(Cemetery Butterfly)
11!!
After we finished our work, on our way home with Laura, I was asking myself, would Mahmoud be waiting for us?
Sir is he finally paying attention and letting go of his negativity around my girlfriend?
The apartment was beautifully furnished. My mother-in-law handed Laura the bouquet of roses and hugged her like a mother. The roses were a deep purple-red color. I immediately became suspicious. Why did Mahmoud choose that particular color?
Did he really mean to deceive in love? Or was his choice spontaneous and unintentional?
Laura and I sat and chatted. Mahmoud didn't show up. He was hiding on the roof, lost in his loneliness.
It's time for dinner, my mother-in-law said. I'll ask Mahmoud to join us.
I said, I'll do it, don't bother yourself
I climbed the stairs. Mahmoud was sitting on his chair, smoking a cigarette, his legs stretched out on the table, listening to Beethoven's Symphony 106, the Fourth Concerto, lost in deep silence, not noticing my steps.
I said hello how are you?
He turned to me, smiled, and said, "Fine, thank you!"
I said we have a guest I've invited to lunch. Would you like to join us?
He said no problem!
He was wearing his home clothes, but he looked as neat as ever. I asked him, "Are you going to change your clothes?"
He said no problem, I'll be ready in a few minutes.
I said don't be late!!
Mahmoud came down behind me, he immediately entered his room and Laura did not notice him
He came out after a few minutes, dressed up in a tight brown shirt, Italian green Giorgio Armani pants, shiny black shoes, with a light, youthful, unfussy hairstyle, and in his hand was my Swatch, my gift.
He greeted the amazed Laura and sat down on a far bench...
He welcomed Laura, thanking her politely for accepting my invitation to join us. He said wickedly, “Tasneem is very good at choosing her friends!”
Laura said, "Sorry, I can't hear you. Can you come closer?" and she vacated a seat next to her.
He said, "Of course." He sat next to Laura, who was looking at me reproachfully.
In a low voice, Laura confided in me that my ex-husband is very elegant and attractive. Her tone was clear as she said, “My ex-husband!”
I smiled, "Do you like it?"
She said, It's not like that, it's just!! I'm telling you to forget it, it's not what I expected, and I can't justify why someone like him would do all those annoying stories that he did to you, I mean I don't like him in the way you mean and she laughed.
I helped my mother-in-law arrange the dishes and it was no secret to me that Laura was talking to Mahmoud in a low voice so that I wouldn't hear her.
Mahmoud was replying, "Yes."
Of course, of course
certainly
Oh, it's unbearable.
No one can judge themselves, Miss Laura.
I am not a single woman, Laura explained. While eating, Laura told her story with her husband and how they separated.
You're right, said Mahmoud. I don't see any justification for a husband to beat or even scold his wife, whom he likes and loves. He used to get out of the traps elegantly and in a likeable way.
I listened to him with hatred. His way of speaking, his evasion, his eagerness to appear peaceful, even his elegance, which was not his fault, angered me.
My mother-in-law bombards Laura with questions, where does she live?
Where is her family?
What do you do?
How does she live her life alone?
Laura expressed her sadness at having to live alone. She said, "There's nothing worse than eating alone. It's unbearable."
I envy Tasneem because she has a special family
When I asked my mother-in-law Laura how she benefited from her experience,
She said one word, not all men are bad and not all women are angels.
She dreams of another relationship that will make her forget the pain she suffered before.
Laura continued talking. Mahmoud was listening to her silently, he didn't interfere, and I was rubbing my fingers nervously, without asking myself what was wrong with me?
I was really angry, for no reason. I was angry enough to slap Laura or choke her.
The invitation was about to end, I was happy when Mahmoud asked permission to go up to his books
I said well done my beautiful bastard I am grateful to you
Laura said after looking at her watch, I will go up with you. Tasneem told me that you have wonderful symphonies that I like.
Janacek, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Wagner, Brahms, 1926 for Bartók, En plein air, Oh, how I love her!
She had caught up with him when she said, You have seventy thousand, 1909?
Mahmoud stared at her in astonishment and then said, "Yes, of course."
For the first time I hate my stupidity, my foolishness, and ask me why I didn't try listening to those pieces for the sake of knowledge
So that I can please myself and not appear ignorant in that way.
Mahmoud quickly landed and asked his mother to make me two cups of coffee. I knew that my presence with them was an intrusion, another defeat to my brokenness.
But I wouldn't leave them alone even if I committed suicide.
I said your mother is tired, what she did today is enough, I will make the coffee
12!!
Up in the attic, Laura sat on Mahmoud's distinctive leather chair. Mahmoud sat on another wooden chair. Books were arranged carefully on the table. A drawing board was upright, beneath which were brushes and oil paints that Mahmoud had brought, even though he did not paint as a decoration, which indicates his erudition and culture. The painting was covered with a white cloth, as if to hide an unfinished portrait.
Above it was a lamp burning at night, and the music player sat on a low table covered in velvet. I leaned the tray on the table and tried to find a place to sit. I ended up leaning on the roof ledge facing them.
Laura played the music disc, she was smiling and opening her mouth like a cow, Mahmoud was staring at her with a focus that went beyond her being something marginal, Mahmoud took a cup of coffee and handed it to Laura who spontaneously took his hands as she drank her coffee and said thank you.
Mahmoud took a sip of his strong coffee and said, for no reason, "Thank you."
I met him with an understanding smile that didn't hide my displeasure.
Oh, Tasneem, did you forget your coffee?
I had just made two cups of coffee and explained that I didn't intend to stay long.
But Mahmoud insisted that I make my coffee and that the meeting would not be complete without my presence and that Laura undoubtedly welcomed that and had no reason to doubt that she did not welcome my staying, and that in the end the strange thing between us and if someone had to ask permission to leave it would be him and not someone else!!
Laura said she wanted to discuss some music with him and that she was pleased to have me follow this discussion, which was innocent of any suspicious purpose!
So I had no choice but to respond to these calls and go down the stairs reluctantly to make a cup of coffee and come back again. Then Mahmoud had taken hold of the conversation, immersed in the history of ancient medieval European music, showering Laura’s ears with excerpts and obscure information about Stravinsky, how he was wronged and did not get his due, and comparing him to Schoenberg.
Laura, whom I had never seen listening to music, seemed to enjoy his conversation, her chin tilted to the edge of her protruding chest that almost penetrated her shirt.
