Part 1

|| What should I say to the reporters?

|| The sunrays burst into my room and steal away my sleep. Such a professional thief. Sometimes, I wish if I could be as good, and steal away certain people's happiness, the same way they have stolen mine. In most stories, the weather would reflect the character's state of mind, but not in this one. This is not a Shakespearean story. The sun is out, not a single cloud is in the sky, perfect blues.

The darkness of his thoughts stops as the sound of the news reporter on the television echoes through the room. He stopped believing anything said virtually, not after the revolution, not after what happened.

|| Funny how life is; I have always worked as a reporter and interviewed people, but I have never imagined that one day, my colleagues would interview me.

He had never imagined that his job, could one day, be his biggest lie to tell and to believe.

"Come in," he says.

"Good morning," The nurse comes in, holding the breakfast tray.

His heart gets in place to stop, as his nostrils get ready to blow, and his body is thrown back from the force of his sneeze.

"Oh no! I'm sorry; I forgot that you have an allergy to my fragrance." She says, bowing her head every time she apologizes. "I'm terribly sorry."

"I'll remember not to wear it again," she says.

|| You have been saying the same thing for two months, and you promise the day I'm leaving!

He takes deep breathes and huffs out his irritation with every exhale, maintaining his rock expression while the nurse brings in the blood pressure monitor.

|| I like to imagine a counter for the remaining heartbeats that I have, that is before I die. In my mind, it goes.

*ticktock* *ticktock*

A sound, soothing me to death.

*ticktock* *ticktock*

Goes the clock of my life.

Just a few weeks ago, he thought that his clock was ticking him goodbye, and suddenly, the soothing sound was horrifying; the sound of nightmares for the weeks that followed. The sound of a furious bell, ringing his soul out of his body.

"Thank God, your blood sugar level, and body temperature is normal, but your blood pressure is a bit low. May you please try and eat something? Doctor says if you don't eat the next five hours, we're going to have to lock you in until you eat properly."

"I'll try," he replies, glancing at the food tray at the corner of his eye, "but I don't make any promises."

A long honk broke the silence that followed, and he immediately turns his head to the window. Down on the street, a white van with an antenna on top was parking.

"Looks like the reporters came. I'm going now." The nurse says in a declaring tone.

He adjusts himself in a sitting position and flinches as his legs go over the cold side of the bed.

"Haleeeeeeeeem(1)! My maaaaan!" Saeed(2) bursts in.

"We knocked," says Sarah(3) chewing her gum, followed by Salma(4) with her usual hefty bags, and large glasses.

His heart skips a beat as he sees his fiancé coming in. Glowing, as ever, in his eyes.

"How are you feeling today?" Habiba(5) asks, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Much better, AlhamdulAllah(6). You?"

"I'm fine as long as you're fine." She smiles.

"Nice!" Exclaims Saeed, as he looks around the room.

"What?"

"Room ain't fancy, but nice." Explains Saeed with exaggerating body language.

"Ok, let'ssss getttt to worrrk," Salma says while getting out her notebook and recorder.

Habiba takes a seat beside him, "are you sure you want to do this?"

A shiver along his spine spreads like wildfire as she fixes what's left of his hair.

"Yes."

"But," she continues, "I feel… I feel that it's not going to end we-"

"I just got proof that everything's fine," he interrupts her, doing his best to lie one last time, "you're stuttering, and you have a bad intuition; my two lucky charms."

He lifts her ground-pointing chin to face him and forces a smile out that would, hopefully, warm at least one of their hearts.

|| I know it's not going to end well, my love.

"I don't want you to get nervous. Just relax; we all know how tense you feel when you remember what happened. If you want to take a break in the middle just ask, and we will follow. Ok?" Sarah asks as she takes a seat beside him.

Salma clicks the recording button.

"From where should I start?"

"From the very beginning, when you reached the square."

_______________________________________________

1. Halem: Day-dreamer (M)

2. Saeed: A happy person (M)

3. Sarah: Joy and Delight (F)

4. Salma: Peacefulness (F)

5. Habiba: Loved-one (F)

6. AlhamdulAllah: Thank Allah (God)