’t. Well, Luckily she didn’t. That made her smile revealing her cute dimples on both sides of her cheeks.

“I guess I’m free today...” She mumbled to herself.

Without wasting much of her time, she jumped to her bed and snuggled into her duvet feeling the warm settling on her body.

Her phone, which she almost forget about started buzzing, making her growled. Without anyone telling her, she knew the person calling her. She ignored it, although she knew at some point, she have to pick the call. She decided to picked for the third time without checking the caller Id.

“Good morning ma! You have meeting by 10:00am and I see, you haven’t arrived yet, hope everything is okay, or should I send someone to pick you up? may be because of the rain...”

She didn’t allow the caller to finish what she was saying before she cut her off. “Did you hear yourself?...because of the rain...isn’t that enough reason?” She tried to be calm.

“The director said you must be present, I will send someone right away to pick you up”. The caller didn’t wait to hear what she’s going to say when she hung up.

“Why?...” she sat down while bringing her phone to her view. “What! You crazy girl! How dare you hung up on me? Consider yourself fired!”. She screamed with all her energy. “To save yourself, you better pack your things and go before I come over, you’re dead meat!”. She stammered as if she’s is in front of her.

She pulled the duvet over herself again not having the intention to get up. “To hell with the meeting”. She thought.

Twenty minutes later, she’d already dozed off when she felt the duvet covering her whole body was pulled out.

Maryam, her PA, who stood there extremely annoyed knew already she will meet her in that situation. She let out an audible sigh “Wake up and get ready, you’re almost late”.

She groaned pulling out a pillow and pressed it over her head. “Gerrout!” She tried to yell which only came out more like a whisper.

“Waheeda! Get yourself out of that bed, I’m not your PA now, did you hear me? I’m Maryam Kabir, so get up or I kick you out”. She started pulling her legs “do we have to be doing this everyday? I’m tired already!”. She complained still pulling her while Waheeda trying her possible best to retain. She’d been struggling with her everyday for her to make it to work, some days she have to come over and drag her from home. She don’t actually know whether she was offered to do two works.

“Why is everyone after me? Can’t you see I’m sleeping? I’m freaking sleepy! They should postpone the meeting isn’t that possible?”. She cried.

“Your father, I mean the director, instructed me to make sure you attend the meeting, you need to sign some papers. Besides, tomorrow isn’t a weekday, so you can rest, but now get up”.

“I’m not going, just leave me alone”.

“You’re going right away, I mean you must! This is a crucial moment Heeda, please don’t stress me, I already had enough. This is something you should be serious about, in fact, it’s high time you quit this laziness and work as you supposed to. I’m just your PA, not everything I can handle when you’re absent, when will you understand that? By Allah you’re giving me hard time can’t you see? I’m trying my best”. She tried to stay calm because she do have a lot of respect for her when it comes to work as she’s her superior. Although she’s her friend but she’d started to get on her nerves.

Waheeda felt bad, she knew Maryam is trying her best on her work and their friendship. It has been a year since they met and since she has been working as her PA. She’s a good worker, a good friend, she probably doesn’t deserve her.

She sighed in defeat “BF! I hate you”.

“Warrever! Just hurry and get up”. Maryam said rolling her eyes, knowing exactly what that ‘BF’ means — Bad friend. But since she’d succeeded in waking her up, that doesn’t matter, that isn’t the first time anyway.

Waheeda stumbled on her way to the bathroom and almost gasped. “You should just leave, I’m going on my own”. She closed the door behind her hardly after saying that.

“I’m not going anywhere, we are going together. If you wish sleep there inside the bathroom, unserious human being”. Maryam said on top of her voice.

Maryam doesn’t know why in a short time she’d grown fond of Waheeda. She’d known her since high school but they’re never close. There was this time when she reminded Waheeda that they do attended same high school, Waheeda couldn’t remember because back then, no one get along with her, she’s known as a rude, spoilt brat. Not that she have changed, well may be a bit. She spent her school days all alone without befriending anyone. No one had ever gone her way without regretting it, she can find a way you will be expelled from school and it doesn’t matter to her. Her father owned the school, so she did everything she likes. Maryam also took her as that kind of person until now that she’d grown close to her, she could tell you Waheeda is a nice person, A very nice girl with a warm heart. She’s not that bad as people think of her.

Although the time she was assigned to work for her as her PA, she had almost give up on the offer as she couldn’t work under the spoilt brat that she had known back then. Her mother was the one that gave her some comforting words and beside she so badly needed money, her family was going through a lot of financial problems since the demised of her father and finding a new job won’t be easy.

Waheeda helped her out with a lot of her family problems. She even took the responsibility of paying the school fees of her three siblings — whom two were in high school while the other in primary school. There was also this time, when her mother was seriously sick and was admitted in the hospital, Waheeda was the one that payed all the hospital bills even though she tried to stop her.

She knew her friend can be freaky at times, she’s all grumpy baby at heart. But right, it’s not fair to judge someone on their actions, not until we find our selves in their shoes.

In the little time she spent with her friend, she knew a lot of things about her, and that’s when she understood why she’d always been acting that way.

