Sandal's POV:

"Allah...! I can't do this anymore." I said to myself and put my head on the table.

Sir showed up last Monday and had a small meeting with me and Ali about him leaving the city for a few days and both of us have to fill his place during his absence - Which was not a very good idea. Ali is fine... but not me. I don't have a clue about what construction work is. All I have done before is take care of Sir's daily routine, manage paperwork, attend phone calls and so on. But how the hell would I understand these different sizes of boxes they call floor plans, site plans, etc.

"Sandal, stop goofing around and get back to work." Ali scolded me when he saw my head down.

"Please Ali, have mercy on me. I don't understand these things... How could you expect me to find the correction of errors in these floor plans when I don't even know what they are...? These are just boxes with numbers to me." I said helplessly.

He facepalmed himself and said, "Sandal, I had taught you almost ten times on how to check them."

"I know and I am sorry, but I really can't understand it. I suck at maths-related things... Please do something about it. I'll do anything in return..... I... I'll take care of all of your this week's paperwork." I pleaded but he wouldn't budge.

"Okay, two weeks?" I tried again.

He rolled his eyes and walks to me.

"Move aside." He said to me, shoving his hand and I gladly got up from my seat, giving him space to sit.

"Now go into my office and grab my laptop." He said, settling himself on my seat.

"Why should I go?"

"Because I am doing your work." He stated and I swiftly march out of my office.

I really like his friendly nature. It helps me to open up a bit and now he has become a good friend of mine and a great teacher. Without his help, it would be impossible for me to continue this job. I opened his office door, grabbed his laptop and came back to my office.

~*~

"Sandal, you didn't touch a single thing, did you?" He said to me before taking a bite from his sandwich.

I nodded, stating, "I was telling the truth when I said I don't understand it. Believe me, I suck at maths.... and physics too. I barely passed the maths exams when I was in school."

"Hmm! I think you should tell Sir that you can't do this."

"No way! I am not telling him, nor are you."

"It doesn't matter if we tell him or not. He will eventually know."

"How?"

"Well.... you can tell the experience of the person by the drawing. The moment he lays his eyes on the drawing, he will know... So, it would be better if you tell him yourself and save both of us from trouble." He suggested.

"It's not that easy. He'll get mad."

"True! But still... Think about it. Which is better? Not telling him and he figures it out on his own or you tell him yourself?" He said and stood up, "I am going back to my work."

"Hey! Are you angry?" I ask abruptly.

"I am not. Just a little worried about how to complete work in time."

"I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it" he said and left. I kept looking at his back until he was no longer in sight.

It's not okay!

I bit my inner lip.

~*~

After lunch, I didn't see Ali nor talk to him. He was busy completing my work, even when I was leaving for home. Looking at him working so hard reminds me once again that I am not suitable for this job. They should hire a person who is familiar with engineering stuff. The whole way to my house, I kept thinking. Not about telling Sir the truth or not, but something else...

The first thing I do after coming home was to have tea with Ami. It is part of my daily routine since we came to Karachi. Ami's health is getting better day by day. But still... there are days when we see her with red swelling eyes, especially when she sees kids going or coming from school, with their bags on their shoulders. But thanks to Allah, today is not one of those days. I am already feeling down today, I can't handle it anymore.

"So how was your day, bajjo?" Areeba asked the one and only. She has always been a responsible type of person, compared to me. And after papa's death, she became my daily diary. She wants to know everything that is happening in my life. She advises me and even scolds me like Papa did when he was alive. Areeba is quite caring but can be sarcastic at the same time and has a very sharp mouth. That's why Shoaib named her 'cactus'. Which we all think suits her.

"Not so well." I sighed.

"Why?"

"Long story short, I am not suitable for this assistant job." I sighed and continued, "It's frustrating. This is my first job and I am trying hard to give my best but still, I am no good."

"Bajjo! This is not your field and you don't have to do this job either. Papa's pension is enough for the four of us and you have your studies to complete. You're not thinking about ending your studies, right?"

