This was written during my downcast.

I was crestfallen
and I had been undergoing an overwhelming state of
melancholy, but instead of sobbing and reminscing all
the time, I picked a pen and scrabbled down a story, of
me; spiraling downwards and being led a slippery
slope to possible relapse and depression.This impromtu
piece of work helped me exorcise black clouds
hovering over my head and cast off demons inside it,
and I felt that it was something I needed to get off my
chest. I never, and might not, aspire to writing career
rather than using it as an outlet to take while feeling
restless
---Special dedication to:
*My coterie; my friends with no exception
*My siblings
*My professor (Siham Marroune)
 “Always take the scenic routes, but
when you arrive try to survive “

A Globetrotter from the

Mediterranean
By: Imad Ait Oufkir

1
 Chapters Glossary
I. Chapter One : Daydreaming

II. Chapter Two : The Inconvenient advent

III. Chapter Three : The reunion

IV. Chapter Four : Stranger things

V. Chapter Five : Cordial reception

VI. Chapter Six : The head-strong parent

VII. Chapter Seven : The impact

VIII. Chapter Eight : The dilemma

IX. Chapter Nine : Buckling up

X. Chapter Ten : The Armageddon

XI. Chapter Eleven : The aftermath

XII. Chapter Twelve : Relapse

2
XIII. Chapter Thirteen : Persuit of Happiness

XIV. Chapter Fourteen : A new dawn

3
About (Pt.1) Complete and unabridged 1st part
version.

A polyglot blithely roams the world with his RV,

which he had recently got from a vigorous old-
timer dwelling in the boondocks of Germany.
Thinking that he is modern-day Ibn Battuta, he
will accordingly encounter undesirable dilemmas
and decisively tangling cross roads. By the time
he learned about his decisions, It was already a
fait accompli.On this grandparents-appreciated
work, you'll live a riveting journey that will
stimulate you to roll out from your comfort zone
and start your own odyssey.
A gripping and promiscuous set of events;
starting with a consistent pace to an exciting
range of erratic actions.

Written and Edited by: Imad Ait Oufkir

4
 “Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then
turns you into a storyteller.”

― Ibn Battuta, The Travels of Ibn Battutah

“traveling - it gives you home in thousand strange

places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land.”

― Ibn Battuta

"Qui vit voit, mais qui voyage voit plus."

- Ibn Battuta

5
“ ‫وبينما أنا يوما في دار ظهير الدين القرالني [في الصين] إذا بمركب قوام‬
‫ فلما حصلت المؤانسة بعد‬،‫ي‬ّ ‫ فعجبت من اسمه! ودخل إل‬،‫سبتي‬ ّ ‫الدين ال‬
‫ أراك تنظر إلي نظر‬:‫ فأطلت النظر إليه فقال‬،‫السالم سنح لي أني أعرفه‬
‫ وأنا من‬:‫ي البالد أنت؟ فقال من سبتة! فقلت له‬ّ ‫ من أ‬:‫ فقلت له‬،‫من يعرفني‬
‫ي وبكى حتى بكيت لبكائه‬ّ ‫سالم عل‬ّ ‫”!طنجة! فجدد ال‬

― Ibn Battuta

“The wind then became calmed in some degree:

when, after sun-rise, we perceived that the
mountain we had seen was in the air, and that we
could see light between it and the sea. I was much
astonished at this: but, seeing the sailors in the
utmost perturbation, and bidding farewell to one
another, I said, Pray what is the matter? They said,
What we supposed to be a mountain, is really a
Rokh,1 and if he sees us, we shall assuredly perish,
there being now between us and him a distance of
ten miles only. But God, in his goodness, gave us a
good wind, and we steered our course in a direction
from him, so that we saw no more of him; nor had
we any knowledge of the particulars of his shape.”

― Ibn Battuta, The Travels of Ibn Battuta: in the

Near East, Asia and Africa, 1325-1354

6
“For the born traveller, travelling is a besetting vice.
Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its
victim’s time, money, energy and the sacrifice of
comfort.”

– Aldous Huxley

7
 Prologue
Underneath the leaden clouds of February on a
blistering cold and relentless rain, an unlooked-for
bleak stopover in Glasgow took place. A mud-
splashed RV sheered the course into a townlet, from
which the driver improvised with a cramping leg
convulsively shuddering in front of a cottage, with a
raspy voice shouting “HELP! HELP! HELP PLEASE! “,
and almost perish with a wretched status.
I fainted, the only thing I remember was Mr. Alfarabi’s
herbs capsule dropped from me while being frenziedly
attacked by a hound. I was opening my eyes and
having my jacket zipped up by a Junoesque lady
who’s looking after me “ this medicine is good and
curative for what ails you “ she gracefully uttered after
she gave me a bowl of middle eastern lentil soup. I
sluggishly rolled out to drink the soup, to notice from
a down-at-heel window how enormous their maize
field was and the spooky scarecrow in its midst.

8
 How come in this world would you still find people
rescuing a destitute and down-and-out outsider
calling for help? These people were another level of
generosity and magnanimity. One of the gracious
families I have come across amidst my journey.

THIS IS MY TALE, A GLOBETROTTER FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN.

9
 Chapter One:
Daydreaming
As I have been endeavoring to do this, as I
hibernated to be utterly ready for it and get my
backpack awaits, as I have my itinerary done and
as I am all set to start my odyssey by saving a
basketful amount of money. I put on the best
wardrobe I possessed and sprinkled myself with
my Ace-in-the-hole perfume. With the state of
rapture I was undergoing, I enthusiastically
dressed my hair like never before to get ready four
hours afore the takeoff but most importantly
before the get-go of the dream I used to have. I
went to the airport with the music on, checked in,
checked up and sent to the customs. After
finishing these procedures I was finally going to
behold the vehicle that would carry me to the gate
of my dreams; the airplane. People would walk
along the jet way to the plane's door, whilst I was

10
 exhilaratingly treading on The Walk of Fame to
the dream's portal.
It wasn't, at all, fleeting or even an ordinary
excitement that the one could imagine, the feeling
possessed me, I felt it lingering as if it was a week-
long procedure and ended up being moonstruck
while waiting for the departure.Everything was as
garish as I foreshadowed. I booked the window
seat, and it was the best call I made in years as the
scenic outlook seamlessly appeared on the
window. After a short time, the stewardess started
to announce the «please standby «and the takeoff.
As the plane would finally move I started to get
goosebumps on my both arms and some moments
started flooding too. The plane took off, looking
through the window, the horizons became more
ravishing and the city shed glitters of melancholy
because another dweller is bailing out.I couldn't
fall asleep during the flight, thinking about my
parents whom strived to bring me up and be a
modeling-worthy person and my siblings whom
never dismayed me and always been there to
support me for every step that I take. Although it
was a two-hour flight, but I was able to resurrect
every pivotal moment of my life and all the figures

