The Train Situation, PART III

While the cops were filtering the passengers, the old man sitting next to me started waving at them in a brisk manner. 

He threw his right arm up and down, pointing at the boy who shouted before they came in. This gangster clearly had connections with the ones who stole Sister 2’s phone, as he was communicating with them before they committed the crime. I would go as far as assuming that he was the leader of the team because of his later behaviour, and his strutting among his friends after the train arrived at the final station.

Therefore, I’m not sure whether the old man tried to call the police to arrest him because of the snatch, or for that hysterical cry he uttered a few minutes before. But it doesn't matter at this point. The old man used to be just another unfrotunate passenger on the wagon, but now he's the center of attention of the gang leader.

The boy acted ordinarily, but when he saw the old man trying to communicate with the police, he held his breath and his face turned red. It was clear that his coolness was shaken off. He was confused for a moment or two, stepped here and there while looking away, then he decided that one of his minions should give him a seat.

At this moment, I thought that one of the siblings would intervene and speak with the cops about the phone. But to my surprise, the Brother was immersed in his guilt for not being able to do anything, Sister 2 was still covering her face in shame, and Sister 1 looked clueless. After a stop or two, they descended from the train and their train situation came to a closure.

Back to the old man. He could have just called the cops, like verbally, but he chose not to. He just silently gesticulated. I really don’t know whether I should regard him as the hero of this Train Situation or remember him, contrary to what his age suggests, as the most unwise old man I have ever seen. On the one hand, he was the only person who actually took action against them, thus, standing out of the passive lot that was present on that train, my friend and myself included. On the other hand, the vulgars were so many on that train, that it was impossible for any force to contain them. In other words, majority beats bravery. So what one should have done was to simply remain calm until the whole thing was over and probably take action thenceforth. Regardless of what position you may take, that was my plan, and this short story is a kind of protest against what they have done. 

However, for all the waving the old man did, the police did not notice his act of heroism and left the train right after forcing 5 thugs out. Instead of following them out of the train, the old man just sat there and did nothing. After the policemen descended and the train was moving on the rail again, the boy who was being pointed at looked from the window to find that the train had covered a considerable distance away from the previous station. Then he abruptly stood up and yelled at the top of his voice, “CLOSE THAT GODDAMN DOOR! NONE LEAVES THIS FUCKING TRAIN UNTIL I’M DONE WITH GRANDPA!” and he walked towards the old man who was trying to hide his fear. 

Since he was sitting next to me, everything the lowlife will be doing from that moment on looked like it was directed to me. 

“DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THE FUCK YOU HAVE DONE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?” he said, while wrapping his long fingers around the back of the thin neck of the old man. “YOU SCARED THE SHIT OF ME! SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN A LONG TIME!” and started psychopathically laughing. 

The old man gracefully smiled and said, “I think you’ve picked the wrong person, son. I didn’t do anything”. 

“HAHAHAHA, THE WRONG PERSON?” and he turned towards his friends who neutrally were watching the show and ready for his mark. “DO YOU BELIEVE THIS GUY?” then he looked down at the old man again, “DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK THAT I DIDN’T SEE WHAT YOU’VE DONE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU’VE DONE? SAY IT!” 

The old man remained silent. 

While tightening his grip on his neck, he yelled again, “DO. YOU. FUCKING. KNOW? ANSWER ME NOW!!!” and he violently pulled him. It was ugly.

 After that, he stepped back and removed his hat and tank top. He wrapped the tank top around the old man’s neck and put his hat on his head. Then he gripped his neck again and said, “I WANT YOU TO DANCE AND SING SOMETHING FOR ME!” Then he turned to his crew, “GO ON!! PLAY SOMETHING, SCUMBAGS! COME ON GRANDPA! SING SOMETHING FOR ME! NOW!” 

His face was red, and every vein on his forehead was so pumped with blood, that I thought that they would break loose at any moment. His body was clammy with sweat, so by every movement he made, a droplet or two surrendered themselves to the force of gravity. His body was rock solid, and I think that his eyes were wide open and did not blink them for once. Indeed, he seemed that he was on the verge of committing a murder. 

The old man finally got up and put his hand around the neck of the boy, the same way the boy did, and whispered something in his ear. 

“THE OLD MOTHERFUCKER JUST ASKED ME TO FORGIVE HIM! HAHA. YOU TRIED TO SEND ME TO JAIL! AND NOW YOU’RE ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS? DO YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK AM I? I’M FROM ‘Hay Tadhamon’. DO YOU SEE ALL THESE PEOPLE IN HERE? THEY’RE FROM THERE TOO!” 

“And some of us are from ‘Hay Hlel’, too”, two neighbours notorious for their high cirminality rates. 

“IF ONE OF US GOT CAUGHT BY THE COPS, WE WOULD CRUSH YOUR FUCKING SKULL AND NONE WILL GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE!” continued the leader of the gang. 

The old man was terrified at this point. He just removed the tank top and the hat and said, “I’m really sorry, son. I’m just an old man incapable of doing anything… Forgive me, please”. Then he took him by the neck and kissed him on the cheek. 

The gang leader exhaled in a furious manner. He steadily stared at the old man and said nothing. Then he grabbed his worthless belongings from the old man and sat down again looking away. 

The old man also sat down next to me and said nothing. 

One of the creatures sat next to my friend facing the old man and said, “Hey Grandpa, are you okay? What happened? What did you do exactly?” 

“It’s okay, son,” he said while tapping him on his thigh reassuringly. “Nothing happened”. 

The creature kept looking into the old man’s eyes. 

After a while, this whole Train Situation was coming to an end, as the train was crossing the Lake of Tunis, which means that Tunis Marine was the next stop. 

Tunis Marine Station

The leader of the gang seemed to have regained his mood. So he came off his chair and started singing with his friends Hayfa Wahbi’s “Bous Lwawa” (cringe). 

My friend turned to me and smilingly said, “That was so cancerous. My cringe meter has just exploded”. 

“It is as you said,” I replied. “A dystopia. What a trip. It’s been an ordeal since the beginning."

FINIS