And You became my Dawn

Edited by AdibahRafhanah

A few minuets ago I had finished my first job interview, never thought this day would come so soon in my life. Right now I am sitting in front of Mr. Ali Ibrar, he is a man in his late fifties with a sagacious personality and soft facial features.

"Miss Sandal, there is something that doesn"t make sense here. According to your resume, you were living in Peshawar before moving here a few weeks ago?" He asked, looking at me.

I nodded.

"You were doing your internship and you were also accepted in University for Masters. Yet you are here, leaving everything behind?"

I knew he would ask this question, I made myself ready for it, but still.....

When I stayed quiet for a long time, he continued, "I know it"s your personal matter and I don"t want to dig into it, but it"s necessary for us to know for us to appoint you."

I took a deep breath and look at him, "My family were living in Peshawar because of my father"s job there. He died recently and his job was the only source of income in our family. So we moved here, near our relatives and I was left with no choice but to step up and take responsibility, as I am the eldest among my siblings."

"What was your father"s occupation?" He asked, giving me a calculating look.

This conversation should stop - It is starting to make me anxious. I changed my position on the chair and answered him.

"He was a teacher........ in Army Public School." He straightened his posture as he heard my statement. He looked at me with an expression I didn"t understand.

Is he going to ask more questions...... about my family?

~*~

Mr. Ali Ibrar"s P.O.V:

From the moment this girl stepped into my office, I couldn"t help myself from feeling something different about her. She makes less eye contact, but doesn"t give others the feeling that she is absent minded. She was nervous at first but soon, she gained her composure and now she is telling me something I wasn"t expecting to hear. I kept staring at her in disbelieve. Then I found myself asking this question to her.

"Was he the only one in your family who died in the attack?"

She shook her head. "My younger brother and my youngest sister also died."

"Inna lillahi wa inallah-e-raji"oon I mumbled under my breath.

No wonder her eyes are so empty. She lost half of her family in one day. It's hard to even imagine what she has been going through.

"I am sorry for your loss." I refrained myself from asking more questions.

She didn"t say anything and just nodded.

"Back to the topic...... Miss Sandal, rather than appointing you to the job you have applied for, I am offering you a different job." She raised her gaze at me as I continued, "A job of secretary of CEO." As expected, she gave me a look of disbelieve.

"The post you applied for needs an experienced person, which you are not. And.... the post of secretary is vacant. I am the one who appoints people here but I have to go out of country for work. We can"t leave this post empty for long, so I am offering you to take this job. Of course I understand it"s not your field and youve never worked before, but there will be people who can guide you."

At least let me do this much for your family......

"Sir I...."

"I am not asking you to work for long period of time, you can quit when I come back and we can hire someone else. Think about it and give me your reply in two days." I cut her off.

~*~

Sandal"s P.O.V:

"I am not asking you to work for long period of time, you can quit when I come back and we can hire someone else. Think about it and give me your reply in two days."

After that, I was dismissed.

What should you do? Asked my inner voice and I didnt have the answer to it.

________________________

*Sandal: Sandalwood

*APS (Army Public School) was attacked ny terrorists on December 16,2014. Where more than 142 students, teachers and non-teaching staff were killed mercilessly.

*Inna lillahi wa inallah-e-raji"oon: The phrase is recited by Muslims when a person experiences a tragedy in life, especially upon hearing the news that a person died.

Edited by AdibahRafhanah

Sandal"s POV:

All the way to my house, I kept thinking about Mr.Ibrar"s offer, but I didn"t manage to come to a decision. I sigh and rang the doorbell of my new home. Soon, the door was opened by Hareem.

"Assalam o Allaikum, Bajjo (big sister)." She said and stepped aside, giving me space to come inside the house.

"Walaikum Assalam! How are you? And why aren"t you resting?"

"I am fine, bajjo. Don"t worry about me. Besides, I can"t rest all day." She said, walking towards the living room and sat beside Ami (mother).

I enter the living room behind her and wrapped my arms around Ami.

"Assalam o Allaikum, Ami."

