An old-fashioned man

An old-fashioned man


Chapter 1


"Good morning sir" said the assistant.
" Good morning Fatima,how have you been ?" replied Amine.
" I’ve been doing great,thank you. Your wife is waiting for you at your office. She has been there for a while."
" Thank you Fatima ; I appreciate it." Said Amine and turned to the door.
As he opened the door, his mind took him back ten years ago. She was setting besides his desk on a beautiful bench looking as young and beautiful as she used to be back then. He first met her at a party that gathered men and women of the highest rank of society. Everybody was there. It was the event of the year ; the perfect opportunity for single, wealthy men to meet decent ladies who suit their social group. Approximatly, all the poeple present at that party were single, inspite of the fact that they exceeded their thirties, that if we excluded the mature couple setting in the corner of the room. There, in the middle of the room, sat an angel in pink. Her breath taking beauty and over showed elegance made the man’s heart beats grew so fast that he thought he was in risk of having a heart attack. His fascinated eyes were constantly fixed on her all night long. He was like a predator that suddenly spotted its prey, And was waiting for the right moment to attack. The wild animal knew his victim wasn’t an easy meal ; he had to work hard to win this precious trophy. Amine learned later on that she was single and availibale. He saw a chance there, and decided to seize it. As he was walking towards her, his heart seemed to agree on his brave move by accelerating its beats speed. Every step he took, the picture of his beloved got clearer. She was the one ; the woman he’d been dreaming of since he was thirteen. From the corner of her eye, she caught a sight of him moving. She carefully painted a wide smile on her face which, under the bright light, seemed captivating. After being introduced to each other and after few funny jokes that successfully managed to break the ice; the love birds found the atmosphere comfortable and actually liked one another. Therefore, the first seeds of a fairy love tale were planted that same night. Amine recalled those happy times a lot and this kept him wondering; was it a real feeling? Was it the real love?

