I stared at her. “Her father is my business partner, so I know him a little,” I explained while choosing what to buy.
“The one you met at the café that time?”
I only gave a brief nod and walked toward another shelf.
“You like him, huh?” I asked bluntly. She visibly fumbled, shifting her attention to something else.
“Come on, admit it,” I pressed.
“Nope,” she quickly cut in.
“I’ve known you for a long time. I know when you’re telling the truth and when you’re lying, Missa,” I explained.
“Your reaction just now made it completely obvious,” I said as I headed for the checkout. Then I paid for everything.
On the way home from the minimart, Irsha got a call from her mom. She wanted to invite Missa to her apartment, but then she remembered that Missa had quite a lot of assignments last night. So she abandoned the idea and said goodbye.
When she arrived in front of the apartment, Mom and the two people who had been with her earlier helped carry the things she had bought up to her unit.
“Mom, why did you ask Irsha to buy more ingredients? We already bought some yesterday.”
“You know, I looked at your pantry earlier, and it was still empty. There was practically nothing in it. You’re not staying here for just a week, Irsha,” Mom explained.
She had a point. The pantry was pretty spacious, while Irsha had only bought a little yesterday. Even that, she had put in the refrigerator.
“But, Mom, Irsha isn’t going to stay at the apartment forever.”
Ugh, whatever. Her mom had probably bought a lot of things for her kitchen anyway. Sometimes, we really do have to listen to our parents.
I walked toward my room.
I could still hear Mom busying herself outside.
Eventually, I grew sleepy and drifted off.
Today, I was ready to lead a motivational seminar for college students graduating this year.
The event was being held outdoors, so the air was cool, making it easier to deliver the motivational talk and helping everyone enjoy it more.
Today, I was accompanied by Nataniel. He was the one who helped me develop this small startup into something much bigger over time.
As far as I knew, I first met him at the fashion shows held by my sewing course every three months. As luck would have it, I got the chance to model all of my designs at one of them and received a positive response. That was when I began developing the idea into a fashion company—for children, teenagers, and adults alike.
It was pretty hot today, so I chose to wear a jumpsuit with a cardigan over it to cover my short sleeves, along with a hijab and flats.
“Perfect.”
I went downstairs to the kitchen and saw Tita helping Auntie.
“Good morning, Auntie. Tita.”
“Good morning, Miss,” they replied. I sat down and grabbed my food.
“Oh, Tita, can you drive me there?”
“Sure.”
After eating, I went to get my bag and headed to the seminar venue.
When I arrived, the students had already filled the area prepared by the committee. Nataniel and I were immediately directed to the preparation area before the event began.
Not long afterward, my name was called, and I went up onstage.
I took a slow breath before standing in front of the students.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Morning!” they answered almost in unison.
I smiled.
“I know you’re about to enter a completely different world. After graduation, some of you may immediately look for jobs, start businesses, continue your education, or maybe still be unsure about what step to take next. And that’s okay.”
I slowly walked across the stage.
“I’ve been in your position, too. I started with something small that I loved. At first, it was just an opportunity to model some designs. From there, I received a positive response and began working up the courage to start a business in fashion.”
Several students appeared to be listening intently.
“So if you still don’t know what you’ll become a few years from now, don’t feel like you’re falling behind. Be brave enough to start, keep learning, and don’t be afraid of failure. Sometimes, great opportunities come from things we initially consider small.”
Applause filled the seminar area.
After delivering my presentation, I opened the floor for questions. Several students asked about starting a business, dealing with failure, and balancing work with their personal lives.
I answered each question based on the experiences I had been through.
Almost an hour passed before the seminar finally ended.
“Thank you for sharing your story with us, Irsha,” one of the committee members said.
I smiled. “You’re welcome. I hope what I shared will be useful to all of you.”
The event went smoothly without a hitch. Tita was buying lunch for us.
Meanwhile, I was walking toward an empty bench over there, but I hadn’t been able to find one this whole time.
CRASH!