"Walaikum Assalam, Ami"s daughter. How was your interview?" Ami asked, trying to be her usual self, which she failed.

"It was great, Ami. I"ll tell you the details during dinner, okay?"

She nodded in response.

"Where is Areeba?"

"She is in the kitchen preparing for dinner."

"I"ll go help her." I kissed her cheek and walk towards the kitchen. I have to discuss this with her. She is the only one now who can give me advice.

Mr. Ibrar"s POV:

Sandal mailed me her response to the job offer this morning. She accepted it. Now the only thing remains is to talk to my troublesome nephew, Ahmed Wali. For this, I am planning to do things differently. I went to his house for dinner, knowing he would never say "no in front of his mother, who happens to be my sister. And like me, she also hates his Barbie Doll type secretaries.

I told his mother about the whole deal and she liked my idea more than I thought she would. We all know he hates middle-class people. He thinks they would do anything for money, even if it comes to selling themselves. Both my sister and I think it can be a good chance for him to change his views.

"Ahmed, I have appointed a new secretary for you. She"ll be starting tomorrow."

Ahmed opened his mouth to say something, but Zohma, his younger sister said before him, "Thank God you got rid of that Truck Art girl! I hope the new one is better than her."

"Truck Art girl?" I asked, raising my brows and Ahmed rolled his eyes.

"Yeah! That"s the nickname Zohma appi and I decided for her. Didn"t you see her dressing and the colour of her dresses? We never understood the makeup of hers too. Its like she applies the whole cosmetic shop on her face!" Said Muskan, my youngest niece, agreeing with her elder sister.

"Muskan, it wasn"t like that." Ahmed said in a bored tone. He continues, "What is her qualification, Mamo (Mother"s brother)?"

"She has done Bachelors in Management Science." I answered.

"In what?" He asked again, raising his eyebrows.

"Bachelors in Management Science. Its another term for Bachelors in Information Science. This field has many names and it"s a postgraduate course." Muskan answered his question.

"How do you know?" Ahmed asked Muskan.

"I know more things than you think, brother of mine. I am the genius of this family after all." She said with a smug look on her face and points to her nose in the air.

Zohma shook her head and say, "You just have a very good memory. I was the one who told you this information."

"Jealous....! Hmph!" Muskan mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear and we all smiled at her tone.

"Mamo, this doesn"t make sense. Why would you appoint an IT person or whatever for a secretary position?" Ahmed asked me in a serious tone.

"I have been in this field longer than you were born, Ahmed. Trust my decision." I said, closing this topic for further discussion.

Ahmed opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He kept looking at me with a suspicious look. I ignored him and joined in the conversation of Truck Art with my nieces.

~*~

Ahmed"s POV:

"I still don"t get it. Why can"t I hire my own employees?" I asked Mamo, looking at the sea outside the glass wall.

"Its simple; to prevent our office of Truck Arts." He answered in a monotonous voice.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"You know it very well, Ahmed."

Yes, I know what he meant. He and my family never liked my choices of female employees because they are........ different? Yeah, that"s right, they are different ...... in a way.

"Truck Art"

Muskan"s voice echoes in my head and made me smile.

She is so different from me and Zohma, we both don"t talk as much as her and she doesn"t know how to keep her mouth shut. Zohma is not a quiet person too, but she knows what to say and when to say. She got even more mature after her engagement. This year after her MA exams, she will get married. It"s amazing how fast time flies. It feels as though it was just yesterday when we settled in Karachi.

I shut my eyes tight, to stop myself from remembering things further. I sighed in relief when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Mamo said and I turn towards the door.

A girl came in wearing a black scarf and dupatta with a Maroon coloured long shirt and blue skinny jeans.

"Assalam o Allaikum." She said in a low voice.

"Wallaikum Assalam, Sandal. Have a seat."

She nodded and took a seat in front of Mamo"s desk.

I looked at Mamo in surprise, then back at her. What did Mamo see in her? It"s hard to see her face as it is covered with her scarf and glasses and I am sure she will look like a robot with that blank face of hers.