There she was, looking to her expensive watch. All signs of anxiety were present in her face. Amine stepped forward and shared unfelt greetings with his wife. He wasn’t really surprised to see her waiting at his office at this time of the day, as she repeatedly payed him visits now and then. He was never able to recall, at least, one visit that was for a reasonable purpose. She was either asking him for money to buy unnecessary things ; he never bothered to ask, or to actually send him to do the pointless shooping. His outstanding love to her had always got into the way to refuse any of her excessive demands. Inspite of all, he was happy. He was married to the girl of his dreams and had two adorable children ; an older daughter and a younger son. Sara was a girl of nine. They said she had her mother’s beauty and her father’s wits. In addition, she was a wonderful violin performer. Amine registered Sara at the finiest art school in town, when she was only five years old. Highly sofisticated parties were occasionally held where different kinds of instruments were played. Of course, Sara had been the heroine of every show. Walid was the black sheep of the family. Nothing of the high class rituals interested him. He was just six years old, yet seemed to know more about life than a young adult does. Walid’s passion for sports had driven Amine crazy. His parents had already drawn a map and had set up the directions for him, before he even opened his eyes to the world. They had great expectations conserning his future; however, Walid had a different plan. He wanted to be a professional footballer; exactly as his role model Zidane was. Though in a young age, Walid’s best friend was, and had always been, the ball.
Amine made his way through to the chair across the desk. He sat there for a while and then asked :" What brought you here dear ?"
" I just came to visit you" She was looking all over the room as if it was her first time to be there.
" Really ? Is that the only reason ?", He asked again.
" Of course it is. I miss you." She kept gazing at the room’s corners like she was hiding something.
" We were togather two hours ago" He replied suspiciously. He thought for a while and said finally:" How much do you want this time?" Imene was stunned by his reply, thinking Amine might be a mind reader. She didn’t know ; however, that she was so transparent. Everyone knew Imene couldn’t resist the powerful influence of money on her. Amine wrote a check to his wife and didn’t ask what she to buy was; being sure it was a silly thing. Without a second thought, she took the check and headed to the door, when she suddenly turned and said:
" You know dear, you look pale. You could use some rest"
With a deep sigh he replied :
" I’ve got a lot of paper work to do. I’ll get back home for lunch, as soon as I finish going through them"
After that Imene had left, Amine sank into a deep thinking. He was so exhausted that he used both of his hands to bear his overloaded head. Silence dominated the room. This atmosphere brought back some unpleasant memories of young adulthood. Regret is a powerful feeling which overwhelms the soul. Amine had two friends who used to take adventage of his pure spirit. They were like toxic gazes pumping dirty ideas into his untouched brain. His head became heavy with devilish thoughts. Hi arms were destructive instruments while his feet were means of transportation towards anything that might harm poeple. Amine suffered a lot, as being a silly young adult. These same two friends ended up working with him in the same building, having the same job. They were members of the Parliament. Amine, after having his first child, repented all his sins. He came clean with him self, and decided not to enter that dark world again. The intimidating silence was broken by a knocking on the door.
" Come in please, it’s opened" cried Amine realizing that it was his boss," welcome to my humble office. Have a seat please."
" Thank you. I can see that you are burried in work. You should take a break."
" Thank you sir, I still have two more papers to examin"
" Alright then. I came to deliver good news for you. There is a big chance the members of the parliament will agree on your new project. The one in which you suggest to build extra schools mainly in small villages"
" That ‘s great news indeed. At last, we have the oppotunity to reduce the rate of illitracy that had striken the country. As my research says, there are a lot of children who were, let’s say, deprived from their right for education. Afterall, poeple had faith in us, and in my opinion, it would be a major fault if the MPs refused the project." Amine had always been a smooth talker. His speechs during the electoral campaign were like a magnot which drove poeple’s vioces to their political party.
" It’s great to have a man like you, who always put the interests of his nation ahead of his own."
" Thank you sir, I’ll try to do my best" Amine claimed.
" Now, I must leave you. Don’t tire yourself much. Go home and relax. We need you fresh tomorrow" Mr Mohamad declared.
" Ok, not a problem. Thank you for the visit and so for the beautiful words of yours."
" Good bye"
" Good bye"
The last conversation left a positive impact of Amine’s spirits. It stregthened his will and ambition to serve the others ; to help those who were in a desperate need for help. He finally came to realize that he could make a change. It didn’t matter if it was so slight; since he had hopes to induce the next generation to carry on his thoughts and beliefs. The idea of a positive change had always inspired him and will always do.

. It was enough of a motive for him and a push forward to do better.
The hanging clock on the wall indicated that it was half an hour after midday. Amine started feeling dazy, perhaps because of the energy his body lacked. He was starving and exhausted, so he set up him mind to be off home. On his way out, Amine met two guys dressed up in black suits and delicate shoes. " That’s funny, I was just thinking of these two serpents" He murmured to himself. Mustapha suggested the three to have lunch in the restaurant across the road and Toufik approved. Yet, Amine politely turned down the invitation of his previous class mates. For him, they resemble the bitter past Amine went through. He claimed as an excause that he had a wife and two children waiting for him, unlike the two of them. Once in college, the three guys had the same view to life. They would do anything to get rich, even if that meant to step over the beloved ones.Their questionable high grades and their remarkable, malicious intelligence enabled them to entre the political field. That wouldn’t be enough to let them wholly in the game, so they relied more on their powerful relatives to pave them the way. They joined the same political party, which was the ruling government later on. It was a life of luxury. Everything seemed easy to get. Amine ; however, began to feel conscious of the current situation. Besides, having children doubled his counsciousness. Something the other two never approved to do. Amine got maturer by time. He was afraid to get into any trouble that may put him in jail or may even cost him his own life. If that happened, his family would be left alone with no one take care of them. He was responsible then, not only for himself, but also for other lives. For this sole reason, Amine did his best to avoid his once class mates, since they were the spring of troubles.
Amine lived down town in a stunning house. Therefore, he prefered walking home. The distance between the two places wasn’t so stretched, though it felt that way while driving. An unbearable traffic is very casual during midday. Amine got used to the gigantic buildings on both sides of the road, and so to the massive flow of poeple going to and fro. Different sorts of shops could be seen here and there. There was one shop Amine used to buy his newspapers from. It belonged to a very nice man, or at least that what Amine used to think. He passed by him and said few words. He grabbed a magazine and resumed his walk. He didn’t pay for it, since the seller refused his money. Praising the elite that used to pass by his shop, was a habbit. Amine got used to the same speech being said over and over again.
" Hello Sir " A man standing at an enormous gate uttered as Amine came closer.
" Hello Mourad. How are you ? How is the lady doing ? Is she out of the Hospital yet ?"
" Oh yes ! Thank you for your consern sir. If it weren’t for the money you offered us, she wouldn’t be where she is right now. It was very generous of you." Mr Mourad replied.
" It was nothing Mourad, no need to mention it."
Amine carried on his way through the gate while it was closed after him.
The house, or better say the mansion, proudly stood out of the whole neighborhood. Its surroundings would make of the most miserable man alive, a happy person once again. Green grass could be seen across his front yard. Different types of trees decorated the main entrance and produced a fresh air on a daily basis. He walked further until he came to the door steps; there were four of them. He looked up and reached his hand to the door bell and his son, Walid, answered the call. He walked in and noticed his wife wasn’t home.