I left their talk behind me and I don't know why that painting covered with a white cloth, its edges hanging to the ground, took possession of me, even though I am fully convinced that not a single line was drawn on it.
I approached the painting and didn't miss Mahmoud's eyes following me. What are you drawing here? I asked Mahmoud in a serious tone.
He said, "Nothing important. The goddess of drawing sometimes comes down to me on nights when I can't sleep and draws some natural scenes with my hand."
I said, but I doubt that this painting is nude and that the lady of the painting did not love you at all, and she added in a joking tone, I would like to see that painting
I had a strong desire to humiliate him and I did not give him a chance to paint and I imagined that when I approached the painting, Mahmoud would run towards me and prevent me from exposing his failure.
But Mahmoud did not do that and just gave me a hateful smile that roamed inside me as I violently removed the cloth.
Laura screamed, God, God
While Mahmoud raised his shoulders in a theatrical, indifferent manner, and a shy expression appeared on his face.
You are terrible, Laura shouted.
The painting depicted a dry lake where wild geese were eating dead fish. Some birds were flying under a leaden sky. In the background, a sunset was dragging a shroud of red clouds. On the edge of the lake, a thin, bare-shouldered girl was bent over, holding a dry branch in her hand, her hair in a braid that hugged her back. Behind her, orange-colored forest trees stood, embracing a country house, which appeared to be the home of the girl standing on the side of the lake.
The painting was beautiful, so complete that I couldn't take my eyes off it, while Laura was staring at the painting silently after she also approached where I was standing. Mahmoud was sipping his coffee in a moderate mood and watching Laura, who was amazed, from the corner of his eye.
The music was mixed with the creativity of the painting's spirituality, consistent with those scenes that Mahmoud imprinted with precision and skill that are beyond description.
So you're a painter too? Laura said as she stroked Mahmoud's shoulder with admiration before sitting next to him.
No, no, one session is not enough. One day you have to teach me how to draw, Mahmoud. I have always wanted to become a painter, but the circumstances of my marriage killed all the passion inside me.
Mahmoud was addressing him now after she had deleted the word "professor" that she had been careful to use throughout the session.
That bastard never ceases to amaze me, whether he did that drawing or bought it for some reason I don't know, he has a very keen and beautiful imagination.
Every day I discover something new about my husband, he effortlessly steals the heart of his interlocutor. Now I realize the mystery of the girls who surround him everywhere he goes.
It was just for me, I had a hard time, but I couldn't read it, I got angry, I almost burst into tears
He told me in the tone he used to attribute to others feelings he refused to admit he had in himself.
Yet I am sad, the truest pain is the one we live alone, Mahmoud left and put his hand in his jacket pocket
Laura said, moved, "You are not alone."
I said don't expect me to suffer for you
Realizing the harshness of my words, I added, "You are truly wonderful and you will never be alone."
Yes, Laura said, someone with your talents should stay away from sadness and not let it get to him. Humanity needs you!
How do I do that, Mahmoud asks as he lights up a cigarette?
Laura said, deeply moved, “We are around you, with you, I am with you.” She realized that Laura would cry. “I know that girl and her kind heart.”
I said yes we are around you, your mother is here and so am I even if you consider me a stranger we live in the same place
Laura said
You say that even though you intend to leave?
Mahmoud got up and stared at me, saying, "Really?"
Laura said, “Yes, Tasneem told me about her desire to rent an apartment and live on her own. She thinks there is no point in her staying in your house any longer and that she has to make her own way and not allow her life to stop.”
Mahmoud said, "Indeed, she has the right to. As for me, I will not hold back any help that Tasneem desires." Then her face lit up and he added, "Tasneem is a wonderful girl."
I said you're talking about me as if I've already left? I was really thinking about leaving but it wasn't serious
I am happy here with my mother and I am spending happy days
Laura said, but we have already seen a group of apartments and discussed the rent with the owners!?
Laura was pushing me to the bottom, I felt like my tears were going to burst.
I wanted nothing more than that moment of staying next to him, even if our relationship was non-existent. His presence, his silence, his coughing, his breathing in the room next to mine, and seeing him go to work every day were enough for me. My life would end if I left that house.
I said Laura is it late?
Laura stared at the clock, it was really late, she said but I don't want to leave
Look at that poor man, watch his sad face, my heart won't let me leave him like that!
Mahmoud paused for a moment. It was completely dark in the street. He said, “Don’t worry. I’m used to isolation. The world is distant and insignificant outside my room.”
Laura beamed with one of her killer smiles. She had a round, childlike face. “You won’t go alone,” she said.
Really, she patted Mahmoud's shoulder, you have to understand, realize, that you have gained a real friend today.
An ally you can count on, she won't let go easily until you reach safety.
Lost in thought as he stared at the painting, Mahmoud said, “I am lonely like that girl.”
His voice was weak and frightened, and I felt my heart breaking. I said, “Are you wrong if you feel that you are alone and that no one cares about you?”
You were clumsy, destructive, repulsive, and incomprehensible, and you brought it upon yourself.
He said, or really?
I said, "Excuse me," and waved my hand in the air. "Do you have some kind of amnesia?"
The thing is, Mahmoud was silent, you can think what you think, but Laura stared that it doesn't mean at all that it's what I feel or what I express.
I respect your pain, and I hope you have the decency to respect mine.
I said impulsively, what pain do you feel anyway?
You can't see that, it's the big dilemma and the cause of all the problems, you can't see
Don't see
He waved his hand and stamped his cigarette.
He bowed, waving his hand in front of him. He said to Laura, “I hope to meet you under better circumstances. I mean, away from these problems.”
I said with a smile, "There are no problems, just different points of view. Laura understands that."
Yes, I understand that. Anyway, Laura was silent. I expect we will have a meeting soon.
Mahmoud said while staring at me, I look forward to that and he planted a kiss on Laura's hand
Will I be there? I asked nonchalantly.
Mahmoud said I am happy about that
Between us, Laura came down the stairs without answering, and I saw her at the door, her eyes brimming with tears.
!! 13 !!
After Laura left, before Mahmoud entered his room, she asked him!!
Why do you do that?
What should I do? he asked me in such a calm tone that I almost believed him.
Are you trying to make everyone believe that you are alone and that life is hard on you!?
He frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Is that what you're saying?"
I said yes!!
He said..!! I can't understand you, just a moment ago you were about to shed tears for my condition, even I myself felt that you meant it, that you were sincere
But!! It's not the first time I've been disappointed in someone.
