Work- Home- Sleep

Work... home... sleep



Something exciting in the bus



The sun went up in the sky and here I am going to work again, everyday looks the same... work … home … sleep... work... home … sleep, no romance, only little c

comedy and so much tragedy.

Every day I hope to find something different, to feel something different, but at the end of every day I find myself with the same three words

Work... home... sleep.

In the bus I looked through the window to the crowded streets and said to myself; just a little romance would be great.

I was looking for something exciting, a beautiful girl to rescue from kidnapers and after that of course she would fall in love with me, or fighting a group of terrorists with my big machinegun.

On that sunny day I was going to work and my high school friend sitting next to me, we were talking and laughing when I saw her sitting in front of me.

She was beautiful like snow white but with sun glasses, she looked fantastic.

I could not take my eyes off her saying to myself; she is the one, she is your princess that you are going to fight for and live with for the next 20 years, this beauty is going to be your wife.

She noticed me staring at her, she felt uncomfortable but I could not stop staring. I forgot my friend , my job and my high school days which I love, on that day I had a feeling that my whole life has just started the moment I saw her.

Should I have looked away as a gentleman? A gentleman should respect the privacy of a young lady but as we all know    ... no body is perfect.

She is pretty, is not she? I whispered to my friend.

Yes she is, he replied

Do you think that she would fall in love with me, I asked

She is out of your league man, he answered

Come on man, I need you to encourage me here, I said

He was eating chocolate when he said; ok, why would she?

Look at her, she is looking at me, I said

She is looking at you because you are staring at her like psycho people, and I can see that she looks uncomfortable.

I think chocolate has melted your brain dude…. Keep eating, I said

Suddenly she stood up angry, because of me I guess, so I decided to follow her.

I am following her dude, I said

What about your job? , he asked

To hell with work, I answered

She got off the bus and I followed her like a hypnotized man.

See you later... psycho, my friend said

My dear friend was right, I was crazy enough to follow a strange young lady instead of going to work, but what happened next was a fair punishment.

Only a crazy man would do what I did, she was attractive yes but to follow her instead of going to work!!!

How could I do such a thing? I knew it was a crazy thing to do but all I wanted was to talk to her, I saw an opportunity of something that might happen between us and I really liked her face which was so relaxing like those moments between Dawn and sunshine.

I could not afford to lose an opportunity like that, besides I had to give it a try because when you give something a try you will never regret of not trying.

So walking behind her was not my final objective , my final objective was to talk to her , a little conversation would give me the opportunity to say something nice and may be she likes me in the end.

I started to walk faster to reach her, she noticed me so she walked faster too while being on her cell phone.

Hey young lady, may I have a word with you?  I was calling her but she did not stop walking.

She had the right to be scared, I understood that but I wanted to finish what I started.

In Egypt you have to be careful if you are going to harass a woman or you will find yourself in a fight with all the good citizens around. This issue was on my mind when some man passed by during my chase but I found out that no body cares anymore.

This negativity of some people encouraged me to precede my chase with no considerations towards those around me.

She got so scared when we both reached an empty street; no one was around except her and me. I did not know why she entered such a street but I thought that her fear affected her way of thinking.



She was standing in the middle of the street helpless; it was a great opportunity to have the desired conversation.

I just want to talk to you, I said in a very calm voice

Stay away, she shouted

I walked towards her to get closer

I like you; I think we can be a very nice couple.

She started to cry saying; what do you want from me? Leave me alone...

Her crying was not a part of my plan, so I thought if I put my hand on her shoulder it might help.

And I did, I put my hand on her shoulder waiting for her to cry on my chest. Of course that was a fantasy and it was a wrong move. May be because I watched TITANIC too much, anyway, once I put my hand or her shoulder she pushed me away hysterically and ran towards the opposite direction.

I decided to follow her again to explain more, but suddenly some man appeared at the end of the opposite direction, and once she saw him in this empty street she jumped to his arms and they hugged each others.

He put his hand on her shoulder and she said in tears; thank god you are here...  I did not know what to do.

It was clear to know that I am in deep trouble, obviously that man was related to her but I had no idea what kind of relation it was.

Anyway, I stood there while he was getting closer in confident steps till he reached me.

