Indulgence

Two

Daylight peered into the closed shades of the living room, seeping up under Fatima's closed eyes; making her instantly shield her face with the back of her hand. Groaning, she sat up on the couch and looked around for her phone to turn off the sounding iPhone alarm she had set for 7:30 every weekday morning. Hearing the alert tone from under the cushion, she retrieved the device and turned off the alarm. She lightly scoffed as she glanced over the notification screen of her phone. Ian called seven consecutive times last night and attempted to have a text message argument before she finally put the phone on Do Not Disturb. Not wanting their next mediation meeting to end up as a he said she said yelling match, Fatima made sure she sent the screenshot of their conversation to Andi

Ian 🤬🖕🏽
You clearly see me calling you.
9:57pm

Ian 🤬🖕🏽
Tima please?!
10:08pm

Ian 🤬🖕🏽
PLEASE PICK UP THE PHONE
10:10 pm

Ian 🤬🖕🏽
FA-TI-MA
10:10pm

Tima👹
Nigga are you dying?
10:13pm

Ian 🤬🖕🏽
No, obviously not but it's important
10:13pm

Tima👹
Then stop fucking calling me.
I told you earlier to stop talking to me.
Follow that same advice down the bitch nigga road you came from. Fuck out of my inbox
I don't have shit to say to you.
10:22pm

After reading the message, Andi informed Fatima that she would handle it and she left it at that.

Shortly after Fatima took her phone off DND, a message came through from Dani, her old college roommate from UGA , asking to meet up for brunch this afternoon. Before she could agree her next alarm signaled that she had to keep it moving so she would be off schedule for the rest of the day.

Coming from a strict household, Fatima was always kept on a tight schedule. Every day as a child, Fatima would go through her daily schedule to ensure she was on time for every ballet and tap class, every violin lesson, every tutoring session and every meal: The Wilson family ate every meal together promptly. There was simply no time for being late.

Following the same guidelines, Fatima still kept herself on a very tight schedule without room to stray. She was the CEO of her own company. She had no time to get off schedule.

8:00 am Yoga

Because of the on again, off again rise of the Covid-19 pandemic chasing everyone into hiding, Fatima had to complete her yoga classes virtually even though she was fully vaccinated. She showered and got dressed in a pair of Nike biker shorts and matching loose fitting Nike tank top before unrolling her yoga mat in her living room before rubbing down her daily schedule for a typical day like today

8:00 am Yoga
9:00 am Breakfast
9:30 am Morning Meeting
10:00 am Work
12:00 pm Lunch
12:45 pm Afternoon Meeting
1:30 pm Facility Rounds
5:00 pm Debriefing

After forty-five minutes of relaxation and body stretches, Fatima rolled up her damp yoga mat and set it on the back patio to air out against the pavement before returning to the kitchen. Unlike her mother, Fatima was never much of a cook and only ate simple foods. Things that didn't require many dishes to clean and she could.

Fatima emptied a cup of Quaker Oatmeal into a saucer pan of boiling water before stirring the contents until done. She added a spoon of cane sugar, blueberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The meal was paired with a cup of Green mint tea and honey while Fatima read the morning newspaper on her solid pink iPad. She checked the time of the day while scooping the last bit into her mouth, groaning when she realized she was running behind schedule and wouldn't have time to shower before her morning meeting. Instead, she pulled a Nike track jacket over her yoga top, smoothed out the edges of her ponytail and logged onto her laptop in her home office.