I really am, and I mean it, a good stupid idiot, I get carried away with my delicate feelings, I think everyone is like me, what a pity
A person is defeated according to his kindness
I feel like I'm a stranger to this life, no one will be able to understand me, oh how much I'm in pain, these feelings are killing me
Looking into the future and seeing no one but me is a feeling you can't understand!
No, you, you are always wronging me, and no one else.
I asked him, not even Laura?
You say that? he asked angrily! I am so far away, sitting on the edge of the world, deformed. Everyone who looks at me moves away, very, very far away.
Mahmoud, please, I'm trying to understand you. Don't forget that I'm the one who lived with you for months, not Laura. I'm the one who suffered from your complexes.
Look here?
This face has always received slaps from your hands.
What should I do? My apologies won't help me. Don't think I'll crawl like Kafka's insect to gain your forgiveness.
I didn't ask you to be an insect to gain my forgiveness. It's enough for you to be a human, do you understand?
But you don't think that I am a human being who has feelings and feels pain. In this case, I cannot prove otherwise!
But Laura will understand you, right?
Laura? You bring that nosy person into all your conversations. I didn't invite Laura to my house!!
So you will never meet her again?
Is that all you care about? I thought you'd changed, Tasneem, that our story was over and I no longer had a place in your life?
This is a finished story, though I'm trying to understand you. Nothing connects us.
I say everything to be clear so you don't think that I have backed down from my position of breaking up with you!
I think our story hasn't even begun yet, Tasneem. He went into his room and closed the door behind him!
At work, Laura told me a thousand stories about Mahmoud: a painter, a musician, sensitive, elegant, and attractive.
I said you don't know Mahmoud, he's cruel, he can hit you for no reason, torture you, he enjoys your pain
But he does it in a loving way, a way that makes you enjoy the pain. It's a really wonderful idea to be in the grip of an elegant, controlling, attractive person.
You are crazy Laura, your husband was hitting you, he was cursing you, that's why you broke up with him
Now you like Mahmoud, how so? I'm going crazy
You, Laura, say that you can take the pain and humiliation from someone you like.
But if it was someone else, would you reject all those things and take on other descriptions?
Life is very boring, Tasneem. We open our eyes to go to work, we work, we go back home, we eat, we sleep. I don’t find any pleasure in this life.
You mean you'll find pleasure with someone who tortures you like Mahmoud?
Not exactly, I don't seek pain, no sane person would seek his own suffering, but Mahmoud is a different person
I know that, it is renewed, diverse, and able to attract you towards your torments.
You can't understand that bastard, believe me, or satisfy his whims.
I'll tell you something, Mahmoud will make sure to meet you away from me, and it's not far-fetched that he might call you in the coming days to dazzle you with his foolishness and win you over to him.
I already gave him my phone number, I thought like you that he would call me but he didn't!
Laura, do you realize what you're saying? It's only been a few hours since we met, and I'm talking about the future.
Tell me? Laura was silent, does Mahmoud still have a place in your heart? I mean! And please don't misunderstand me, I'm talking about the possibility of you and Mahmoud getting back together?
I'm not thinking of going back to him, Laura. Don't worry.
So you won't blame me if I try to get close to him?
I won't, I won't blame you, but I won't allow it. You are my friend, I will defend your interests with all my strength. If you repeat my experience that I told you when you cried for me.
I thought for a minute, then I said yes! No, I won't go back to him, and until the case is closed
I won't do it unless he tries to get close to me.
Laura muttered to herself while looking at me in confusion, “Tasneem, I understand from that that you are willing to try again if Mahmoud tries to seduce you?”
If he tried, I might think, I mean, I'm not sure, but right now, talking about this moment, I'm not welcome and I have no intention of getting close to him.
Tasneem, I feel like I'm being rude
You hate Mahmoud, you detest him, but you say something else.
To be clear, you might do it again if Mahmoud is kind, apologizes, and asks for your return?
No, I won't! Until I regain my wasted dignity. Can I tell you something, Laura?
I am not interested in Mahmoud and I do not care how he thinks, but I am telling you that Mahmoud will try to get close to you.
Our conversation was interrupted by a customer who was introduced to us by the messenger after knocking on the door.
I let Laura make the deal with him. I was so angry with myself and unable to understand her. I moved away and approached the balcony. Why did I make him the center of my thoughts even after our relationship ended?
I remembered the last day we spent together alone together, when he brought the bouquet of flowers and the gift. I asked myself, wasn't that a silent attempt by him to apologize to me?
Why didn't I think this was his way of saying sorry and give him a chance?
But how do I explain his lack of interest in me? I was his wife, yet he never tried to kiss or hug me.
Seven months and not a single kind word. I remembered those days and started laughing. I didn't even try to do that. I was as frozen as he was, without feelings.
I remembered him sleeping on the couch, hugging a bouquet of roses.
Tasneem? I turned to Laura's call, she asked me to take Mr. to see one of our xxxxs ready for sale
She said, "Do it for me, Tasneem."
I have an important errand that cannot be delayed.
I accompanied Mr. towards xxxx, I was thinking Laura didn't tell me about an important interview or invitation she received, suddenly this is how everything happened?
14!!
The world was spinning in Tasneem's mind, but despite everything, she didn't try to leave the office before Laura arrived. As usual, she was trying to return home after Mahmoud, but Laura was late. Doubt surged through Tasneem's chest. She had the phone in her hand, but she was thinking about the benefit of calling her now. What would she think?
Tasneem has always been racking her brain with thoughts. If she thinks that Laura is now with Mahmoud, then her call might be suggesting things that Tasneem doesn't mean.
But that idea itself made her angry, Mahmoud with Laura?
where?
I was married to him for seven months and he never once thought of taking me out for a walk or inviting me out to dinner!
This is unforgivable stupidity, I will never forgive him for it, yes I don't mean anything to him, but despite everything I don't accept it!
It was five in the afternoon. Mahmoud was supposed to have returned home more than an hour ago. She decided to return home if she found Mahmoud, as her suspicions were unfounded.
But what if? She thought about not considering the other option. She wasn't ready, and insisted on not considering the possibility that Mahmoud wasn't home. She considered that simply thinking that way meant that she was giving up on her health.
But Mahmoud's room was empty, and when she went up to the roof she did not find Mahmoud. She sat on the seat after throwing her body on it nervously and did not ask herself about the reason for her nervousness and that it was normal for her to be angry now.
She stared at Mahmoud's painting, she could see the street clearly now, the building door was right under her eyes, if Mahmoud returned she would be able to see him, but Mahmoud did not return despite another hour passing.
