My Sweet And Sassy Love

|| EPIDOSE 1 ||

The rays of the summer sun were unbearably bright, already piercing Sarah's eyes even though it wasn't yet noon. Hanging the Gucci bag on her shoulder, she walked out of the mirrored doors. Looking at the giant hospital building behind her, Sarah felt like a failure. She had lost again. Nine months had passed, and here she was again.

"Even after trying so hard, I had another panic attack last night. How laughable," she gave herself a self-deprecating smile.

Her gaze fell on the packed medical records and the medications she used to take in the past. Suddenly, she found the whole situation ironic. "How I wish I could forget that incident that haunts me every night," she thought. Pursing her lips, she straightened her back and walked away.

"It's alright. I believe in myself. One day, I'll get over it. I have to, if I want to make them happy. Make my parents happy. Now let's go."

Sarah quickly boarded a public bus. Since it was the weekend, there were few passengers, and the roads weren't crowded. Most people like to rest at home on weekends rather than go outside, and if some go out, it's mostly at night.

Sarah is 23 years old, a simple and innocent girl. She is the type of girl every parent would be proud to have. Beautiful and intelligent, she works tirelessly to fulfill her parent's dream.

She had lost her parents and one more valuable thing of hers that night seven years ago. After that night, she was ready to give up on life, but she couldn't let her parents' dream—Vernam Event Management Company—die with her. She vowed to protect it and make it one of the top event management companies in India. This company, which her father had founded the same year they died, was all she had left.

Alongside her friend Tirtha, who had been a trainee professor at her college, Sarah had started the company after finishing her graduation. Tirtha was a trainee professor at Sarah's college; they met when Sarah was pursuing her first year of bachelor's. Though they knew almost everything about each other, Sarah had never spoken about her family to Tirtha. She had always kept that part of herself locked away.

After some thought, Sarah decided to call Tirtha.

"Hello, Thi." She was sure Tirtha was probably busy with her husband.

"Suru! Good morning! Why are you calling at 9:30 in the morning? Is something urgent?" Tirtha asked, not at all surprised by Sarah's early call, but it was sudden, and she was in the middle of her hubby's romance.

Tirtha and Sarah had been friends since college. Tirtha always admired Sarah's intelligence and simplicity. Sarah was kind and innocent, a girl who always wore a smile, though it never reached her eyes. Tirtha liked her a lot because she felt like, in the form of Sarah, she had gotten a younger sister. Sarah was really passionate about their business, but Tirtha was concerned about Sarah's well-being.

"It's not urgent. I just wanted you to send me the photos and videos from Nitya Roy's wedding. I'll pick the best ones and send them to the editing team so we can upload them to our website," Sarah said, leaning against the bus window and letting the bright sunlight shine directly on her face.

"But Sarah, why do you need to work today? It's the weekend! Relax and have some fun!" Tirtha replied, her voice filled with concern.

"I know, but I want to get a head start on planning. I'm free today, so just send them by 3:00 PM, okay?" Sarah responded, drawing a smiley face on the fogged-up window.

"Sarah... seriously? How can you work like this every day, even on weekends? At least care about your health! I'm not sending it today. And Miss Sarah, you are going to rest and have fun today, right?!" Tirtha said, her voice full of frustration, realizing Sarah's carelessness about her health.