He pointed his index finger at his heart and said:
"There's nothing here."
...
On a morning as cold as usual, Tasha woke up early and went through his daily routine of exercising, showering, eating breakfast, and then heading to work, his face devoid of any expression of life.
Tasha entered his workplace, and everyone greeted him with smiles and greetings.
"Hello, Mr. Tasha."
"Good morning, Mr. Tasha."
"Mr. Tasha, did you hear what happened yesterday…"
Tasha responded to each of them with a smile on his face, but as soon as he turned his back, he returned to his previous expression one devoid of life.
Tasha is the director of a successful real estate company.
He is friendly with all his employees, which has earned him an excellent relationship with them, they respect and love him.
Yet he always asks himself, what is missing?
He couldn't understand.
"What am I missing?" Tasha wondered.
If it's money, he has plenty.
If it's his body, he's in excellent physical condition.
If it was loneliness, he interacted with plenty of people.
If it was his goals, Tasha was in control of his life and managed it well.
If the reason was a lack of meaning in his life after achieving his goals, could it be that he needed a new purpose to keep going?
"What's next?" Tasha wondered.
This was a question he always asked himself every time he achieved a goal, but he believed he was being true to himself, true to his ambitions.
He had even considered that life was meaningless, yet he tried to inject meaning into it. Despite all this, the question "What's next?" still came up strangely.
Did he now need to inject a different kind of meaning?
'Emotional.' Tasha's thoughts were calm.
An emotional meaning, a meaning connected to others.
'Is it about my feelings? Can love fill my heart? I don't understand.' Tasha wondered to himself once again.
There was neither sadness nor joy in Tasha's heart, the years had passed without him feeling anything.
He had achieved all his external goals of fame, wealth, and power, but perhaps he had neglected his inner self, his emotions were like ice.
Tasha's questions repeated endlessly, he was no longer able to understand his inner self. He didn't know if it was possible to feel emotions again, he now saw himself as an empty shell.
"Am I no longer real to myself?"
Tasha finished his usual tasks in his office, and it was time to go home.
On his way, he decided for the first time to take a different street. Tasha's home was close to his company, and he walked the same route every day.
Suddenly, Tasha stopped.
Before him stood a girl with soft chestnut hair and eyes that reflected the magnificent sunset in a beautiful honey color.
Tasha had interacted with women before, but he hadn't been particularly interested in dating or marriage.
But now, at the age of thirty seven, Tasha felt a strong attraction toward a woman. What caught his attention were her serene features and her honey colored eyes, which reflected both wisdom and innocence.
After a few moments of contemplating the strange scene before him, Tasha moved without uttering a word.
He was shocked by his own reaction. He didn't understand what was happening or how it had happened, but he was certain that he felt curious after all these years.
He wanted to ask questions, he wanted to talk.
...
The next day, Tasha woke up and went through his usual routine, but something was different.
His reflection in the mirror showed a sincere smile.
It was a spontaneous smile, but he felt it wouldn't fade.
What had happened yesterday was like a dream or a surprise.
He felt as if he had returned to his childhood, when he was curious about this strange world, before he got used to it.
He didn't feel a sexual attraction toward her, but rather a spiritual one, like a message from heart to heart.
Tasha ate his breakfast, then put on his work clothes and went out.
…
Tasha went to the office as usual, and was greeted with the same behavior, smiles on their faces and some of them sharing their thoughts and experiences with him.
Today his feelings were different from the usual coldness. He was eager to finish his work, and the employees noticed that Mr. Tasha was different.
"Charlie, don't you think Mr. Tasha is different today?"
"Yes, you're right, Mary. He seems, ummm, I can't find the right word... it's on the tip of my tongue?"
"'Obvious', that's what I feel, Charlie. Mr. Tasha seems 'obvious', like that cold, mysterious feeling that usually comes through despite his smile and his listening to us, but today he seems clearly excited and happy."
"Yes, 'obvious' is the right word. You're right, I can see that Mr. Tash is obvious and happy today."
...
After work, Tash headed to the same street and found the girl standing there again, a girl who looked to be in her late twenties.
Tasha approached, stopping about two meters away from her.
The girl was extremely beautiful, her silky hair and honey colored eyes captivated everyone who came near her, but Tasha wanted to ask deep down, he wanted to know why he was drawn to her. Why wasn't it just an instinctive attraction, but something deeper, something on a spiritual level?
"What are you doing?" Tasha felt curious for the first time in years, and without any greetings, he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"I've been waiting for you, Tasha." The girl spoke in a sweet voice, like a mother singing a lullaby to her child.
Tasha looked at her in shock, all the questions swirling in his mind vanished at the sound of her voice, and especially when she mentioned his name, Tasha's expression changed.
"How do you know my name?" Tasha asked her, his hesitation clear on his face.
"Isn't it obvious, Tasha? I'm in your dream." Tasha was shocked when her voice changed in the second sentence from a sweet tone to a masculine one, similar to Tasha's own voice.
"Aaaah." Tasha woke up from his dream to the sound of the alarm, but he was drenched in sweat.
He looked around his room and found it as usual, sunlight was gently filtering through the curtains.
"Hahaha, what a strange dream. It's as if I've come back to life." Tasha spoke after about five minutes, but his expressions were different from usual, he was happy.
Perhaps he felt a little excitement and strangeness.
"I can't believe I was excited in my dream. I thought I'd become cold and lost the meaning of my life, but this is like a rebirth."
After a moment of silence, Tasha looked at his chest with a clear smile.
He pointed his index finger at his heart and said, "Is there really nothing here?"
...