Super Woman
The alarm went on at 5.00 a.m and Destiny was sleeping soundly in her bed. The alarm went on for an hour and yet she didn't know. She opened her eyes and jumped out of the bed. "Holy Shit" she shouted. She took her phone and turned the alarm off. "Oh no! damn I shouldn't have binge-watched G.O.T. late last night," she said out loud as she checked the time. It was already 6 and she was still in bed. Destiny took the towel and ran into the washroom. She knew she will be late that day. She ran back to her room after a shower and put on a dark blue jean and white satin blouse. She put on her daily makeup and red matt ink lipstick. "Perfect," she said and kept the things in her handbag. She took the phone and her charger and put them in the bag. She ran to the kitchen wondering what to cook. She had not gone grocery shopping since she comes home late almost all day. She realized she hasn't even been getting time to think anything properly.
Her phone was ringing as she put the bread in the toaster. She switched it on and went running to pick up the phone. She dug in her bag and finally answered the call. It was her client, Mr. Franco Benedict. "Good Morning tell me."
"Good Morning Ms. Destiny How are you?" he wished
"Am good. How are you?"
"Fine. Fine. So listen, can you come to my office? I will be there by 7.30. So I can show you the samples of designs and material and how we need it for the event next week."
"7.30? Sir, we open by 8.30 and I can come only after the driver comes back. He is currently delivering some stuff required for our other event. "
"See Destiny, you are working for one of the biggest company in this country, how can you say all this?"
Destiny really has no ideas what to reply him back. "Ok, I will come to your office by 8 then. I will show you everything." Destiny felt relieved on his very 'generous' idea and checked the time. It was already 7.15.
"Ok, sir I will be there." She said and hung up the phone. She remembered the bread she had put on the toast and it was burnt. She took them out and cleaned them. She began calculating. 'Half an hour journey to the office and it will be already 7.50 by the time I get in there. Then where do I have the time to eat breakfast now' she thought. She washed the plate and kept it back in the stand and picked up her bag. She walked out the door and locked behind her. Her roommate, the receptionist in her company had to literally know nothing about running around being the marketing executive. 'lucky her, at least what she has is only the desk job!' she thought as she hurried down the road to catch a cab.
By 8 sharp as she opened and entered the office and switched the lights on, Franco reached carrying few things in his hands. He showed her some of the materials required for the decorations and food counter in the launch party the company is holding. Destiny has been being kicked like a ball between her boss and her client. The client would ask something rich in the maximum lowest price while her boss would reject the deal, putting a higher price. By the time she closed the deal, she saw all the seven heavens. If she missed clients, she would have no whatsoever benefits from her company apart from her basic salary. Has her client left she checked the watch, it was only 8.10! For this ten minutes this guy had made her rush in the morning when it was not even her working time yet. She walked to the nearby cafeteria and ordered a sandwich and avocado juice. She sat there for the next half an hour going through her messages. She had decided to meet up with her best friend, June that evening. She said she is going to treat her since she got engaged the previous week. Destiny was quite looking forward to it. Destiny got close with June on an interview they both attended together. June got into the top food production company to a pretty good post for a fresher through her family connection being one of the prominent family in the business field in Doha. While on the other hand, Destiny, the poor girl with no connections got rejected. But they shared their contact that day and often hung out together. Later she got a job in a very mediocre firm. Destiny's first job experience was in Sales but the event management company she joined wanted only marketing people. She totally edited her resume and got the job as one of the executives. They were literally draining her but she did what she could for survival. Once in every month June and Destiny would meet up. Sometimes she brought her other friends of her same level for hanging out, which always made Destiny uncomfortable. But she wouldn't say anything but try to enjoy the time with June, the one person she knows close and call anytime in the foreign land.
Destiny finished her breakfast and went through her POA she prepared the day before. She had pretty much nothing scheduled for the day except to go and check some the work progresses of her clients. She decided to call and coordinate with the production and moving team. "Dan Good Morning." She dialed the production executive.
"Good Morning ma'am," He answered the call.
"Where are you?"
"I'm right now in the pick up van going to our work to pick up our furniture required for the event."
"Are the designs done for the stage?"
"You should ask that with the technical team ma'am," She knew Dan would say that. There it began as usual in the morning itself. Destiny took a deep breath and controlled he anger. "Okay," she said and hung up. Dialing Mariam, their designer having no other option. Mariam and Destiny had something going on between them even Destiny wasn't sure about what it was. Though production and technical people are meant to work and coordinate together, they never contact each other, delay the jobs and make the marketing and sales teams go crazy.
"Maria, hey good morning. Can you give me the leads on tomorrow's garden party stage designs?" Destiny humbly asked her.
"I'm still not in the office. Call me once I reach," Mariam said irritably and hung up.
Destiny wished to say that she should be the one to call back and update but kept her mood controlled and hung up again. She decided to go straight to Katara where her client was holding the garden party. From flowers to food to stage to seating to everything they to do. Destiny wondered what the sweet people they have arranged are doing. She dialed the sugar stars pastry shop for the updates.
