Something lived, Something felt

Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

The early sun shined down, radiant and warm on their skins, the garden was quiet except for the chipping bird and the soft breeze. Amna and Zinar flipped through a magazine while Nafisa had a prideful smile. She was offered a job in the company she interned and it was huge, her first assignment was to organize the diversity column, portraying different muslim cultures around the globe for the company's fifth anniversary. She had asked Zinar for some Nigerian and African trends, she was planning on making it the talk of the day.

"Your company supports the queer community and its part of your diversity column?" Amna informed reading from the magazine. Nafisa roughly pulled the paper and read it,

"I don't have to be the one to do this section"

"You're the head of the make up and styling" Zinar pointed out.

"I have worked so hard, it's a big deal" she said trying to convince herself of a way around.

"So is your religion"

"Maybe talk to them, make them see how it stands against an Islamic based company." Amna advised and she nodded "After all this is their first time including it".

Nafisa met the lady she interned under but she said she couldn't help, non of her teammate seemed to have a problem with it either. Most of them told her to keep her morals aside from the job as they all did. She walked up the stairs to the event supervisor,

"Amna you have been given an opportunity that so many dream of"

"I know and thank you very much but the queer community stands against everything"

"We are a liberal company, we support all of our brothers and sisters. Besides this religion is open to interpretation, it depend on your own perception on things." She said and Nafisa gave her a nod before going out, she was turn between what to do. The assignment meant so much to her, she had worked so hard, she loved her work and she loved where she was. She sighed and resumed work, she reluctantly sat down for a meeting and listened to her team mates talk about the plan so far, they passed on what they had done already. The theme was basically Aladdin meets Jodha Akbar in Wakanda. They had different cultural fashion takes.

"A little bit of Canadian, Arabian, African and Asia." One of her teammate said.

"This is going to be huge, it's a means of expansion" another one said excited.

"For the queer I was thinking we should go with a gender free, or mixed vibe," one of them contributed and they all nodded listening and taking notes.

"Like a skirt been worn by a man or a man in makeup." someone else added.

"Fashion without gender. Nafisa what do you think?" he asked and they all turned to her.

She looked around, how bad could it be? She pushed her conscience down and smiled "Its brilliant".

She went to the café opposite the company, she flipped through the companies magazine, this is just for promotion she told herself 'what really matters is what's in the heart' she convinced herself. Her gaze fell on a woman seated on the table beside hers, she had three box beside her on the floor, her table was empty except the glass of water that was seated untouched, she wiped a stray tear as she tried to compose herself exhaling and inhaling deeply. Nafisa recognized her from the office, two other girls that also worked with them walked in and sat down beside her.

"We made the right choice" one of the girls said in a Scottish accent.

"We are muslims, that's it, there is no adjective to it." the other one said in the same accent. They were all elegantly dressed and completely covered, one of them was wearing a niqab. The first lady nodded before gulping down her glass of water.