11
 managed to engrave their names upon my steel-
made heart. The plane was about to land on the
British overseas territory in the south coast of
Spain; Gibraltar. As long as I dreamt to visit
Gibraltar, I'm in it, but I know no one there except
for my prior-knowledge about its monuments and
its people. I launched my tripadvisor app and
visited every corner including its unearth sized
rock «Gibraltar’s rock», which was built by the
moors, that I have a descendancy from. In the peak
of the mountain, there was a telescope, where I
zoomed on tangier; the northern city in morocco,
in fact, I haven’t seen Tangier even when i was in
morocco. It is a special city as it links between two
continents Europe and Africa. I loved more its
unique monkeys and the state of mind that its
people behoove. I managed to get allowed to the
Schengen area, where the inception of everything
starts.

12
 From Spain to Germany, the country in which I
should buy my RV blindfolded. Casting about for
RVs wasn't that easy as I thought. It was a hard
thing to ever think of, but the fetish I had for it
was rugged and determined than Bonnie and
Clyde's own allegiances.

13
 Chapter Two:
The inconvenient advent

After a hard day's search, I had been sent to a small

tribe where an old RV was put for sale. The welcoming
wasn't that mellifluous as I expected, as I nearly got
shot by an old vigorous woman attired in a military
uniform, who’s got the fortitude to hold a riffle and
rule a tribe after her consort kicked the bucket. The
tribe had undergone an ordeal, couple of days before I
appear to be an outsider. It all explained their
xenophobic welcome. The entire fuss was about a safe,
designed in the open for villagers' donations after an
overwhelming downpour that left the tribe in a
complete fiasco. They would all put their pennies there
in the safe for restituting and saving their village’s
legacy. Months after they saved a massive amount of
money, the old woman sensed a smell of jeopardy.
She'd always hear someone's footsteps lurking and
circumambulating around the bushes. As she

14
 predicted that something unpleasant was on the way
to happen, she then became compelled to constantly
patrol around the area.
Couple days later, they got ambushed by a throng of
hoodlums committing a string of heists over the
region. Albeit they outnumbered the eyewitnesses and
despite their professional deployment in the
entourage, the old woman's stamina and guts were
adequate to thwart the ruffians attempt. The tribe
infrequently received visitors but the ordeal they
underwent left them watchful and rigidly vigilant. As
I explained the reason behind my arrival, the old
woman startled me by being constantly apologetic for
the inconvenient welcome, held my wrist and escorted
me to their glamorous bungalows and the lawns
around them. The old woman as well as other villagers
were so benevolent and hospitably complaisant to me
as they cooked for me and gave me some vintage
Bavarian breeches which they called ‘’bundhosen’’,
which were, unluckily, sheath-like and prickly. They
kept imploring me to forgive them for the unbefitting
welcome. After the ‘’alte Frau’’ escorted me, in a long
excursion around the area and after having an
acquaintance of their region and their ancestors
endeavors and ventures, I changed the course of the

15
 conversation and hinted to the woman about the
reason of my arrival. «It was my husband's home. I
cannot keep looking at this RV and reminisce every
moment I spent with him in it.
He used to be an ambitious globetrotter and I think
that time came for you to be his successor ‘’ sighed and
said the woman. She continued
‘’ Two days were enough to realize how veracious and bona
fide you are, the doors of our modest tribe are always open
to you. The tribe members and I unanimously approve that
the van is yours, make us proud dear ".
I felt very flattered and almost shed tears over her speech. It
was all due to their unconditional altruism and hospitality. I
finally possessed the RV; it was cluttered with posters
of her husband’s expeditions and mystical journeys.
He was a person of wisdom; I could presumably
deduce it from the photographs he took with people of
different races and beliefs. -- It is an inevitable thing
that socializing with people of distinct backgrounds is
somehow onerous. Bygone days were with such
munificence and selflessness. People would agreeably
have others to join them for a feast and make small-
talks to sprout new relationships. Such acts
resuscitates love and reverence amongst people and
sweeps away narcissism and xenophobic and

16
stereotyical impression--. With an outward frontpiece,
a small truck appeared to be at the rear end of the RV.
It was seeable from the inside but was eerily placed. I
improvised, went to the back, to find an engraved
slogan saying “Reverence, peace and vigilance “.
Albeit, the last part of the slogan was skeptic and
admonishing but thenceforward, I pledged my troth to
conserve the motto, written in the RV’s back. I
managed to refurbish the unkempt vehicle anew and
add some flamboyant ornaments, which eventually
made the van not only alluring but seamlessly
magnetic.

17
 Chapter Three:
The Reunion

After repairing the vehicle, I went to Frankfurt, where

I will have to change the dilapidated wheels into new
German invincible once which wouldn’t groan or say
“UGH“. On the road again to Gibraltar to meet a
special person there who did heard of my first visit.
On my way, I couldn’t cease foreshadowing the
happiness that the RV would beget. It was a good
omen, according to the hunch I had. It was an old
friend of mine who invited me for lunch, he was an
intermediate construction worker but after years of
perseverance, assiduity and diligence he’d become a
renowned supervisor of an internationally
professional and certified construction constellation.
He gained professionals’ recognition and had his
reputation extended across to further countries. At
juvenile’s time, we were soulmates. Although he was
older than me, but we had a firm and intimate
friendship. He derived almost his construction
18
 expertise from his father who had the same job since
he was a tween, but who couldn’t make it to the level
professionnalisation. That was a refill and a
recompensation for his dad’s endeavors who’d have
been proud if he was ground-above witnessing his
kid’s promising future. We met and rekindled the old-
time sake mischiefs. Both of us were yearning for the
days of our generation and our frisky friendship. He
couldn’t believe that we are at a time, schmoozing
outside our borders, how we altered from having
modest dreams to massive ones, and how our lives
transformed through the years. Our reunion, was such
rejuvenation for us, we felt resuscitated and reborn
once again. He was seeking a shrewd fellow to help
him on his construction business and to inspire him
with new ideas that, as he sees it, would push his
career strides ahead so as he gets his projects the
preeminent on the global scale. By the occasion of me,
being in Europe, he would seize it as he deemed me
one of the shrewdest figures with fertile mind and
influential ideas. I humbly appreciated his courteous
proposal, as he had chosen me amongst others even
after ages in which we didn’t captured one another,
but way back before our reunion and after our fated
split, I managed to erect personal dreams which I
strived for many years to fulfill.

