Memory: 15

Like magic, Adam watzled again into Tasnim's life. Unlike previously, Adam seemed to be hiding in his own shell. It didn't feel right for Tasnim to further intrude Johari's life to ask about Adam. All of us had our fair share of problems and we just had to continue on with our lives.

Like Hanna. She was now in New Zealand, either picking kiwi fruits or swimming in the beach behind her lodging. It was her dream to go on that six months working visa thing in the country.

' Six months will just fly without us realising it,' Hanna said to a teary-eyes Tasnim who really couldn't say a thing.

' Hey! I'll be fine. We would write long emails,' Hanna tried to calm Tasnim down.

' I'll take care of her,' Khalid quipped behind them, as if not wanting to be left out. Like a boyfriend reassuring the mother that he will be there for her daughter.

And Khalid kept to his words. Morning messages will always be there to greet Tasnim. At first, it made her wonder what was wrong with Khalid and later, she succumbed to it. It was nice to have someone greeting your day to be great.

But her heart was the biggest culprit. It would have been easier to just move on with life; with here friends by her side but no, that would not happen. Adam was always on her mind, despite the question she asked her about Sara.

' Forget him,' Khalid told her numerous times. Khalid made it sound so easy.

Memory: 14

Johari

' Don't cry.'

' It can be anything.'

' He has never mentioned anyone else's name.'

Tasnim

' Nah. It's oke. They look, good together anyways.'

Johari

' Look. This is still fresh. We don't know.'

Tasnim

' Stay as my friend, oke?'

Johari

' Tasnim, he might not recover yet. Let me check with the others.'

' He has never mentioned about Sara.'

Tasnim

' Oke. Sorry to disturb you.'

Johari

' It's nothing, Tasnim.'

' You take care.'

' I'm sorry.'

It was not Johari's fault that Adam asked for Sara, saying that he was interested to know Sara.

Memory: 13

' You have to empty your heart before you can let something good in.'

Sometimes, Hanna was really good with words. And these words have helped. After the countless teary nights, of course.

At one point, Tasnim just gave up. Months of not hearing anything, caused Tasnim to just move on. She just can't live on sadness anymore.

' Sorry to break this to you but there were nothing between you guys,' Hanna said one day and nearly drove Tasnim to tears.

' if he really liked you, he would not wait that long,' Khalid chipped in, between. Outhfuls of tom yam and plain rice. They were having dinner.

' Oke I'm sorry. But he didn't come out and said he loved you so yeah, it was really nothing. Don't feel obligated to stay with him,' Khalid added an afterthougt, sensing that a storm was coming.

What the friends didn't know was Tasnim was still banking on Adam. She had given a lot of thought of what happened to him. Adam bounced back once, of course he will bounce back again. And by then, Tasnim will take him back.

One day, Tasnim checked out her Facebook. It was quite sometime since she checked out the social media. Her eye quickly looked at the sidebar for people who were online.

' Adam!' a small scream escaped from her mouth.

Without hesitating, Tasnim clicked his name and window popped up.

' Hi Adam.'

Tasnim waited for a reply.

' Hi.' Came a reply. Tasnim nearly cried of happiness.

' How are you?'

The next reply caused Tasnim to slam the laptop, her face white as ghost.

If you are sick…

Sometimes we forget that work performance do not mean that we have to be in the office every single day. Our body is like a machine; sometimes it requires maintenance and time off (unless one of us is an android) like one or two days of being on holiday perhaps. It is actually surprising to know some people think otherwise.

Before we move on, some offices have remote working arrangements or permission to do so from the boss. I am one of those lucky ones.

For those who are lucky enough to enjoy this, I still find it hard to comprehend why some choose to come to the office although it is kind of obvious that you are unfit to do so. It is perfectly fine to be sitting at home a day a two just to make sure you are fine. It is perfectly normal to be sick, rest at home, get better and return to the office. How can we expect to be working at full capacity when we have runny nose or an upset stomach (this always include running to and fro the toilet)? How?

But sadly, sometimes we totally forgot about this. Sigh.