I know it"s rude to stare, but I couldn"t help myself. I"ve never seen a girl like her before. She"s wearing only a wristwatch on her left hand and a silver ring on her right hand"s index finger. The only makeup on her face was lip gloss.

Is she normal? She doesn"t look older than Zohma. She is a total freak. Why did Mamo choose her??

"Sandal, this is your boss and CEO of the company, Ahmed Wali." He said to that girl. She looked up at me once, before dropping her gaze and nodded in acknowledgment.

"And Ahmed, she is Sandal Khaleel, your assistant from now on." He said to me, giving me a meaningful glare.

Means the topic is closed for further discussion.

He knows very well that I would never refuse anything if he was serious about it. I can"t do that, he is my father figure after my dad"s death, always supporting me and my family. He also took care of dad"s business with his work when I was little. He never forces me to do anything, always supporting me even if it were a fight with boys in college. This is the first time he is asking me to do something. I can"t say "No" to this, I don"t want to say "No".

I look down at the floor for a moment before looking at Mamo. I nodded him in agreement and look back at the girl. She was staring at something on the desk.

I know what to do with you, Miss Sandal Khalil.

_________________________________

Truck Art: A form of painting usually done on trucks in Pakistan with bright colours.

Edited by AdibahRafhanah

Ahmed"s POV:

"Follow me, Ms. Sandal." I said.

She stood up and mumbled something to Mamo before start following me as I take the lead to my office.

Entering into the office, I sat on my seat, took a random file from the desk and start pretending to read it. I didn"t even bother to look at her or ask her to sit.

Why am I acting like a jerk?

Well, I don"t know.

Few moments pass, both of us stay silent. I glance at her and find her to be looking at me with a blank expression.

What is she doing?

She"s been standing at the door for 5 minutes but didn"t utter a single word.

I didn"t realize I was staring at her until she changed her position uncomfortably.

"Ms. Sandal, wait in that room. I"ll send someone to give you a briefing on your job." I said, pointing towards the glass door at the right side of my office. She nodded and went inside.

~*~

Sandal"s POV:

The room in which I entered isn"t a waiting room. It"s an office. I stood there for a minute, before taking a chair near the office desk. About five minutes later, I heard a knock on the door and a man came in, with a bright smile on his face.

"Assalam o Allaikum! You must be Sandal, right? I am Ali." He said, smiling even wider.

"Waallaikum Assalam." I said and tried to return his smile.

"Mr. Ahmed sent me to give you a little rundown on your job. Firstly, your job timing will be at 9 am to 5 pm and from 1 pm to 2 pm is lunch and prayer time. Second, Boss is quite strict when it comes to working, so never be late. Third, complete the given work in time and listen carefully to what he says because he doesn"t like to repeat himself and.... oh the most important thing is, ....uh ....stay away from the other female staffs, okay?" He said with a blush on his face.

I didn"t get his point but I nodded.

"Good! Now let"s start with your job description." He said with a warm smile.

Compared to Mr. Ahmed, he is quite nice and has a warm aura, which doesn"t make me uncomfortable. I am not used to working with men as I am from a girl majority family.

For the next 40 minutes, he gave me a briefing about my work and gave me today"s task, which was to familiarise with all the office stuff and try to understand how things are done.

After he left, I looked at my watch and realize it"s already 11:30 am. I got up from my chair and start exploring my office, observing the arrangements of the files, various documents and etc. I also found a glass door to which connects my room directly to Mr. Ahmed"s office. I took a peek inside and found him talking on the phone. He was leaning back to his seat, one hand on his desk and the other one holding his phone. He does look like a boss, but not a nice one.

I came back to my desk, turned on my desktop computer and start looking through random documents. My attention was diverted when I hear the intercom ringing.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Sandal! Mr. Ahmed says you can take off early today and be at the office tomorrow by 8:55 am, okay?" I heard Mr. Ali"s voice.

"Okay."

"Good, so see you tomorrow. Allah Hafiz." He said and disconnected.