"Ma'am we have begun with baking. We will finish it by tomorrow morning,"
"Make everything the exact way I told you to. Even the fondant colors should be accurate." Destiny ordered the lady baker.
She finished the first round of her morning calls as she finished breakfast and got up. She wasn't feeling full. She went back to her office and most of the staffs had come. She saw Mariam there happily chatting with her fellow designer. Destiny fumed and walked over the technical department's cabin.
"Show me the designs." She ordered. The General Manager Benny was calling her on the phone for the updates over the garden party job. "Yes, sir. Good morning," she wished him. She gave direction for Mariam to show her as she spoke to the GM. Apparently, only quarter of the designs have been finished and the major part was still pending. "Sir I'm going through the designs now, it needs re-work. I will call you back and update once they are ready sir." She said an excuse and hung up. Destiny was losing her patience. "What were you doing Maria?" she asked her raising her voice a tiny bit.
"This is not the only work I have to do," Maria replied her.
"There are three people here to do the various designs. You do for the major events, then why are you doing his works?" she asked pointing to the tiny slim guy sitting next to Maria. He was a newbie there, Woody, his name. He was appointed to do the card, paper and stationery designs. But Maria seemed to be doing everything for him, in the name of flirting. Destiny asked Woody to move and sat on his chair.
"Do it," She made Mariam work sitting along. In an hour, Mariam did more than a satisfactory design and Destiny took a print out and left, sending the image for the final approval from the client.
Destiny sent the file to the production manager and executives from her mail and coordinated with them to do exactly as it is designed under the quotation agreed. It was already noon by then. The lunch break was from 1.00 p.m to 2.00 p.m. When everyone leaves for lunch, because of her work Destiny often ate alone or with her roommate and receptionist Yuri Kim. Who also would always have a lot of front desk jobs to do and calls to attend and schedule.
She went over to the reception and found Yuri in between a heap of files she had to update into the system. But as she saw Destiny, she decided to take a break and go for lunch. They went to the nearest subway and ordered a wrap for each.
"I'm meeting with June today. Why don't you join me am sure she is bringing her friends along." Yuri instantly liked the idea and agreed. "Dhe chua." She said using in her native language. She is Korean and a K-drama and K-pop addict that most often she made Destiny to sit and watch with her the Hit dramas and movies. Her room's wall is completely covered with posters of k-pop idols and actors, male and female, according to her 'Her Oppas and Eonnis'. Destiny and Yuri high-fived and continued with eating lunch. "Ghaja," Destiny said instead of 'Let's go' accidentally, being too much influenced by Yuri and her habit. The word did actually slip out as if it's normal. Yuri jumped smiling and they both walked back to office finishing the lunch break on time.
Destiny got out and went to the Production workshop to show the samples Franco had showed her for the launch party they have to manage. The sample materials to be used for the decorations and kind of chairs and tables they want in the ceremony hall, the pictures, the quality, everything was perfectly detailed. She handed the soft copy to the production team and walked around supervising the overall jobs to see whether it's being properly done. She saw Dan whom she called that morning. "I thought you went to the Katara." She said, shocked to see him sitting there free. "They asked me to go there with the furniture after 3 in the noon." He replied her. "Why didn't you call and tell me then? There are other hundred stuffs that we have to take there." She told him annoyed and controlling the maximum to not burst. They had to move all the flowers and set up a mini tent for the shade there. She gave him the details of the things to be taken there once again from the beginning and gave them the tasks to be covered that day before night. Production was the only team that worked day and night. She knew well it would be hard on them. But to run the management it is totally necessary for them cooperate but they wouldn't, deciding everything on their own and causing a delay in everything. By 4, Destiny made Dan make sure everything was loaded on both the trucks and took them to the Garden Party destination to begin arrangements and complete them before evening 5 the next day. It was 5.30 by the time she reached back office and went to her cabin. Other people were all out. She prepared her daily report and mailed them to the reception. From there it would be mailed to GM.
At sharp 6 pm, she finished all her work for that day and got out. She waited ten minutes for Yuri Kim for her to complete the work and shut down. By 6.15 they got into a cab. "To Applebee's." She told their driver. Destiny and Yuri touched their face a little with compact and got out of the cab. As expected June was already there with her couple of other friends.
"Thank god I have you," she told Yuri. June knew Yuri well since the two girls work, stay together and hang out together all the time. June hugged Destiny the moment she saw her.
"Destiny my love." She said. "Hello, Yuri Kim" she also greeted Yuri.
"Just Kim." Kim corrected her. Ever since Kim migrated she hates the accent in which people address her name Yuri and preferred to be called by her standard surname Kim.
"Am glad you brought her, I actually forgot to tell you," June told her. They sat around the table. Destiny sat opposite to June and Kim next to her. They sat eating and drinking and commenting about people in the next booths for a long time. Destiny sipped her mojito only once a while the others were all beginning to gossip bad. She hated it. June continuously boasted about how lucky she is to get married to Tariq, the hundredth guy she has met. But no matter what Destiny and June love and adore each other so much.
