Being Mrs Dantata

13

Zayd opened his eyes when the bed dipped.

Amal smiled warmly and reached over him to pick his phone which sat on the top of the nightstand. "I just want to call Jonathan to let him know you'll be taking the new week off. I might forget to do so on Monday morning." She then sat beside him. "How are you feeling, Sa'ed?"

He felt drowsy and exhaustion weighed him down. His head still hurt but the jumbled up thoughts were gone. His mind was just blank. He managed a nod, his voice hoarse when he replied. "I'll be alright In Shaa Allah."

She reached up to touch his hair that was growing out, his natural curls extremely soft under her fingers. She sometimes envied him because she couldn't understand how a grown-ass man had hair as soft as a baby's.

"You should sleep more, Zayd." Her smile widened. "We slept really late last night. You're going to be okay." She shook her head and corrected herself. "We're going to be okay."

He closed his eyes. He told himself he honestly didn't deserve her. "Thank you, Amal. Thank you for being here."

"I'm always going to be here." Her voice was soft. Her fingers gently massaged his scalp. "You can always count on that, Zayd."

A tear slid out of his closed lid and it took a part of her heart with it. "I love you."

She leaned in and kissed his head. "Love you too, Sa'ed." It was never going to change. If anything, she loved him even more. "In Shaa Allah I always will."

He fell asleep a short while after and she removed her hand from his hair. She unlocked his phone and easily found Jonathan's contact. She kept the conversation short.

Jonathan worried because Zayd hardly took a spontaneous break so Amal had to repeatedly assure him that Zayd was alright; he just needed the rest. When she hung up, she put the phone back in place and then lay beside him.

She watched him with a heavy heart until sleep pulled her under.

~*~

"Okay guys, listen up!"

Every employee in the Interior Consultancy Unit raised their heads to look at Jonathan who stood in the middle of the office space. Hanan removed the earpiece in her left ear, wondering what was going on.

Jonathan put his hands together. "Some of you are working on the one project or the other while the others have clients to attend to and what not. One way or the other, we'll have to correspond with Zayd and that is why I'm here." He paused briefly to sigh. "Zayd's not going to be in the office until next Monday."

That took them by surprise. Zayd hardly took breaks unless it was extremely important. Jane asked the hanging question. "Why?"

"I spoke with Amal on Saturday morning." Jonathan replied, loud enough so everyone could hear. "She said he's exhausted and that he really, really, really needs the rest."

"Didn't he rest during the break?" Ugo – a male employee – asked. His expression soured. "Don't tell me he got started on another project."

Jonathan feigned a cough. "You know how Zayd is, Ugo. No dey ask dat kain question."

"It's good he's taking a break." Jane said and turned back to her computer. "He should just rest. He's always doing this."

Jonathan turned back to the other employees. "Anyways, if you have any email or work that has to go to Zayd, let it stop at Hajara's office. If it's extremely important and she's not on seat, I'll attend to it. Are we clear?"

They replied in the affirmative and he asked them to get back to work. Hanan plugged her earpiece back in and tried to stop herself from overthinking. She had to step out of the office when it got too hard to do so. When she got back, Jane stood. "Hanan, let's go to Jabi. We're to get started today."