" Where is your mother, Walid?"
" She drove Sara to the rehearsals"
He sat there, alone, having his already prepared lunch and thinking about his ill father whom he hadn’t seen for a while now. He casually visited him in the hospital, where he laid sick, on Fridays. In spite of the overcrowded schedule of Amine’s, he had always found spare time to visit his father. Mr. Ahmed was an old warrior; one of those brave men who put their lives into danger in order to free his country off the hands of the tyrant colonizer. This good reputation of his was wide spread, not only in the small village he used to live in, but through out the national territory. He was one remarkable man that one would have the honor to sit with and talk to. Mr. Ahmed, and after a long fierce fight against the enemy, was hit in the head by an undefined object. What he found out later on; however, was the fact that the brutal hit caused him a permanent disease to which the bravest men had kneeled. He had Alzheimer in its advanced stage. He needed to e taken care of constantly, that’s why the government, since he’s a respected veteran, specified for him a caregiver. The hospital where he laid sick and lonely was called “The Refuge Hospital”.
Mr. Ahmed’s loneliness doubled after he had heard of the sudden death of his wife. Mrs. Nadia was a loving mother. She only had one son to whom she delivered all the love she held in her heart. Though in time of war, Mrs. Nadia never let Amine feel oppressed or deprived of his rights. She was a real woman; someone to count on during a time of crisis. Unfortunately, Mrs. Nadia was suffering from a silent illness that the low technology at the time never managed to detect. It’s was a turning point in the family’s life. Sadness and grief dominated their daily life and the small numbered family was never able to recover from this tragic event. Mrs. Nadia, and after a long struggle against the unmerciful sickness, finally gave up and… she died. The unbearable pain of this tremendous lost made it even harder to poor Mr. Ahmed. Amine, who had gained lots of money, mainly relying on his father’s reputation, and who had made his way through The Parliament, knew exactly how his father was feeling.
That day; however, was Thursday. Amine longed to break the habbit and that what he did. He took the keys of his finely shaped car and drove to The Refuge Hospital. He was lucky enough to having found a free parking space just near the main entrance. Things were different that day; it’s not Friday, not the weekend, and that meant less visits. Amine walked in the hospital and headed to the reception. The guy behind the desk recognized Amine’s face and therefore let him pass; though it wasn’t a time for visits. It was so easy to get lost in this huge building. There were ten floors all occupied with patients. He still; however, is well acquainted with where his father’s room ought to be. He opened the door and was surprised by a view that he didn’t see before. Small pieces of paper were adhered to different objects in the room. There was one glued on a chair, another on the window, on the door, on the desk and even on the pillow. He came to realize that all the pieces were scripted. Every piece indicates or signified the object that it is associated with.
" Hello sir, you must be Amine!" the beautiful nurse asked. She was wearing a white apron and holding some documents in her hand.
" Yes , I am. And you are…?" Amine politely inquired.
" I’m your father’s new nurse. The old one has decided to finish her studies and become a doctor. Actually, that’s exactly what I am intending to do. " With a confident voice, she addressed him.
" Oh, that’s excellent ! I didn’t like her so much anyway" Amine replied, joking.
" Don’t you worry Amine, I’ll take good care of him" She, somehow, found no complexity in calling him by his name. And truth be told, he didn’t mind either. It was as if they are old friends and that they knew each other for ages. Amine could relax and make sure that his father is between safe hands. That did save him a lot of thinking- negative thinking.
" I really truly appreciate it miss… ?"
" You can call me Loubna"
" Nice meeting you Loubna. I just have one enquiry if you may, before leaving?"
" Yes, sure, go ahead"
" I’m very puzzled about the function of these sheet of paper that are scattered all over the place, are they really necessary?"
" A recent scientific study proved that writing objects names on a paper, would help Alzheimer’s disease patients to be more self-reliant. It is believe that it can even strengthen their long-term memories. It’s very sufficient and very helpful. This sickness requires from me a full-time job and you could see, it’s much better that way, since it saves time and efforts."