She took out her phone and called Laura. The phone rang once, twice, but she didn't get an answer. She considered that an insult and that there was no reason for Laura not to answer her, even if she was with Mahmoud.
Finally, I saw Mahmoud entering the building's door. I prepared to go down the moment Laura called me.
She thought about not answering her after the reason was gone, but despite that, she spoke with Laura, who justified her not answering by saying that she was in the kitchen and did not hear the phone ring, and that in any case she could not blame her for that fall that happened against her will.
The phone call could have ended like this, but Laura was asking for Tasneem's forgiveness in a way that suggested she had committed a crime.
And Tasneem said, “No, I will not forgive you, and I cannot forgive you.” She hung up after those vague words. She went down the stairs happily. Mahmoud was sitting in the hall waiting for his mother who was preparing food.
She sat opposite him without greeting him. Mahmoud was staring absentmindedly at his phone, and she considered this another insult among the insults that would not end that day.
She came, cleared her throat and coughed, he should have at least raised his damn head, but he didn't, her mother-in-law put the plates on the table after she greeted her.
Tasneem said, Look, he doesn't care about me and doesn't even bother to look at me?
Mahmoud said, but I didn't notice you coming. I was busy on the phone.
Tasneem said? How could you notice my presence if you were busy on the phone?
Really, this is amazing, that one person has only one mind and two eyes.
Mahmoud said after putting the phone aside, “You look elegant today, Tasneem, and I don’t see any reason for you to be angry!”
Tasneem examined herself, she looked elegant every day and if his mind was extremely stupid then this is not her problem, and that he has no right, nor does anyone else, to praise her elegance whenever he likes and that she will not accept that or welcome it, she will not become elegant against her will, and she really does not see herself elegant today, but she is ready to go further than that, and that anyone who tells her that she is elegant today, she will not hesitate to kick him in a humiliating way.
She said thank you!
Mahmoud took his phone again and started to think that he was very busy and that there was something really bothering him. No one stares at their phone intently unless there is something really bothering them.
Without realizing it, she got up from her seat, stood in front of the mirror and asked her mother-in-law who was on her way to the kitchen again, “Do I really look elegant?”
Her mother-in-law said after she stood up and looked at Tasneem who had wrapped her arms around her waist like a college girl. After she remained silent for a moment so that her observation would be accurate, “Yes, you look amazing, Tasneem.”
As if she had done her part, her mother-in-law headed back to the kitchen after wiping her face with her apron and tripping over a shoe that she kicked away from her carelessly.
Tasneem was very happy after making sure that she was elegant and seemed ready for a long conversation with Mahmoud after a long separation, but Mahmoud’s phone rang
Tasneem got scared as if the call was about her and no one else.
Before Mahmoud answered the phone, I asked him who?
Mahmoud Laura said
Laura? Tasneem asked as she approached Mahmoud, before allowing him to reply she added, “Can you tell me when you exchanged phone numbers?”
Mahmoud said indifferently, as if the matter did not concern him, “We met by chance today in the street and exchanged phone numbers.”
Tasneem said, in the street? Didn't you at least invite her for a cup of coffee?
She's my friend and I want you to treat her with respect. The mere thought of you exchanging phone numbers on the street makes me sick!
Mahmoud said, "If it pleases you to know," and Mahmoud was defending himself fiercely.
I am very understanding of etiquette and such small things do not go unnoticed.
Tasneem, did you invite her for a cup of coffee then?
Mahmoud, I'm not interested in coffee, but yeah, that's what happened!
Tasneem shouted angrily after she was overcome by a great rage, “I will not eat my food today, I am going to my room.”
But her mother-in-law, who was following the conversation, caught up with her and begged her not to get angry about such normal things and not to allow anyone, and pointed towards her son to spoil her mood!
Mahmoud said after throwing his phone on the couch, and he had been content with his defensive position until now, Why are you so angry to this extent?
Before Tasneem could answer him, she said, “Now have you finished the important things you were doing on the phone?”
Mahmoud said, If you are very angry, ask your friend not to follow me.
Tasneem said emotionally, Why would I get angry? She hugged her mother-in-law sadly and whispered, Look how he treats me!?
Mahmoud said defiantly, What should I do?
His mother said, “Even though I am your mother, you have committed heinous mistakes in the past. Even I, your mother, who carried you in my stomach for nine months and patted your intestines with my hand, did not imagine that you could do such foolish things.”
But I am his father, and a mother cannot hate her son
Then I stared at Tasneem, but recently his affairs have settled down and he has started to look like a different person to me, don't you agree?
Tasneem said, patting her mother-in-law's stomach, "Yes, I think so."
Mahmoud said after putting his hands in his coat pocket, But I have not changed and no one can ask me to change unless I change on my own
If someone has to change, it's you, not me.
Tasneem said, but you know that I will not change for you, but can Laura take my place?
Mahmoud said, "Damn Laura," then he paused for a minute, weighing his words and then added, "Yes."
!! 15!!!
It didn't have to come to an end. People love evasions, but they inevitably get bored.
But I don't hope, I get bored a lot of times but I pull it out from its embers, I said what do you want Tasneem I don't understand you
When I say I don't understand you, it means that I got so lost in thought that I concluded that I don't understand you, even if I do understand you.
Do you mean that?
It's so tiring that I thought, but now you sound like a big, foolish kid who doesn't know what she wants.
You can't deny it, and I won't let you deny it, and your justification won't convince me if you came to that myself, that means the truth and nothing else
Come here?
Say what you really want!
Tasneem was silent, things were suddenly mixed up for her, she fell under his spell of control, afraid of losing him, he locked her inside and threw the key away and she did not want anyone but him to find it
You bastard, you damned useless bastard, can't you do something right?
You damned, useless bitch, won't you ever realize that? Won't you ever realize that?
Try to speak you dirty bitch
Tasneem remained silent and motionless, raising her hands to protect her head as she waited for the kicks to rain down on her.
This was the moment I had been waiting for so long, to find her alone again.
Listen, I spat on the floor, I'm so much more exhausted than you, you stupid, rude girl, don't you realize yet how much I want you?
Do you seriously, irrevocably want me to go back to my old ways, huh? To lose me forever, and I mean it?
Tasneem put her hands over her ears. All the thunderbolts of the world were striking her mind, making a resounding noise. She wanted all of this to end by any means. The important thing was that it ended, and she didn't care about the outcome.
