Part 2: Maryia's Surprise for Ahmed

Maryia is sitting on her bed, resting her back on the wall, and putting a notebook on her knees. Three books are opened in front of her. She writes: "SSRIs" with very focused face. Then, she writes: childish? She looks at her right side, then at the notebook. She writes again: "Hypophrenic?" then shrinks her eyelids, blinks, looks to her left side, and puts the pen and the notebook strongly on the bed. She closes the books, stands up, holds her phone from the desk, puts her finger on the front camera, then taps it. She smiles and looks at the door. Then, she steps forward. She turns back, moves her lips, and looks at her right side. She stops at her place and moves her head to the music "Por Una Cabeza.". She was daydreaming and acting like she was dancing Tango.

At sunset, Maryia puts her right palm on her chin and right cheek and rests her elbow on the window. She concentrates her eyes on the sun. She raises her head and looks at the guitar put on the chair before her. She smiles, and her eyes widen.

****

The next morning, Ahmed, Akira, and Leo are in the corridor near the school theater, and Ahmed is standing 2 meters away from them and looks at the playground. Maryia, Tania, Khadija, and Katy come in the corridor, and she is holding a guitar in its bag. Ahmed looks behind him and sees her. Then, he shrinks his eyes, drops his mouth in suffocation, and glances at the playground. Ahmed turns his head quickly to Maryia and widens his eyes with crossed eyebrows. He then looks at the guitar. Maryia looks at him with wide eyes and a little smile, then opens the theatre door and gets in, and Tania, Katy, and Khadija follow her.

Ahmed stands in his place for 3 seconds. Then, he looks beside him, smiles, shrinks his eyebrows, crosses his arms, and rests his chin on the right hand. He drops his hands and walks until he is in front of the door. Then he smiles, crosses his arms again, and covers his cheek with his right hand.

(INSIDE THE THEATER)

Maryia's friends sit on the seats. Maryia gets the guitar out of its bag on the stage. She sits on a highchair, adjusts the microphone, looks to the door, and smiles. She takes a deep breath and strums the guitar. Maryia sings with the guitar. "I WAS SERIOUS ALL OF MY LIFE. AS WELL WHEN I SAW YOU. ONCE YOU SAW ME." Ahmed, behind the door, rests his right

cheek on his hand and smiles. Maryia looks at the guitar and continues. "YOUR EYES SPARKLED. YOUR SMILE WIDENED. YOUR LOVE CONQUERED YOUR FEAR." Maryia raises her voice. "SO, I LOOKED AT YOU AGAIN. WAS IT A TRUTH? WAS IT A PHANTOM? YOU SMILED AT ME AGAIN. YOUR EYES SPARKLED MORE." Ahmed shows his teeth and narrows his eyes. Maryia comes nearer to the microphone. "I THOUGHT I'M NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU LOOK INTO MY EYES, THAT WAY OH! YOUR SENSE EVOKED MY HEART." Ahmed smiles and crosses his arms. 

Maryia sings. "I WAS AFRAID, THOUGHT I WAS GETTING PLAYED. WHEN YOU SAW ME LEAVING, CATCHING OUT YOUR BREATH OH! YOU FELT YOU ARE SCREWED DOWN." Ahmed smiles in pain. Maryia continues: "YOU WERE SHOCKED, BROKEN, YOUR BLOOD RACED IN YOUR VEINS. YOU LET ME FEEL LIKE YOU WERE IN A SHAME LIKE COLD WATER PUT ITS FEAR ON YOU, THE SAME. I LOOKED AT YOU AGAIN. WAS IT A TRUTH? WAS IT A PHANTOM?"

Ahmed looks to the floor and comes nearer to the door. Maryia sings. "YOU SMILED AT ME AGAIN. YOUR EYES BEGGED ME, THEN I THOUGHT I'M NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU LOOK INTO MY EYES, THAT WAY OH! YOUR SENSE EVOKED MY HEART." Ahmed looks at the door. Maryia sings the last lines. "YOUR EYES TOLD ME A LOT ABOUT YOU THOUGH I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I REALLY KNOW." Maryia looks at the door. "I'M SORRY I COULDN'T SHOW YOU MY LOVE. I REALLY LOVED YOU BUT COULDN'T BELIEVE YOU DO OH! OH! OH!"