She’s a girl that doesn’t know how to feel it — love and compassion. The fact that she haven’t received appropriate love and care from her parents since childhood, she’s so lonely and that affected her physically and emotionally. Her parents prioritized their work over her, they barely had moments with her. To them, earning money comes first. She haven’t had any emotional engagement with her parent, not to talk of them knowing her problems, what she wants and what she doesn’t. They just left her under the care of the house helps whom always maltreated her.

Her parents got separated when she was three years old. Her mother is from France. she successfully sneaked away with Waheeda back to her country unknowingly to Waheeda’s father.

Waheeda’s life changed as she met with her relatives from her mother’s side. Even though she still haven’t got that mother’s warmth, that joy she felt amidst her grandmother and cousins suffice. And even though her religion is different from theirs, they still love her to a great extent.

Two years later, everything suddenly fall apart, everything shattered when her father came and took her away from that joy she’d claimed. Those people she’d loved and had loved her right back, her father ditched her away from them, from her happiness. She’d believed the little time she spent there was the best out of her whole life. That made her resent her father more.

She came back just to met her father had taken in another wife— his cousin, which terrified her even more. His mother was the one that forced him to divorce Waheeda’s mother and marry his cousin in the stead. That’s how she returned back to square one, the Waheeda that doesn’t smile, the Waheeda that prefer to stay alone and doesn’t always feel like talking to anyone.

Her step mother doesn’t love her one bit, she hates her with every fiber of her being. But Waheeda isn’t the kind of girl she can stepped upon. Although she maltreated her when she was little, but not anymore. She always act as if she love her in front of her husband— Waheeda’s father, deep down she’d known how intensely she’d hate her, and that feeling is reciprocal, Waheeda feels the same towards her step mother.

Waheeda came out of the bathroom wearing a pink bathrobe, rubbing her silky long black hair with a small pink towel. She sat in front of her vanity table applying lotion. She felt the gaze of Maryam on her since the time she came out of the bathroom.

“You’ve been staring for a while, ain’t you tired?” She said without looking at the direction where Maryam sat.

“What’s there to stare at?” Maryam scoffed.

Waheeda rolled her eyes and shrugged making her way to her closet without responding. She picked her office outfit and wore it in a jiffy, she doesn’t t want Maryam to wait any longer.

“Let’s get going” she simply said when she finished wearing her high heel shoes.

Maryam always wonder how her friend deals with all the kind of shoes she’s wearing — heel shoes. For her heel shoes are hell, she disliked them and never in her whole life she’s ever going to love them, talk more of wearing.

Maryam turned and looked at her friend’s scattered room one more time before departing. She’d never seen such kind of a lazy being like Waheeda. She can’t even tidy her own room where she’s the only one living inside. Maryam highly doubt whether her friend knew how to do any house chores, she won’t blame her though, because that’s how she was make to grown into. The maids did all the house chores. She wonder how Waheeda will cope in her husband’s house when he’s the kind that doesn’t want house maids.

They walked down the staircase, there were two women sitting in the main living room discussing, whom one of them Maryam assumed is Waheeda’s step mother. She have heard some things about her from Waheeda though she’d never met her. Whenever she comes over, she’s always in her side. Just the way Waheeda passed them without sparing them a glance, that’s how Maryam did, although she did at first when she was descending the stairs.

“this stupid girl! this is always how she treated you in this house, she have no manners at all, just look at how she passed us without greeting us, as if you’re nobody in this house. It’s high time now you start to think of the way to get rid of her, I never knew you’re this patient Jamila”. Maryam heard one of them said which she was sure it was the other woman. Waheeda’s step mother didn’t utter anything. What she didn’t understand is, what did that woman mean by getting rid of her?. Her curiosity made her turned scowling at the woman like she’d found a prey.

“What are you standing there doing? This isn’t something you should interfere”. Waheeda said. In a second, she turned and continued walking.

Maryam mentally smacked her head “what am I trying to do? she’s right, this is not something I should interfere right?”. She huffed an exasperated air and followed her steps. Maryam is somehow a picky fighter, she doesn’t let things slide easily, she’s sometimes similar to Waheeda, one of the reason they clicked.

“Where’s the driver? I thought you said you will send one”. Waheeda inquired the moment Maryam was about to start the car.

“They are all not available, so what can I do? I have to come all the way here, because I have this annoying boss that won’t allow me to rest”. Maryam said annoyingly while reversing the car.

“Why? What’s with that face? I didn’t ask you to come, don’t resent me”.

“You didn’t, but I have to because I’m not as lazy as you are, you know and right!...” she sighed “I don’t wanna lose my job”. She smirked, stepping on the brakes when they arrived at a junction.

“Hey! Stop saying I’m lazy because I’m not, I hate it!” She tried to stay calm but actually she’s fuming inside.

Maryam just chuckled and focused more on the road. She knew Waheeda hates to be called a lazy girl, but this is how she is whether she likes it or not.

“Ehhmm, about earlier I’m sorry” Waheeda apologized out of the blue after some minutes of silence.