I don't love Laura and I don't like her, his words pierced her ears, but she likes me, you know that and understand it, Laura is ready to accept me as I am, but despite everything I waited for you to make your decision
And here I am doing everything I can to open the way for you again after you put a barrier between us
You are very clear Mahmoud, more than you can imagine, but I am really confused and I don't know what to do.
I will not wait for you my whole life, Tasneem. Your life with me will not go at the same pace. I am a moody person, and I guarantee you that this time our life will not go on like the old days.
Here I am throwing all my keys on the table, waiting for your damn decision
I need time to think, can you give me time this time?
I have nothing but time, you damned bitch!
So you agree?
Yes I will wait for you and you should be grateful for that, I am always in a hurry but for you this time I will wait
I appreciate all of that, Mahmoud. I won't let you down, I promise.
But tell me, will you always treat me that way?
Listen, mouse, you won't set your conditions. We're not at the negotiating table and you don't have any cards to use to pressure me.
This is how I am and I will not make any guarantees, do you understand? What will happen next is my right alone, all I ask is that you trust me and that does not happen often
You have to break up with Laura and every other girl, do it before I make my decision!
Laura?
I told you I don't like Laura, and even if I did, I threw her out of my mind for you. Isn't that a sacrifice for you?
I get it, nobody understands you like I do, but I'm not making my decision now. You have to understand that, you vulgar bastard. You're destroying me, breaking me, killing me!
I'm going to my room, don't follow me, don't try to influence my decision, I'm going to scream
I know you're crazy, Tasneem, and I won't do that. I won't push you to reject me.
What will you do now?
I will wait for you, Tasneem
But I will think a lot, I will think deeply, time will pass, I will not make my decision tonight!!
Then I will lie on the mattresses of hell, writhing with Cupid's arrows until the sun rises.
When I went to bed, I called Laura and told her that Mahmoud wanted me back. He asked me to.
What did you do Laura asked me?
I told him I would think about it.
What was his response?
Curved all the time
Don't you dare accept it, Tasneem. Mahmoud is a psychologically complex person and will never stop harassing you.
I know that Laura
So you decided to reject him?
Not yet, Laura, I said I'd think about it.
What are you thinking? Would a person think of walking towards his death?
I don't know, I don't know, tomorrow when we meet at work we can think together
I don't see any reason to delay your decision, Tasneem. Things are clear. Get out now, provoke yourself, scream, I won't come back to you!
You're right, I'll storm into his room, slap him in the face, and tell him I refuse.
Tasneem? Tell me, did he ask you that elegantly?
Yes, with all elegance, he showered me with insults.
Do you consider that elegant? He insulted you again.
16!!
Tasneem ended the call, after assuring Laura that she would make her decision tomorrow, then slammed the phone into the pillow and screamed
The lowlife, the scoundrel, the vile snake, is forcing me to leave Mahmoud. Then she sank her face into the pillow, lying on her stomach, stroking her feet. She began to think deeply, as if her tense legs were thinking with her. She told herself that this story had to end. Her life had stopped enough.
However, she could not sleep. Before sunrise, she made a cup of coffee. She stole a cigarette from Mahmoud, even though she does not smoke, but she wanted to.
She went up to the roof and sat on the bench to receive the sun, lit a cigarette and drank coffee. She didn't taste the smoke, but at least she did what she wanted to do.
At seven o'clock in the morning, she went back to her room and slept. She had decided not to go to work and that she would take a rest today.
She woke up after Mahmoud came back from work, took a hot bath, put on her most elegant clothes and sat down to meet Mahmoud.
She was silent for ten minutes, staring at Mahmoud, before asking him:
Do you really want me?
He said more than you can imagine
Tasneem smiled and said, "Me too."
Mahmoud asked anxiously, "Did we reach an agreement then?"
She said yes, I have made my decision, I know that coming back to you will change my life and that many happy days await me
So now I can tell you my decision with conviction, but you should know that I made my decision after deep thought, and that by making that decision I am also sacrificing myself like you.
I will never come back to you, Mahmoud!
Mahmoud shrugged his shoulders without understanding. He was waiting for her to give her justification, but Tasneem turned her back on him and went into her room. She stuffed her clothes into her bag and went out again. She leaned over Mahmoud and kissed him. Without a word, she left the apartment and left.
Laura waited all day for Tasneem, calling her twenty times to no avail before she hung up. Tasneem didn't have a specific destination, but finding an apartment wasn't difficult. Her relationship with the brokers meant she quickly found him an apartment in a place far from the city.
She changed her phone number, created her own agency to sell xxxx and tried to forget the past, to pave a new path despite all the pain she was feeling!
Days passed by as she worked hard, rejecting all attempts by clients to get close to her, until she found someone she felt affection for. He wasn't the best, but he was suitable for a new life. Although she didn't feel the happiness she wanted, she was convinced that she had made the right decision.
A year later, she met Laura by chance, who had come to close a big deal. They shared a long hug before exchanging blame. Laura didn't hide her happiness for Tasneem and promised to attend her upcoming wedding. Although their meeting lasted for more than an hour, Laura didn't mention Mahmoud's name even once. Tasneem, who thought Mahmoud would be the focus of their conversation, felt sorry.
She knew that Laura's relationship with Mahmoud must have developed after her departure, but despite that, she didn't ask her. A month later, Tasneem got married. Laura was present, danced at her wedding, and accompanied her to the door of her apartment, wishing her a happy life.
Before she set foot in the apartment that she had contributed greatly to furnishing, she knew that she would not find happiness with her husband. She did not love him. She had not lied to him from the beginning. She said that her heart was closed to love, and he told her that the days might change her and that he could, with all patience, prove to her that he was entitled to her heart.
Their life was going well, with some minor problems that would soon go away, and their quarrel would not last more than a few hours.
He was always keen to reconcile with her. Tasneem's personality had changed and she had become very strict and did not let any insult pass without a response.
Her husband was careful not to upset her. The time he raised his hand to slap her did not end well.
Tasneem pushed him onto the couch, pulled out a knife and swore that she would kill him. He apologized a lot to her, then she went to her room and cried, she sobbed. He is the only one who has the right to hit me. He is the only person to whom I can entrust my affairs.
She always compared situations and her husband always lost. Despite a year of marriage, Tasneem was careful not to get pregnant. She clearly said that she did not want to get pregnant now.
!! 17 !!
The papers were scattered in her hands when her husband mentioned Mahmoud. In front of her was a notebook, preparing to write down a note. She pushed the notebook aside and looked at her husband sternly.