Ahmed slowly pushes the door and looks at Maryia, who ends the song with: "AGAIN OH! OH! OH! I LOVED YOU, BUT I COULDN'T BELIEVE YOU DO OH! OH! AGAIN"

Maryia raises her head and then looks at him. Her friends clap. Ahmed smiles at her. Maryia looks at her friends and smiles. She puts the guitar in its bag, comes down the stage, and stands by her friends. Her friends talk to her while looking at her, and she smiles fakely. Ahmed rolls his eyes, sighs, and leaves. Maryia looks back at the door and drops her smile when she doesn't find him.

****

The senior students flood into the playground from the school building's gates. The boys shout and run in the playground. Leo stands in the middle of the playground and raises his voice. "Let's take a picture! Everyone, come close to here!"

The class comes closer in front of Leo. Maryia comes to the left side, and Ahmed to the right side. They look at each other. Ahmed smiles at Maryia, then looks at Leo. Maryia looks at Ahmed and then at Leo. Leo puts a chair in the middle of the playground, stands on it, and holds a camera. He opens the lens and puts the camera on his eyes. He sees some girls away from them and waves at them. "Hey, girls! Come join us!"

The girls don't hear him. Ahmed leaves his place, walks to them, and smiles at them. Maryia looks at them, opens her mouth, and crosses her eyebrows. Ahmed to the girls. "Hi!" The girls stare at him. "Oh, Hi!" they replied. Ahmed asks them. "Would you like to join us to take a picture there?" Ahmed points to the class students and Leo. Ahmed looks at Maryia. Maryia looks at the other side. The girls reply. "Oh, yeah, sure!"

Ahmed points his hands to the way for girls to follow him. Maryia looks at them, shrinks her eyes, then looks back to Leo. Ahmed stands in his place, and the girls stand by the other side. Maryia looks at them with hate when they pass by her. Leo. "Come on! 3, 2, 1!" Leo counts from 3 to 1 on his three fingers, then clicks the capture button. The camera flashes out. Leo takes the camera from his eyes and looks at the picture. "Okay, done guys! Thanks for being here." Leo said.

Ahmed smiles, showing his teeth, and looks around Leo. He looks at a friend in front of him. Maryia stares at Leo. She moves some steps forward and smiles. She teases Ahmed. "Leo! May I see the picture?" Ahmed pays attention to them, then shrinks his eyebrows and eyes and opens his mouth. When Maryia looks at him, he drops his face below his side. Leo accepts. "Oh, Sure! Here you are."

Ahmed looks at Maryia, then closes his eyebrows. Leo gives Maryia the camera, and she looks at it. Ahmed is behind them. Maryia stands beside Tania, Khadija, and Katy. A girl takes a phone picture in front of them. In parallel to them, Ahmed, Akira, Leo, and Pedro. Another guy takes a phone picture for them. They put their arms on each other's shoulders. Maryia hugs Khadija, Katy Tania, and the other girls and waves at them. Ahmed looks at her leaving the place. He couldn't believe it was the last time he was supposed to see her. The guy is counting to take the picture. He looks at Maryia, opens his mouth, and arches his eyebrows showing sadness. He couldn't believe the moment. Maryia looks at him. The guy interrupts their last eye contact, forcing Ahmed to pay attention to him. "3, 2, 1!" Ahmed looks at the guy who takes the picture. Maryia looks at the school gate. She takes a deep breath and moves steps forward.

****

Maryia opens her room door, lies on the chair, and looks in the mirror. In the opposite world, Ahmed lies on his left side in the bed and stretches his hands between his knees. He smiles with the right corner of his mouth, then returns it. In the morning, Ahmed sits on the prayer carpet and looks down. His hands are fisted inside each other, and his arms are relaxed on his thighs. He inhales, closes his eyes, and raises his head. Then, he opens his eyes and exhales while dropping his head slowly. 

