“Matthew?”
“Thanks. I hope you're wrapping up. This blizzard is supposed to start soon.”
“Some good Chicago weather, Mr. Matthew! I’m not too far from your drop-off.”
“That works out then! I was worried I’d need a new flight tomorrow with this snow… Whereabouts you from?
“Well, if my keffiyeh didn’t give it away, not here. But I’m living with my brother over by that stadium.”
“Nice, very familiar. I worked there for five years.”
“Like for the team?”
“Yessir. It was my first job. You a footie fan?”
“Big Ronaldo guy.”
“Awkward–I’m a Messi man.”
“I’m following Yemen qualifying closely too, right now. They’re making me proud.”
“I saw they won.”
“Yeah, it’s nice to see some news that isn’t bombs. Some good, you know? We’re from far from all that.”
“Your family still there?”
“Wife, son, parents…I call them every night and send them my tips. Just my brother and me stateside. You from here?”
“Yeah, my whole life. This DC trip was work.”
“Man, I hope you saw our Rep. I’ve been hounding him for six years over their visas. It’s always the same – do this form, do that form, do that one again, over and over. After this fall…who knows…
“I can’t imagine. What’s your son’s name?”
“Ahmad. Same as my dad’s.”
“A wonderful name. He’s got a good dad.”
“It’s also mine, but Faris gets me fewer ‘cancels’ than Ahmad. Anyway, we’re here. I enjoyed our talk.”
“Same. Drive safe, Faris – the snow’s picking up."
About the Creator
Matthew Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of random knowledge. The best way to find your perfect story is to write it yourself.
Here there be dragons, and knights, and castles, and quests for entities not wishing to be found.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Matthew Fromm and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Quoth
Unnoticed, the clock struck into the next day. Before my eyes, as midnight came and went, the words on the pages over which I poured blurred together. Meaningless under my over-tired gaze, they looped around themselves, slowly winding lines of text twisting themselves into knots as I watched, barely awake enough to do more than notice the change.
By Alexander McEvoy7 days ago in Fiction
Comments (7)
Very crisp
Faris gets me fewer cancels. Says a huge amount in one line, doesn't it.
Oh I loved the tone and how real it felt
Great story Matthew. I liked how it shed light on some very real social issues affecting us today. Well done
Nice! I got a good sense of who Faris/Ahmad is. I wanted the conversation to keep going. Damn word limit! So thanks for the author’s note.
Well done, Matthew. I've been considering one based on a true personal story, too. The word certainly makes it challenging.
This is based on a true story! It was difficult to abridge it down so there may be an unabridged version in the future.