What do you want from my sister? He asked

Oh my god, it was a deep trouble indeed. He was her brother and I had only one answer to his question, an answer that would probably make me guilty.

I just wanted to talk to her, I answered

He had nothing more to say, but his next move said enough. It was a quick move actually...  A KICK IN THE FACE... A STRONG ONE which made me instantly unconscious.

I woke up to find myself on a bed in the hospital and my high school friend sitting on a chair in front of me.

What happened dude? I asked



I was about to ask you the same question, he said and he was really upset.

I remember one thing, her brother came and made a kung fu move... then here I am, I said

Do not worry my friend, I will teach him a lesson once I find him, he said

It is her brother man, he was protecting her and somehow I deserved what happened. I should not have done what I did, I said

You did nothing; you only wanted to talk to her. You did not commit a crime to deserve this. Anyway, rest now and do not worry about anything, he said

My dear friend was right; I needed some rest, so I closed my eyes to search for her again. And I found her there by the river Nile smiling and waiting for me.

That was my dream at that very moment, but my high school friend was thinking of something else... something that would turn my dream upside down.

I am a young man now but I have known my dear high school friend since the teenage days, when we had nothing on our minds but childish games. But now we are the game and life is the player.

But from time to time we try to be in a different game that allow us to be the players , so we play soccer on Thursday 's night every week in the playground behind my building , my friend chose it cos it is the best playground and I was happy cos it was the nearest to me.

Every Thursday night I bring my co workers and my high school friend bring his and all of us meet in the center of the playground as two serious teams who are ready to start a serious soccer match.

My high school friend always loved soccer games, he is a big fan. Since we were in school all his talks were about soccer game, soccer players and soccer rules … unlike me … I was more interested in international female tennis tournaments... They are really beautiful.

The match started, it was hard but awful, my team was awful, we could not attack we could not defend we could not even pass the ball. The truth was clear, the opponent team was good and my team was the complete opposite... my team sucks!!!

5-0 was a huge defeat but at least I live near so walking sad would be a quick thing.

After the match I walked side by side with my high school friend whom I invited for dinner, he loves my mom's cakes since we were kids so I invite him from time to time to taste my mom's new cake... she is a good cooker by the way ..  Sometimes my high school friend comes without invitation cos he is family.

On our way to dinner I started a conversation about that girl, she was still on my mind despite of all the previous events unlike my friend who was more interested in her brother.

He said; I went to that neighborhood again to ask about him, he turned out to be famous, the whole neighborhood knows him and they stopped him before finishing you... he was about to kill you, you know that?

-          I deserved it man...if I had a sister I would kill the one who chase her too, I said

-          It is not about  you deserve it or not... it is about being able to hurt someone then giving  yourself the excuse to do it ..I mean if he was not the country's champ in kung fu he would not attack you the way he did, right?

-          Really? He is the country's champ?

-          Yes man , that’s why the whole neighborhood knows him

We reached my home and we had dinner with my parents and my dear friend loved my mom's cake as usual, my parents asked what happened to my face? Of course I did not tell them the truth; I just said that it was a hard soccer game that’s all.

When my friend was about to leave, he turned to face me on the doorway and said; do you think that we should teach him a lesson?

-          Who?

-           Her brother.

I laughed and said; and who are we to teach the country's champ in kung fu a lesson? Forget it man... I am fine do not worry... Next time I will  take the fighting position during my next adventures with another pretty woman.

The next  three days were normal , I go to work in the morning , I come home in the afternoon and at night I sleep hoping not to have some terrible nightmares , but there was one thing that was not normal …it was not normal not to see her in the bus or at the bus station .. Three days of absence...I used to see her every morning for the last year so I found it strange not to see her.

What if she moved to another apartment in another far neighborhood? No no she is still living here... May be she is sick or something.

On the third day I went home tired, I could not even finish dinner, it was a long day at work and I really wanted to sleep.

Once I went to bed, I received a sms on my cell phone from my high school friend saying (come to my dad's Garage right now  ... it is urgent)

What a crazy a friend!!! It was almost midnight and I was tired and longing for a deep sleep!!! But what is so urgent to meet your friend in the middle of the night... it must be something big or I will have to say a curse word to his face.

Anyway, I put on my heavy coal because it was freezing and I headed to the Garage, it was near because we are neighbors.



