1 A Usual Start

It was a bright sunny day. The cool breeze was blowing. The shining rays of sunlight, coming through the window, dazzled the interior of Sia's room. The room was extremely messy. Papers were scattered on the wooden floor. A sketchbook containing a picture of a handsome actor was on the table. The table also had a box containing different colored pens, pencils, and markers. A laptop was also present on it as if it was still switched on. Sia had a single wooden bed on which she was comfortably sleeping. There were two side tables on the corners of the bed. One had a flower pot on it and the other had a sling bag, tablet, and cell phone. The walls were full of anime posters which seemed controversial for a 25-year-old woman.

It is said that your surroundings reveal your personality. This was correct in Sia's case. She was not the woman men would dream of. She had fair skin with freckles on her cheeks, jet black hair, big eyes and comparatively small hands and feet. She preferred wearing hoodies and jeans as compared to cropped tops and fancy dresses. She was comfortable with stepping outside the house with no makeup. She disliked flashy colours that is why her wardrobe was full of light or black colour T-shirts. She was a technology person so, she would only spend money to upgrade her graphical tablet or buy a new gadget.

At 8 o'clock, the alarm started ringing and Sia woke up to a commotion. She took a bath, brushed her teeth, and wore her black shirt with blue jeans. She put all her essentials in her handbag and headed downstairs. Her mother was making breakfast. Memona, Sia's mother, was a weak woman, almost 45 years old. The people around her were fond of her cooking which gave her an idea of selling homemade food. She supported the family as well as Sia's education when her father remained unemployed for a long time.

"Good morning, mom!" Sia said cheerfully.

"Good morning." replied her mom while frying eggs with bacon.

Sia sat at the dining table and started eating. Soon, her father also came from his room and joined her. His name was Fiano. He used to work at a bank but soon was fired. He started helping Memona with her business and delivered food to the customers.

Sia's mother gave her a cup of coffee and sat down. They started having a chat.

"So, what are your plans for today?" asked Fiano.

"Nothing much. Today, I will be finalizing the cover page of the magazine and sending it for approval. Oh Yes! Lisa, Nat, and I are going for lunch today." replied Sia.

"Okay....but be careful.....going outside is dangerous for girls.....you did not hear the news of a girl who got kidnapped..."Fiano kept on telling them stories of girls being kidnapped and found dead. "It can happen to a group of girls as well."

"Stop it Fiano...let her decide what she wants. She is a grownup now." Memona interrupted.

It was not a surprise for Sia because it had happened all her life. Being an only child, she got all the love from her parents but her father was very overprotective of her. He used to call her at lunchtime or whenever she was late from work. He also forced her to put pepper spray in her bag whenever she had to go out. She disliked it. She could not have done anything for it anyway because she was afraid of her father's anger.

"Give me your bag." said Fiano. He was angry.

"O....Okay." Sia replied and gave him her bag.

Fiano looked for the pepper spray. It was there. Then, he looked at her phone if it was charged or not. He also started sharing her live location to ensure that he knows where she was going. She would be in trouble if she stopped it. He gave the bag back to Sia. Sia put the bag on her shoulder, said goodbye to both of them and left the house.

She left the street and reached the main road where her friend, Lisa, was waiting for her with her scooter. She was a fashionable girl, quite the opposite of Sia, wearing a white off-shoulder top with a light pink skirt and white heels. She was also wearing a helmet and sunglasses. She was wearing light makeup. Her straight brown-dyed hair really enhanced her appearance. Sia sat at the back.

"Hi!" said Sia.

"Hey darling!" replied Lisa.

Lisa gave a helmet to Sia. She wore it and Lisa started the scooter. They reached their office at 8:45. They started working. Lisa was part of the Public Relations department whereas Sia belonged to the Design department. Their other friend, Nat, worked in the Human Resource Department. Sia was working on her magazine cover page when the manager's secretary reported:

"All the department members must attend the meeting that is to be held today at 3:00 pm after work. The manager wants to discuss an important matter with us. All directors must ensure the presence of their team members at the meeting."

"Means our plan is cancelled.", Sia thought.

She received a text message from Lisa. It was really what she had thought. Everybody would be present at the meeting so, they would not be able to go for lunch. Sia sighed and continued with her work. After submitting her work to the director, she made herself a cup of coffee.

"Done with work?"

A voice came from behind. It was Andre, her colleague. He was tall with dusky skin and brown hair. He was wearing white shirt with black pants and a black tie.

"Yes"

Sia replied with a smile. She was looking at her previous cover designs while taking sips of coffee.

"Well...are you free tomorrow?", asked Andre.

"I hope so.", replied Sia looking at the meeting room and both of them started laughing.

"No... Seriously.... let's watch a movie.", said Andre.

Sia realized that he was serious. She wanted to say yes but then remembered that her live location was shared with her father. She was very afraid of him. She hesitated and decided that she must stand up for herself but she received a message from Lisa that they would go for lunch tomorrow.

"Uh.....some other day. I have plans for tomorrow.", replied Sia looking at her phone.

"Okay...tell me when you're free.", said Andre.

"Okay.", replied Sia.

Andre left. Sia started pondering over her life. How tasteless and colorless her life was. She could not enjoy the liberties that women of her age have. She loved her parents and they love her back but they should give her a chance to make her life decisions herself.

Sia was in her thoughts when Lisa interrupted.

"Sia! Wake up!", yelled Lisa.

"Okay!!!!!!!!"

Sia replied with anger.

"It's time for the meeting. Come. Hurry up."

Lisa said and went away.

Sia packed her things and headed towards the meeting room. When all of the members were seated, the manager, Mr.Reasus, came in. He was about 50 to 60 years of age. He had grey hair. He was wearing a suit.

"I apologize for calling all of you urgently. There is good news for all of you. Our country's famous supermodel, Mr.Daniel, has accepted our offer of having him as a model for our campaign promoting local brands. His management sent us an email yesterday. He would come next week as he is currently in Japan. I would really appreciate the efforts of the Public Relations department for their hard work."

Everybody appreciated them. Mr. Reasus continued:

"All departments must work hard from now on. We want this campaign to be successful. If so, all of you can have a raise. The logistics department would be responsible for picking him up from the airport and his accommodation etc. The PR department would now be contacting the brand owners for their products. The design department would be responsible for the set as well as poster and cover design. The photography department knows its responsibility. All departments must be in contact with the finance department. We should start preparing this tomorrow. Understood?"

Everybody replied:

"Yes sir."

"Any questions?", asked Mr. Resus.

"No sir."

"Okay then, the meeting is over. Good luck."

"Thank you."

While coming back from the meeting, everybody seemed excited to work with him especially women because he was every woman's dream guy. Some women chatted about how he became an ambassador of many international brands. Some just wanted to make friends with him. It was worthy of the hype.

Work on the campaign started the next day. Everybody became so busy that there was no time to even have a chat. Office hours were increased, much to the employee's distrust. After all, they were having a BIG DAY!