19
 He didn’t rile up nor did he felt affronted, but he
wished me good luck and asked me if I needed
anything concerning accommodation and food, he also
gave me some keys of his, and told me if I went
eastern I stop over in Budapest. He gave me the
coordinates and the address of his home there and told
me to get in once I arrive. » my dear friend, you get
there rejoice and behave like if it’s your own
lodgment, now let me cast around for your alternative
and I think it is very hard to find such facsimile of
yours, farewell brother, looking forward meeting
again by the will of the almighty “ said Adam.

20
 Chapter Four:
Stranger Things

By now, things were on my own favor, but the

tranquility was predisposing something rotten. I
could’ve felt it, but for a moment I thought I was being
a naysayer which I didn’t like. My anticipation was
literally on point, on the way to Italy; I encountered a
vehemently amplifying cloudburst straight on my
way. I knew that I was unfortunate from the get-go
and the optimism I had was just an upheaval for a
rotten response. I was camouflaged by the immensity
of the storm and the heavy rain as well as the fearsome
sound of the thunder, to the point; I couldn’t focus on
gripping tight the steering wheel as the windshield
was utterly covered with rain drops. When I got closer
to the storm, I thought of stopping the RV and fleeing
with my life, but the affection I had for it, caught me

21
heartfeltly from doing it. However, I stopped, waited,
stayed put and ready for the storm to approach.
I was stuck on the median, but I decided in a heartbeat
to swerve the steering wheel all the way rightward,
where I speeded a little bit to be drifted apart from the
parlous storm. I succeeded in doing that, thereafter
turned it back to the road again. Despite giving the
storm a wide berth, I flabbergasted for a while after
witnessing the exorbitance of a spine-chilling storm in
front of my naked-eyes, it was a cyclopean one,
horrendously alarming. I stopped at the nearest gas
station on the same district, asked for a bottle of water
but none was ther. The place appeared to be deserted
to me although lights and groceries were open. I got
into a store and found an old grocer passionately
holding a cross supplicating god apparently. I waited
on a corridor out until he finished his religious rituals.
He couldn’t understand what I was saying but I
picked a bottle and some canned food and then paid
him. On my way out, I would get surprised by, him,
speaking eloquently English “Wait there, do not take
another step, if you want to know what is going on,
otherwise you won’t be apt to correct the previously
undergone mistakes and you won’t be apt to avoid
them” said the grey-haired. My feet froze, although I

22
do not usually trust seers but that one had some spell
cast on me and I believed him and was ready to
believe every word he was about to utter.
I gingerly bellied up to the grizzly seer. He was not of
eerie appearance or cryptical language; he was concise
unlike seers in movies and all their nonsense
manifestations. He was composed and serene and
presumably his charisma was the spell I contrived on
my mind, but another part was dissuading me to
believe him. On the way to the inside of Italy, I was
cogitating about his predictions, my brain ceased
functioning and thoughts begin to generate in my
head. I was skeptical about it, but I was not immune
from the obsessive-compulsive side which kept eating
at me. I was chewing the seer’s anticipations over for
almost half a day. He did accurately tell me that I
would potentially have an important rank in the
imminent future, but one with dilemmas and decisive
calls. This had my brain disrupted and unable to
conceive or reflect clearly. It was a cross i had to
mentally bear throughout the journey.

23
 I was nonplussed and baffled by his bewildering
prospect. I waited for a sign to emerge and manifest
that he is true and able to foreshadow things, and at
that moment, an offtrack deer abruptly jumped on my
way while I was licking the Nutella-covered spoon,
which I could swerve but not as wanted. Although I
was able to veer the course of the vehicle,yet , I
rammed into the bush and collided with a tree in
which I lost conscious and passed out for a while.
And when I woke up, the first thing I did was
checking if the RV was still working, fortunately it
was, after it flawlessly launched soon as I switched on
the engine, there was a minor scratch at its front, but
one that was easily redeemable. I eveantually
fathomed that the accident was a sign of what that old
seer had foreseen, because I was constantly thinking
about everything he said all the way to where the
accident occurred. I didn’t conceive for a moment that
that was a coincidence, however, I pondered that fated
but somehow foreseeable. The accident was not a
mishap according to my deduction, a factor which
made me wide-awake and more intimidated from
another sign that might take my life away.

24
 Chapter Five:
Cordial reception

I decided not to run for the night, and I drove to the

nearest spot to camp. After 10 miles approximately, I
came across a village, the only place I found on my
way. I wasn’t inclined to bother any of the villagers,
but I told them to spare me camping for the night and
will leave soon as dawn breaks. They allowed me to
do so with a condition, I should join them for a feast
for a baby shower party. ‘’It’ll be a great pleasure’’ I
said with a grin on my face. I pitched my tent,
arranged my stuff and then got ready for a joyful
festivity. They didn’t allow me to stay on my tent as
long as they have lodging; they provided me with a
warm bath and a table-long feast. After finishing my
bath, a timid girl escorted me to the changing room so
as I could change my clothes and be taught about
some table manners before we banquet. She gave me
some traditional clothes which didn’t fit me, but I
looked like a 6th century king on them according to

25
 the girl. She was dewy-eyed, serene and naively
beautiful. She kept bending her head whenever I ask
her something, but I could see the glitter shining
beneath her stooped head. I felt uncomfortably numb,
she was becoming an angel to me, and I started having
a rapid heartbeat. A feeling of abrupt awe and never-
experienced emotions had me cramping. She was an
overall seamlessness.
I popped up in the middle of the celebration’s
ceremonies wearing those shaggy 6th century clothes,
people were amazed by the way I looked on the
clothes, they were whispering on each other’s ears “he
looks so cute on them”, ” sembra un veterano”. On the
other hand, I was entirely disgruntled. Just by
bemoaning about the unsuitability of the clothes, the
attendants deemed my gesture a misconduct and an
uncongenial attitude. The girl deciphered it to me, I
felt so ashamed because all my intention was to build
some sense of humor, and the boomerang went back
on me. I told the girl to apologize on behalf of me and
to tell them that I liked the clothes and all that was just
from good intention which is saying a jest as well as it
is in fact, a cultural misconception, because I didn’t
know it’s a part of the culture. They all ascertained the
dichotomy of our cultures after I exerted to expound

