I often imagined myself sitting on a train looking out of its window, contemplating the beauty of the world and the sights that I was passing by.
Indeed, I have rode the train several times since I was young, but now I have many years in which I have not taken a train, and when I talk about the train I mean traveling between different cities and countries and not the subway.
Throughout my life I have ridden all means of transportation and movement known to man throughout history, starting with riding a donkey in the countryside and I have been very happy, as those moments were among the happiest moments of my life and despite my young age at the time, I remember them in the most accurate details, passing by the horse, the camper and the stroller on The Nile Corniche, and of course the public and private buses, taxis and microbuses, as well as the river buses and the riverboat; On his way to the charitable arches, one of the most beautiful parts of the earth, so I am almost certain that there is no means of transport, whether old or modern, that I did not ride in other than the Pharaonic chariot But I never enjoyed any of them except with train trips, so always when I think about something and my thinking goes away, I imagine myself sitting in a train looking out its window.
I woke up this morning and got off, and I am driving my car to work as usual, and suddenly I decide to go to the train station and reserve a chair in the first train that takes off from the station, regardless of its direction, of course I did not get a heat stroke with the high temperatures today, because I did not get off in my car, and I did not go crazy But what prevents me from going and enjoying a beautiful trip on the train in which I get away from the pain of the life that I live now, I put the headphones in my ears even though I am in the car and started listening to Munir and Fayrouz as I used to do in the past, and I started driving my car towards the train station.
You have reached the station; And here I am standing at the box office and I reached the employee and asked him for a ticket on the first train that would take off from the station, and it is preferable that he should run in order to catch him before I lose him. The employee looked at me as if he was saying this crazy, and he did not speak a word and remained dazed. Do you want me to lose my flight?
Amazed, he answered me: What flight do you want, where are you heading?
I replied: To wherever I just want to take the train, please help me. Give me a ticket for the nearest trip that will take off, and I want to run to catch the train because I missed running.
Indeed, he gave me a ticket and told me to go to platform number 3 quickly as the train is about to move.
I took my ticket and started running; Oh God, for this fun I feel as if I am a young man running on the field like the past, and suddenly I feel that I have become a child running after my friends and we are playing and having fun and I feel the utmost happiness and joy; Where were those feelings buried? Why hadn't I felt them in years, and what was this hyper-thinness.
The train is moving and I have to increase my speed. Thank God, I caught up with the train as it was moving and I jumped a big jump inside the train. I did not lose my journey, as I caught up with the last car on the train.
My seat is in the first carriage and now I have to pass all the train cars to get to my seat, but I am very tired and I have to rest a little. I found a man in his late forties, and his hair has fallen from his head and his stomach is swollen with a large wrinkle, and it seems to his features and clothes that he is neither poor nor rich, All his concern is work, only work. Every minute he receives a call from his direct manager and another from one of his clients, and sometimes from his wife or one of his sons, requests and requests that he eats while he works, he works on his way to work riding the train, and I watched him and watched him amazed at his words On the phone that completely violates the expressions of his face and the look of his eyes, he laughs and his eyes are full of sadness, he answers that he is happy and his face is frowning, he is angry and his face is all affection and affection, he suddenly turned off his mobile phone, I think that his battery had run out so I asked him to talk to him for a little, so I told him: What is your name ?
He answered me: I am the father of so-and-so.
So I told him: Sir, I asked you about your name, and I am not the father of whom.
He answered me: I work and live for my children just to meet the needs of my home in order to make them live a happy life.
I said, "I saw you talking on the phone constantly, where are you going?"
He said: To my work.
Me: Most of your talk about work has been that there is nothing in your life except your work. You do not want to rejoice in your face sad and your eyes sad even though your chest is wide, you talk to me with welcome.
He said: This is the year of life. We were created as parents to work for the comfort of our children. My happiness is in the smile of my children and my wife.
I told him: Do you not know that obesity is harmful and causes disease?
Here he looked down, sorry for his condition, and stopped the train at its first stop and told me I'm going. I had the honor to talk to you, bye.
Really !, what have you done ?! How do I talk to a man with such frankness mixed with rudeness ?! Why did I talk to him sharply and hold him accountable for what I have no business with ?!
Nevertheless, I have to go to my seat in the first carriage of the train.
I went to the second carriage and found a young man in his thirties, who looks elegant and also looks a little tired, and his hair has begun to fall out.
What happens, has baldness become an obligation on all men ?!
This young man was talking on his phone with his wife as she was on her way to deliver their children to school, and he was on his way to work, reassuring about her whether she came home or not, and then he spoke to one of his friends at work asking him if the director arrived or not, and then he receives another phone from someone His clients.
I stood amazed, is this possible ?!
Could there be a link between talking on mobile and baldness ?!
I really watched the young man from afar, and I did not talk to him, but he was thinking out loud. He was thinking about the installments of his house and the school fees for his children, then he said, “If only the youth will come back one day.
Suddenly he wakes up and says, O Lord, how will I manage my affairs, now that the bus fees have been canceled and my wife has started to deliver the children, and the installments are still endless and I do not know where I will buy the endless orders.
