VIRUS

When we talked about virus and modern day epidemics, HIV AIDS was the first thing that crossed my mind.

Probably because the epidemic was an issue that I had heard a lot since the nineties.

The conspiracy theory that AIDS is said to had been deliberately transmitted from apes in Africa in the eighties to a group of people had been something that I had been interested in ever since I could remember. Yet even so modern epidemics had never affected me on personal level.

"Goodness gracious! I could be dead!" shouted Daniel as soon as he managed to recover all of the files jeopardized by the virus. See, how a computer virus case could take me far to Africa and all sorts of imagination. Good thing I quickly got back into reality!

Daniel suddenly went silent. His eyes were sharp on the blank computer screen. It looked like he tried to remember something.

'Hmm...maybe he suddenly remembering Jennifer,' I thought to myself. Ugh Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer. That woman had been like a virus to me. Just like any other viruses who could paralyse anyone, this Jennifer virus had made my mind stopped working at the moment.

Daniel turned his sight on me, all of the sudden. That shocked me a little but I quickly pretended to look at the files in my hand.

Since the Asia Café drunken incident back then, Daniel and I proceeded with our lives like on normal days. We never talked about it and pretended like it never happened. But there was something Daniel said at the time that has left quite a big impact to my emotion. It was about my existence at Terry Lee Publication.  Was I accepted here because of my credibility, or just because I 'looked' like Jennifer? What did Daniel mean by the similar charisma between me and her? I knew, it was a drunk-talking at that time, but really it affected me so much. I felt like I was only hired there for the wrong reason. Because I looked like the editor in chief's former girlfriend? Wow...what an 'accomplishment!'

Or could it be all this roller coaster of emotion happened because I romanticized everything that happened between me and him, when all he offered for or wanted from me was just an honest friendship? Ah I should have listened to Gina from the beginning! As long as no confirmation put on the line, I should not let my emotion drown me. But alas...it was too late because I was already breathless in the water.

After what seemed to be a Jennifer investigation week, I managed to calm myself down and forgot about what had happened between me and Daniel and also this Jennifer woman whom I never met. So eventually, her images were very much gone with the wind. Or so I thought. A few moments later, this Jennifer name got back and infected my whole body again, like a virus. It started when I accidentally read a tweet from a gossip page in which the headline read 'Hey Magazine's Editor Daniel and former girlfriend are together again?"

My world was shaken when I read the headline. I showed the article to Ally and Gina, including  their intimates photos in it and to these two friends of mine I shared my regret.

"What are you regretting about, honestly Marina?" asked Gina.

"I thought there was 'something' between me and him."

"Something?"

I nodded.

"A special relationship you meant?"

I remained silent. I knew it deep in my heart that Ally was just waiting for his time to tell me the  'I told you so' phrase. That was the last thing I need to hear at this moment.

***

"Marina, have you heard anything about Susan?" asked Daniel. His eyes were glued on the screen.

"I haven't. What's happened?"

"I just got an email from her. She said she was contracted with H1N1 and now quarantined in the hospital."

"H1N1?" I was shocked.

"You heard me." He said and went silent for quite awhile. 'Hmm maybe he is thinking about Jennifer, wondering if she is all good,' I thought to myself. "I want to go for a check up today," added Daniel. Dramatically, he then grabbed his denim jacket on the corner of his table and told me "Tell editorial to gather all  info about all of the restaurants we are going to review today. I want you to schedule my work for tomorrow and as usual please update me with the latest about the upcoming issue."

"All right, Daniel. I..." Daniel had gone before I finished my word, leaving me disconcerted there. Once again that made me thinking about Jennifer.

"Marina.." Daniel suddenly peeked into the room, stopping me from the daydream.

"Yes..."

"Hmm it's just crossed to my mind."

"What is it?"

"Please email every single staff, to go for an H1N1 check up at any of our panel clinics. EVERY SINGLE STAFF. Even the janitors.

"Okay...but..."

"And please, add in the mail, that if they fail to show an official letter from the clinic saying that they are free from it, they are not allowed to come into the office."

"Okay....what about..."

"And you too, don't forget to get checked up, all right!"

"Okay Daniel," I said in descending voice, as he was no longer in the room.

*****

"Have you guys read Daniel's message that I emailed everyone?" I asked all the Urban Fruits ladies who were enjoying their lunch.

"Not yet. About what, Marina?" asked Miss B.

"About H1N1," I said briefly.

"Awh. Did he tell us about Susan in the email?"

"No, Miss B. He's urging everyone here to go for a check up in our panel clinics."

"Oh..." Every body there nodded and made their 'Do I have to?' face.

"I think Daniel is overreacting and being too panic," said Miss R.

"If you guys want to know, an hour after Daniel gave that instruction to me, in came a text from my mum asking me to do the check up as well," I told them.

"I think the 'mother instinct' in Daniel is too strong," said Miss B before she burst into laughter.