She had told him that she was married to a man named Mahmoud and that he did not need to know more than that.
But her husband added something she didn't expect, that he was a wonderful person. He didn't know me, of course, but he was with Laura. Do you know your friend who attended your wedding?
She was the one who introduced me and he was waiting for her in the car. When I told him my position, he came out immediately. He welcomed me amazingly and insisted that we eat together.
I envy myself for being close to you, Tasneem. Your ex-husband praised you so much that I felt jealous.
You are truly a treasure, but one does not realize the value of things that are easily found.
I invited him to our house, but he politely declined, saying he was sure you didn't want to and he was very careful not to disturb you.
She said, "Well done."
Her husband said, but he gave me his phone number in case I needed to talk to him. He was searching through his phone and Tasneem was staring at him absentmindedly now, asking herself why he showed up after all this time.
Why did it take him so long to realize its value?
But! Does he really realize its value or is he simply making fun of it?
Laura also sends you kisses.
Are they married?
I don't know how I could tell, but they seemed to fit together, Laura could tell from the look in his eyes.
Mahmoud will not accept anything less.
Are they married? She asked him again as if she had forgotten what she had just said.
Her husband said, "Ask Laura. If she were his wife, she would surely know." He seemed pleased with his joke.
Tasneem went into the kitchen, prepared the food, then returned and arranged it on the table. She tried to eat, but she lost her appetite.
She took out her phone and called Laura.
Laura looked happy, I asked her how are you? How are things going?
But she wickedly did not mention Mahmoud's name as usual. Tasneem thought that if she needed to know something, she should call Mahmoud directly.
She can make excuses for her husband's words and thank him for his undeserved praise.
This bastard gave my husband his phone number for this, I know how he thinks
She slipped into the bedroom, took Mahmoud's phone number and saved it in her phone.
It was ten o'clock in the evening when I called Mahmoud. I heard the music playing and realized he was at his mother's house on the roof.
Mahmoud said who is with me?
But he recognized Tasneem's voice immediately, he sighed and laughed, he said, "Do you know I was waiting for your call?!"
She said after she was silenced, I called you to thank you for praising me in front of my husband
Mahmoud said, Forget all that nonsense, do you miss me?
His words surprised her and she felt suffocated and confused. She asked him, “What made you say that?”
Mahmoud said because he knows her and no one understands her like him, that she has to tell the truth and there is no reason for her to lie.
Tasneem was silent for a minute, memories rushed in like a huge wave that shook her balance.
She said slyly, Even if it did, it doesn't mean anything and isn't important.
Mahmoud said, "You are lying to yourself. The very word you fear to say is writhing inside you like a snake."
She said yes I miss you but I hate you
Mahmoud said in a neutral tone, “I learned my lesson just like you, you know that?”
But it's too late, Mahmoudi, too late and it won't come back
Mahmoud's taste of his name between her lips had a special charm, a tune he had been searching for for a long time.
He said I would like to see you
She said that fast?
He said scared?
Tasneem hesitated to open the door, but everything inside her wanted to do so.
She said I will meet you, did you marry Laura?
Mahmoud shouted, "You stupid girl, you're still a fool who doesn't understand anything."
I told you that I don't like Laura and that that intruder is attached to me like a mosquito.
Tasneem tried to refuse, hesitated, sighed, but she found herself being carried away by an obsession whose nature she did not understand, something beautiful, tangible.
But you hang out with her everywhere, don't you?
You didn't give me another chance, your withdrawal left a huge void inside me that almost destroyed me!
I'll meet you in a week at Lanton's Cafe. During that time, don't meet Laura, don't go out with her. Do you understand?
Yes, I understand, and no one else can understand that. I will beat you up, you delicious, foolish girl.
Tasneem burst out laughing as if it was normal for her to receive his insults. She said, "You haven't changed?"
He said I never changed, but life became boring exactly two days ago.
Tasneem said, "Really, really, to a terrible degree, to the point that one is about to commit suicide in a sewer."
Who are you talking to? she asks her husband who has just left his room?
She lifted the phone from her ear and just glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then said, “It’s someone I’ve known for a long time.”
He asked her, "Don't you know where I left the cigarette pack?"
She pointed to the table and said goodbye to Mahmoud.
!! 18 !!
When Tasneem arrived, Mahmoud was waiting for her in the restaurant. She saw him looking at her, he waved his hand at her, she walked towards him, he stood up, he moved her chair until she sat down, Tasneem stared at him with a smile on her face
If I told the world that this was the first time I met you outside the house, even though I was your wife, I wouldn't be crazy!
Not only that, Mahmoud explained, he deserved more than a scolding for it.
I won't let them, I'm the only one who has the right to call you a b*tch
Tasneem looked at him with a look that fed her, "Now tell me why all this is happening."
What do you think you will get from this meeting?
Mahmoud smiled, sighed, before speaking.
Tasneem said, Don't you think that I will become one of your whores?
Why did you accept my invitation then?
Tasneem smiled, "You're very honest, Mahmoud."
To answer that you might have to wait another year.
I miss you, Tasneem
I can't tell you that. Don't forget that I'm a married woman and I don't allow you to express your feelings now in particular.
Are you kidding me, Tasneem?
Do you understand anything but evasion?
Aren't you the one who said I miss you too?
What does that mean to you? A slutty night? I missed you my way.
Mahmoud sighed, he knew that Tasneem truly understood him and there was no point in beating around the bush. Tasneem was no longer the person he knew and he would not give up his pride.
Happy in your life?
Don't worry about my worries, I can manage myself. How is your life?
My life is at a standstill, Tasneem, he said, turning his face away.
Me too, since then she smiled... and did not complete
Mahmoud said in a sincere tone, “Can’t we figure it out again, give ourselves another chance?”
Say it the right way please.
Mahmoud sighed deeply and said, "Okay, can't you give me another chance?"
Tasneem said, "It's not up to me alone now. You have to understand that. I have a husband who loves me and I won't intentionally wrong him for your sake."
What do I do then?
Waiting, waiting, Mahmoud
You know that your happiness is with me, that I am the only person who will make all your days happy?
I know, and I want to, but I can't, sorry, it's out of my hands.
So I just have to wait?
Okay...
At least promise me that we will contact you when your circumstances allow?
You have this, I need it more than you
This is not exactly what Mahmoud expected. He was dreaming of a breakthrough, but all paths were closed in his face. On his way back, he vowed to himself that he would wait for her, no matter how long it took.
