As soon as I rounded the corner of the hall, I sprinted to my desk. Slapping the space bar, I waited for my slow-as-molasses computer to come to life so I could shut it down.

"Come on! Come on! You good for nothing hunk of wires!" I muttered.

Simon leaned to the side of his monitor, which was back to back with mine. "Whoa, Abi! That's some strong language for you. What's up?"

I impatiently slapped the keyboard again, then grabbed my lunch bag and slung it over my shoulder. "I've got to get out before Crystal comes back in."

"Did you set fire to her pants or something?"

"Or something, alright. At last!" I crowed when my computer finally let me in.

Simon came and sat on the edge of my desk, watching me save and close documents. "Abs, you gotta give me more! What's going on?"

"Ack!" I yelled when Sally appeared at my elbow.

"She stole Reynolds!" she stage-whispered.

"I didn't steal anything! He just liked my program better."

When they didn't respond, I looked up to catch them sharing an incredulous look.

"I'm serious!" I protested. "You should have seen the program Crystal signed him up for. It was awful." In a fading voice, I said, "And he said he was going to tell her he was cancelling today, anyway."

Simon cupped a hand to his ear. "Did I hear the word 'cancel' just leave your lips?"

I pressed my fingertips against my forehead and looked at their expectant faces through my fingers. These two weren't going to let me go without a satisfactory explanation. An explanation that I could say without guilt or worry since it was all information I'd say in front of Crystal herself so it wasn't gossiping or backbiting.

"Alright, I was curious about how Crystal's plan was working for Mr Reynolds, so I asked him some questions about his business. As we talked, I outlined a new plan based on what he said. When I asked if he wanted to renew, he said he was planning on cancelling because Crystal's plan wasn't worth the money he was paying. He asked to see the plan I'd been writing as we talked. Then he said he'd renew if it was my plan and if I took over his account."

Simon and Sally just stared.

With the computer finally off, I pointed to the back door and they obediently followed. "Crystal found out in that meeting just now. She flubbed her way through it, but I'm sure she's on the warpath now. So I've got to get out to my car and leave before she's done saying goodbye to the big wigs. I doubt she'll visit me at home, and I'm hoping she'll calm down by Monday."

Simon shook his head and gave me sad eyes. "I don't think she'll calm down until next year about that. Reynolds was her baby."

A door closing made us all look over. Fred, the accountant, turned to face us. He kept himself on the periphery of everyone except Crystal. He wasn't the friendliest of people, but he wasn't nasty like her either. We knew him well enough to recognize the expression on his face was one of serious despair.

"Are you okay, Fred?" I asked, stepping toward him and raising a hand to offer aid of whatever sort he needed.

Sally had mentioned he'd been in with the CEO and VPs for a long time. Had they fired him?

He didn't even give us the hint of a smile and his eyes remained flat. "Been a long day. Have a good weekend."

We all watched him walk up the hallway, shoulders slumped and arms dragging so low he could have grazed the floor with his knuckles.

"You don't think-" Sally drew her finger across her throat echoing my thoughts.

Simon shrugged. "He didn't take a box of his stuff with him. I guess, we'll find out Monday if he's here or not."

The noise of the bells above the front door jerked me into action.

"I've got to go!" I grabbed at the door handle which slipped out of my sweaty hand.

"Let me," Sally said and twisted it open for me.

"Thanks!" I called as I raced to my car.

It took two tries fumbling with the zipper on my purse to get it open and my car keys out. I jumped behind the wheel, stabbed in the key and twisted it, making the engine roar briefly. Pressing the brake, I shifted into reverse, then screamed when I thankfully looked in the rearview mirror and saw Crystal standing right behind my car like an ominous thundercloud.

She crossed her arms and glared at me, waiting.

I twisted my hands nervously on the steering wheel.

She crooked a finger at me.

Apparently there was no avoiding this.

My heart raced and a single bead of sweat rolled down between my shoulders. I quickly muttered a prayer for protection, then turned off my car and got out. Gravel crunched under my feet as I walked down the length of my car.

Crystal's jaw was so tense her mouth didn't move as she said, "Explain yourself."

"He liked my plan. He asked me to take over the account. I couldn't say no or we'd lose the client."

Her volume escalated as she said, "Why did you make a new plan in the first place?"

"I just asked him a few questions, and I started scribbling the new plan. Then he asked to see it, and he liked it."

