Chapter II: Freedom
One foot after the other, L.X. made his way down the steps from the train station onto the sidewalk in downtown Rabat. His nose instantly filled with smells of city life. Scents of cooked food, car exhaust, warm garbage, and sea air settled in his nostrils. The combination of odors was usually enough to make L.X. dizzy but not this time. This time there was sweetness in the air. It was the only sort of sweetness that a free man could smell. A free man who had been persecuted for the past five years was finally enjoying a breath. As his lungs exhaled, ten thousand pounds of tension dissipated. He closed his eyes and for the first time in a while, a genuine smile perched on his cheeks. He then opened his eyes and began walking.
He knew once he made it seaside, there was a chance he could pay fare on a ship heading to Spain or France. The only issue standing between him and his way out of North Africa was money. While walking he reached into his pocket. “Good. Its still there,” he said to himself. He had pick-pocketed a handful of Euros off of a drunken Egyptian man earlier at the train station. It wasn’t in his nature to steal, but he hadn’t eaten in two days. He traveled a mile before he could no longer bare the emptiness in his stomach. Up ahead he saw an outdoor restaurant. He picked up the pace and walked onto the restaurant patio.
He sat down at a small wooden table. A young Moroccan girl came up to his table and went to hand him a menu. L.X. put his hand out and stopped the girl. “Soup,” he said to her. The girl retreated into the kitchen. Minutes later she returned with a large bowl of soup. L.X. devoured the soup, left ten Euros on the table, and continued to the shoreline.
He walked an hour before he could see the sea in the distance. Boats dotted the horizon. Once again he smiled. “It feels so good to be free,” L.X. thought to himself. He continued forward for a bit, but was distracted by excited yelling in an alley up ahead. He peered into the alley to see a few men gambling. He retreated out of the men’s sight and checked how much money he had left. “Ten Euros. It should be enough to meet the minimum bet,” he thought. He held his money tight and confidently walked into the alley.
As he entered the alley, he immediately recognized the game they were playing. He had seen it all across Northern Africa and the Middle East. He knew the mechanics inside and out and most importantly he knew his chances of winning. He approached the four gambling men who where hunched over a small wooden table. “Hello,” L.X. said in Arabic. “I would like to make a bet.” One of the men looked up and beckoned L.X. to play. L.X. laid his money down on the table and placed his bet. The man who had previously beckoned L.X. to play rolled the dice unto the table. “Winner,” the man said. “Play again?” asked the man. L.X. nodded and the other men placed their bet and he rolled the dice.
L.X. continued winning until he had twelve times his initial bet. The other men began to give L.X. evil looks and he knew it was time to go. He took his spoils and quickly exited the alley and continued down the sidewalk. While walking, he occasionally peered back behind his shoulder to see if the men were following him. After ten minutes of checking, he was comfortable that he wasn’t being followed. L.X. carried on until a car suddenly veered off the road and onto the sidewalk; cutting off his path.
From the car the four men he had gambled with emerged along with another man. The new fifth man was giant. “You cheat,” said the giant man. “I didn’t cheat,” L.X. replied. “Give me back the money now or else,” the giant commanded. “I don’t think so,” said L.X.
The giant man became mad and lunged forward in an attempt to grab him. L.X. quickly stepped to the side and swung at the giant’s jaw. His fist made contact and the giant man stumbled backward and passed out. The other four men were unfazed by the giant’s fall and decided to join the fight. They surrounded L.X. and attacked. L.X. began dodging, swinging, punching, and hitting his attackers. The brawl had drawn a crowd to them and spectators soon encircled. L.X. knew he had more stamina than the four men so he planned on fighting defensively until they were worn out. The men couldn’t manage to land a hit on L.X. One of the attackers left an opening for L.X. to strike and just as he wound open to hit, a stranger from the crowd joined in and dropped L.X.’s attacker. The three remaining attackers along with L.X. were surprised at the stranger and momentarily stopped. The stranger didn’t waste time and took advantage of the their shock. With a few quick punches, the remaining attackers were incapacitated. “Follow me quickly,” the stranger commanded. The stranger had just helped L.X. and he thought the man’s voice was strangely familiar so he followed him.
The man quickly sprinted down a few alleys. Left turn, right turn. “Where is this guy taking me?” L.X. thought. The man made a few more turns before entering a building. L.X. followed the man inside. The inside of the building was slightly furnished. It didn’t appear that anyone else was here. “Stop,” L.X. said as he shut the door behind him. “Who are you?” L.X. asked. The stranger paused, then turned around. L.X.’s eyes grew big and his mouth dropped. “I watched you die, Aldo!”