And that was the punishment he deserved after everything he had done. He was busy and did not notice the problem with his car until it stopped on the side of the road.
Before he could get out of the car to see what was wrong, he was hit by a speeding car that threw his car into the Nile.
Tasneem was more worried than him. After meeting him, depression consumed her. She spent her days dreaming of meeting him again. She felt that she was betraying herself, but her soul was tormented. Although the past will not return, it constitutes a large part of the future.
There is no human being without a past.
She was lost in those thoughts until the door of her apartment opened and her husband entered.
She didn't want to see him like that and was about to lie down on her bed.
But her husband went into the bathroom and soon she heard drops of water pouring over him.
She tried to hide her troubles so she went to the kitchen to make food for her husband.
Her husband said while eating, "You didn't go to work today?"
I stopped by work to pick you up. They told me you apologized?
Tasneem said, “I felt exhausted. I couldn’t move or leave my bed.”
Her husband said with a smile, "Get well soon. Shall I call the doctor for you?"
No, I'll be fine, don't worry, I just need some rest
!! 19 !!!
It had been a week since she met Mahmoud. She had not received a message or a phone call from him.
She always wondered if that bastard would keep his promise to her?
She remembers his last words before her departure: I will wait for our next meeting as a plant waits for the morning dew, as the earth’s night longs for the moon.
I will look forward to our next meeting, my stubborn, tormented bastard. I will bear your separation like a miserable tree whose leaves have been abandoned and which has become bare in the cold of winter.
It's been a week, Mahmoudi, and you still don't remember me. Are you still the same? Haven't you changed?
I can't bear to lose you again
No, don't do it
She didn't know when her husband stood behind her seat. She was staring at Mahmoud's number while he looked at the phone above her head.
He was eating with her and she didn't notice him move.
Ali said, "I don't remember. Is this Mahmoud's number?"
She didn't pay attention to him, she said yes
How did he get to you, he asked her in a direct, violent manner?
I took it from Laura
Can you tell me why?
None of your business!
A deadly silence fell over the kitchen.
He suddenly grabbed her head and hit it on the plate, which broke. Then he pulled her hair up and pulled her back, causing her to fall off her chair and onto the floor.
He removed the cutlery from the table and kicked her chair against the wall.
She felt dizzy from the fall, and the whole kitchen seemed to be spinning. She tried to get up on her feet, even though she knew from experience that it was better to lie still without moving, but a mischievous spirit inside her wanted to provoke him.
He shouted, "Don't move, cow!" and when she struggled to her knees, he bent over her and shouted,
So you want to get up? Then he pulled her hair and slammed her face into the wall.
He hit her buttocks until she lost all strength in her legs, so she screamed and lay back on the ground. Blood flowed from her nose and she could hardly hear him screaming in her ears.
Dude try to stand up now you dirty bum?
This time she remained motionless and raised her hands to protect her head as she waited for the kicks to rain down on her.
He raised his foot and hit her side with all his strength, she gasped from the excruciating pain she felt in her chest
Then he bent down and grabbed her hair and lifted her face to him, spitting on him before slamming her head on the ground.
He said in a low voice, "Dirty, vile woman," then he stood up and looked at the mess that resulted from his assault on her and shouted.
Look at the mess you always make, you slut, clean it up now or I'll kill you.
He slowly backed away from her and tried to spit on her again, but his mouth was dry.
He said to his damned son: There is no point in you
#Ismail_Moussa
#Monte_Carlo
He sat on the seat watching her as she writhed in pain. He shouted, “Get up, you wretch! Clean up your filth!”
Isn't this the treatment you aspire to?
Laura told me everything, how your ex-husband you're trying to get back with treated you, you damn girl.
I will report you to the police, I swear I will.
Are you talking then?
He got up from his seat again and shouted, "Say it again?"
She said I will throw you in jail
He said so then, okay, he got up and kicked her in the stomach over and over again until it bled.
Say again what will you do?
I whispered I will report the police
He grabbed her head and hit it on the ground several times, then bent down, I didn't hear you what are you saying?
She said, defending her head with her hand, "Nothing, nothing."
Come on get up, clean up your mess quickly
She got up, her bones burning, and bent down to clean up the dishes and food that had fallen on the floor.
Crawl, you damned, lowlife, open your arms to the man who used to beat you and slip you up.
She wanted to speak but she couldn't open her mouth
Try to report him to the police. I swear I will kill you, just like I killed him.
The word rang in her ears.
I asked him who he meant?
He stomped his foot on the ground and shouted, Traitor, you are useless, you thought I was weak, you considered my treatment of you weakness
But from today I will beat you up, you damn girl.
Tell me? Why did you throw yourself into his arms? Am I not enough for you?
Tell me how I slept with you while you were my wife and under my protection?
She said with all her might, "You are crazy. How could you think that I betrayed you?"
Are you lying, you bitch? Laura told me everything. The day you said you didn't go to work, you were with him in his arms.
She lied, she did meet him but in a public place
You dare to lie again?
He got up and approached her, pulled her hair, dragged her to the bedroom, tied her to the bedpost, and shouted, “I swear I will kill you.”
She was in shock, her mind stopped thinking. She never imagined that all of this would happen to her.
Kick her in the stomach, damn traitor
You like that huh?
I killed him, I asked him?
That's all you care about, you bastard? Yes, you killed him, I'll kill you too.
She didn't open her mouth, she waited for his seizure to subside, she said after a while he will calm down and then I will be able to escape and she swore to God that she would throw him in prison
He went out into the hall, lit a cigarette, it was someone other than the one you knew, you thought, Laura why are you doing all this?
She's my only friend, but even thoughts aren't allowed.
He came back again, he shouted, "Okay, now I know how to treat you." He tore her clothes off.
I screamed stop please?
But he was provoked behind a fit of rage, he stripped her of her clothes
I screamed no please stop
Don't do that
Don't open your mouth you dirty pig, he fucked her hard while she screamed please stop, I didn't betray you, words couldn't stop him from hurting her
She gave up, sobbing and crying.
Leaving her shattered, broken, naked, trembling with terror, pain and shame.
He sat in the hall again, I begged him please let me get dressed?
He said, are you ashamed?
Women like you know no shame
It was more than an hour before she was allowed to get dressed. He stood next to her.
Whisper, from now on, Tharwat is your husband and master.
I'll let you rot here and no one will look for you, do you understand?
She said, "Yes."
!! 20 !!
The night was passing heavily on her, even though she couldn't see the sun. She spent more than three days tied to the bedpost. Tharwat offered her food and drink in a disgusting way. She refused at first, hoping he would relent.