“Ayyyyyee! Somebody recently knew how to apologize, shall we celebrate?” Maryam chuckled while looking at Waheeda’s expression through the mirror. It says ‘be careful before I have your head’.

The traffic light showed green and they moved on.

“What? I’m just complementing, if you can’t say thank you then stop giving me that daggers, you’re scaring me”. Maryam was trying her best not to laugh while Waheeda was extremely annoyed.

Waheeda regretted apologizing to her. She ignored Maryam that was busy ranting about everything and nothing. She’s not the chatterbox type, her life is quite boring since from the start, until she met Maryam. She agreed she’ll never get bored whenever she’s around her. Not everyone can understand her and always reason with her like Maryam does. She always annoys her and gives her pretty much hard times but the poor girl still doesn’t get rid of her. That’s why sometimes she used to think that she didn’t deserve her, but she will be grateful to her if she could be able stick to her until the very end. At least she could feel the presence of someone that love her sincerely. She’s actually not like before, she’d adjusted to so many things and still willing to.

In front of a huge building, which was labeled ‘MAINA GROUP’, Maryam honk and in seconds, the gate man opened the iron gate where she drove in greeting him, but Waheeda didn’t.

“You should also learn how to greet elders Heeda, isn’t this a welcoming idea?” Maryam suggested, when she was about to enter the parking lot.

Waheeda ignored her, she continued scrolling through her phone for only God knows what she was doing. She don’t get tired of pressing her phone, which Maryam always finds very annoying, most especially when she’s talking to her and she ignored her.

“Come on girl, don’t be rude...”

“We are at work, I hope you didn’t forget” Waheeda cut her off.

Maryam sighed in defeat “My apologies Ma”. She apologized sincerely.

They alighted the car and Waheeda walked to the main building while Maryam tailing her. People are greeting from every corner but she’d spared none of them a glance, it’s Maryam that kept sending them smiles like a maniac and sending them apologetic looks. This is something they are all used to. Waheeda is known as the BL (Boss Lady) of the MG.

Waheeda pushed the door of the hall where the meeting was holding, it had started fifteen minutes back. She went and took a seat without looking at anyone.

“Good morning to you all, I’m sorry I was a bit late, it had been raining that’s why, I hope you will reason”. She took her great time to explain while she sat down, hoping her father won’t complain any further, meanwhile, he’s the only person that can get her way in that company and go free.

“Ms Maina, you’re always late even if it hadn’t rain, I hope you will try to be punctual next time”. Her father said looking sternly into her eyes which she averted.

Why did she even have a thought her father won’t complain about her lateness or incompetency? To her best of knowledge, she devoted herself to the company but she wonder when will he at least complement her efforts. “I’m sorry sir, it won’t happened next time”. She apologized sincerely dismissing her thought.

“I hope so, shall we proceed?”. He announced. His lips curled up with a smile, he’s glad that his daughter now knew how to apologize when she’s wrong. They all answered with a ‘yes’ and the meeting progressed.

After the meeting was over, Waheeda was about to take the elevator to the 14th floor — where her office is, she heard a voice from behind that she’s not glad to hear at that moment.

“I can’t believe my princess is becoming more responsible, Daddy is really proud”. Her father that was behind her said, his voice laced with excitement.

She’s glad the elevator was ready, so she quickly hopped in without sparing him a glance, she’s not ready for any commotion now. He followed her suit, which made her groaned mentally.

“What is he onto again?” she thought. He had been following her around recently, she’s sure he needed her to do something, of course regarding the company. That’s all he cares for.

“Ohhh I forgot to ask, are you done solving that issue with the marketing department? I see you haven’t brought that amidst the meeting”. He inquired.

“Huh! Here he goes again! Isn’t that an answer already? I didn’t brought the issue that means it’s over!”. Her subconscious mind screamed. “Yes” she answered instead, hoping he’ll let her be now.

The elevator opened, her father stepped out leaving her still standing not willing to get out.

“Why are you still standing there? Aren’t you going to your office?”. He asked giving her a perplexing look. “We got something important to talk about”. He added.

That’s it! Her brain clicked right. She knew he must want her to do something. She won’t listen to him, not now, not even forever.

“No I supposed I’m going somewhere, it’s really urgent, I will see you later sir”. She reasoned.

She decided to go to a nearest cafe instead of her office, because she knew her father would follow her to her office and he’ll only leave after he had succeeded in spoiling her mood.

“Okay I guess we’ll meet later then, or sometime when I get home, we can talk about it properly. Take care ok, stop lazying around and do your work properly, dad will be...”

She didn’t hear the rest of what he said as the elevator was shut. It’s not like she wanted to hear it, more like she despised it. She didn’t know why they kept telling her to take care of herself, she’d been doing that her whole life. She’s curious now about what he’d wanted them to talk about, that’s not supposed to be work since he suggested they talk about it at home.

“What’s that supposed to be? I guess whatever, I don’t really mind”. She muttered and huffed out an exasperated air that she isn’t aware she was holding. She quickly dismissed everything from her mind, wanting the rest of her day to be free minded.