Assalamualaikum..
In the name of of Allah the most Merciful the most Compassionate..
We start
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Opening his eyes, he revealed irises of an intense light hazel—so pale they shimmered like gold, a hue both unique and rare. A few soft, light-brown strands of hair brushed against his eyes. His complexion was not fair or stark white, but rather a distinct bronze, though of a lighter shade.
He raised his hand, massaging the area between his eyebrows in an attempt to soothe the headache gnawing at him. He had been dreaming of the darkest days of his life; he had endured bitter times, repeatedly struggling to claw his way out of the abyss.
Eight years had passed since that night, yet he still remembered what happened after he lost consciousness. The moment he awoke from that fleeting coma was the exact turning point that altered the trajectory of his life. Those eight years were enough to forge him into a cold, callous, and disciplined man. More importantly, he had erected stone walls around his heart, encircling them with a fence of thorns. He had sworn to himself never again to be that kind-hearted, gentle soul who forgave people easily.
Above all, he would never be weak... and he would never believe in love or family again.
Emerging from his reverie, he stared out the window of the car driven by his elderly chauffeur.
"Stop the car here. I wish to walk a bit and will make my own way home. You may go ahead," he said, his words cutting through the silence of the vehicle. The driver obeyed, pulling over to the curb; he knew better than to argue, for his employer was notoriously stubborn.
A few moments later, he stepped out, shielding himself from the falling rain with a black umbrella. He signaled for the driver to leave, then set off toward the public park, walking beneath the massive trees and the rain that kissed the earth at every turn. He seemed to be the only soul wandering the park in such weather—for what madman would walk through a park in the pouring rain and biting cold?
Yet, it appeared there were other "madmen" about. He caught sight of a few couples, though he didn't bother exhausting his mind wondering why they were there. A cynical scoff escaped his lips at the thought.
Fools, he thought, those who believe love is beautiful and destined to last a lifetime.
To him, "love" was merely a word invented by humans to embellish their filthy deeds and justify their insolence and depravity. Pity those who still believed in such a term.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
Suddenly, as he walked lost in thought, the sound of the rain was pierced by a scream from behind. He turned, brow furrowed in bewilderment. He saw a young woman running through the park, clad in a raincoat and clutching a brown patterned umbrella. Curiously, she was charging toward him, shouting in a voice so loud he couldn't quite grasp her words. He couldn't make out her features clearly behind the hood of her jacket.
He stood frozen, trying to make sense of her frantic shouting that had interrupted his thoughts.
"Move! There's a dog! A dog!"
She kept running toward him, her screams outpacing her steps. What happened next was a blur. In the blink of an eye, her body collided with his. They both crashed to the ground, and his black umbrella flew from his hand, landing far off.
He heard groans above him as raindrops pelted his face in rapid succession. He was still trying to process the fall when she spoke.
"You idiot! I told you to get out of the way!"
Snapping out of his shock at the strange words and the peculiar dialect of the girl on top of him, he opened his mouth to retort, but she scrambled up instantly and resumed her sprint. Before he could fully comprehend the situation, the barking of a dog echoed from the path she had come from. He scrambled to his feet and began running after the girl, fleeing from what appeared to be a stray, hungry dog ready to attack anyone in its path.
The reason for the attack became clear: when the dog saw the brown umbrella, it must have mistaken it for a piece of meat. As he ran, he realized why the dog was now chasing him. During the collision, the girl had managed to hook her closed umbrella onto one of his coat buttons—a move he hadn't even felt.
Realizing the predicament, he struggled to unhook the umbrella while running. Once free, he hurled it away. The dog immediately veered toward the umbrella, allowing him to exit the park, gasping for breath from the exertion.
Standing outside the park, he looked down at his clothes, now a wretched mess of mud.
"Damn it... I'll kill you, you lunatic woman," he muttered.
In a nearby corner, he spotted the same girl lowering her hood and shaking the water off her jacket, finally revealing her face. Just as he started toward her to teach her a lesson, she hopped into a car and drove off. He continued his string of curses while trying to brush the disgusting mud from his coat, silently vowing that if he ever saw her again, he would have his revenge.
.
.
Inside the taxi, after she had given him the address, the driver looked at her with sheer mockery. The destination she mentioned was barely a street and a junction away—hardly a distance that required a taxi.
"Miss, the address you gave me is just one street and a crossroad from here. There is no need for a taxi to get there. Are you mocking me?"
She replied in his foreign tongue, "Oh, I know, sir. But do you really think this weather allows me to continue on foot?"
He didn't offer a response, his gaze still lingering on her with the same skepticism; after all, she was wearing a waterproof plastic jacket over thick layers of clothing. She tried another excuse.
"Actually, I was running away from a massive, terrifying stray dog that was chasing me. As soon as I managed to distract it, I rushed to the street to hail a taxi and escape."
He finally looked away and started the car, driving toward her "very, very, very" distant destination. Meanwhile, she whispered to herself "Good grief, does everyone need to know which came first, the chicken or the egg? Imagine if I told you there's a madman who would kill me if he saw me right now—after I knocked him down and ruined his expensive clothes. You'd probably ditch me and run for your life!"
* ( She talked about a famous proverb in Arabic)
Her internal monologue was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She answered the caller.
( Where have you been, Maloka? You're late, and my mother is worried about you )
"I'll be there in two minutes," she replied to the woman on the other end.
( Where are you now? )
"On the street near the public park. I'm in a taxi and will arrive shortly."
( A taxi? Why? You're only one street away! )
"A story happened... I'll tell you all about it when I get home."
"Fine, then. See you soon."
She ended the call just as the driver pulled up in front of her house, reaching into her purse to hand him his fare.