Here his phone rings and answers: Yes, Mr. Manager. I'm on my way to work. I apologize for being late, as I was in an interview with a customer, and that's why I'm late today.
Then he paused for a moment and said, in astonishment, what? - There was joy and a broad smile on his face - Really, I was promoted, thank you for your trust in Mr. Director.
He closed, then told me: This promotion will increase my work and my duties and increase my fatigue, but my financial problems will be solved and you, man, I am happy that I saw you today, for you are a good face today, I can work for your presence.
I said: No, I would like to tell you something. But, our Lord is with you and grant you success, but take care of yourself a little, that is until your hair began to grow and your hair began to fall. All this?
Here the train stopped at its arrival station and decided to get off without even greeting me. What will he say after what I said of painful words ?!
What happened to me today to talk to people I do not know like this and in this rude manner?!.
On my way to the carriage in which my seat was in, I used to blame myself for my approach with the two men, especially the second man who initiated the conversation with me with very good words, so how would my response be to him like this and with those painful words that unfortunately wasted the joy of the promotion that he received? Was the first man still affecting me and thus Those words came out of me towards the second person, I do not know, but what I know is that I was bragging with the two people without justification and I hope that God will clear this for me.
Meanwhile, I found a group of beautiful and cheerful young men, and he is sitting in a chair separate from them talking on the phone with his sweetheart or fiancée, I do not know, but I know very well that the young man does not move away on the phone from his friends unless he is talking with his sweetheart. And not only that he was isolated from his friends, I went and sat in front of him and listened to his conversation while looking at him smilingly, that I see a young man I wish to be in his place now, and when he turned off his phone and went to his friends, I asked him to talk to him, and he openly agreed
At first I asked him about his travel destination.
He replied that he was going with his friends to play a soccer match.
Oh God, how beautiful it is, if only young people will return one day.
I asked him about his wishes in life.
He said: I hope to be a great, famous player and to marry my sweetheart and have beautiful children with her that I love, and I hope soon to travel with my friends to the North Coast next summer.
What beautiful dreams, youthful dreams, dreams that are all happiness and joy, all of them personal dreams.
The train stopped at the station of this young man and his friends, thank God, without uttering any hurtful words, so how is this and why do I criticize him, and I hope to return to a young man like him, but I bid him farewell and wished him and his friends a sweeping victory.
I headed to the next car, that last car before my car, that car is full of families and children, children play and run in the cart and sing and feel the utmost happiness, playing together the farmer with Al-Saidi with the rich and the poor and the boy with the girl with the children of Khawajat all are equal, no one thinks that he is distinguished from The other, they play together and they are happy and they run and have fun, I remembered when I was a kid, those were really the happiest moments, I never thought about the result of what I would ever do and would I be affected by it, or would I be hurt after I did this act, a whole life spontaneous, all happiness without taking responsibility, yes responsibility That the person endures is the cause of his misery and his fatigue, there is a beautiful child, O God, for this great beautiful laugh that he is not in their hands, but ...
What is that ?!
He looks exactly like the young man in the last carriage, as well as the other two men. The similarity between them is almost certain that the young man and the child are the children of the first man and the second man is their uncle, but why do I occupy my mind? Around me and the air hits my face and refreshes me.
While heading to the car, my gaze did not descend from this child, similar to the previous one. Suddenly, the child fell on the ground and hit his head after the train stopped suddenly, and I also fell and lost consciousness.
Soon, I wake up to find myself in my car, which I have not left, sitting in front of my house, and I have not yet moved to work.
What is that?! Was it a dream ?!
Yes, a dream every day, the usual daydream, that this train in this dream I was only contemplating about the life of someone similar to me, yes it was me really I am the man who has a big belly and bald head, and I was this handsome and elegant young footballer skilled and loving Sports and I have big happy dreams, and I was the child who did not care what would happen if I did this or that. I am the sad, happy man despite my self when I meet my manager or one of the clients at work, I am the man whose work has become my life and there is nothing else in my life for My sons and my wife, whose looks and names I forgot from the great deal of work.
I am the one who will turn off his phone now and go up to his house, and I, my wife and my sons, go to the northern coast together away from work, just to relax and enjoy their company, yes, this is how happiness is.
I turned off my phone, got out of my car, got into the building and called for the elevator.
who is this?!
Professor Rami; Director of human resources in our company !!!
What brought him to our architecture, did he move to live here ?!
When he approached, he said: Good morning, sir.
I said, and then I was silent: Good morning Mr. Rami.
Then we got into the elevator together and went up, and suddenly I found myself in my workplace and around me all the co-workers.
I did not go home, my mind and body were programmed to go to work even if it was against my will and desire.
I became my own property.
Now screaming inside of me I want to go home, but my body can't obey me, my feet walk to my office without hesitation.
I sit at my desk my morning coffee comes and drink it and start my work forgetting all the great struggle I went through today, I was defeated as usual, yes my dream became boring, routine, and the same, even my war with myself missed surprises and daily defeat became usual.
Yes, it became boring in all respects, it became a machine for work.
How long will we live in order to work, not work in order to live.