Chapter Twenty-Three: Confrontation

After the court’s shocking verdict, the judge called on the guards to take Aboud away. That moment was filled with sorrow and despair, as if life had snatched away the last sliver of hope Aboud was holding onto. He walked slowly, his face broken, his back weighed down by the burden of failure and disappointment. With every step, Aboud felt increasingly lost. There was nothing left for him to look forward to, no homeland to return to.

When Aboud re-entered his cell, he sat in the corner, alone, his eyes filled with tears, his shoulders hunched under the weight of his worries. He looked around and saw his cellmate, the Bulgarian prisoner Grigor, sitting in the opposite corner, silently watching him. Grigor had always bullied Aboud since his arrival at the prison, but after hearing what had transpired in court that day, Grigor’s gaze toward him had changed.

That night, the cell was quiet, but inside Aboud, a storm of emotions was brewing—disappointment, sadness, anger—all mixed with a sense of helplessness and fear. As Aboud tried to escape his thoughts, Grigor suddenly stood up and walked toward him.

Grigor stood in front of Aboud for a long moment, staring at him with sharp eyes. There was something strange in Grigor’s gaze, a mixture of pity and anger that Aboud had never seen in him before. Then, without warning, Grigor raised his hand and slapped Aboud hard, knocking him to the ground.

Grigor (angrily, full of challenge):
“Get up! I don’t want to see you like this! You can’t keep falling apart. Life doesn’t spare the weak.”

Aboud was shocked. He hadn’t expected this attack, especially from Grigor, who had always been his enemy inside the cell. Aboud slowly lifted his head and saw Grigor looking at him with a more serious expression than he had ever seen before.

Grigor (sternly):
“Listen, I don’t know what happened to you in court, and I don’t care. But what I do know is if you keep falling like this, you won’t survive. You need to get stronger. You need to become a man.”

It felt as if Grigor’s words pierced through Aboud’s heart. Grigor had always mocked and bullied him, but this time his words were different. There was a deeper meaning behind them—perhaps a harsh lesson, but one that was necessary.

Aboud (in a muted, sorrowful voice):
“But... it’s all over. There’s nothing left for me to fight for.”

Grigor paused for a moment, then looked at Aboud sharply and said:
“Not everything ends just because the court says so. You’re here, and you’re still alive. That means there’s still something worth living for. Now, you need to learn how to fight for yourself.”

Aboud struggled to his feet, the physical and emotional pain weighing on him, but he stood. He looked at Grigor, who hadn’t moved.

Grigor (mysteriously):
“Come with me. I want to show you something.”

Aboud looked at Grigor in confusion, but he followed him silently. The two walked through the dark prison corridors until they reached a small, deserted courtyard inside the prison. The courtyard was completely empty, and the air was cold. Grigor stood in the middle of the courtyard and looked at Aboud.

Grigor:
“This is the place where you’ll begin to change. Here, where there’s no one but yourself. Here, you’ll stop being the weak person you’ve been.”

Aboud stood there, looking at the courtyard, wondering about the meaning of Grigor’s words. He didn’t fully understand what Grigor wanted from him, but he felt that this moment was a turning point. Grigor, the prisoner he had always seen as an enemy, was now offering him a lesson in life—a harsh but necessary one.

Grigor (seriously):
“Life here, Aboud, isn’t easy. If you want to survive, you have to change. You need to learn how to be strong, how to fight for everything you want.”

Grigor’s words were harsh, but they were realistic. Aboud began to understand what he meant. In this prison, and in his life that had become filled with challenges, there was no room for weakness. He had to fight, prove himself, and grow stronger to face a world that seemed to be standing against him.

Aboud (in a quiet voice, filled with new determination):
“I understand... I’ll start here.”

Grigor smiled slightly and nodded.
“Good. Now, let’s begin.”