Sadique 2

The sound of heels echoed through the corridor. The steps were neither harried nor hesitant. They were confident, deliberate and seemed to know their capacity. A woman in beige fitting trouser suit, complemented by green rhinestone embellished stiletto and a black office backpack strapped on her right shoulder and held in place by her manicured right hand. The side swept curls of her natural hair highlighted her gleaming eyes that were determined to get the accounts that were over-due by a range of 4 years in order. Sadique was entranced by the beauty of the woman in front of him but he shivered a little once he remembered the grilling he went through a week ago.

After she stormed out of his office that day, he assumed that she would go back since he was paying and her firm worked for money. He was wrong. Three days later, he had no feedback. Her services were ranked as the best in the country but they did not come cheap. Used to throw money for things to get done, he did the same to attain Nakhanu's skillset. The condition for payment was that she had to inspect the accounts beforehand. Keeping in mind that after she had done quarter of the work via the inspection, he assumed that she would have to finish what she began as a lesser evil to forfeiting her fee. Another wrong assumption. His nonchalant attitude set aside, he cared a lot about the family business that had been run down to the ground by his cousin. Knowing it was at its brink, his cousin left it to him without a fight. He was a man on a mission, to preserve their ancestor's legacy. And at that time, he needed Nakhanu's skill-set.

'Wait, she told you to call her when you are ready?' Paul laughed at Sadique over an evening beer, a one for the road, before he went home to his wife and children.

'Yeah, and she hasn't contacted me although she has done almost a quarter of the work' Sadique sighed, frustrated.

'Lucky guy, that is a second chance you have been given. I wouldn't have assured you that she was good if she wasn't.' Paul said while taking a swig of beer.

'Look man, she is your wife, can't you… like, talk to her for me. Convince a little and defend some of my pride' Sadique fidgeted with his beer.

'It is her job and her ego is worse than yours. I need some peace at home', Paul mused.

'Nkt, henpecked' Sadique clicked.

Sadique and Paul were childhood friends who were separated during their teens when Sadique moved overseas with his mother. Sadique's father had died leaving the family business to his trusted older brother. Due to a family feud over the business, Sadique's uncle sent him and his mother overseas to protect him from that toxicity. Even after his uncle passed on and his older cousin inherited it, Sadique remained overseas studying, working and occasionally picking up hobbies like traveling, hiking and snorkeling. He could be described as an avid adventurer, hopeless one sometimes since his body was ridden by scars as a result of mishaps he would encounter while pursuing his hobby. He left his life overseas when his aunt called him back to save the company. As a business savvy person with years of experience as CEO of a multinational corporation since his late twenties, reviving Shani Inc. was possible. It was a lot of work but possible. He had picked up Nakhanu's audit firm as his cleaner due to its popularity but was further assured by Paul of its reputation. He had got in touch with Paul once he got back and updated him about his choice of audit firm. At that time he was unaware that Nakhanu and Paul were married. He got the heads up when Paul called him later to laugh at him.

'Paul was right about the second-chance. But it came at a greater cost'. Sadique noted after contacting her later. It took a day of grilling, rule-setting and nonchalance on her part. She dismissed him later stating that she will start work on the Monday and the remaining work days and weekend will be spent with her boys. According to her, a man who had to take 3 days to decide if his company will be saved was not worth her devoted attention. With mixed emotions, of anger and admiration, he watched her go to her boys as his company waited for her saving grace. Scary woman!

The month they spent working together revealed most of their personalities. She put all her work in the auditing and he made his decisions around the audited account. The decisions and plans he laid down for the company was in tandem with her outlook. They had a tacit unspoken understanding which made them appear like an entwined team. One party did not have to speak for the other one to understand what needed to be done and how. Nakhanu admitted that he was one of the best clients she worked for and Sadique felt the same, that she was one of the best accountants he ever met. The month consisted of late nights and take-aways. Knowing that she can be a bonafide workaholic, Paul would visit with food and the twins occasionally. Most of the time he would pick her up yet sometimes Sadique will drop her off if she insisted on not disturbing Paul. She had gotten used to Sadique's occasional gimmicks and harmless prank whenever he was taking a break or unwinding. Her talkative bubbly nature and temper that could flare in seconds no longer fazed him. He loved working with her. And maybe even being around her.