The Call of The Stars (a Kid vs Kat story)

14. Reading Event

As the weeks went by, Ibrahim tried to settle into university life in Toronto. The lectures fascinated him, the openness of the instructors and the depth of the subjects were refreshingly different from his time at Oxford.

Just like in Oxford, and previously in Alexandria, he spent a lot of time in the vast library of the University of Toronto. As he turned the pages, Olivia's face would occasionally flash before him, as if she were an illusion in the hookah smoke. Those red tresses, those deep green eyes - somehow, he couldn't forget them. He didn't try to contact her through Steven either. In keeping with Egyptian fatalism - which he sometimes believed in - he thought that if he was truly meant to cross paths with Olivia again, God would bring them together sooner or later. This attitude brought him relief, allowing him to devote his full attention to his studies and unraveling the mystery of the family curse that had long weighed on him.

One early autumn afternoon, when the leaves had started changing color among the green trees of the University of Toronto, Ibrahim and Gerges visited the local Coptic Orthodox church together. The church was small but cozy, and the community welcomed them warmly.
After the service, a middle-aged man approached them. During the mass, Ibrahim had noticed a familiar face among the congregation - a man who had once been their neighbor in Alexandria, now part of the community here in the new world as well. After the service, Ibrahim went up to him. "Uncle Samir, do you remember me? Ibrahim, Dawood's son, from Alexandria," he said, extending his hand. Samir greeted him with a broad smile. "Ibrahim! How could I forget! How did you end up here, boy?" In their conversation, it emerged that Samir and many others had left Egypt during the Suez Crisis, seeking the stability and peace they could no longer find at home.

3 weeks after the semester opening party

One time, Ibrahim was going to go to the church again with Gerges. He knocked on his roommate's door to see if he was ready, but heard only faint sobbing and Gerges talking to Steve. He carefully opened the door and was stunned to see Steve sitting on the floor against the wall, crying.

"Is everything okay, Steve?" Ibrahim asked as he approached the young man, while Gerges was already sitting next to him on the floor, trying to console him.

"No, I just can't do it, I'm trying to follow in Poe's footsteps, but every line ends in tragedy," Steve said in a trembling voice, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

Ibrahim tried to encourage Steve, but spoke a little sharply.

"Pull yourself together, man!" he shook Steve's shoulder slightly, then spoke to Gerges in Arabic. "Seriously, why is it that the further west I go, the more spineless men I see?"

Gerges quickly interjected in English.

"Ibrahim, this isn't helping him. Steve is really working hard at this, and it means a lot to him. Let's just support him however we can." Gerges suggested they all go to the reading event together, and invite Roy to join them too. "If we're all there, it might be easier for him."

Steve looked at them gratefully.

"You'd really come? That would be great."

The next day, after all their classes were over, Ibrahim, Gerges and Roy went to the reading event to support Steve. The theme of the event was different countries, and Steve had chosen the United States.
Steve's short story, "The Shadow Over Freedom," was a dark and thought-provoking tale set in 1960s America, written in the style of Edgar Allan Poe. At its center was Jack, a talented jazz trumpeter whose music brought the night to life, but who also faced personal and societal challenges. Jack's skin color exposed him to the darker side of American society, revealing the illusory nature of the American dream built on equality and freedom.
The story deeply resonated with readers as it raised issues of racial discrimination and prejudice, including questions of identity and acceptance. The confrontation between Jack and his old friend Tom took a particularly dramatic turn when Tom's rejection and threatening behavior led to Jack's disappearance, symbolizing the changing face of the city and its dreams. After concluding his dark, contemplative performance, Steve was met with thunderous applause from the audience. The young writer's face broke into a relieved smile as he took a seat among his friends, who patted him appreciatively on the back.
The announcer then called for another performer.