Amir of the First World

Made it Made it

After tying the old knot, Amir earned himself a seat in the 1st world. The experience was transformative in every sense of the word.

Life was good, and troubling memories needed a spate of digging to return to his prefrontal cortex.

The possibilities seemed ever-endless: He could work as an Uber driver or fitness Trainer or even take it slow and live off Gramma Steph's small but steady retirement checks.

Mandatory Alignment

The thing about proverbs is that we tend to favor those that validate our life choices over those that don't.

Take Amir's "wretched" culture (his words, not mine), for one. There is a saying that goes: "If you marry a monkey for its money, money goes, and monkey stays the same."

It goes without saying that the crude local monkey Benjamins saying was nowhere near his socials, and neither was the more tasteful (and international) "Life is a journey, not a destination." It's a shame, really—the latter was only a slight inversion away from making the cut.

Waning High

What haunted Amir in the past is now but a distant memory, and with most life's struggles seen to, matters of lesser importance began to occupy his mental foreground. It was only natural for euphoria to wear out as reality rushes to take its place.

The public stares had him figured out as a caregiver until the seemingly unlikely couple PDA'd… that was when the stares got judgier, and eventually, it got to him.

More Legroom

Amir, a ripped stud with plenty of mileage left in him, unsurprisingly caught the smoldering glances of many age-appropriate women.

As he wrestled with his thoughts with each passing encounter, it was only a matter of time before they got to his head. "Maybe I settled for less" and "there's more for someone like me to claim" were some of his fleeting yet recurring thoughts.

Grandma Stiff

This is Love

It had been a while since Grandma Steph felt anything faintly resembling romance. Amir isn't her first love, but the gap between her first and second—not to mention the dementia factor—makes it as good, if not better.

At the height of all the romance, companionship, and care, Steph was so engrossed in the new reality that it seemed impossible for any of it to change.

Her Kind of Proverb

Okay, yes, she remembers now: the honeymoon is an ephemeral phase driven mainly by firing hormones and untested hope. With the experience under her belt and Amir's patience of youth, there wasn't a curveball she could think of that would impede (or end) their Holy Matrimony.

Anyway, yeah, her kind of proverb... she does not care that her days are limited; she's here for a good time, not a long time.

Life Lease Renewed

Grandma Steph went from embracing old age and the natural cause of death on the horizon to "fuck this—life is good; I'm not going anywhere. As a matter of fact, I might just outlive you, Amir, hahaha," she joked, and laughed awkwardly in response, but she knew it flew over his head.

Her dark humor is often wasted on him, and he has lately been too unbothered to use Google Translate.

It Starts with the Legs

Grandma Steph noticed that Amir was getting colder and more distant each day. She knew something was brewing when he said he was too busy to give her those leg massages she loved so much. He seemed to have expanded his circle, evidenced by his correct use of the "get a life, love" reply.

Do you think I wouldn't if it were as easy as you make it sound? Fucking idiot, she told herself.

Oh, Amir, you crafty son of a bitch. I see where this is going...