26
 the difference, debunk stereotypes and refute their
likelihood to be true or even sometimes relevant as
well as the different notions each has, and the other
don’t. However, they still didn’t get upset and they
appeared to be taking it easy on me, they certainly did
after the girl nodded her head to me. I was standing
aloof watching from a distance, with tequila on my
hand, trying to realize how beautiful cultural diversity
is, and how each culture has its own norms that make
it distinguishable. I could see people dancing with
beatitude and blissfulness on their faces.The girl drew
on to me, “I can see how highly delighted you are” she
said. Well, I was, and it was a moment of a mystical
meditation, I enjoyed that congregation, it was an
exultant atmosphere. “Let’s mingle in” she said, after
gripping my hand and pulled me for an Italian waltz.
We waltzed, and I had no clue how they all master
moving in a regular series of three steps. Meanwhile
dancing, the girl murmured that I should not leave at
the daylight; she stammered that she was deprived
from her rights there and I shall help her
accordingly.

27
 She kept soliciting me and saying that I have to
help her get over her status quo.
She made me think’for a moment, of eluding with her
once and for all, but a little while after, I made the call
to face her parents and discuss about their daughter’s
issue. She had no mother, but an over-protective and
stiff-necked father. I asked her if she was making up a
story about it maybe for a certain reason, and I also
asked her to clarify more on that, so as I could
convince him and avoid entrenching myself on such
quandary.
Her father thought that she was fated not to give birth
to a child and that she’d be a curse for the tribe if she
had an affair, and if she begot a child, it would be
deformed. She was earnestly beseeching my help, she
was crying and sobbing and she threatened to take her
life if they refused to give her, her rights to choose and
determine her future and her life partner.

28
 Chapter Six:
The Head-strong parent

I endeavored to persuade her stubborn father, who is

decidedly self-opinionated and not inclined to discuss
about that issue at all. I felt that I had his tacit call
despite not being able to conceive his daughter’s
reaction after his refusal. Albeit I tried once more to
change his mind but apparently, he made an
irrevocable decision. I drew near to her but couldn’t
say anything about it. “Tell me more about yourself!” I
said to her. She nodded her head with a somber look
at her face hinting to her taciturnity, I told her an old
Moroccan anecdote straight after her gesture. She
found it intriguing and she couldn’t stop laughing
although she was desperate. She then told me that she
was named after her grandma Marzia and she was her
favorite granddaughter, she discovered later that she
was not her granddaughter nor her father’s daughter.
She was an illegitimate child but solicitously adopted

29
after she was left wailing beside a creek on the dawn.
She discovered her illegitimacy on her 19th birthday
After her grandma told her while she was terminally
ill on her abode. She drew her last breath after she
heard forgiveness from her granddaughter who’d be
carrying a burden put on her. It was a vehement
anguish, although she seemed delighted but deep
inside she was getting scarred and torn apart. “Your
father refused” I uttered unintentionally. She turned
her head, got her pupil widly stretched and her cheeks
reddened. She hurried to her room and cleaned out
her closet, she hurled her clothes from the window
and walked downstairs with a lighter on her hand
threatening to burn her clothes and take her life too if
her father doesn’t come to a solution. Her father
panicked and approached to talk to her, she seemed
frightened and dithered, and she addressed her father
and pointed a gun to her head. “Either my word or my
death! I’m ready to pull the trigger and you know me
I’m too dogged not to do it. Choose father?”, she
tremulously shouted!
I drew on to her father. «You are a man of principles, I
understand! You don't want a scandal, I understand!
You don't want your daughter to be the scapegoat, I
also understand. But you are sagacious and you are

30
 born with wisdom and good judgment and
undoubtedly you are running things wrong. You don't
Want your reputation to be stained and tarnished but
you are losing yourself, depriving your daughter and
challenging God's fate. Everyone here should get to
know how the world works out there! You all should
get educated, because this is no more traditional, this
is an atrocity which should be eradicated once and for
all. If you don't change or just attempt to change this,
you will be damned for contaminating innocent lives,
kids and every other person who could have
undergone such delusive and irrational beliefs. You
will be damned for contaminating innocent lives, kids
and every other person who could have undergone
such delusive and irrational beliefs. You will be
damned for letting a sin and a crime spreading
throughout your tribe" I lashed out at him.He then
seemed remorseful and persuasively penitent for what
he had been doing to his daughter for a long period of
time. He apologized and approached his daughter.
She dropped the gun and hugged her father in front of
everyone. What happened there, opened the eyes of lot
of people, especially parents, it put them in such rueful
mood and made them ready to dispose of prizing

31
machismo and rigid gender roles, they also discerned
that both genders are each other's Ace in the hole.
In spite of, not being told me to leave, it was enough
for me to bid adieu to faces overwhelmed with
exhilaration and great rapture. «ARRIVEDERCI
everyone «I said aftering packing my tent and bag.

32
 Chapter Seven:
The Impact

I felt like I have been a fixture to that place for a eon or

perhaps my birthplace. I went to a cliff on my trail,
Immersed in a complete state of nirvana. I had to
contemplate and reflect on several things that eat at
me. I didn't want those moments to be a doormat on
my mind's threshold and I didn't want to live down
any indelible moment I experienced with those people.
I couldn't withstand those thoughts, and as they kept
spawning over and over in my head, I stood up and
rushed casting about for Marzia. Her portrait wouldn't
evanesce from my mind, not even for a jiffy. People
thought I forgot something, but I was frenziedly
asking people about Marzia. I looked every corner, but
she vanished, so as for her father and a recently-born
girl. It was eerily perplexing. People appeared to be
skeptically spooked. They scented menace and
jeopardy going around their entourage. I deployed
everyone to search through adjacent areas but nobody

33
 could find them. We constellated together to scatter
and look for them outside the tribe. On our way out, a
couple-dozen of heathens-like ruffians loomed in front
of us pulling hatchets and blades on Marzia, her father
along with the newborn necks threatening to "chop
their heads and split it in two " if we tried to
inconveniently react.