He stands up and picks up his phone from the desk. He taps it and puts it to his ear. Leo answers. "Hey, Ahmed. What's up?" Ahmed smiles. "Hey, Leo. How are you?" Leo replies. "I'm good. What are you doing?" Ahmed blinks his eyes and drops his head down. "Nothing. I just…" Ahmed raises his head and smiles. "It has been 15 days since we met!" Leo smiles. "Aww, Ahmed. Where are you now?" Ahmed replies with a calm voice. "Home." Leo calms Ahmed. "Well, I am coming. Wait for me." Ahmed assures. "Please, Leo. I need you." Leo replies. "I am coming quickly, dear. Do not worry." Ahmed taps the phone screen, drops his arms, and looks to the floor. 

On the other side, Maryia gets out of a grocery store and holds a bag in her fingers. Two women are coming in front of her. They are talking. One moves her arm and points forward, then looks at the other woman. Maryia hears them. Her psychosis is developing more and more. She experiences auditory hallucinations. She hears one of the two women telling the other. "Look at this girl." Woman (2) looks at woman (1) and laughs. They skip Maryia. Maryia crosses her eyebrows and then looks behind her. She hears the two women talking. Woman (2) "Yeah, my cousin said that carpet is not the best." Woman (1) says. "Yeah, yeah!" Maryia looks back at her way. She continues walking and looks around her everywhere.

****

Ahmed lies beside his mother, Sarah, who is resting on the bed. Sarah starts to play with his hair. "Oh Ahmed, you will be a handsome man who women will admire." Ahmed smiles fakely, and she looks into his eyes. "Ahmed, I see that you think alone a lot." Ahmed looks away from her eyes, and then Sarah smiles with a curious look. Sarah surprises him. "Who do you think of?" Ahmed smiles, and his eyes sparkle. Sarah embarrasses him. "How is the girl you love?"

Ahmed laughs while Sarah tickles with his cheeks. "Mum!!" Sarah cheers. "Tell the truth! Tell the truth!" Ahmed looks down and smiles. "Okay, mum... Yes, I love a girl." Sarah smiles. "What's her name?" Ahmed replies. "Maryia." Ahmed drops his smile. "and she does not help me to keep loving her." Sarah widens her eyes. "Seriously? You are so brave to admit your love."

Ahmed looks sad again. Sarah continues. "Oh dear! Okay, do not be sad." Sarah dabs his back. "I know that you have been in love since last year. Some of your friends told me that, and I am sorry I did not care. I thought she would be a first experience, and it would go with time." Ahmed looks at her, and his eyes are full of tears. Sarah looks empathetic. "Oh, Ahmed! I did not know that she was that special to you." Ahmed starts to cry. Sarah pats his shoulder. "Did you tell her?" Ahmed wipes his tears. "No, mum. It will not help at all." Sarah asks. "Why, dear? Is she in another relationship?"

Ahmed replies. "No, but she does not seem to love me. We did not talk once, and she did not come to the graduation party." Sarah looks seriously. "She will not be suitable for you. You are a kind man who should marry a girl who loves you. You are a STANFORD UNIVERSITY student! And it sounds like she didn't enroll in a good university, so she didn't want to attend the graduation. You also can't love a girl you never talked to." Ahmed keeps silent for a while and then moves from the bed. "Okay, mum. Excuse me, I am going to sleep."

Sarah interrupts. "Wait!" Ahmed looks at her with a sad, hectic face. "Yes?" Sarah keeps silent for a while, then speaks. "Show me her photo." Ahmed smiles with happiness. "Umm...okay." Ahmed opens his phone, goes to her profile, and shows Sarah her photo in the class picture. Sarah comments. "Mashallah, you have chosen a perfect one!"

Ahmed smiles hopefully. "Yes, she is." Sarah looks at him with a smile and care. Ahmed looks at her with a sad face. Sarah looks at him. "See, dear. If you have a fate to be together, you will be but know that you must focus on your studies first. Okay?" Ahmed smiles. "Inshallah... good night!"

In his room, Ahmed talks to himself. "I've never talked to her about our love or my love... I don't know if she loves me or knows about my love." He rests on his bed and continues. "or... oh. Who said I love her?! I don't love her anymore. It was some mess in high school, and I am 19 now. We are more mature than before. I must forget these things. I will find a better one. I must move on." He looks at the ceiling, opens his phone, and searches for Maryia's profile.