I walked in the garage trying not to fall a sleep while walking, my eyes were fighting me to slowly be closed and I was resisting them to keep them opened till I find out what is that urgent crazy thing that is so important in the middle of the night?

Inside the Garage there was my dear high school crazy friend and five of his co workers, I know them because I play soccer with them every Thursday night, and the five of them are big... I think they practice other sport besides soccer.

The six of them were around someone who was sitting on a chair but I only noticed a part of his head because they were blocking the view.

After moments of silence I spoke in a sleepy voice saying; what is so urgent man? Are we going to play soccer inside the garage?

My dear friend moved his finger to me to come closer and when I did I found the girl's brother tied to a wooden chair and he was terrified.

It was a shocking scene and I was terrified and speechless but I tried to say the words in clear voice (what is going here guys?)

My dear friend was so excited when he said; we waited for him under his building then we followed him till he was in the right spot to be taken by force... and here we are... now he is all yours... make him pay...

I did not say a word so he kept going; like I told you... he attacked you because he knew that he was stronger than you but when he met my five friends here he could not resist.

Her brother hesitated then he said; six against one is not a fair fight.

My dear friend shouted; shut up... what you did to my friend is not fair either... he would not even hurt a fly and you attacked him like he was a killer or something.

.. He was chasing my sister!!! Should I applaud for him or give him a hug. You would do the same if you had a sister.

.. Well, I do not have a sister and he is my only brother and I do not like what you did to him... Tonight kung fu champ we are going to teach you a lesson regarding your fighting skills... The lesson is simple... just use your fighting skills in championships not to hurt other people... so you need to taste the pain and you will never do it again.

My friend smiled and turned to me saying; he is ready.

I realized what was going on... it toke me 5 minutes to decide what to do... so I toke several steps to get closer to the kidnapped brother then I freed him from his chains which was not perfectly done.

My friend and his friends stared at me wondering... I guess they worked so hard to achieve the kidnapping plan and I freed the prisoner so easily... it was a surprising thing for them to let go my revenge.

They waited till I completely freed the kidnapped brother then suddenly my friend grabbed me from the arm to the corner to have a private conversation.

.. What are you doing? This one made you bleed... are you going to let him go after we have done whatever it takes to bring him on his knees for you? He said

.. And it was a crazy thing to do my friend...We are not bad people to do such things … we grew up at homes with families... we are not homeless to kidnap and beat up another human being. I said

A moment of silence passed then I said to him

.. But I guess that’s what brothers do for each others, right?

I turned to his friends shaking their hands and thanked them for their efforts, they left the garage... Leaving the three of us inside the garage.



The girl's brother was surprised of what I have done and he was surprised more of what my dear friend did



The Girl's Brother

I guess your friend here loves you more than you love yourself... He is committed to the revenge more than you do.



The Girl's Brother left the Garage after saying these words, I knew that my friend was upset but I had to set the man free because what my friend did was wrong.

The next day I toke the bus alone because my friend was still upset, the surprise was seeing her sitting on a seat and beside her there was another available seat. Of course I wanted to sit next to her and have a little chat but that day I was not crazy like the other day, so I chose another far seat from her to avoid any other troubles with her crazy brother.

Her eyes were centered on me but I looked away and showed no interest , my rude behavior bothered me but I had to act that way , what I did before was a foolish thing to do and I had no intention to do it again.

The moment I got off the bus I decided to get her off my mind and move on, my be she was not the one and second she saw me falling defeated after her brother's kick so it is over.

Days went by and I forgot her, her smile, her eyes and everything about her, in contrast I became more skilled in soccer game but my team needed one more skilled player to play next to me in the front.

We needed someone fast and strong who can handle defender's tough tackles.

As a team which is fully committed to the game, we arranged a meeting to discuss that issue.

I was the team's Captain so I talked first besides I had an effective idea

I said; we are here today because I am sick of losing.. Every Thursday night we lose .. 5- 0, 6-0, 3-0.. This must stop.. We have to improve our skills.. We need to change our useless tactics, so I decided that we must have more training. We will have a daily training during the whole week

One of my players interrupted me saying; we are not Manchester United Man!!! We are playing for fun that’s it.