I guess I am free to go home now. Standing up, I took another peek of Mr. Ahmed"s office, but he was nowhere to be found. I have a feeling that he avoided me on purpose. He could have told me directly instead of asking Mr. Ali to do it for him. So I left without waiting for him.

~*~

After dinner and praying Isha, I lied on the bed beside Hareem. Areeba and I decided not to let Ami and Hareem sleep alone and I guess we both also don"t want to be left alone anymore.

Don"t know for how long I have been staring at the ceiling. Suddenly my attention was caught by the sound of running footsteps from the living room. I silently got up from the bed so Hareem won"t be disturbed. When I entered the living room, I saw Areeba standing in the middle of the room, out of breath. She must have been praying as she was still wearing a dupatta.

She saw me standing and mumbled Sorry.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Areeba?"

"It"s nothing, bajjo! I thought I heard Papa calling me." She said in a low voice, looking at her feet.

I massage my temples for not knowing what to do.

"Go to sleep Areeba, it"s getting late."

" You too, bajjo. Shab-a-khair"

"Shab-a-khair"

I gave a glance to my peacefully sleeping Ami before going back to my room. I lie down next to Hareem and gently put my arm around her, cautious not to nudge her injured arm.

Papa, Shoaib! My first day of work wasn"t that bad...

I sighed and closed my eyes, hoping that tonight"s sleep won"t shun me away.

~*~

As I enter the building, I was greeted by the smiling face of Mr. Ali.

"Assalam o Allaikum!" He said in his usual happy voice.

"Waallaikum Assalam." I answered as we both reached the elevator.

"Ladies first." He stepped aside and let me in first.

"Will Mr. Ahmed be coming today?" I asked him out of nowhere.

It"s my second week on the job but I barely see him. He always seems to be on outdoor work.

"Yes, he will. The work on site has almost ended, the only thing that"s left is a few formal meetings. So he will be here from now on and you"ll be attending all meetings with him."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you"re his assistant, remember?"

"Oh!" I said, looking at my feet.

"Don"t worry. I"ll guide you through the meetings, okay?" He smiled at me.

Mr. Ali is the only one whom I can talk to without hesitation. It isn"t like I don"t talk to everyone else, it"s just that he is more easygoing than others.

As I enter the office, I found Mr. Ahmed standing there. When he saw me he looks at his watch, I also copy his movement and look at the time on my watch. It"s 8:40 am. I sighed in relief as I am not late.

"Sandal, I want all the files of last 3 months on my table in 15 minutes, and my tea also, strong with 1 teaspoon of sugar." He said in a strict tone and rush back to his office.

Always in a rush.

In the last few days, I had rearranged all the files and documents of the office. So it didn"t take me long to search for the files.

In 10 minutes, I was already standing in Mr. Ahmed"s office. His tea is now on his table along with the files he asked for. He looked at me with a somewhat surprised expression but didn"t say anything. Then his eyes landed on my feet.

"Tell me Sandal, are you here to run a marathon?" He asked, frowning at me.

"Pardon?"

"Don"t wear sneakers on the job again." He said, combing his light brown hair with his right hand.

"But it"s......" I tried to tell him that I am not used to wearing sandals while traveling by public transport. But he cuts me off.

"Don"t argue Sandal and do as I say."

" Okay!" I nodded, remembering Mr. Ali saying "don"t say no to the boss".

"Here! Take this file and read all the details about this project and arrange a meeting tomorrow with Arshad Farooq. His card is in the file, you can get his number from it." He said as he handed me the file.

I nodded and took the file from him. As I was about to leave, he called me again.

"You will be going into a meeting with me tomorrow, so try to look like a normal girl. But if you"re clueless of how a normal girl looks like, then I can arrange a makeover for you." He said, making a disgusted face.

What the hell.....

____________________________________

Hi there and Assalam o allikum!

Please don"t hate Ahmed for his comments on Sandal. He has his own reasons for hating girls like her.

Vote and comment, how is the story going and what are your expectations?

Take care :)