Chapter 1- the wrong key

“How could I make such a childish mistake?” I thought holding the key in my hand. I had just tried to open the door’s lock, and only when the key didn’t fit the lock, I realized that this ain’t my apartment anymore. “How on the earth I did it again?”

This was my previous apartment. I had moved to another apartment about three months ago but still there are moments that I suddenly find myself here (in front of my previous apartment’s door) on the way back from university.

“I should disappear as soon as possible.” I thought. “Facing an old neighbor is the last thing that I want.” So I stepped back and pretended walking down the street.

“Hey, You!” someone was calling behind my back. I still pretended that I didn’t hear anything, but he grabbed my shoulder from behind and made me turn. I freezed for a moment. “Why on the earth I should ran into this one among all the other neighbors.”

He almost yelled at me: “what are you doing here?” I noticed the bag of fruits in his hands. He must have been coming back from the fruit shop near here. Buying fruits was what his deceased wife would do when she was still alive.

“Sorry… I was just passing by…” I said trying to avoid any eye contact.

“Ha? You try to open people’s door while just passing by? How dare you lie to me?” then he punched me in the face. I fall on the ground. I thought of apologizing once more but that was strictly for the birds.

***

I’m 22 and a fourth year student of Electrical Engineering at the FUM University. I used to live in this apartment for a year and half and the owner is this man called “Shahin”.

I had rented this house but he decided to terminate the renting contract after his wife’s death all of a sudden and kicked me out. Although I found a new apartment, sometimes, I do this funny mistake of coming back here unintentionally. I really can’t figure out why I do it. Maybe because I used to adore this apartment so much and actually the new one that I’ve rented is not much far from here.

I still remember how kind and considerate she was. This awful man actually had a really nice wife.

They had a car accident on a trip. The car was thrown into a valley and had been fired. The wife had dropped out of the car and died immediately, before the car start burning. The man, who was trapped in the car, did burn a little but had been rescued. They used remaining healthy parts of the wife’s skin to cure the burnt part of man’s skin, including his face. He’s now completely cured and no one even could imagine that once he might have had bad injuries.

***

He released the fruits’ bag, and raise me by grabbing my collar then threw me into the dead end alley next to the apartment. I struggled for freedom but he pulled me with him. “How dare u to step here again?”

“Sir! Please stop. Your skin is getting warmer again” I said but he punched me in the face. I was right. His hand this time had a much higher temperature than before and we both knew it’s not because of friction. Then he slapped me in the face. As his hand sticked to my face my nose started bleeding. “I tried to warn you sir, you know…”

“Aish , you jerk…” he slapped with his free hand. This hand also sticked to the cheek on the other side of my face.

He shouted “release me”

“It’s actually you who should let go of me sir.” I replied.

If someone found us out at that moment he would see a middle aged man, leaning palms of his both hands on the cheeks of a 22 year-old boy. Not to mention, in a dead end alley.

I said “calm down”

“I don’t need you to tell me that” he again almost yelled. “No one should see us like this.”

“It’s exactly what I’m also thinking about”

“You’re coming with me upstairs.” He stood up and pulled me too.

“Ouch… wait a minute… are you sure you are letting me in? I thought you were actually mad at me …”

“You damn asshole…you left me no other choice and this is until this damn curse diminishes”

“It’s actually your own choice though u knew this would happen” I thought.

He pulled me out of the alley. “Bring the fruits.” I kneeled and took the bag. “Now bring the keys out of my right pocket.” He mentioned the pocket by turning his hip towards me.

“Alright” I slipped a hand in his pocket and got the keys out.

“Suppose yourself dead” he said while taking me into the elevator.

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