But Tharwat was indifferent to her. He had turned into another being whose only goal was revenge.
Laura convinced him that Tasneem had been cheating on him since their wedding day, and that Mahmoud was the one who asked her to do that.
She said that she knew Mahmoud better than him, he was the one who pushed her to marry him, but secretly he was meeting her even in his own apartment
She said she felt sorry for him to remain absent, laughed at, while his wife was cheating on him!
He had sworn to kill them, to run over Mahmoud with his car, but he changed his mind at the last moment. He would keep Tasneem and make her suffer before killing her.
In the Mahmoud incident, the police did not find any evidence to confirm this. The only person who testified was...
He said that a masked person ran over him, he was smiling and the car was sinking in the Nile, then he ran away
The car that caused the accident was found in a remote area, and someone had reported it missing hours before the accident.
On the third day she had to eat the scraps of food he gave her. Her intestines were torn and she realized she was going to die. She was eager for her life for one thing, revenge.
She obeyed all of Tharwat's orders and gained his trust. He was cautious at first, but then he would let her roam around the apartment before he chained her up again.
A week later, she was tied up in the hall when someone knocked on the apartment door.
Tharwat was not present at the time
Tasneem screamed for help. The person who knocked on the apartment door heard her. He clearly heard her need for help.
He said, "One minute, I'll bring the building guard and we'll break down the door."
She sighed, finally she would be free. The moments and minutes passed, but time passed and no one showed up.
Then I heard the apartment door open. It wasn't smashed as I expected, and Tharwat entered.
He threw his clothes on the couch, cleaned himself up and ate a steak sandwich.
He smoked a cigarette and went into her room.
He said, you have a tongue to scream with?
He was so relaxed, I realized, she said I didn't
He said, "The guard is lying then? He told me that someone asked him for help with Hashim Al-Bab."
But what you don't know is that the guard owes his loyalty to me. He dismissed that person and called me.
You will deny all of that?
Where is your tongue now?
She cowered in terror, expecting kicks to rain down on her, but he moved away without hitting her.
Try doing that again, I swear I'll cut your tongue out, do you understand?
Your beautiful tongue, scream, scream you damn girl, ha ha
I warned you, Tasneem, try asking for help again.
Tasneem had been absent from work for more than a week, her phone was off, one of the agency workers was worried about her
She went to her apartment to ask about her. She knocked on the apartment door several times.
Tasneem heard the knocking on the door, but she remembered Tharwat's warning from yesterday.
She didn't open her mouth
She said maybe Tharwat is testing her
The knocking on the door continued, she recognized her coworker's voice calling her name.
But she knew the consequences were dire.
She said she would scream, but her tongue wouldn't let her.
Her friend's steps moved away and she shrank back into herself again.
The car was in a mess when they pulled Mahmoud out of it, one of his legs was pierced.
metal plate
He was unconscious and they thought he was dead.
He remained in the intensive care unit for many days. His body underwent several surgeries. He did not regain consciousness until a month later and was unable to walk.
He was in a very bad mood after he regained consciousness, and neither Laura nor his mother left his room.
He was trying by all means to return home. He did not feel comfortable in the hospital, but the doctors warned him of the consequences of that and that if he removed the medical devices, his health would deteriorate.
But Mahmoud nevertheless took advantage of an opportunity. The intensive care room was empty. He removed the medical equipment and left the hospital.
When they realized the disaster, he was in his house where he somehow managed to climb to the roof, lit a cigarette and started listening to music.
When his mother tried to convince him to return to the hospital, he refused categorically.
He said he would rather rot here in his home than stay in the hospital.
No one succeeded in convincing him to return to the hospital, so they brought a nurse to take care of him at his home. Fortunately, she was tolerant of him and allowed him to smoke. She loved music, coffee, and staying up late. She quickly became close to him and gained his trust. He even used to tell her about the past sometimes.
But there was something missing, something Mahmoud felt but couldn't express.
His meeting with Tasneem had left his memory and he could never forgive her for not asking about him.
Especially after Laura confirmed to him that she had told Tasneem about his condition and that he was fighting death.
He considered his story with Tasneem over and that nothing connected him to her anymore. He thought that she loved him, cared about him, and that he had changed for her.
But it was a game, as Laura told him. Tasneem intended to take revenge on him and humiliate him.
Exploiting his change for her sake to break his pride
He didn't believe her. He waited for Tasneem to visit him and call him after the incident, but she didn't. She had abandoned him in a despicable, shameful way, and that hurt him a lot.
After a while, he succeeded in walking without assistance, relying on a carrier and loitering on the roof of the house and inside it.
He was able to serve himself, and he was happy about that, especially since he stayed up late and was annoying the nurse who lived in the room next to his.
Although she served him willingly, and did not mind bringing him cups of coffee and listening to his nonsense all night long, she forced herself to listen to the music of people she did not know just to please him.
She was with him the first time he left his house after the accident to go for a walk.
She insisted that he dress neatly. His beard was long and his hair was soft, covering his ears. It was frighteningly thin, but he looked very elegant.
After he finished getting dressed, Mahmoud looked in the mirror. He was still handsome and elegant.
He stared at the nurse and said, "I'm giving up on helping you. I won't go out in those clothes."
I'll look like a stylish bastard and you won't be able to defend me.
The nurse laughed. He was really elegant.
However, he changed his clothes into sportswear that made him look more handsome.
Leaning on the nurse who had taken off her uniform and put on a tight skirt and a red shirt
Their appearance was striking and beautiful. He was not much older than her. Whoever looked at them would be amazed.
He stared at the road in front of him sternly until the nurse complained, "Why don't you smile? I don't want people to think I'm forcing you to do it."
He tried to smile to please her, a faint, stifled smile that made her happy.
In the middle of the running trail, he said to her, "Wait here, I'll be right back."
She said I will not leave you
He said sternly, "You will wait here and not watch me. I am warning you." I gave in to his request.
I followed him as he limped until he disappeared behind a tree.
He came back after a while, sweating profusely, hiding his hand behind his back.
I was worried about him, so I ran to support him.
He took out a red rose from behind his back and held it out to her.
He said thank you for everything you have done for me
I was silent, I was frozen, then I sighed
You are a wonderful person she said
He objected, shrugging his shoulders in dismay, and said, "You don't know the real me."
He left her silent and limped towards the car.
She followed him after she recovered from her shock. She was very happy and grateful for this wonderful gesture.
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