Andro spent the following days walking through the streets of Cairo with a strange new awareness. The city he had once known, filled with familiarity and rhythm, now seemed like a maze. A labyrinth of glass buildings, flashing billboards, and faces that blurred into one unrecognizable crowd. The more he observed, the more isolated he felt, like a man stranded in a time he had never agreed to visit.
The modern world he had been thrust into was relentless, almost suffocating in its speed and disregard for anything that couldn't keep up. People were moving so quickly, their lives unfolding in a series of shallow interactions, filled with meaningless words and fleeting emotions. In this new era, Andro's deep sense of empathy, his quiet kindness, seemed to make him stand out in the worst way.
He had tried. He had tried so hard to adapt—to blend in with the quick-paced world around him, to understand its new rules, its sharp edges. But it was like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't fit.
Andro wandered through Tahrir Square, observing the chaos of it all. The hustle of street vendors, the blaring horns of cars, and the endless chatter of passersby. His mind was a storm, a constant war between his old beliefs and the overwhelming pressure to conform.
“Why does everything feel so empty?” he whispered to himself.
He sat on a bench, watching the crowds walk past. People smiled at each other, but it was the kind of smile that lacked warmth, the kind of smile that was worn like a mask. A few feet away, a young couple was sitting on the steps of a nearby building. They were laughing, but their eyes were distracted, constantly checking their phones, their conversations cut short by the ding of notifications.
Andro couldn't understand. Was this the price of progress? A world where connection was measured by the number of likes or shares, and not by the depth of a real conversation? Was this the world he had been transported to? Where kindness was a weakness, and vulnerability was something to be hidden away?
“Is this really the way things are now?” he muttered, frustration bubbling up inside him.
It wasn’t just the people that confused him. The world itself had changed. His old favorite places, the ones that used to carry memories of simpler times, were gone. The old bookshop he loved as a teenager was now a coffee shop serving overpriced lattes. The music that used to touch his soul was drowned out by a loud, synthetic beat. Even the food had lost its flavor, as though everything had been processed into something easy to consume but devoid of substance.
Stolen novel; please report.
That night, Andro stood at the window of his small apartment, staring out at the city. The lights of the buildings seemed to stretch on forever, the endless hum of traffic beneath them a constant reminder of the world he no longer understood. He felt small, insignificant, like a leaf caught in a storm, unable to find shelter.
He reached for his cassette player, the one thing from his past that had managed to survive this strange time. The old melodies, though crackled and distorted, still had a power over him. He pressed play, letting the sound of his favorite songs wash over him, the familiar voices of Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim carrying him back to a time when things made sense.
For a brief moment, the weight of the world lifted. He closed his eyes, letting the music soothe him. The world outside faded, and he was no longer a stranger in a foreign land. He was just Andro, a young man who believed in love, in kindness, and in the power of a song.
But the peace was fleeting. As the final notes of the song faded away, Andro opened his eyes, and the harsh reality of the world came crashing back. The music couldn’t protect him from the truth. The world had changed, and he didn’t know how to keep up.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
Startled, Andro rose to answer it, his heart racing. He didn’t expect anyone—especially not at this hour. He opened the door to find Lily standing in the hallway, her face drawn with concern.
“Lily?” Andro said, his voice full of surprise. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I needed to see you,” she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said, about how hard it is for you to fit in here. And I know you’re struggling.”
Andro sighed, sinking into the couch. “It’s like I don’t belong here, Lily. I feel like I’m fighting something I can’t see, like I’m losing a battle I didn’t even know I was supposed to fight.”
Lily sat beside him, her hand resting on his. “You’re not losing, Andro. You’re just trying to adjust to a world that’s moving too fast. It’s okay to feel lost. I know it’s hard, but you can’t let it change you. You can’t let it make you forget who you are.”
Andro looked at her, his eyes searching for reassurance. “But what if who I am isn’t enough anymore? What if kindness doesn’t mean anything here? What if it’s just a weakness?”
Lily shook her head. “Kindness is never a weakness. It’s just that people don’t always know how to appreciate it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. You have something that a lot of people here don’t have, Andro. You have heart. And that’s worth more than anything else.”
For the first time in days, Andro felt a flicker of hope. It was a small light, but it was there.
“I don’t want to lose myself,” he whispered. “But I don’t know how to stay the same in this place.”
Lily smiled softly. “You don’t have to stay the same, Andro. You just need to learn how to be yourself, even if the world around you doesn’t understand it.”
Andro nodded, his heart lightening for the first time in days. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I don’t need to fight this battle alone. Maybe I can still find a way to fit in without losing who I am.
But deep down, a part of him wondered if he could ever truly adapt to a world that seemed so determined to change him. Was there a place for him here, or was he doomed to be an outsider forever?
He didn’t know the answer yet, but for the first time, he felt like there might still be a way forward.