Her answer was satisfactory and her explanation was simply understood, though she was talking about something Amine was not familiar with.
" Loubna, what can I say ? You’re a life savior. Thank you so much" Amine, gratefully tried to express his feelings and his appreciation.
" I absolutely didn’t do anything that deserves your thanks. I’m just doing my job, besides, you don’t get thanked for doing something you admire and adore, do you? I love helping people and I love what I do dearly." She smartly answered him and clearly showed that she was a woman of principles and a woman of thoughts. She carried on:" It’s been really nice meeting you, yet I have other patients to check, so I have to run now"
Amine replied:" I do understand, and I do appreciate what you’re doing. May Allah help you. Bye."
Amine grasped a chair and sat beside his father’s bed. Mr. Ahmed loved to narrate the two or three heroic stories that his vulnerable mind embraced tightly. Sadly, everyday passed by; he forgot a detail or two. Sometimes his memories were all mixed up, and he would not be able to know which of which. It was very depressing for Amine to see his father in such a status. All that bugged Amine now, is to find a way out to release his father from this pain. Still, it’s an impossible task to do. Even modern technology stood helpless in front of such a dangerous illness. Scientists and researchers keep inventing and discovering new cures, but they were all in vain in his father’s case. " You’re getting older my son ; I’m very proud of you" His father repeatedly said these words, every time Amine visited him. This same sentence had often shed his tears. Amine had some pictures in his wallet; they were taken a while ago, before his father got injured. To Mr. Ahmed, as if they were taken yesterday, as he didn’t remember anything that happened after that. Usually, the allowed time for visits is one hour, yet Amine is a privileged man, he could be staying there as much as he could. That day; however, Amine didn’t stay long. They spent an hour and a half catching up; mainly it was amine that used to update his father with latest news, and yet Mr. Ahmed never got hold of them more than a day. So, the whole routine was to be done all over every weekend. Amine never thought it’s a useless thing to do; he enjoyed sitting with his father so much that he hardly notice the time. At the end, Amine said: " I’ll get you out of here dad, even if that was the last thing I do in this life!" They said good bye to each other and what appeared to be their last meeting.
The clock revealed that it was seven A.M. It was time to get up and do the whole routine all over again. Without a single disturbing sound, Amine left his wife’s side of bed and headed towards the fancy bathroom of his. Still in a state of dizziness, he turned on the tap water. The warmth of the pure liquid gave sense to his existence again; it gave him a rebirth to a new day. All sobered up and well dressed; The MP was ready to go to the office. As it was the habit, he took his prepared coffee in his hand and walked out the house.
The streets were shockingly empty. Yet, Amine loved the fresh air that he could only catch at day break. The pure air would flee away as soon as the car passed by. Therefore, he seized the opportunity and walked to his workplace by foot, enjoying the short-termed freshness. In his way there, he stopped at his regular newspaper shop.
" Hello sir" the seller said.
" Would you please give me ‘Elshourouk newspaper’ please ?" Amine said politely.
" It’d be my pleasure…here it is, take it , it’s on the house" With a fake smile, the seller responded.
" Thanks a lot ; have a good one !"
Amine was usually amongst the first to arrive; except for his boss Mr. Mohamed. He entered his office and begun his ordinary day. He checked and double-checked every piece of paper he had in front of him. He was so focused on his work that he hardly heard a knocking on the door. " Come on in ; it is opened" It was his secretary Fatima telling him that his presence at Mr. Mohamed’s office was required. This had rarely happened. Usually, if his boss wanted something, he’d send it with Fatima or else call him on the phone.
Amine was surprised more by the sight of his two formerly best friends standing-even though there were enough chairs at Mr. Mohamed’s office. They looked anxious and pale, whispering words to one another. Mustapha and Toufik all dressed up in fancy clothes as if they were presidents of some foreign countries. Mr. Mohamed, putting his head down, looked even paler than those two standing figures, share with Amine greetings and asked him to have a seat. Amine, so confused than ever, found no refuge but to sit down and listen to what his boss had to say.

