Aya visits Zidan’s uncle, who assigns her the challenging task of teaching the most complicated kid. Read the full chapter to discover if Aya succeeds or fails.
Secrets and Rivalries
Zidan was at the cafe at 9:30 to pick me up. As I got on his bike, I glanced at my colleague, who was clearly fuming. She didn’t like seeing me on her crush’s bike. I knew she would create trouble for me today. She had asked me repeatedly where I was going, but I kept it a secret. If she knew I was going to a job interview, she would tell the manager, and I’d get fired immediately. Knowing her vindictive nature, I kept my plans to myself.
When she’s annoyed, she takes revenge. That’s why I keep my distance from her. She’s done it to me before. Once, she broke the most expensive vase in the cafe and blamed me for it, leading to a deduction from my salary. There have been many incidents like this. I will never let her into my friend circle. If she comes around for a casual “hi” or “bye,” that’s fine, but she wants a permanent place among my friends, and I can’t allow that.
Why stress over this? I think I can ask Zidan directly about her. He doesn’t know much about her true nature because I haven’t shared it with anyone. Maybe I should tell him later.
I’m frustrated with my tendency to keep things to myself and overthink them. It’s much more effective to address issues directly rather than letting them consume me. Simply acknowledging, “This is the problem, and it’s troubling me,” can often lead to a solution!
Courage and Caution
“Are you planning to resign from your current job?” Zidan asked.
“I can’t take the risk of resigning,” I said honestly. “If I lose my income, I won’t be able to survive.”
“Yes, I understand your situation. That’s why I need to tell you something about my uncle. This is his fourth business, and he’s already failed three times. He has a bad reputation in the business world, as our family members often talk about it. But I must say, as a person, he’s wonderful. He’s my favorite uncle. Maybe it’s just bad luck in business; I don’t know exactly what the problem is.” He paused and then continued, “So think carefully and make your decision. Just remember, you can’t blame me later for any of it.”
“If things go well, you’ll get credit. If things go bad, you’ll be blamed,” I said with a wink.
“Then maybe we shouldn’t meet my uncle,” he replied as he parked the bike.
I grinned as we walked inside, but there was still a slight fear inside me. I hoped things wouldn’t go wrong.
Sometimes, the courage I show to people is just an act. Deep down, if someone checked, they’d see only 5% courage and 95% fear. But I know how to act well, and that’s how I manage to get by without falling down on any rock.
Scoring an A+
As I entered the office, I noticed only three chairs. “Why is it so small and empty?” I wondered aloud.
“Why is no one in the office?” I asked Zidan.
“This is a startup. We only have four employees, and they work from home,” he explained. “In a startup, these four employees can grow into 400, or it could also go down to zero.”
“If the company grows to 400 employees and I join now, I’ll have a very respected position by then, right?” I asked excitedly.
“Yes, that could happen,” he said. “But there’s also the chance you could be fired if the company closes.”
“Be positive,” I encouraged him.
“Be positive, but consider the negatives too,” he replied.
What he mentioned makes sense; I should think about the downsides too. Just looking at the positive side can help me grow, but being aware of hidden problems will teach me how to solve obstacles.
“You mentioned this job yesterday, but now it feels like you don’t want me to join,” I said, sensing his hesitation.
“That’s because…” he began, but before he could finish, his uncle walked in. “Good morning, Aya,” his uncle greeted me with a smile.
“I’m impressed,” Zidan’s uncle said, nodding his head a few times. He was wearing a white shirt with blue formal pants. He had a white beard and some wrinkles on his forehead. Despite not being very old, he looked aged.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“But that impression is not enough. I want you to impress me more,” he paused and turned his eyes to Zidan, who was playing with a small, circle-shaped object on his desk.
My expression silently asked what I needed to do next.
He called out, “Yash, come here.” A boy carrying a textbook came from outside.
“Meet Yash. We need to explain each concept to him five times, yet he still struggles to understand,” Zidan’s uncle introduced him. Yash looked embarrassed, as nobody likes an introduction that highlights their weaknesses.
“How many times has this topic been explained to you?” the uncle asked Yash.
“Seven,” he said sheepishly.
“And you still don’t understand it, right?” the uncle asked angrily, then turned to me. “Your task is to teach him this concept. Make him understand, and I want to know how many times it takes you. If it’s once, A+. Twice, A. Thrice, B, and so on, like school grades. More than seven is a fail,” he explained.
I read the concept once and started to explain it to Yash. Fortunately, he understood on the first attempt. When the uncle asked some questions about that topic, Yash answered correctly and gave me a wide smile as he left.
When I help someone and they give me a big smile, it makes me feel proud. Seeing their happiness and knowing I’ve made their day better is a great feeling. In this world, kindness creates strong connections.
“Now, I’m very, very impressed. You scored an A+. Very impressive,” the uncle nodded approvingly.
“Thank you, uncle,” I said, then quickly realized my mistake of addressing him as an uncle.
“For Zidan, I’m an uncle. For you, address me as ‘sir,’ like everyone else.”
“Yes, sir,” I corrected myself.
“Let me introduce myself. Looking at my white beard and wrinkles, don’t think I’m too old. I’m just 37, recently married. The stress gifted me with all this. I’ve had lots of failures in the past, and this is my bounce-back business. I want this business to succeed at any cost,” he explained. “So I want the best team, the best teachers.”
“Okay, that’s great,” I replied.
“Are you currently employed?” he asked.
I explained about my job at the café.
“Continue that job. At night, you need to teach for 3 hours. Is that okay with you? This way, you can keep both jobs and avoid taking too much risk,” he said. “You will be paid 10,000 monthly.”
“Yes, yes, that’s completely fine,” I said. “Thank you.” Meanwhile, Zidan was still playing with the circle-shaped thing.
“Let’s start with online teaching first. Over time, we will move to physical classes,” Sir said.
“We have one more office, just 10 minutes away from here. Over there, you will find students, teachers, and all,” he added.
After some more discussion, we left the office.
Will our friendship continue
“Zidan, you know Hala, right? My colleague? I think she has a crush on you. She might confess to you later when you come,” I told him as we stopped at the signal, waiting for the green light.
“Then next year, she and I will be standing at the signal in this way,” he said, pointing at the couple on the next bike.
What does he mean by that? Does he also like her? OMG! What to do now? My mind started to run like crazy.
When we reached the café, we parked the bike. Now, as we walked towards the entrance, I couldn’t stop thinking. Will she propose to him? Will he say yes to her? I don’t like her!
Will our friendship continue if they become lovers? The thoughts were overwhelming. I was having a silent battle.
[To be continued]