Chapter Six

“Crap!”

The week had flown by and though it was usually a good thing, Morgan was less than happy on this particular occasion. Much of his week was spent on getting his affairs in order for the trip; a little extra shopping and packing an adequate amount of clothing that were at the very least presentable, getting a much needed haircut and shave, arranging his travel documents, going through the programme for the conference and making sure his apartment was spotless before he left. On the day of his departure, Morgan begrudgingly loaded his luggage into his hatchback and within thirty minutes, he was on the motorway to the airport. He glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. It read five minutes past six in the morning and as expected, there were very few vehicles on the road. Morgan estimated it would take him another thirty minutes before he would reach the airport. Using the left indicator, he eased into the slow lane and reduced his speed.

“Adding an extra ten minutes won’t hurt anyone,” said Morgan, changing the radio station.

From the process of checking-in to passing through the airport security gates and settling down in the departure lounge, it took all of thirty-five minutes but he still had at least an hour before departure. Morgan found his boarding gate and decided to kill time at a restaurant nearby with one goal in mind, putting some food in his empty stomach. When he saw her at one of the tables near the window, he hurried over.

Zahra Aziz was five feet five inches tall, slender, attractive with fair skin and shoulder length black hair neatly tucked away in her black Hijab. She wore a teal blue sweater, black skinny jeans and white converse shoes. Her pure hazel eyes hid behind oval framed glasses. She studied and obtained her medical degree at one of the most prestigious universities in the nation’s capital of Harleton, graduating summa cum laude. Despite her youthful appearance, she was actually a fellow at the hospital. Beauty, brains and the fact that they had some similar interests made her one of the most attractive women he’d ever seen. Though they got along very well, he never intended on pursuing her. The four year age gap, differing religious views and ethnicity swiftly put an end to such dreams.

“For someone who didn’t want to be here, you’re surprisingly early,” said Zahra, genuinely surprised.

“To be honest, a small part of me considered starting off just late enough to be caught up in the early morning traffic. The possible consequences of such a decision did not sit well with me, so here I am,” replied Morgan.

“You won’t like what I’m about to tell you but its best you hear it from me,” said Zahra, clearing her throat.

“What’s up?”                                                     

“I’m the one who put your name among those attending this weekend’s conference,” admitted Zahra, trying to gauge how Morgan would react.

“Why did you do that?” barked Morgan, furious by her ‘betrayal’.

“It’s been pretty obvious that you haven’t been yourself lately. I know that if I press you for answers, you’ll lie about being fine or dodge the questions completely. I know that discussing your problems with me is difficult, being your boss and all but I am concerned about your wellbeing.”

Calm down, calm down. As much as she is your friend, she’s also your boss.

“I get that it was coming from a good place and I appreciate that but next time, please come to me first,” said Morgan, finally calming down.

“I understand.”

They made their orders which were delivered shortly after. As they ate, they discussed about some of the cases they had seen the past week before delving into matters of the economy, entertainment, sports and the environment. Thirty minutes later, the rest of their colleagues arrived and half an hour after that, they were all sitting in first class, 35 000 feet in the air. Glancing out the window, he saw the changing scenery and slowly realized how small a world he was living in. The trip would take two and a half hours, which was enough time for a nap in his opinion as he proceeded to shut his eyes.