Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

43

May, 2023

"Hauwa, we need you in the director's office. Now."

The line went dead before Hauwa could say anything. With a shaky breath, she lowered the landline receiver and put it back in place. She saved her work, picked her keys and pushed herself off the chair. The walk to the director's office seemed longer than normal and she should have gotten used to the stares and whispers but the opposite was the case. They got into her head and further damaged her mental walls which were barely standing upright.

The director's secretary, Dijah, did not give her a second glance. She continued typing as she said "Just knock and walk in. He's expecting you."

Hauwa hesitated. "Did something happen?"

"Why don't you enter and find out?" Dijah snapped, causing Hauwa to nearly curl into herself. "I'm busy, Hauwa. I did as he asked. You're here so stop asking unnecessary questions and go in."

Hauwa said nothing. She simply inhaled and knocked once on the closed door before she pushed down on the handle and helped herself in. The director – a male in his mid-fifties – sat behind the huge desk, well dressed in a deep blue suit.

He smiled at her. "Hauwa, please have a seat."

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Good afternoon." He waited until she sat opposite him before he leaned forward and put his hands on the desk. "How are you today?"

Taken aback by the friendly question, Hauwa nodded slowly. "Fine...I'm okay, sir. How are you?"

"Perfect. Do you have any idea why I asked Dijah to call you in here today?"

"No sir."

He turned to his computer and made a few clicks. A minute later, he turned the screen towards her. Hauwa immediately recognized the document displayed. It was a report she turned in that morning, a few minutes shy of the deadline the directorate set for all its employees. Errors were highlighted and she felt smaller than normal. She had nothing to say in justification so she kept staring at the screen until he sighed and turned it away.

"You know," He began. "Gabriel has been complaining and so has your head of department. You're slacking these days, Hauwa. I've seen your reports and I've had to correct mistakes here and there. This takes the crown because these mistakes cannot be overlooked. The figures are wrong and the names are just not accurate. You mixed up surnames and titles. It's really bad, Hauwa."

She remained quiet, her hands in tight fists. Her nails dug into her palm, adding more crescent shaped marks to those that were still healing. He returned his hands to the desk and once again leaned forward.

"I want to believe that this is a temporary phase. You've been good since you arrived but this past month has been questionable. You're slacking badly. If it goes on, the Governor is going to be notified. We know that won't end well."

Hauwa forced on a small smile. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll work on the report and send it back in about ten minutes."

He nodded. "You should do that."

"I'll be more careful from now on."

"Yes, you should." He stared at her intently and let a moment pass. "Is there something going on, Hauwa? You can talk to me."

She thought back to the past weeks and how they had been nothing short of hellish for her. She thought about Gabriel's failed attempts in getting her to aid his corrupt practices and his words that messed with her self-esteem and mental space. She thought about her other colleagues who never hesitated to believe Gabriel's words over hers despite the fact that there were two sides to every story. She thought about the stares and the whispers, the mocking laughter and the little jabs here and there.