And I replied; wrong my friend.. Apparently we play for losing and there is no fun about that. Anyway, I have an idea to attract someone skilled.. we are going to place an ad on some walls within the center of the neighborhood .

The same player interrupted me again saying; are we going to spend money now on this!!! Come one man!!!

And I replied; 20 papers or a little more wont make you poor.. I am not asking for a TV commercial.. Only some papers on different walls in different places to urge skilled soccer players to join us.. WE NEED YOU TO WIN .we are going to write this inside the ad.. What do you think?.

They did not say anything because they were not interested but I was the captain and what I say goes, so I collected from every player some money for printing and making copies.

On the next day we placed the Ad on different places in the neighborhood, inside the barber shops , on the high school walls  and  inside other different places.



Inside the Ad we wrote this short statement (we need a skilled striker to play with us on Thursday so please if you are interested please come from Saturday to Monday for training at 6.00 in the evening).

Saturday came but no body came, on Sunday two players came, they were friends. Both of them were so skilled but arrogant too, we did not like them so we declined their participation.

On the last day I was hopeless to find someone skilled while my team had no interest about the whole thing from the beginning and they urged me to let it go and to focus on what we have, but suddenly someone came.. it was the girl's brother , I was shocked to see him again face to face after the last one side fight, and he was shocked too then he became embarrassed because he did not know that I am the team captain.

He was about to leave but I stopped him, I do not know why I did that but in my opinion it was the right thing to do. I started to speak with him first and I found out that he loves soccer so much and it his second sport after kung fu.  I was not so sure about his skills , I said to myself may be he is not serious about soccer and he is just here to have fun but I care about winning and losing so we started the training right away to see how skilled he is.

We were surprised, especially me, he was a very good striker, strong but not violent which is so important to handle the other team's strong defense especially my high school friend.. Oh my god I forgot about him, he will not accept playing against the girl's brother.. What can I do now?

But I could not do anything, the whole team wants him now , they admired his skills and they believed that he can help us to win so it was done and the girl's brother is now a part of the team.

The big day came and the game was about to start. The moment my high school friend saw the girl's brother dressing my team's shirt , he was speechless , actually I thought that he will stop the game and start a fight but he stood there looking at the two of us without a word.

The Game was started and my high school friend was very violent especially to the girl's brother, but the girl's brother was very strong and managed to overcome these aggressive tackles.

Our new striker was amazing and our team gained additional strength because of him, and we won the match 3-2 with two goals scored by the girl's brother.

The game was finished and we were the victorious, what a feeling to win at last!! But after the match I had to deal with the problem between my high school friend and my new friend.

The Girl's brother invited us to have dinner which was another surprise to me, now I will have the chance to see her again. Oh no, I am his friend now , I can not keep on thinking that way about her , I have to be a decent man from now on and let the fate decide , I will go to have dinner with my friends, we are friends now and the man trusted us and invited us to his house so I will just focus on the food and I am not going to stare at her like an idiot. She does not want me anyway so I must have some bride and let it go.

My high school friend was a difficult person, he refused at the beginning to accept the invitation but on our way home the girl's brother started to tell him some jokes to melt down the ice between them, he did it several times till he succeeded in the end and they finally became friends.



At night we went to our new friend's house, this chain of events is really strange because a few weeks ago we were enemies and now we are going to have dinner at his house, the human race is strange!!

I asked my high school friend to knock the door and I moved back away from the door, the door was opened and I heard her voice then my high school friend called me to come in.

At the dinner table the three of us were sitting , talking , smiling and laughing ,we put the past behind and the girl's brother is now our new best friend , he was a funny person and his heart was pure ,we loved him.

During these happy moments of friendship, the girl appeared telling us that we should eat all the food. She was smiling, the most beautiful smile I have ever seen in my life and I asked myself how it looks like to see this wonderful smile every morning? How it looks like to see this smile when you are sad and you need something beautiful to see, something beautiful to feel. Seeing her was just enough to fall in love with her again and forget anything else.

She left to go back to the kitchen or something so I turned to find her brother looking at me which made me feel embarrassed but he started to smile again and telling his funny jokes.

At that moment I believed that may be there is something on the horizon because I am closer now more than ever and I was hoping that future would add the word love to my three usual words Work – Home – Sleep.