Airborne diseases may look pretty harmless to us. Ah, what’s a bit of a cough or sneeze? Well, if you have been doing so for the past month or two, please seek help. I’m not going to scare you or something but did you notice some abnormalities near your glands with that cough? It might be something.

Some people may want to get pregnant and really, why would you want to put her in jeopardy?

I know some offices offer monetary benefit for not taking any MCs but seriously, why would you want to put other people’s health on the line for that money? Consider giving the money to someone else if your decision actually affect others that causes them to be sick.

If you have working at home arrangement (and really need that money), please consider the option. Do not come to the office and spread your virus to other people. It is bad enough to be sitting in an office; a closed space for eight hours (bless those people with shorter working hours) with existing health hazard. Dust accumulates on the carpet for years and the closed window; that cannot be healthy. So, please don’t add your virus to it.

If you do not the option to work from home, take the day off and just sleep. A good shutdown is great for an ever active body. Think; if you are perfectly fine, why are you sick? It’s the way your body is telling you ‘please stop. I need rest.’

A one day or two would not hurt. And to add to it, if you have some sickness that have been day for a few months, don’t you want to go to the specialist? 

Memory: 12

These days, the smartphone was glued to Tasnim's hands. Every few minutes, she touched the phone. It was difficult to let the screen stay pitch black.

' Anytime. He can come back anytime,' Tasnim convinced herself almost every night. Well,  after a lot of crying of course.

It was getting manic. Every single week, Tasnim went back to Johari. It was always the same question: any news? And Johari was good enough to entertain Tasnim despite the fact that they were only connected by Adam.

' It's ok, Tasnim. I would want to help my friend be happy,' a sad smile on Johari's face. Tasnim understood that too well.

It was as if Tasnim can see Adam everywhere she went at work. The only place that she felt safe from memories was her floor. Sometimes, she could see Adam in the elevator, other times at the lobby. It nearly drove her to tears because she knew her brain was playing tricks on her. It was just because she missed Adam so much.

It was as if Tasnim tried to cling to every memory that linked her to Adam. It was already two months since Adam disappeared but she kept waiting. She was never alone at night; tears will always be with her, wetting her pillow too.

It was not only Adam, Tasnim seemed to losing her touch too.

Days passed and suddenly it was already weekend. It was officially the days of mourning for her. It was normal for her to sleep really long hours these days, a sign of loneliness. Except that the ring of the phone interrupted her deep slumber.

Hanna.

' Morning love!' Hanna sounded very much awake. Tasnim looked at the clock and was surprised. 9 am and Hanna was already up? It was either something was really wrong or ...

' Morning..' Tasnim answered closely while getting up from the bed. ' Is everything..oke?'

Hanna laughed on the other line. ' What? What do you mean? Of course I am fine. Where are you at?' Hanna sounded as if she was outside, near the streets.

' Home. Just got up,' Tasnim rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked towards the kitchen. The city has long been awake.

' Great. Open up, I'm outside,' And there was a bang on the door.

' What? Hanna!' but the line was already dead.

Outside the door, Hanna was standing with two small cups that can only mean coffee, flashing a 500 megawatt smile.

' Hanna, I haven't showered!'

' Now is the perfect time. Go or the coffee will be cold,' Hanna made herself at home in the apartment that belonged to Tasnim's family. That got Tasnim smiling.

Just as Tasnim stepped out of the shower, something that smelled delicious wafted through the air.

A smiling Hanna greeted Tasnim who just stepped out of the room. 'Scrambled eggs, you oke with it?'

' Thank you,' Tasnim took a seat, realising that she hadn't had a bite since last night.

She scooped some of the eggs with some bread and popped into her mouth. It was as if the dish was the most delicious thing that Tasnim ever consumed. Well, she certainly looked like it.

A few minutes of having the dish, Tasnim realised something. She looked up to Hanna who was staring at her.

' Want more?' it was Hanna's code for ' for a moment there, you looked happy. Please take good care of yourself. You don't deserve this'. Yes, everything that she already said last week.

Tasnim could not answer and just put up a hand.

Hanna smiled again.

' She's recuperating.' A message was sent to Khalid.