The Dream of Emigrating at Twenty: novel, #1

By Ahmed Sarirete

After reaching his twentieth birthday, Mourad, a university student, never imagined that the first and riskiest decision that fate would push him to make in his new life would be to immigrate clandestinely, or as the Algerians call it "Harga". Luckily, he knew people who would help him achieve his dream without any financial compensation, but fate was against him every time he tried to accomplish his project, so he finally realized that the secret method of immigration was not designed for him, for a reason only God knows. Therefore, he decided to return home disappointed, after having left without informing his parents of his intention to emigrate. On his way back home, he was once again driven by fate to fulfill his dream of emigrating in another strange way, with a new hope and stimuli he had never imagined!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201795405

Book preview

Ahmed Sarirete

The Dream of  Emigrating at Twenty 

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A Novel   

Dedication 

This work is intended for all of our youth over twenty who dream of emigrating to the West or intend to immigrate to Europe. I hope that their intention is not to flee their homeland without return with malice or hatred in their hearts so that their dream does not turn into an illusion, but to return one day, successful and dear to their country. I hope that they will learn from the sciences, knowledge, and professions that can fix the effects of corruption in their homeland.

Chapter One

In the morning, he left the house determined to do something extraordinary on this sunny day... He felt for the first time that he had unbelievable energy to face the world as a man, without relying on anyone!

He was not used to this feeling before, as his days in high school and even at university were filled with routine and boredom, despite some important events related to his sacrifices in his study and in his private life that occupied his mind for a short period, but their effects quickly faded.

On that particular day, he strongly felt that he was fully prepared to achieve his big dreams, which he had been living during the middle school period before entering high school... At that time, his talents as an actor, playwright, and soccer player exploded, and his superiority in all subjects emerged; his theatrical or sports activity in the educational institution or outside it, in the cultural center of his neighborhood, didn't interfere with his academic level. On the contrary, it increased his enthusiasm and excellence until he started to swim in dreams where he could see himself as a hero of the future!

That day, he resolved to enjoy his time and think of nothing, and to go anywhere without specifying his destination with the money he had pocketed the day before.

It was the first step in his new life... He suddenly became aware of himself after a twenty-year journey... Yes, yesterday was his twentieth birthday!

He celebrated it simply amid his humble family, and each member warmly congratulated him on the end of one stage of his life and the beginning of another, wishing him every happiness and success for the rest of his life... The retired father's gift was a hefty amount of money to encourage him to enter the world of manhood with confidence and security.

Superficially, the event seemed normal, like all the events that had crossed his mind, but deep down, he knew that he was living a historic turning point in his life, so he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs and say: Here I am! I have become a man in the full sense of the word; there’s no guardianship over me anymore...Today...I only am responsible for my decisions and actions!

He asked for a cab via an application on his phone for the first destination that came to mind, and before reaching it, he sat down and thought of changing the goal he’d fixed in the first place to a more remote location so that he could enjoy the ride with the driver. It was outside the capital, more precisely to one of the beaches in the west of the capital in Sidi Fredj.

As the weather was so beautiful, he thought that facing the sea and enjoying its charm and calm waves was the best moment to trigger beautiful dreams!

The driver was his father's age, and he looked kind and trustworthy. He comforted him at first sight and decided to open his heart to him by taking the initiative to speak: 

-  It's great today, Uncle!

The driver understood his desire to speak, and  answered with a smile: 

-  Yes, it is a good day for a walk by the sea.

-  By the way, is it possible to change the destination you’ve mentioned in the application?

-  Where?

-  To the beach of Sidi Fredj.

-  It's quite a long distance, and the trip cost will be higher.

-  Never mind! I want to enjoy my day with the calm sea waves.

The driver set off to the new destination and was eager to know the reason for the change. He asked him: 

-  You look good like you're going to an important appointment!? Maybe with history!?

The young man didn’t understand what he meant by saying that, so he asked:

-  With history?

The driver went on to further explain:

-  Have you forgotten that Sidi Fredj is the first place from where French colonialism entered the first landing by its army on June 14, 1830, which was led by General de Bourmont, mandated by Charles X, King of France? Didn't you learn at school about this and how this general intended to penetrate the very fortified citadel of Algiers from behind? 

The young man burst out laughing and said:

-  That’s an old story! I’m now dealing only with myself...The appointment is with my dreams and my future!

The man was surprised and didn’t expect to hear such an answer from him, because he was still young and didn't experience any troubles in life to like to be alone! But at the same time, he regretted his disinterest in his own country's history. 

The young man noticed the driver's confusion, and said, revealing the meaning of his answer:

-  Today I have become a man in the fullest sense of the word!

The man smiled and said: 

-  This is great, but how did you feel that way on this particular day?

-  My twentieth birthday was yesterday.

-  May Allah bless your life and give you goodness and happiness... Ah, you reminded me of the day I turned twenty, forty years ago... That was a miserable day in my life... I’ll never forget it.

The young man felt the driver's grief and didn’t dare to ask him about the reason for his misery, so he said, trying to ease his apparent pain:

-  You’re now about the age of my retired dad.

-  Our generation, my son, suffered a lot, and we didn’t enjoy our youth as you do today...The vast majority of our parents were illiterate and poor... Hard times made us face life's burdens alone and feel manly before the age of twenty... We had to work, study and toil to get out of poverty and ignorance... My twentieth birthday was a miserable one because I hadn't fulfilled the dream of escaping the harsh reality and traveling abroad... Fate challenged me and forced me to be complacent with the bitter reality that I could adjust to only with difficulty, so I learned patience and reluctantly kept up with the pace of events until I became more realistic and forgot the dreams of my youth.

Just then, the young man remembered his father with pity and said: 

-  Now I do understand why my dad had tears in his eyes yesterday when he was handing me a good sum of his own little money for my birthday.

The driver sighed painfully, and then said: 

-  I'm sorry for what I said; I don't mean to upset your day with my sad memories... We’ll arrive soon.

He looked at the young man to make sure that his words didn’t affect his mood, so he asked him his name to sweeten the atmosphere more. The young man answered proudly:

-  My name is Mourad.

-  Lovely name! I pray to Allah to fulfill your desires in life. Tell me, what is your wish for the future?

Suddenly, Mourad's mind wandered for a moment, and then said with impatience and nostalgia:

-  I want to be a famous actor or a famous soccer player. 

-  Why don't you want to be an engineer, a doctor, or a university professor?

-  In this country, such professions would make me an ordinary person without ambition,