On my nerves

Sitting in his office and working on his laptop, he appeared somewhat disturbed. He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts, pausing on Mara's number as he stared closely at it.

Mr. Moon entered the room with a broad smile. "Sir, I just spoke with Mara on the phone, and she sounded very happy. She said she has gone to her hometown and she is having a lot of fun over there," he said, his voice filled with excitement.

Mr. Warren didn't utter a word and simply looked at him.

"She must be out of stress and having the time of her life, that must be nice" Mr. Moon continued, oblivious to Mr. Warren's reaction.

With a sharp hit on his table, Mr. Warren stood up, looking furious. "Can you stop talking about her in my presence? Nobody cares how she is spending her leave," he said before storming out of the room.

Mr. Moon, now puzzled, muttered to himself, "Why is he so mad now?" as his gaze remained fixed on the door.

…...........................

"Papa, Papa!" Mara called out, running to him as her dad was farming up the hill since their house was below it. They lived in a small village in the state where everyone knew each other.

"You didn't have to come all the way here, my love," her dad said, raising his legs to avoid stepping on some of the crops he had planted and meeting her on the way.

"I have brought some fruits for you, Papa," Mara said joyfully as she presented them to her father.

"You didn't have to," he said with love in his eyes as he snacked on the fruits. "Thank you, they taste delicious," he added.

Mara helped her Dad farm until they were done for the day, even when he asked her not to.

"You're already doing too much for us, Mara. You are young and just starting your life. I don't want you to take on all the burden by yourself," Mara's dad said before gently placing a hand on hers.

"You don't have to worry, Dad. I am responsible for you all, and I have a new job that is paying me well. Very soon, I will bring you, Mom, and Josh with me to Cali," Mara reassured him."And he wouldn't have to be in a boarding school anymore so we can all live happily together," Mara said, smiling.

"Eat, eat," she urged as she fetched more rice for her dad's plate.

"My little angel on earth," her dad said as he slowly touched Mara's hair.

They walked back home after they were done, Mara holding her dad's stools. When she got a call, her expression turned puzzled.

"Why are you spending your leave in your hometown?" the caller angrily lashed out.

"What do you mean by that?" Mara responded, confused.

"I'm asking you why you are in your hometown," Max said.

"I came here because I am on leave and I wanted to visit my family a little," Mara explained.

"You don't have the right to go far away when you have been given a leave. What if the Company needs something from you urgently? Then what would you do? Ignore the company?" Max asked.

Mara smirked in frustration, cursing him silently as she listened. "I want you back in Cali as soon as possible," he said before abruptly ending the call.

He stood there smiling at what he had done

Mara stood there in shock, unable to believe what she had just heard. She looked up at the sky and let out a loud groan. "I hate this man so much," she muttered, gesturing angrily with her hand before retreating into the house.

"Mama," Mara called out, seeking comfort as she laid her head on her mother's lap.

"What's wrong, my love?" her mother asked, gently patting her hair.

"I think I need superpowers like the ones in the movies one of these days," Mara sighed.

"Why is that, dear?" her mother inquired.

"To deal with annoying people in my life, maybe let them vanish from this world" Mara replied with frustration.

The mom slightly giggled. "That wouldn't solve the problem, my silly little princess," she said.

Mara stood up abruptly. "I have to go back to Cali."

"So soon, my love?" her dad asked as he emerged from the shower.

"Yes, Papa, I have to go take care of things. I promise to be back on my next leave," Mara assured him.

After a while, Mara returned downstairs with her things. "I'm pretty sure I'll catch the next bus back," she said.

Her mom had packed her lots of food, and her dad had arranged some vegetables from the garden for her to take. When Mara saw them, tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, my lovely family," she said, pulling them both into a tight hug.

"Hurry up and go, else the bus will leave without you," her mom said, though Mara still didn't break the hug and held them tightly. "I don't want to leave you," she said in a choked voice.

The parents exchanged a knowing glance and then simultaneously started to tickle her so hard that she ran around the room begging them to stop, all while laughing.

"Okay, okay, I will leave," Mara finally said when she managed to escape their tickles and stood at the exit door. The parents blew her a kiss, and she looked back at them, waving and blowing a kiss in return before leaving.

"Mara, you're back," Paloma exclaimed as she noticed her friend at the door.

Mara nodded and walked in, taking a seat on the chair.

"Why so early? You don't look happy. I thought you were going to spend four days there," Paloma remarked, sitting beside her.

"Because I am not. My annoying boss keeps tormenting my life. Can you believe he called me to return back to Cali and said the leave given to me doesn't mean I should go far away, which company does that, tell me, Paloma?" Mara said with annoyance, leaning back on the sofa.

Paloma remained silent but smiled. "At least we have time to go shopping before the girls' date night," she suggested optimistically. "See, it has an advantage," she added, squeezing herself beside Mara on the sofa and resting her head where Mara's head was.