" Well Amine, you know that I rarely ask your presence at my office. I’m sure you don’t even remember how my last decoration was, since it’s been ages that you’ve been here. That’s mainly because your reputation is always ahead of you. I trust you more than the others, as you have a pure soul…"
" It means a lot to me, to hear this from you, yet I’m just trying to do my job."
" However, what I’ve been hearing lately troubled my ears. That’s why you’re here today in order to make things clear for me" Mr. Mohamed’s tone changed and now he looked a bit upset.
" What kind of things ?" Amine asked
"Mustapha and Toufik were arguing that you used some of the public money to serve your interests. We are talking here about more than a hundred millions dinars. Now, if I didn’t have these proofs you’re seeing on my table, I would never believe you are able to do such a thing" Mr. Mohamed, very disappointed, carried on talking.
" That’s because I could never rub public money. All what they have been telling are mere lies…" Amine, shocked, was defending himself, and was looking to his "friends". They were whispering again and giving Amine suspicious looks.
" Amine, my son, we are not talking nonsense. They have loads of evidences and even a recorded type about you talking proudly how you managed to trick the government and got away with it. I have no authority to do anything, that’s why I called the police…"
Amine soon realized what was happening. These two guys had enough of Amine’s philanthropic deeds. All he had been doing was to care more and more about the mass. This would make them look bad and therefore people will be questioning about what the other MPs was doing. Hence, they plotted him and set him a trap. All the documents Mr. Mohamed had were faked. Even the type he firmly relied his assumption was an unreal one. And the voice isn’t to be known whether it’s really Amine talking or not. But all this could be known, when the police would be making its investigations. Or at least, that’s what Amine was hoping. Amine was silent for a moment and then finally said:" You know, as I do, that all this a set up. The police will clear my name once they go through the evidence you were just talking about…" Mr. Mohamed interrupted him by saying:" I’m afraid, this is not my responsibility. Until then, you’re fired"
These were the last words Amine heard while he was led out by two police officers, handcuffed…







To be continued…

WOOOOOOOOOOOW ,it is very great i told you so .You are really a good writer i liked the story and your way of narating too .I'm waiting for the rest coz i really liked it

Amazing story from an amazing storyteller, w-ch...and wondrous description...I am eager to read the rest of it...