"No Areeba, of course not. That's one of the reasons why I am working right now. Once we start our education, Papa's pension won't be enough. And besides, it's for a few more months. When I get admission into the university, I'll quit it." She only nodded.

After dinner, I prayed Isha prayer and watched PowerPuff Girls with Hareem but didn't find it much interesting as there were so many things in my mind. I got up and went to Ami. She was already asleep, so I have nothing to do except sleep. I lie on the bed and began staring at my phone for several minutes, holding it in my hand.

"Bajjo! I am eating your brownies." Hareem yelled from the kitchen and I rolled my eyes. This girl always has eyes on my things.

"Fine..... But don't forget to brush your teeth." I yelled back.

"Offay!" and she was eating it without my permission. I shook my head and sigh.

I look at my phone again and the next thing I know, I called Sir. He picks up the call on the third ring.

"What is it?" I heard his calm voice and I let out the breath I was unconsciously holding.

He is not angry...

Assalam o Alaikum Sir, sorry to disturb you at this time, but there is something I want to tell. I couldn't complete the work you gave me. I am having a problem understanding it, so I ask Ali to do it instead of me and I apologize for this. I'll try to learn these things properly from now on." I said it all in one breath.

"What? ...Sandal, I didn't get a single thing you said."

I took a deep breath and start repeating again slowly.

"I was expecting this ...Tell Ali not to work on it anymore. Distribute the remaining plans among architects and tell them to check it all over again... They can take time, but I want them to work with perfection." He said in an authoritative tone.

"Okay, Sir."

"Oh and one more thing.... you'll be doing all of Ali's work of this week... Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

As expected...

"Anything else?" He asked.

"Eh? ...ah! No... I mean yes... yes."

"Sandal, stop babbling. If you want to say something, say it."

"I am sorry." I said hastily.

"Huh? ...what?" He sounds shocked.

"I am sorry, Sir." I said again.

"I've already accepted your apology."

"No, Sir! I want to apologize about last Sunday evening."

He didn't say anything so I continued, "I didn't mean to be rude, but I... I cannot accept something, which I am unable to return. It will be a burden to me because I know... even if I try to give you something in return, it would never be sufficient... I am well aware of social differences between us and I hope you understand what my point is...." I finished talking and bit my lip. There was utter silence from the other side, but I have a feeling that he was attentively listening to everything I have said.

"Sir..?"

"Huh? ...What?" He sounds absent-minded.

"...Good night, Sir. Allah Hafiz."

"Allah Hafiz." He replies and I cut the call.

~*~

Ahmeds POV:

I was having dinner when I received Sandal's call. To be honest, I have been waiting for her call. I wanted to see if she would tell me about the work with honesty or not. Ali called me in the afternoon and updated me on the whole situation. I told him not to say anything to Sandal about it.

When Sandal called me and told me everything truthfully and didn't hesitate to accept her mistake, I felt proud to have an employee like her. But there is also a part of me that felt happy, not as a boss, but as a person... She didn't hide anything and she didn't avoid me like I have been doing to her.

Then she says something that caught me off guard. She apologized about Sunday and justifies her actions. Very slowly, she clarifies that if I do anything for her, she will reject it again. She will never cross her boundary nor would she appreciate it if someone else tries. For a while, I stood there dumbfounded. Taking everything in on what she said, a smile creeps up on my face.

I walk back to the table and take my jacket.

"Where are you going?" Asked Armaghan, raising his eyebrows and all of them look at me questioningly.

"Take it! I have spare keys." I throw my house keys to Armaghan which he catches.

"Why are you giving this to us? Where are you going?" This time it was Saeed.

"Home for now, then to Karachi."

"What? ...right now?" His eyes widened.

"Yes! Right now. I have work to attend tomorrow." I smiled, winking at him and was greeted by a loud, oooooh!

I shook my head, smiling and walk briskly to the garage. I start my car and drove back home.

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