****

Maryia gets up slowly from the bed with tears in her eyes, picks up her phone from the desk, and puts her finger on the front camera as usual. She opens Ahmed's profile on Facebook. She stops in front of a post he shared:

"When you love someone and they leave you behind, you mustn't be sad and care about who loves you the most." Sarah commented on the post: "God takes who makes you unhappy to the worst place away from you." Ahmed replied: "No mum, please! I love that person; there will be time, and that person will return to me." Maryia smiles and looks at the laptop. She tabs the mouse with her finger and her other hand on the laptop's front camera. The screen turns on. The laptop screen displays her admission profile showing a rejection attitude from all the universities except San Jose State University showing: "DELAYED". 

Maryia is on the chair and looks at the ceiling. She speaks with an ill voice. "When I got rejections from all the universities I applied to, I was trying to hide my pain from all my classmates. I felt ashamed. When we finished exams and stopped seeing each other, I found myself crying and asking God: shall I call him?" 

Dr. Josef is sitting on a chair and writing on a desk in a notebook. He asks. "Call whom?" Maryia explains. "He was my schoolmate. He loves me, and I can't forget him." Dr. Josef asks. "Did he tell you he loves you?" Maryia answers. "No, but I felt that because he was looking at me a lot. I just wish I didn't exist." Dr. Josef sighs. "Hmm." Maryia continues. "He looked at me in pain sometimes. Sometimes, I saw love in his eyes. He must have been thinking of me because I felt that from his posts on social media."

Dr. Josef puts the pen beside the paper. "Do any of your family members support you?" Maryia answers. "No. No one knows about my illness." Dr. Josef replies with a sigh. "Okay, Maryia. I

see you need to take an antidepressant and antipsychotic. That will make you feel better after some weeks. I will prescribe you good ones and get back to me after two weeks."

Dr. Josef holds the pen and writes on another paper. Maryia stands up from the chair. He passes it to Maryia and smiles. "Get well soon!" She takes it and turns to the door. Dr.Josef looks at the diagnosis form and raises his hand. "Wait!" Maryia turns to him. "Is Magdy Shamel your father? He has a trading company, right?" Dr. Josef asks with a surprised face. Maryia replies slowly. "Yes." Dr. Josef stays silent for a while, looking at Maryia. Then he replies. "Okay. Don't worry, you will be alright. Just keep following up with me."

Maryia leaves the clinic in pain. Ahmed is in front of the mirror and sprays perfume. Katy, Tania, and Khadija are sitting at a table in a cafeteria. "Girls, I'm worried about Maryia," Katy said. Khadija asks with curiosity. "Did you see her? I texted her, and she didn't reply." Katy answers. "I texted her as well. I asked her why she didn't talk to us and if something had happened, but she said she was ok. She didn't reply to my question."

Tania comments. "I just don't have time to go to her house, and I don't have her phone number. Do any of you have it?" Khadija and Katy shake their heads right and left. Tania takes a deep breath. "I hope she is doing okay." Tania moves up from the chair and holds her books. "Let's go. I have a lot of assignments." Katy and Khadija move from their chairs. On the other side, Ahmed keeps his interests valid and drives to the university with his new car.

In the clinic, Dr. Josef tabs on his phone and puts it on his ear. In Magdy's office, Maryia's father, a phone rings, and Magdy's hand holds it. He is sitting on a chair in front of a desk. He looks at the phone, taps it, and puts it on his ear. "Hello!" Magdy answers. "Hello! Mr. Magdy!" Dr. Josef salutes.

"Who is speaking?" Magdy asks with concern. Dr. Josef introduces himself. "I'm Dr. Josef Samuel. A clinical psychiatrist. I'm sorry if I'm confusing you, but I had to inform you that your daughter is coming to my clinic." Dr. Josef lifts a paper written on it: "Diagnosis: Schizophrenia" and puts on it the patient information paper. Dr. Josef continues. "her name is... Maryia, right?" Magdy stays silent for a while and turns in his chair. "Oh, yes, yes." Dr. Josef feels assured and speaks. "Okay, I just needed to inform you because she may be unconscious about her behaviors." Magdy looks to the floor for a while. "Okay, Dr. Thanks for informing me. Have a nice day."Magdy closes the phone, puts it on the desk, and looks to the other side. Then, He holds the wired phone beside him and speaks. "Bring a cup of coffee."