34
 Chapter Eight:
The Dilemma

The whole tribe looked at me as if I was their

spokesperson. I was in an undesirable predicament.
They wanted to take everything that apparently
behooves them. I tried to consult Marzia's father but
they didn't allow me to, and the only thing that
crossed my mind at that moment was negotiating for
an evenhanded solution or at least a reasonable one,
but they were stubbornly quarrelsome. I asked for a
consensual call in order not to be the culpable one in
making it. Peacefully, everyone agreed not to resist as
they scavenge and take the tribe's booties and every
last goody appeared to be desirable. If we had the
same number of fighting-people and weapons they
had, I would never knuckle under and succumb while
they're extorting, trying to expropriate the tribe and
use the beloved ones as fall guys that way at all. But
we were only a modicum of people whom aren't used
to fights and squabbles like that

35
 They demanded it and we dismally acquiesced. I
complied with everything they requested so as nobody
gets hurt. They say and I assent. They took everything
leaving only a little amount of food, and portended
that they might come back in few weeks. People
thought that it was their termination; on the other
hand, I thanked God they left giving us a hiatus to be
steeled and buckle up for a DOA Armageddon.
Everyone was disparaged. Naysayers lost hope and
prayed for mercy, which I consider reasonable as we
don't have a dauntless portion of people and as we,
were under the pressure and threatening of the
ruffians. At the time, a visionary plan hit my mind. It
was one practical way to dismantle their U-turn. «We
must not give in to defeatism; we should not
relinquish and give all we gained to a bunch of
poltroons. We got to do it the other way. Death has
never been a kryptonite to the courageous; it is a
hallmark of bravery and audacity. Only heroes and
heroines die as martyrs, fighting back to the last ounce
and never backing down in such dilemmas. From now
on, all I want to see and all I want everyone to be is
sanguine. But if you will be sitting there wailing and
complaining like a little toddler, just say it now and we
will not count on you. Other than this you all won't be
ground-above"

36
 Marzia and her father thanked me after making a
deliberate decision which could've took so many
innocent lives. Marzia's father, Gherardo, had finished
his 61st year at the day of the ambush. He told me vis-
à-vis that he had been admiring my leadership
prowess, the moxie when it comes to motivation and
the savviness in making decisive calls. He basically
gave me the credits for what happened there, and
wanted me to lead the tribe in its double bind. «Look
son, after your boldly charismatic decision, I think you
are a bona fide hero who is worth to lead these
heedless people. You are the only one who is capable
and the only one who has the wherewithal and the
intercession to save angelic souls, especially the new-
born and the pregnant. You shouldn't have been laden
with this. This is not a burden that you'll have to
necessarily carry, but this is undoubtedly a debt that
you should pay in the hereafter. Concerning Marzia, I
am not a mindless 61 year-old grandpa ! I know that
you and my daughter cherish one another, and I am
gratified that she will be spending the rest of her life
with a man of sagacity and solemn oaths, a man of
principles and good decisions and man of sincerity
and high sophisticated etiquette." God only knows the
feelings I had when he said that.

37
 Chapter Nine:
Buckling up

Stagnation and doldrums became no such threat. I

had no qualms about our triumph. From dusk till
dawn, everyone had their own task, weapons makers
and blacksmiths, constructors for the fortress and the
reinforcement of potential ambushes vulnerabilities
and nannies telling kids fables and old time tales. I
took a pickup truck to the nearest shop, I bought some
food to refill the inventory and some required
equipments such as binoculars and whistles. I could
see everyone industriously working on their
assignments, and I reassured that with that ambience
and sedulity we would certainly defeat the ruffians or
at least frustrate their attempt. The tribe had a
monastery where persons under religious vows live
and work together, and after I went to check if it was
safe for them, a monk came by in order to hand me
with a tidbit. After the heathens left, they squandered
our inventory from supplies, we only had a jot
remained. But the monk was carrying massive news.

38
 «In this chapel we have a basement, it is a backup
inventory, we knew that one day a cataclysm would
happen and God would always whisper into my ears
if it'll happen. There are lots of canned food and few
selfdefense and for-haunting weapons, spears, arrows
and bows, riffles, AK-47s and pistols. We have couple
of each from the guns and many spears and arrows.
We also have medicaments, painkillers and
tranquilizers." The monk was angelically handsome,
he looked so purged and purely sanctified and he was
known for his composure and circumspection. I
instantly assigned him as a sidekick of mine, for his
expertise, cunningness in making decisions and
straight after the news he brought me. Optimism went
back, water to its current and clocks to ticktock once
again. Everyone relieved after knowing about the
backup inventory, the food I brought and the sneak
peaks of the plan I had. On the other hand, and
although I seemed motivated and optimistic, I was a
naysayer inside; I didn't have a good impression of the
upcoming. I cared much about the fight; I cared much
about Marzia and her father, the kids and their
parents, the pregnant and the sick. I was worried
wether the plan doesn't work and get lives passed.

39
 I was having an On-and-Off bad impression but a
constant good one. Almost five days before their
comeback, everyone had a vengeful focus in front of
their eyes I went to the cliff to reflect and formulate
another version of the plan, a flawless and
unmistakable one. One of the kids from the tribe came
to me and said «Don’t worry, we are going to win, this
is our legacy and nobody would ever usurp it from us,
we love our people and we will not back down until
we make sure these ruffians won't live what they did
down". I smiled at him and nodded my head, but
before he left «how the little piggies will grunt when
they hear how the old bear suffered" he said he, and
his grandma heard it from a TV show. He left me
astounded.
Marzia came to the cliff, and I almost forget everything
that was on mind, she was smiling like nothing is
taking place. That hallmark of here, was literally an
affection I had for her. I was so afraid that I may lose
her, because she made my heart shiver and beat fast
from the first glance. I couldn't cease thinking about
the aftermath of the battle and I could even dream
about it, but the only thing I see was a yard full of
people and cribs fell apart and all that's left is lawn
and rubbles. It intimidates me the whole time, every

40
 time I think of it; I get inner goosebumps and
something sour runs through my throat. Everyone got
ready, archers and snipers took aloof positions, knives
and swords wielders on the front with me in the lead. I
only chose men and widows to fight for their families.
A decision supported by the monk, who is holding a
large hatchet on his left hand and a sword on the other
hand, and Gherardo, who persisted to be on the
battlefield as well. Marzia is also in, she persisted to
take a part in the Armageddon although I pondered a
heinous risk could fall and lead to rotten
consequences. Yet, nobody wanted to stay handcuffed
and all wanted to fight.
Waiting and waiting, none came; It started to confuse
me and things begun to become strange and
uncomfortable. The time of their advent in the plan I
had, passed. They didn't appear and everyone got
scared that they might have figured out the plan we
cooked for them. I did too, and the only thing I waited
for at that time was another sudden inroad that would
destroy the whole community. After half an hour, we
started to hear horses from a long distance and a
gluttonous heathen army walking straight to the
territory

