"Bismillah!"
Saba murmured before knocking on the door of Sahir's office.
"Come In! " A loud voice came from the other side, telling her a furious Sahir is there.
She opened the door and stepped into the office. Being in a male office, she couldn't close the door, meaning that her other teachers in the area could listen to her insult.
"Assalam o Alaikum, Sir! " She salam with a nervous smile.
There was a paper in Sahir's hands and he was staring at it with spot expressions.
"Walaikum Assalam. Now tell me what is this?" He averted his orbs from paper and glared at her.
"I forgot to prepare for your test." She murmured but Sahir's furious expressions caused her to zip her mouth.
"Why? Is this irrelevant for you?" His voice was calm, but anger was rippling in his face.
"I'm extremely sorry. " She apologized and lowered her orbs. Taking a deep sigh, Sahir tried to calm his nerves.
"Please have a seat, Saba." His expressions were also calm now.
She sat on a sofa which was present in front of his power chair.
"Why are you unable to perform? Is there any issue? " He asked.
"Time management is an issue." She replied and looked toward him. He raised his eyebrow as if questioning her.
"I have started freelancing and am unable to manage my studies and time." She said with helplessness at which Sahir nodded his head.
A common issue of freelancers!
"First of all, congratulations on starting freelancing. In which field are you working and have you started earning?" He leaned forward and asked with a smile.
Saba's lips also curved into a smile and tensed expressions got relaxed.
"My field is content writing and social media management, and I have got six orders."
Happiness dances in her orbs while telling him about her success. Sharing your success with the one you respect is the world's precious moment, and Saba was bathing in its glory.
"I'm glad, Saba! Congratulations again. No doubt, freelancing needs your time and energy, and managing your time can get handy at times. But it doesn't mean that you should not try to manage your tasks and time"
"But it is a tough thing to do! " Frustration and helplessness crept into her nerves.
"Entrepreneurs have to face hardships to become successful businessmen. If you do not come out of your comfort zone, you will never achieve anything in your life. Anything! Mark my words! " He emphasized these words.
"I am trying but everything seems to fall apart. My focus keeps on getting divided and diverting, making it difficult for me to grow." Sahir saw a pout settling on her face at which a smile stretched on his lips which he swiftly masked.
"It is only a phase, Saba. Fight with it. Let me tell you a bitter reality of our society."
Saba's eyebrows raised and her expressions got alert.
"Being a girl, you have to learn time management if you want to be a successful businesswoman. Our society has unrealistic expectations from females, and most of the time, girls are bound to meet those expectations. I hope you have understood the message."
And, Saba has understood the underlying message.
"Yes sir, thank you. " She nodded her head and tried to smile.
"As per your detention, today I will focus on solving your issue. You have one hour. Sit here, google different quotes and time management tips and write them down in your notebook. I need at least five pages of it."
"Can't I copy-paste them on Google Docs? " Her tone was pleading but Sahir was not in the mood to grant her any relaxation.
"No! It is your detention, and also writing them down will instill these concepts deep in your mind. Your time has started now." He said and leaned his back against the back of the chair while Saba leaned forward to work in her detention.
…………………..
After doing intensive research and writing five pages, she was finally out of his office.
She went into the office with a fearful expression but came out with a smiling face. Though her fingers were paining, she was lighthearted now. Her register has five precious pages which were going to help her in her entrepreneurship journey. Smiling, she fished out the mobile from her bag and dialled Iqra's number on it.
"We are in the Cafe." Iqra attended her call, gave her the message and disconnected the call. Giving a glare to the mobile's screen, she ran toward the cafe.
Passing the garden to reach the cafe, her eyes landed on a group of students who were standing and watching something. She got curious and stepped toward them. Peeking through the shoulders of students, she saw two boys having a physical fight. They were slapping and saying abusive words to each other. Fear crept into Saba's body and mind trying to understand the situation.
Unconsciously, her gaze landed on another girl who was standing near her and was gazing at the fighting scene with a pale face.
"Natasha!"
Instantly, Saba recognized two boys who were fighting with each other.
They were Natasha's third and fourth boyfriends!
"She is only mine! "
"No!! She loves me! "
"Wrong, she is mine! I will kill you! "
Her mind started registering the boys' words and instantly she understood the reason for their dispute.
"They both want Natasha."
Her mobile was beeping but her gaze remained on Natasha. She was paralyzed with fear and was gazing at her both boyfriends with teary orbs. Unconsciously, her gaze landed on Saba, and Saba saw pain, fear and tears in her orbs.
Only pain, fear and tears!
……………………..
"Hello, here is your article. Now, kindly send me the payment."
Saba messaged a client on Whatsapp Business. A single tick appeared on the message so she put the mobile aside. Her mind was revolving around her detention, Sahir's suggestions and Natasha's teary orbs.
At this moment, she had no orders to deliver and she had no intention of hunting projects today.
Putting the mobile on the side table, she leaned against the bed's headboard. The frown was on her forehead while her mind was a hodgepodge of thoughts. A register was lying on the bed near her where her hand went and took the register. She opened those five pages that she had written during detention.
On all the five pages, one handwriting was present except for one last line. That was in another handwriting and Saba's orbs were on it.
"While planning your day's schedule, also includes "Me" time into it. It is imperative for your mental health. Best of luck! If you need any help, I'm always here to help you!
A smile adorned her face, cheeks were red, and dopamine rushed into her bloodstream. A giggle erupted from her lips after re-reading the note.
"Saba! " Her mother called out at which she swiftly closed the register.
"Yes, Mama? " She replied.
"Lunch is ready."
"Coming! "
She swiftly put the register in the drawer as if protecting it from the world's gaze.
……………………...
"Bullet pierced through his heart and death engulfed his soul. With it, the sky of Islamabad also started weeping. A dead body of a patriot was lying there and no one cared about it. Everyone near his dead body was celebrating his death because his dead body was going to be used for political purposes. In the morning's newspaper, the headline would be
'Sabir Hassan died because of the negligence of the Chatta political party.'
His dead body received no respect but it was important for one political party to dominate the other party."
The beep of a mobile interrupted his flow and a scowl settled on his face. Averting his gaze from the laptop screen, he took the mobile to see the notification.
"Whatsapp message from Hisham"
He opened the chat where Hisham had sent him different post templates for his approval. Selecting one template, he replied to him and then switched off the mobile.
After it, he re-read the first manuscript of his new novel, and here it is!
Imposter Syndrome!
His mind started giving him red signals, causing him to switch off his laptop.
"Uff Sahir, it's okay! It is the first manuscript. First manuscripts are always crappy." He murmured to himself. But depression and frustration seeped into his nerves.
The evening was engulfing Islamabad, dense fog was falling, and Sahir's brain and heart were burning. Eventually, he abandoned his laptop, took his mobile and keys, locked the office and went to have a cup of coffee. A break was all he needed to make himself mentally stable.
Fighting with hurdles and insecurities is the toughest thing to do on the road to success. Sahir Sikandar daily fought on this battlefront.
…………………….