"My plan was perfectly fine!" she yelled at me.

I blew out a breath because it made my blood boil when anyone yelled at me without due cause. If I screwed up as a kid and my parents yelled at me, then I'd take it because I deserved it. Crystal just liked yelling.

"Astagfirullah," I muttered, asking for forgiveness because I had to grit my teeth to hold back my own yelled response.

"What are you muttering now? I hate it when you do that," she spat out.

I closed my eyes and took a calming breath before replying, "Just because someone is saying something you don't understand doesn't mean they are talking about you or to you."

A furious blush tinted Crystal's cheeks. She vehemently protested, "That's not what I was thinking. You are always saying those-"

I held up a hand, palm out, to stop her before she could continue. "I'd think really carefully about what you are about to say, Crystal. I've put up with a lot, but I will file a complaint about you if you make any kind of racist or derogatory remark."

Her lips turned white as she struggled to hold back the words screaming to get out.

Watching her struggle made me want to lash out and get her back for all the years of angst and anger she'd unloaded on me and my co-workers. I almost wished I hadn't stopped her so that I could file a complaint.

Sucking in a deep breath I tried to calm myself down. I leaned back against the hood of my car.

"What? Too tired after your long day of stealing accounts?" Crystal mocked.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and focused on remaining calm. "No, actually. If you are feeling angry, change your position. If you're standing, then sit. If it's not enough, lie down."

Crystal snickered and kicked some dusty gravel my way. "I'd love to see you lie down and ruin that black pantsuit."

Her needling was just making my anger bubble up again.

I sighed in relief when I remembered what I should have said right from the beginning. Although I wanted to say it really loud just to annoy Crystal, that really wasn't going to be productive.

So in a soft voice I said, "A'oothu billaahi minash-Shaytaanir-rajeem."

Like a balm on a burn, my anger deflated. I opened my eyes, which I hadn't realised I'd closed in my efforts to remove myself from the situation.

"More that I can't understand?" Crystal snapped.

Riding the wave of calm, I looked levelly at her. "The first thing I said, astaghfirullah, means 'I seek forgiveness in Allah' because I wasn't able to control my anger. If I say it quickly enough, the angel that writes down my sins won't have to write that down because I asked to be forgiven.

"The second means 'I seek refuge with Allah against the outcast Satan.' It is a very effective way to calm down quickly. I can teach it to you if you want to try it, but I'm not a scholar or anything, and I think you have to mean it for it to work."

She just snorted and gave me a derisive look.

"I guess not then," I replied and stood up. "Look, Mr Reynolds said your program did bring him business, just not enough to justify the cost. That's why he was going to cancel. He wants to give my program a try. If it doesn't work out, I'm sure he'll cancel it too. It's nothing personal. It's just business."

Crystal's lower lip jutted out and she lifted her chin. "I went by every month to make sure the ad was bringing people to his door. I gave him excellent customer service."

"I'm sure you did. As I said, it just didn't bring in enough business. That's the way it goes, even multi-million marketing campaigns can flop."

With the angle of the sun, I couldn't be certain if there was a shimmer of tears in her eyes. There was no mistaking the whine that crept into her voice revealing how hurt her feelings were when she said, "But I had a relationship with Samuel."

I quirked my eyebrows at that and she snapped her mouth shut so fast her teeth clicked.

Had Crystal been pressuring Mr Reynold's to date her? Is that what that look between him and Derek meant?

She crossed her arms, cupping the opposite elbows and chewed on her lip. I'd never seen her drop her guard and look vulnerable.

I was at a loss for what to say. There was no way I was going to encourage her to go visit him.

"Look, Crystal, I've got to get going. I'll see you on Monday. Could you maybe move so I can reverse out?"

Uncharacteristically, she just nodded and moved over to stand behind Fred's Audi.

I said a quick Alhumdulillah in thanks, and jumped in my car. I shrugged and waved at Sally and Simon who were peeking around the edge of the front door, lunch bags in hand, probably watching until Crystal went in the back before they raced for their own cars.

Shaking my head, I signalled and turned towards home.

As I drove, I prayed aloud, "Oh Allah, please help me to always act with the best of virtue."

This day was getting weirder and weirder, and it was far from over. I still had to face my sister and - gulp! - my mom when I got home. Would Mom use her mind-reading skills and know I'd found out about the arranged marriage site? Or had Anj blabbed already?

Author's Note: What do you think Abi is going to find at home?