41
 Chapter ten:
The Armageddon

We had built huge fences, well-pillared stronghold

and spots miles away for archers and snipers to take
shots. As the battalion tried to penetrate the gate,
trenches had many horses act wild and defiant to their
riders. Almost a dozen killed by spears and arrows,
meanwhile lot others by head shots. They did not yield
but resisted and they trespassed the gate and they
killed all the gate-keepers. Their very-long sharp
blades brought about several casualties amongst us.
They reached the battleground in which I stand in the
lead of Marzia and others. They were not as they
came, they became intensely ferocious as we killed
half of them and that was only an upheaval to the
rough-and-tumble battle. Everyone mingled in the
fight, unstoppable sound of stabbing and heads
chopping was flustering me. It was becoming like the
dream I had, bodies falling to the ground and the
heathens’ laughter stretches to their ears. They became
stronger than they were, they unrelentingly kill our

42
 people and I had to kill as many as I could from them.
I hurried to take Marzia and put her in a safer place
but in a blink of an eye, a voracious heathen pierced a
knife two times in her neck. The vision was becoming
blurry to me and all I could see is the place where kids
and mothers play and a very happy atmosphere. I
could see Marzia and I too, laughing from our hearts. I
almost barf when I saw Marzia's death. All I was
hearing was a very low constant sound and voices
screaming «Marzia «at the background. People
infuriated as they witnessed Marzia falling down. I
popped into the middle of the battlefield, and I all I
wanted was to fight against their leader, with my
vengeful spirit and rage I had inside, I was capable of
thrashing their leader in the first punch, but adroitly,
he didn't appear because he knew my potency at that
time. I kept constantly looking for him but he kept
concealing through his battalion. Then I shouted " face
me you little coward! Are you that sheepish to lead a
sheepish battalion? I wonder why you're hiding like a
girl out there. Oh maybe because you're afraid of me
and you know I will beat you up! Unless you get out
and fight like a man ". I tried to spur his anger and
unleash the beast mode out of him. When he appeared
to react and emerge, I hid. He was flustered and just as
exasperate, he kept looking for me the same way I did.

43
I could've tackled him easily and killed him instantly
but I chose not to.
I wanted a satisfying clash. We started to duel and
duel soon as I brought myself in front of him. My
heavy sword couldn't resist his blade, I dropped it as I
thought I'm done and he's going to end me. He asked
for a weaponless fight, which I am good at, he didn't
know I was a karate champion and. He was not good
at fighting although he was big and well-built, but he
was too slow to respond to my wallops. I managed to
beat him on a fierce bloody battle. After I took him
down, I spoke into his ears and said «how the little
piggies will grunt when they hear the old boar
suffered". After defeating the leader, which was the
coup de grace to them all, the iota of the heathens left
in the battle ground beheld his debacle. It left them
intimidated. As they retrieved and tried to run
towards the exit, I made a sign to the archers to end
them before they flee and comeback at a later time

44
 Chapter eleven:
The aftermath

Seven minutes to 5PM. exactly half an after it occurred.

I totally spiraled down after laying my eyes on Marzia,
whose beautiful soul did not fade away, but went to a
beautiful place where it should be at. I couldn't resist
shedding tears over her. She was the definition of
beauty and ethos. We prevailed and checkmated the
heathen attempt to take over the tribe's last reservoir,
but undeniably, everyone was broken-hearted,
despondent and overwhelmed with sorrow over
Marzia's demise. She had neither enemies nor haters,
as she was admired by everyone from the kids to the
elders and maybe the fetuses too. The triumph could
not instill cheerfulness and festivity in our souls as
much as the loss of Marzia brought about grief and
despair. The monk went to the chapel where the kids,
the pregnant and the sick were hiding. «They are all
safe «he said. I ordered him to arrange a funeral with

45
 the help of others and dump all the heathen bodies
into the ditch.
«The funeral must be well-organized and honorable.
It's for every beloved person who has left us, not only
Marzia, but for every martyr who died defending on
his legacy. They're only the first and we are the later". I
plummeted in an overwhelming state of relapse. The
death scene kept constantly scratching on my head. I
was like a demented person, a psychopath, delirious
and lunatic? I almost ran mad and got out of my
rockets. Dependency got me hallucinating all alone. I
was robbing my head and my face just to soothe those
depressive thoughts. After a long drawn-out
meditation, I made my mind that the only cure of mine
is Mr.Alfarabi in Morocco. The following day fell, I
slept in the cliff. I woke up very earlier and I went to
Marzia's grave. The epitaph was the same of her
grandma. «Only envious souls fade away, beautiful
ones don’t, they linger ". I went back to the tribe and
garnered everyone for an earnest assembly. «Not
today, not tomorrow. Someone here will join the
majority, and I might be that one, and you might be it,
your kid or your fetus. We proved to the God that we
deserve to live because we are good people and God
loves good people, we won and we will always be the

46
winners as long as we stick together, defend and cover
each other's backs. Today, I want you to witness and
unanimously end up to a decision. As you know the
only reason I stayed here was Marzia and I was all set
to leave before I go back to look for her. But the inroad
caught me staying here to fight with you all. As you
are safe and in no danger, I suggest that the monk
should be my successor. I'm saying this based on
many reasons, he has the acumen to rule the tribe and
decide very strategically, he was my sidekick and he
took part in many decisions we have complied to
before. I also want «Gherardo" to help him as a wise
and old-timer councilor. I want your verdict on this
humble decision? ". I gave them my perspective. They
all concurred to give him the leadership along with
Gherardo. Another sayonara had to be said to
generous people whom became a family of mine after
all we went through together. I lachrymosely hugged
them. Misty eyes everywhere, even mine shed lot of
tears. It was a woeful farewell, but I told them to wait
for me someday if I stopped over.

47
 Chapter twelve:
Relapse

Still, the ordeal was my anguish; a heavy burden

tumbled and shoved me into the dark emptiness of
malaise and melancholy. I was utterly experiencing a
full-blown relapse that would cause me itched all over.
I couldnt think clearly even just for a second. if a razor
was taken to my vein while I am on that state, i
wouldn’t even flinch or feel any pain. Thus, I went to
Morocco, mayhap i could mollify the anxiety I was
undergoing. My brain was still unable to function
although it's been circa for days after the downfall of
my emotions.