"What? Mother instinct?" Miss R seemed lost.

"Ah come on...You are the heaviest blog reader I know. You must know what I meant by that," responded Miss B with her eye browse up and down. I knew she was referring to those blogs questioning about Daniel's sexuality which had once became such a hot topic.

"Awhh...I got it!" answered Miss D with a cheeky smile.

"No comment!" Miss R butted in with mouth full of risotto soon as she realized what Miss B was talking about. She looked hilarious and made us all laughed in the same time.

*****

In the meeting room...

"So...these are the results?" asked Daniel as he was going through one by one medical report that I passed him.

"Yes Daniel. All are from our panel clinics," I answered.

            Those reports froze him for a while there. I believed he was utterly worried about what was happening to the office then.

            'This is not a normal meeting,' I said to myself and I was sure every one else left in the room also were thinking the same. The night prior to that when I was at the Dr. Love, I received so many texts and calls from the staffs.

            "Virus! Virus!" I told Ally and Gina right after I received those calls and texts.

            "What about virus?" Gina confused.

            "I explained to both of them what had happened to Hey. The medical reports from them  shockingly showing that almost every one in the editorial department were infected by H1N1, except for five person including me.

            I could not be grateful enough for not having it. But deep inside I was very worried of them and mostly, the latest issue's dateline that was just around the corner.

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. It looks like that just how big our circle now. So....." Daniel seemed trying hard to find the right words to calm us down. I knew he was actually as panic as the rest of us. But as a leader he knew it well he must stay calm and put on the game face, so we would be motivated too and I thought he did very well in controlling the situation.

__________________________________________________________

Kid Haider

KID HAIDÉR

KidHaider

KIDHAIDÉR

Mohamad Khidir Bin Mohamed Yazir

Mohamad Khidir Mohamed Yazir

Khidir Bin Mohamed Yazir 

Khidir Mohamed Yazir 

Khidir M. Yazir

That situation was the first in Hey and everyone did not see it coming obviously. That has pushed Daniel to hold an urgent meeting for the upcoming issue immediately. The focus for the issue was originally decided to be on 'Water'. But it was quite a complicated, unfamiliar topic for us and it was going to take the whole original crew to conduct research for it. So Daniel was thinking hard about a new one-something equally interesting, brief but solid and most importantly workable by all five of us.

"Maybe he wants to make it about virus," Teresa whispered to me.

"What if me make it about comics and animations?" suggested Daniel. That idea made every one of us looked into each other. Was he for real?

"Why that, Daniel?" asked Dee.

"It's the easiest and safest one for now. We can compile interesting materials from one or two caricaturists. No model, no shooting for this issue. Easy! Plus it's been quite awhile we have not done anything like this, no?" responded Daniel.

"That's a good idea. We have access to many great caricaturists, cartoonists and designers who know what they are doing and I think that will make everything easier. Talking about optimizing all the resources in such a strict condition," I seconded Daniel's idea.

We had a little more discussion about it and finally came to a unanimous decision that next month's issue would be on 'Animation and Comics' as per Daniel's suggestion.

"But I don't want it to be just about comics and animations, all right." added Daniel. "We must include current affairs especially about virus."

"See. I told you," Teresa whispered to me again.

"But here's a point I want you to take into account. Don't scare Kuala Lumpur with all the high definition details about the H1N1. Give the city some hope. Breathe them a spirit. Put them into interesting, eye catching graphics that will hook up the audience and educate them."

"That's interesting! And since we will be collaborating with many cartoonists, I think it's high time that we educate the people about the invisible nature of the virus," Rushdee gave his brain child.

"What do you mean?"

"It's like this, we all know comics and animations industry is booming in Malaysia right? Unfortunately there is still a 'virus' that is slowing it down, and making the expansion of the industry slower than expectation. For example the prolonged crisis between the cartoonist Saga with Gempak Starz the publisher. This is like the virus for the industry that hinders creativity and productivity. So maybe we can apply that into the topic."

"Yes. And also, we can interview the caricaturists or cartoonist that we hired and get their opinions on the H1N1 virus attacking our country now and translate it on the comics. I believe they are more than just an artist. We can dig deeper into life with them and make them talk or draw about the other 'viruses' surrounding humans, corporate and even their industry," expanded Teresa.

After I clocked out, I went straight to the Dr. Love and shared with them about everything that had happened in the office that day. "So they are only five now working?" Ally reconfirmed.

"Yeah. F.I.V.E. Daniel, Rushdee, Teresa, Dee and I," I told Ally and Gina.

"God does work in a mysterious way," said Gina.

"This is not a mystery. This can lead to misery!" I sighed.

"Come on Marina!" Ally gently pat my shoulder.

"Look who's left now. Daniel as the editor in chief. Marina as the assistant editor slash the up and coming writer, Rushdee as photographer, Teresa as auditor and Dee as graphic designer. That's enough!"

"Yes it's enough. Enough to make me breathless!"