June coming from the very well off family had nothing to worry about. It always made Destiny wonder what June's purpose of life is when she lived the tension free life. There is nothing June didn't have. There are no things she doesn't own and her parents didn't get her. The only task she was given was to find a guy and marry before the age of 28. And she played with an uncountable number of men and finally found her 'the one' as she has turned 26. The friends who have come along with June are no different from the life she lives.
Kim Yuri (as her name in Korean) is totally cool. She has no siblings and her only responsibility is to look after her parents which isn't required till now since they are still in their youth. Kim is only 22 and the youngest one in the company. To Destiny, Kim always reminded her of her younger sister with similar taste in everything. Destiny is 24, with only a bachelor degree in the competitive world. June and Kim are the only two best friends Destiny has in the foreign land. This is the second company she is working in. And she well hates her job with the mediocre salary she gets paid. But she was left with no options but work for experience.
"Destiny do you remember about my first date with Tariq? I have told you how I embarrassed myself calling him my ex's name right." All the girls laughed dramatically to that.
"Lucky you, he didn't mind that but jokes about it," Destiny told her back ordering a second round of starters. It was true. June did call accidentally Tariq once by her ex's name John since she began dating the second day after her break up. But Tariq seems to be a really introvert but a nice guy who definitely will able to manage the drama queen June and love her for what she is. Destiny smiled wide feeling happy for her as June kept talking about how lucky she is. June lived a fairy tale as per the stories she had told Destiny. Rich, happy, loving family, lots and lot of trips, so much dating and in the end marrying a total prince charming. But June deserved it all. She is such a friendly soul who would reach out to help, console, make you feel better with her dramas and love you endlessly with all her heart. She never had the problem of showing the race difference nor any discriminations towards people. The only remark Destiny found on June was though she knows well, she keeps company with the "Vicious group" of girls as named by June itself. But it must be because of the business relationships her parents keep with their parents that it becomes unavoidable to keep company.
"So where are you planning to go for the Honeymoon?" Yuri asked her sipping her drink.
"Turkey and his place Georgia. We are gonna see each other's native places since we both have been born and brought up here." She said excitedly.
"He is gonna love your Turkish culture and food than his, trust me," Yuri replied her
"But Georgia is one hell of a place to go and see June." Sara, June's one of the girl's spoke.
"I know right. I'm very much looking forward to everything now."
"Have you set the date?" another girl, slim, tall and silky long black hair asked June.
"Yes. Yes we did Maria." June gave her the answer excited. "The first thing we looked into after he proposed to me was the dates. The holidays when all of our people would be free to have fun. It's a new year wedding." Maria is the granddaughter of June's Father's business partner. Maria is only 25 but already married and has a one-year-old son. She is married to the CEO of their rival company. Most of the girls who have come here with June are the same way. Either engaged or married to some CEO's or Directors of some company's or at the least to a celebrity. Sara is engaged to a hotel chain CEO. Mira married the popular publishing company's Director here and he is Chinese. Yuri and Destiny looked at each other and June noticed it. 'What do they know about life' Destiny thought and sighed sipping on her vanilla milkshake and having cheese fries. June nodded smiling at her. She understood how uncomfortable Destiny looked.
Destiny's phone kept ringing but she was not in a mood to pick up. After the long ring of her phone, Kim's phone began to ring. "It looks like its urgent Destiny, its Dan,"Yuri informed her passing the phone. Destiny instantly was irritated.
"What?" Destiny shouted. Everyone stared at her for a moment. "Excuse me," she got up and walked out the door. It was Dan and there seems to be something broken required for the garden party event, and the client is not happy about it in the last moment. "What the heck Dan did I not tell you call a pickup van and deliver the huge vases? Why the heck did you keep them in the car dick damn it," she screamed very angrily. This was the first time she was rude to someone at work. All the frustrations in life overflowing at this moment she had absolutely no idea what to do.
Dan didn't speak a word and hung up listening to her demand to rearrange the broken vase and deliver it in the morning. Fuming and tensed she dialed the client and apologized promising him to get everything ready before noon the next day.
"Thank you so much, sir. I will take care of everything. Don't worry. Thanks again. Goodnight. Sorry to have bothered you at this late hour." She said calmly and hung up. She stood there for a few minutes breathing slowly and walked back in. as she walked towards her seat she heard the girl talking serious about her and watched Kim and June sitting helplessly and silently.
"Poor that girl. Why is she still here? In my opinion, she should go back to her place," Maria said
"She is working herself to the bone to earn for the living. How did you get her to join in our circle June? Seriously! Mira asked June in some sort of protest.
"Stop will you?" ordered Kim. "June Eonni tell them will you?" she asked June.
"Why? You are the same Kim and why is that girl so proud? I often don't get that I mean she has no connections here and she won't receive help too. She doesn't work her way up either," Sara said out loud this time enough for Destiny to hear them clearly.
Kim saw Destiny standing behind their table and she got up from the chair. June turned around and saw her, feeling the smoke coming out of her nose and ears. Kim took both their bags and grabbed Destiny's arms and walked out dragging her behind. And at the moment as they reached out the door, Destiny was charged hyper with anger and walked back in. she took the drinks from the table and poured it on all their face except June.