48
 Interlude:
( EminƎm – 3rd verse from relapse )

So I take a Vicodin, splash, it hits my

stomach, then "Ahhh"
Couple of weeks go by it ain't even like I'm
gettin' high
Now I need it just not to feel sick, yeah, I'm
gettin' by
Wouldn't even be taking this thing if DeShaun
didn't die
Oh yeah, there's an excuse; you lose Proof so
you use
There's new rules, it's cool if it's helpin' you to
get through
It's twelve noon, ain't no harm in self-inducin'
a snooze
What else is new? F it, what would Elvis do in

49
 your shoes?
Now here I am three months later, full-blown
relapse
"Just get high until the kids get home from
school, homes, relax"
And since I'm convinced that I'm an
insomniac
I need these pills to be able to sleep, so I take
three naps
Just to be able to function throughout the
day, let's see
That's an Ambien each nap, how many
Valium? Three
And that will average out to about one good
hour's sleep
Okay, so now ya see the reason how come
he
Has taken four years to just put out an album,
B
See, me and you, we almost had the same
outcome, Heath
'Cause that Christmas, you know the
whole pneumonia thing?

50
It was bologna, was it the methadone, ya
think?
Or the hydrocodone you hide inside your
pornos?
Your VCR tape cases, with your Ambien
CR
Great places to hide 'em, ain't it? So you
can lie to Hailie
I'm going beddy-bye, Whitney, baby;
good night, Alaina!
Go in the room and shut the bedroom
door
And wake up in an ambulance
They said they found me on the
bathroom floor, damn

51
 Chapter Thirteen:
Pursuit of happiness

I went to Fez; aka the scientific capital of Morocco, a

beautiful touristic destination with breathtaking
building patterns and landscapes. While walking on
the streets of the city, my vicinity would be full of
foreigners rather than locals whom are selling
sculptures and home decorations in their Bazzar. My
next destination was to undergo a mystical journey in
the heart of Fez. Mr. Alfarabi, uncertain of his age, is a
hearse driver. His physical appearance is a far cry
from his mores. His mullet haircut caused lot of people
to believe that he is a fraudulent polymath, while it
took them only a biennium to realize that he certainly
was a wise old-timer, who'd help out in everything a
person looks forward to resolving. Exactly like the seer
his language was rudimentary and obvious, but

52
 sometimes he goes off grid. His ample profoundness
had enchanted me as well as many others in fez and its
entourage. He was a real life encyclopedia, knows
about everything. Patience was the sin qua non to
meet him. I peregrinated to the outskirts of Fez.
Finding him was not as easy as I prophesied, until I
asked a truck driver in a gas station. " Alfarabi is a
well-known person here, you are almost there you
walk another two miles straight ahead and when you
reach crossroads take the one in your right hand, ask
about him, people would escort you to his place". The
driver said. I walked another two miles, on a scorching
sun to the dwelling of Alfarabi. I popped up into a
hamlet. I asked a group of veiled ladies, singing
together a very beautiful Malhun; a sort of melodic
poem, in a very graceful way. They hospitably showed
me where Alfarabi dwells. A cottage. A library should
I say ? Drafts and ink residue in the floor. His abode
was fascinating, although it seemed shabby from the
exterior. The threadbare couch for newcomers,
decaying shelves and old-Moroccan djellaba were his
starter-pack. He was almost unseen by people as he
hibernated, but only appears occasionally when a
funeral takes place, so that he does his job driving the
dead to his grave with his hearse leading a parade of
mourners. According to people, he peculiarly erratic

53
 but a very good and sagacious person, a shrink and a
problem solver these merits were the reason I thought
of him while I was on a miserable state. I said to me
«alright, he is the requisite to my current mood «. I
approached and stammered " Mr. Alfarabi ? ". He
turned his head up as he was reading a book. His eyes
were of the vulture, I immediately brought back Edger
Allan's The Tell-Tale heart, but not quite dreadful as of
his. The way he talks was laid back, composed and
with such greatness. Looking to his eyes was itself, a
maze journey. " you ebbed after you squeezed yourself
through a dark tunnel, the tunnel has a modicum of
light at its end, and it's your call, do you have the guts
to move on and grip that light or it is just a light it's
intangible ? " he asked. «Hey! Enough of those
motivational mouthfuls; I'm on a dilemma would you
help me out or should I just leave? «I outrageously
responded. He, on the other hand subduedly spoke
back. «This should be the right demeanor and the right
tone. But answer me would you catch that light or not?
". " Of course not! Are you for real? That's nonsense" I
said. «Look, this is my philosophy in life I don't see a
light transparent or untouchable, I look beyond the
vision, how many fingers do you see?" He opened his
hand and stretched his fingers. «Five for god's sake! » I
said. «Focus! How many do you see? «He said again.

54
 «Okay enough of this! This is too much I can't bear
that." I desperately uttered. «Heeeey! Focus on the
bright side, you're looking at the fingers; your
dilemma, but you don't looks at the solution and what
is beyond it. How many do you see now? ". I tried to
look beyond the fingers; practically, fingers would be
doubled, but as a strategy to use in life it was such a
genius step. «Ten! » I said. He smiled and sighed. I did
too, as I liked the idea. He added «now tell me
everything you went through from the get-go to, you,
vociferously shouting at my face. No lies and no
shortcuts. I want a very detailed chronology version of
your story". I felt that I strongly have to talk
everything out so that I could exorcise the black clouds
hovering over my head. I did so, and then he told me
to follow him. We went to his barn which is a stone's
throw from his cottage. He helped me to mount a
horse and then he rode his trusty steed. He rode me to
a hill nearby, where there were swinging hummocks
in a perilous area. The hill was not quite high from the
ground but its rock-edged endings were way
intimidating than the altitude itself. He ordered me to
lay on one of the hummocks, which I refused first but
took him only a speech to persuade me and to give it a
try

55
 «Do not focus on something you are certain it will
push you into relapse, look at the horizons and do not
look down. Marzia is down. Yes, but her soul is calling
your name up in the Elysium. Do not let her call you
Out while you are busy looking down on what ails
her. Let the hummock purify your spirit but always
look upward at Marzia". I felt everything he said. As I
was swinging the hummock, I felt like I was losing
weight and casting off demons from my head, not
giving them a chance to respawn. It was a magical
experience, which altered my perception in a blink of
an eye. We went back to his cottage soon as dusk fell.
He gave me an envelope and a herb-capsule, and he
told me to look after the envelope and the items in it.
Although he initially appeared strangely simple but he
turned up to be a good and warm-hearted person as
he felt my story and gave me pieces of advice as well
as he even told me that amongst his visitors, I was the
most influential person on him and the nearest one to
his heart. The capsule he gave me, was a special
present as a remedy to a person who led, helped,
defended and inspired a whole community and as a
recognition, he put something in the envelope,
wrapped it and let me swear not to open it until I
reach the «Old continent»

