I woke up early this morning because today is the most important day. The CEO of The Shimmer Pvt. Ltd. will officially announce our collaboration on a new project, and he has organized a big gathering party to celebrate. Although I've attended many such parties before, this time I feel particularly nervous. Maybe it's because I'll be in the spotlight, or perhaps it's just a gut feeling that something significant will happen today.
"Come on, Areena, think positive!"
I tried to cheer myself up. I had met The Shimmer's CEO earlier; he treated me well and even told me to call him Uncle. Despite his kindness, I still felt uneasy. After my experience with Abid, I found it hard to trust people easily, especially those who were overly sweet.
I checked the important papers for the agreement one more time. My last concern was my dress. I'm not very good with fashion, but since I'll be the center of attention, I wanted everything to be perfect. I had called Sara, who married brother last month, to help me choose my dress. I didn’t want to disturb their honeymoon phase, but Sara was super excited and insisted on helping me.
Now, I'm at Infiniti Mall, waiting for Sara. She promised to meet me here at noon, but it was already 1 PM, and there was still no sign of her. I ordered a coffee and sat down when my phone rang.
"Soo sorry, darling... I'm here now. Where are you?"
Sara's voice chirped.
"Oh, this girl!" I thought, but I replied,
"I'm on the fourth floor at Evergreen Coffee Shop."
Sara thought I was angry, but I wasn't. I understood she was newly married, and I knew my brother loved her so much that he didn't want her to leave his side.
Someone tapped on my shoulder, and I turned to see Sara, looking more beautiful than ever. Love truly makes people glow.
She hugged me tightly, and I responded in kind. I had missed her. We drank our coffee, chatted a lot, and then headed to the world of dresses.
Sara wanted me to try on so many dresses, and it was almost 4:30 PM and I was totally exhausted.
"This is the 43rd dress, Sara. I'm tired now," I complained.
"Baby, try this one. You will look fabulous in it," she insisted.
"No, it's enough. I'm not trying on anything else. Just select from these," I pleaded.
Finally, Sara chose a light pink off-shoulder gown for me. I also picked a dress for her as she was going on her honeymoon next week.
I paid for the purchases, and as we were leaving, I accidentally bumped into someone running with a lot of bags. Everything fell to the floor.
"Don't you have eyes, mister?" Sara asked angrily.
"I'm really sorry, ma'am... I am..." he stammered.
"What sorry? Is this a place for jogging?" Sara shouted.
"It's okay, Sara. Don't be so angry. It's fine," I intervened, trying to calm the situation.
"I'm really sorry, ma'am," he repeated, his eyes filled with fear.
"It's okay," I said, picking up the bags. He gathered his things and left.
It was 6 PM by the time I reached home. After buying accessories for my dress, Sara made me promise to send her pictures once I was ready.
I took a shower and let my hair dry naturally. I pulled out the dress, but my face went pale. It was red instead of the pink one Sara had chosen. This wasn’t my dress!
"Ya Allah, where is my dress?" I searched everywhere, but it was gone. Then, I remembered the incident at the mall.
"Oh God, why did this have to happen today?" After all the effort, I had lost the dress.
Now what should I wear?
My eyes fell on the red dress. It was an off-shoulder gown with a lacy touch, and it was beautiful. I had no other choice.
"I'm sorry, Sara, and to whoever this dress was meant for," I thought as I quickly put it on. I applied a little makeup, styled my hair in a messy bun, and paired the dress with black heels.
I took one last look at myself in the mirror.
"It's showtime!"