Chapter Two

Twenty harsh-looking men were squeezed in a small-shaped bus where in Amine was dressed in red(as were all the other guys), hand-cuffed and sitting by a half-opened window. Lost in the middle of "wilderness", or at least that's what Amine secretly described the scenes he saw while being guided towards the most spiteful place on the country. It somehow gathered all types of criminals where the "weak ring" doesn't exist. Amine was terrified to be the one to beat the record and to be the first "weak" person to enter that horrid place. The term "weak" is not defined in that prison as it is out there in the real world. It doesn't take a skinny guy whose muscles are bearly seen for a weak person. Such a man can do as much harm to his surroundings as the muscliest man within does ( a sharped metalled object would replace his physical weakness)Amine reached his nose to the hardly opened window he was sitting by as a desperate attempt to swallow in some fresh air as the smell within the police bus was nothing like he smelled before. He put his head in the small gap and pushed the window's glass forward; it was stuck for his bad luck!
"The fun is over ladies! Be ready to step off one by one and whoever breaks that rule, he'll have a thick stick on his face and you can ask those who know me better that I really mean it!" said a man dressed in a blue uniform, that and the blue cap were the only things that distanguished him from the rest of the prisoners.
"Yeah yeah! We got it boss..." said a thick voice near Amine's left ear and continued in more of a whisper that Amine, since he was the nearest person to him, heard :"... and yet you never applied it! you idiot!"
As if a military march, the twenty convicts rythemically stepped off and forward only to face a huge rusty gate. Two men ,similarly dressed as the man from the bus, stood still on both sides of the gate. They were looking steadily upwards, as if searching for a long lost dream. Feeling as bored as ever, the man on the right opened a small door which was situated in the middle of the gate.
"Welcome to hell, newbies!" giggling, a man among the marchers uttered these words which set Amine frightened upon his spasmodic laugh. The man, unlike the rest of the others, sounded happier to be in such a place. Amine kept wondering why did some people like this place inspite of everything it held.
Imene, along with her two children, were present in Amine's trial. The judge showed no signs of mercy neither did the audience who were cheerfully following the detailes. Amine plead not guilty; however, that didn't do him any good since he faced a well-trained attorney who managed to convince the judge to rule in his favor. Amine was sentenced for 15 whole years.
Amine was immediately taken away while his family stood there speechlessly watching.
"well, well, well isn't it the most loved Mr. Amine?!" Sarcastically, an old guy commented upon seeing Amine walking through the door. Amine turned his head towards the source of the voice only to spot a toothless smile among the the gathered crowd in the hall.
The scene was too scary yet Amine unflinchingly stood there facing one of the emblematic figures in that horrid place. Some considered him an apotheosis of bravery and courage while others dared to think of him as a mad man. One thing both groups setteled on which was the dangerous side of Hamid's character. Hamid stepped forward and the people who were surrounding him moments ago now were making a way for this human machine to walk through. He was a grotesquely looking guy and all sorts of scars dwelled on his eerie face. Not a single hair was to be seen on top of his head.
"I've been in and out of here for twenty years by now and never imagined that there would come a day to see you in the same place as I am. As weird as it sounds, it thrills me!" giggling, Hamid saved no efforts to show his overwhelmed happiness to see Amine in prison and so did his followers. The prison had a system which no one dared to change or even to challenge. Either you're an Alfa-man towhom everyone listens and obeys or you're just a simple guy doing his time. If one belongs to the second category, one would be at risk of getting picked on for the rest of his time at prison. Gangs were the only and the safest way to guarantee one's life and joining one of them was not an easy task. Every newbie would find some difficulties to fit in the first days; however, as soon as one finds a shelter or better say a "shield", he will be just fine.
"Why don't you take it on a man on your size?" said a wise voice from a distant. The voice was so soothing and comforting that Amine felt like he knew the one producing it already. But the fact was that he didn't.
"Are you standing up for newbies now? do you wanna run a business behind my back or what?" Hamid,nervously laughing, replied. All of his followers did the same, most of them didn't know what for, but it was enough for them that their leader was lauging.
"I do not run a business by taking adventage of people as you . Leave him be!" Eyes travelled between Hamid and that man and a fierce fight was in the horizon if it wasn't for the prison guards to interfere. Both men were taking away to solitary to prevent any kind of fights that might take so many casulties.

i take my hat off to you good i liked it. I hope that it is not the end. I'm still waiting.

Wow! Amazing & Wonderful !! I really loved the way you described things
You are so talented just as a professional writer ^_^
My best wishes for the rest w-ch
Thank you so much for sharing your story... congrats brother

I really liked the story w_ch. what i enjoyed most are the descriptions that you're giving for every single detail.... waiting for the next chapters with