PRESENT DAY.
The next morning, Hibba woke up late because she had pulled an all-nighter watching Netflix. She woke up around 2pm. And laid there staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, not quite sure how she felt.
But she was sure she was not feeling sad.
And that, lately, was rare.
She stretched her hand to reached for her phone. Notifications from Snap, Instagram, her bank app, flo, and WhatsApp blinked at her. She started going through them and noticed a chat from Dr. Habib
“let me know how you're doing today.
The first few days after an MLS session feels strange
Some describe it as lightness, some uneasy, while some disorientation. Don't fight anything. Let yourself feel what you feel; it's all part of healing.
Do not hesitate to text me if you feel strange or uneasy.
I'll check in again tomorrow in sha Allah.”
She sat up.She read it like 3 times.
He made her feel seen and cared for.
She tried to recall what happened during the MLS session but everything was blurry. It's like trying to recall a dream after waking. Just a feeling that still somehow lingers.
“Thanks. I feel okay, i. Think. Still calm tho.”
She texts back a short reply .
“You sure? Nothing out of the ordinary?”
He replied.
“yupp.”
She responded.
She dropped the phone beside her and let out a long tired breath.
Her phone buzzed again. This time with a message from Instagram.
It was from a customer
“Hey Hibbaaa please restock your Vanilla mint gloss! Mine almost finished and your brand is literally the only one i use now”
She smiled widely.
Again, she felt like she mattered.
“heyyy. Thank you for supporting my business. This really means a lot to me. And rest assured, your favorite will be back in stock soon.”
It was just a message from a customer, but it lit up her mood. it reminds her of herself, reminded her of something she loved doing. Making different flavors of gloss and testing.
The fresh smell of vanilla, mint, strawberry, and gummy flavors. The scent of coconut oil and avocado oil. The small cute glass jars. The glitters. Her cozy working space and the content creation session.
She hadn't made anything in weeks.
She stood up slowly. Walked out of her room and headed to the other room, what used to be her shop. She walked straight to the supply section and opened one of the drawers. Inside were the empty tubes, gloss base and other materials waiting.
She ran her hand through her hair and said;
Uhmm not today.
Maybe tomorrow.
She closed the drawer and turned around. The place was dusty. She hasn't been active for a while. She decided to clean it.
But then her stomach growled.
She sighed and went straight to the kitchen.
She opened the fridge. it was almost empty.
“i need to cook” she said quietly.
She usually did bulk cooking and refrigerated it.
She headed to the cabinet. Opened a drawer and took out oats.
She had bananas, strawberries and blueberries. So she made oatmeal.
She ate in the kitchen and do the dishes after.
She looked at the mess in her living room from last night. She sighed again, then proceeded to tidy it.
After that she headed back to her room and bathed. Since she's not going anywhere, she wore a light material bubu gown, carried her phone and jambox. And came down stairs. She headed to the store room.
At the store room, Hibba connected her phone to the jambox and played La Del Rey.
She brought out the vacuum cleaner and duster. She started by bringing out the items inside the drawers. Cleaned then rearranging them back again. She cleaned the whole place while vibing to different genres of music.
She sat at her desk and updated her Instagram.
She made a few posts.
One apologizing to her customers for not being active, and telling them to anticipate something big. Another one about her new shop address, urging people to never hesitate to walk in and get whatever they want from them.
The rest were all product posts.
By the time she was done, it was already Maghrib time. She went back to her room and prayed.
She recites a few pages from the Holy Qur'an while waiting for Isha.
After Isha, she lay there on her prayer mat watching reels on Instagram.
She came down stairs around 9:15 p.m to to get dinner.
After dinner she slipped into her pajamas and curled up in bed.
She read Broken by Fatima Bala.
And that's how she ended her weekend.
Not happy,
Not sad
Just calm
And for someone like Hibba, that's enough.
YOU ARE READING
Fragment Of You. (ONGOING)
RomanceA girl going through emotional breakdown signs up for a controversial new therapy that implants carefully selected nappy memories to help people heal. But then, what begins as solace becomes obsession. The memory she received was never meant to fe...
