Part 5: Ahmed Can't Forget Maryia

At night, after some days, Ahmed is in his bed. He rubs his chin and then raises it. He talks to himself. "Why did she ask what I am doing with her family?" He rests his wrist on his forehead, then sleeps on his edge and closes his eyes. He experiences a nightmare or a flashback, he doesn't know. In the flashback/ nightmare, he is on the floor, sees his hands holding a damaged radio, and breaks some of its parts. He looks at Sarah, who gets into the salon and shows a shocked face. "Uh, Ahmed! Why did you do that? I've become so tired of this!" 

Sarah said in the nightmare. Ahmed sees the house door opening and Faried enters. Ahmed jumps quickly from the floor and runs towards Sarah. He holds her hand with his hands and hides his face in her arms. Another flashback/ nightmare he experiences after this one in which his legs are twitching, he jumps and vibrates while Faried is holding a phone and Sarah is in front of him and looking at Ahmed. Ahmed panics and wakes up. He takes a deep breath, looks at the ceiling, and throws his back on the bed.

At the Stanford University Cafeteria, Ahmed was sitting on a chair surfing his phone. He explores a psychiatrist's website. He was trying to find a solution to these nightmares. He stops his finger on an advertisement for Dr. Josef's clinic and looks down for a while. He turns off the phone, stands up, and leaves the cafe. He decided not to do that for now, as he was hesitant.

****

After one month, Maryia, Yousra, and Leyan get out of the hospital gate, returning home after Maryia's recovery. They get into the Taxi and put in their luggage. At home, Maryia meets with her friends Tania and Khadija and sits on the couch laughing. She returned to her stability.

Ahmed still drives his car to the college and sits on a seat back at the University's campus. A mate passes beside him. "Ahmed! Hi!" The mate said. Ahmed smiles and waves from his chair. "Oh, Hi! How are you?" The mate replies. "Fine, bro! See you later!" Ahmed's smile disappears. He looks at his notebook and writes: Maryia. Then he smiles with sparkling eyes.

Maryia is sitting on her chair in front of her desk and the laptop is in front of her. She received an acceptance letter from San Jose State University for a Psychology major. She smiles, and a song plays in the background.

"I'M HERE A STUDENT TRYING TO FIND MY WAY. YOU ARE ABOUT TO GRADUATE AND YOU MAY BE IN LOVE WITH SOME GIRL I DON'T KNOW." Maryia started to focus on her studies again and write notes in every lecture. In her room, she takes medications and drinks water. The song continues. "LIKEWISE THE TRUTH THAT YOU DIDN'T EVER LOVE ME, NO PROOF. JUST IN MY BRAIN OUT OF MY MIND."

In the morning at the college library, Maryia is reading a book written on the page top, "The Brain Histology," and is writing down notes: "eyes, muscles, parietal lobe, then, a perception!"

Maryia lifts her head and looks beside her to the floor. She talks to herself. "Maybe what I've seen from Ahmed's eyes was a problem in processing the visual perception." She puts her hands on her head. "Uh, but my imagination, located in the right hemisphere, thinks it is true. From where does the problem arise?" She said to herself with a hopeless face. She puts the pen on the desk, then puts her hand on her chin and looks down.

At Stanford University, Ahmed is sitting on a seat and moving his finger on the laptop mouse. A girl stands up beside him and smiles. "Ahmed!" Nancy said with joy. Ahmed looks at her in surprise, then fakes a smile. Nancy is Ahmed's new fiancee. Nancy and Ahmed walk on the campus beside each other, and Nancy keeps talking to him, as it is her habit to be talkative. "So, after I listened to this song, I felt like I was flying. Wow! It was amazing. I think we both can attend the upcoming concert to watch him perform music!" Ahmed looks to the way and smiles in a fake way.

By afternoon, Ahmed and Nancy reach Nancy's home in his car. Nancy gets out of it and waves at Ahmed. Ahmed smiles at her and waves, too. Nancy gets into the house. Ahmed looks angry in the car's mirror for a while, then drives.

June 2017 came. In his room, Ahmed sits on his chair in front of the desk and explores a book on a subject he failed the last semester. He scolds himself. "I'm a freshman and failing exams. Stupid!" He sighs before his phone rings. He holds it from the desk and taps it, then puts it to his ear. He speaks in a formal tone with no emotions. "Hello, Nancy," Nancy replies. "Hi, Ahmed! I wanted to ask you. Would you come with me to the upcoming party?" Ahmed takes a long breath and closes his eyes. "Um, sorry, Nancy. I will not be able to join you. I have a lot of external assignments to finish. Maybe next time." He surfs the books in front of him.