56
 Chapter fourteen:
A New Dawn

After glory and through the pain, I am on the road

again. The feeling of the first travel, the jet-bridge and
customs, all revived. I am going to the «Old Continent
" to relaunch the greatest RV of all time. 8 PM sharp.
The plane arrived to Italy. I got my RV back and I was
ready to roam and go on groovy ventures. Alfarabi’s
envelope was too complicated to open, it was tightly
wrapped. However, after I openedit up, I found a
map, a booklet and a knick-knack. ‘’ Know April
showers bring may flowers ‘’, written in english. The
map was very old, the territorial borders were old and
some of them do not even exist anymore apparently.
He circled multiple times on a huge part of the west of
Asia and east of Europe, exactly where Europe and
Asia meets.I was baffled and completely mystified by
the multiple encircling and the double-sided lines on

57
the Mediterranean Sea to the Black sea. He also jotted
down some intricate series of digits and weird
annotations to countries names. I gave up on the map
as it was too perplexed to break down. I stretched the
hand-written booklet.
It was all about the map, explaing the intricate cricling
and the cryptic scrabbles. It was Turkey.He wanted
my next trip to be in Turkey. As I loved Turkey for
years, It was decisively my next stride for the road.I
first went to Greece to get a little bit closer to my
destination. Greece was perfect, although it was just a
place to stop at and depart from. Eveything was on the
booklet. The itinerary was very-well formulated and
the annotations were still flummoxing to grasp. I
departed at the night from Rhodes to Istanbul. And it
was just as beatific ad the first time. The star-sprangled
horizon from the window was as heavenly as of the
first time. The departure was stupefyingly enlivening
just as the first time. Another beginning I was
enduring, I never felt as robust as in the post-Alfarabi
visit. But the only difference that time was a hitch-
hiker I lift on my way; a chatterbox that would prattle
unrelentingly throughout the whole trip, and i had to
nod my head constantly as if cared. He was a french-
moroccan cook; in fact, he was a sleuth. A savvy

58
 detective concealed in a candid stingy-looking Beau
Brummell. His hand-me-down Khakis were just the
perfect way to disguise one’s self as an unsuspicious
tourist. We finally reached Istanbul.
Midnight past quarter approximately. I parked the RV
at a parking lot next toa theme-park. He was too,
going to the downtown. We took a cab, and I had to
listen to his gibberish once again, his same platitudes
and pretend laughing over them. The cab driver drove
us to the downtown. The babbler paid for both of us
before I even put my hands in my pockets, and invited
me for a meal at a famous hawker called ‘’ Güven ‘’. ‘’
Have you ever tried Shish Kebab?’’ He said. ‘’ I sort of
did, but not the turkish one actually ‘’. I spoke back. ‘’
Well, you are about to taste the Shish kebab in the
world. It’s Güven’s Shish Kebab, with those hot and
spicy flavors ‘’ he said. ‘’ Oh! Can you smell the aroma
of it, Hooray! ‘’ He added. Güven, a very humble and
credulous, stationary and sometimes mobile, vendor.
A social butterfly, that he talks more than the
«Sheeshing «of his Shish Kebab in the grill. His meek
attitude enchanted lot of people to come to his «Lab
«as he called it. His goatee looked like «N «in Arabic
according to people. We were finally going to eat, I
was gluttonous for a very delicious meal but when the

59
chatter box met the social butterfly, they became "the
Canada geese and the magpies".
They were the greatest pain in the neck a person
would ever endure. Again, I had to listen to his banal
jokes and Güven's broken Arabic. I couldn't wait for
the Shish kebab to be cooked and the two most
annoying birds next to me. I went next the sea pier, to
reflect and meditate a little bit. Couple of minutes ago,
I turned around to see if Kebab is done, to realize that
they started eating it. They were schmoozing and
laughing out loud, that people thought they were
lunatics. I sat to taste his Kebab. It was the best thing I
had ever tasted in my entire life. Curiously, I reacted
«Güven! Güven! How do you make this?? " Then he
scornfully replied " do you want the formula ? ". I
laughed and said «I beg your pardon! But this is the
best thing I have ever tasted". I was so happy just
because it was delicious, and maybe he added some
magical spices that enchant people. I started to act like
a lunatic too and I loudly called out the passersby
«Come here! Come here! Come and taste the most
delicious Kebab in the world. Do not ever judge him
from his cart; the proof of the eating is in the pudding.
This is Güven and he is the greatest chef of all time! ".
Locals laughed and seemed to have tasted it before,

60
but tourists, they came and I was happier. His cart and
its surroundings became full of tourists wanting to
taste what he got there. He didn't let them
Down as they all started to act like lunatics too. They
left and they were very thankful and satisfied. Almost
midnight, he shall accordingly close. A slaphappy
German girl and her insouciant Caucasian girl friend,
wanted to taste Güven's kebab. Annalena, a caviar
type of girls that doesn't care at all about the biggest
things, but worries about her odds and ends. A fashion
and home decoration designer, very wise and shrewd
but loves to indulge in a state where she spends great
pleasure. A philanthropist and a social activist. Along
with her friend Louisa, the Caucasian, a kindergarten
teacher who would create the best and the comfiest
dwelling for her little bulldog «Emma ". They are both
the definition of an old and intimate friendship. «You
are not closing till we eat the Shish! » Anna said.
Güven laughed so hard and as he was about to say
«No " she kicked him on his testicles. He quickly went
to prepare four skewers of Kebab two for each one of
them. They were talking German and the chatter box
was distressed, so he started to talk to Güven very
loudly in Arabic. They were stiffly competing each
other for the loudest conversation. First, I thought it

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was going to bring about a dispute and an unlocked-
for brawl, but the girls were the devil-may-care
version of us, breezy and laid-back and not taking
things too personal
I ordered another two skewers of kebab and we
started to sporadically chatter about different, most
frequently, cultural subjects. We asked them if they
have plans for the following day, and they were as
carefree as I was, the chatter box was an undercover
sleuth, but was not busy at all.

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