Nancy changes her voice pitch to a higher one. "Okay, I know you do not love me or care about my feelings, but at least give me what I want as payment for what I am doing for you!" Ahmed stands up from his chair. "Nancy! What are you saying? Do you think this way about you and me?" Nancy replies angrily in a blackmailing tone. "I have been engaged to you for months and you do nothing to make me happy. I get you gifts, I share with you my problems, I ask you before I do anything, what do you want more?" Ahmed closes his eyes and exhales. "Nancy, I know. I have been careless about you, but you should give me some time to…"

Nancy raises her voice and interrupts him. "To forget that girl, right?" Ahmed shrinks his eyelids. "Which girl, Nancy?" Nancy replies in a sharp tone. "Ahmed! Do not try to make yourself feel as if you have forgotten your story with her. She was trying…" Ahmed interrupts Nancy and blinks with his eyes. "I do not remember any girl," Nancy shouts. "Okay! Deny as you like, but you must know that you are a cheater." Ahmed feels attacked for a while. Nancy continues. "You are with me and thinking of another girl, and…"

Ahmed raises his voice and moves his hand up and down. "There was nothing real about what you heard! She thought I loved her, and I thought she loved me." Nancy interrupts. "Then you are both delusional, right?" Ahmed closes his eyes, sits on the desk, and puts his hand on his chin. He was losing his mind, gradually. 'Yeah, Nancy. Can you let me finish my assignment now? I will call you later." Nancy continues. "Ahmed, I am fed up with you. You are just a liar. I will break up with you! You have mental issues. I cannot guarantee my life with you anymore." 

Ahmed laughs with sarcasm. "Yes, but you can guarantee my money and social recognition," Nancy replies with jealousy. "Find this girl, as you are both mentally disabled. You fit each other." She ends the call. Ahmed stares at the phone, throws it on his bed, holds his head with his hands, and screams. He walks to the front wall and kicks it with his head, then with his leg strongly, then shouts. "Maryia!" 

Sarah opens the door after hearing his screams. He calms down, then takes a long breath and whispers. "Maryia." He shouts again and looks up. "Maryia! Maryia! Where are you?" He rotates to the door where Sarah is standing. He laughs hysterically, then suffocates. He points to the floor and then puts his hand on his chest. "Ha! Here you are, in my heart! Why did you hurt me?" Sarah looks scared. "What is wrong with you, son? You do not eat or talk. What is disturbing you?"

Faried gets out of his room. Ahmed looks at his right side and moves his hands. "I love you, Maryia, you made me crazy." He kicks his head into the wall and grasps his hair. "Get out of my head! GO!" He suffocates his neck with his hands, laughs hysterically, and falls on the floor on his knees. Sarah sits down to hug him, and he cries. Faried holds the phone and taps it, then puts it on his ear. "Hello, Dr. Josef. My son is ill. I'll send him to the hospital."

Dr. Josef asks. "What happened, sir?" Faried puts the phone on the other ear, enters his room, and whispers. "Listen. He had feelings for a girl. She was his schoolmate. She didn't love him, but he thought that. He is delusional, you know. She is the daughter of a greedy man and I want to protect him from her father and her. He was kicking the wall and shouting some minutes ago." Dr. Josef replies. "Hmm. Okay, sir. I will take care of this." Dr. Josef didn't know that this girl was Maryia or that greedy man was her father, Magdy.

At night, Ahmed and the driver get out of the house door and the driver speeds up to open the back car door. Ahmed gets inside the car, then the driver closes the door. Ahmed sits on a chair in front of Dr. Josef. "Hi, Ahmed. Tell me what happened." Ahmed doesn't reply and looks at the floor. "I'm asking you. Tell me what happened to be able to help you." Dr. Josef asks again, but Ahmed doesn't reply. Dr. Josef tries to help him talk. "Your parents told me that you loved a girl. Is that true?" Ahmed doesn't reply and stays catatonic in his position. Dr. Josef ends the session. "Okay, go to your room now, and we will talk tomorrow." Ahmed and the nurse get into his room. The nurse gets out, closes the door, and Ahmed lies on the bed and puts his hands between his knees.