At ten years old, Aaron loses his older brother to leukaemia. This profound loss creates tremendous instability in the family for years. The bereaved parents suffered from intense depression and eventually separate. After that, Aaron comes to believe that he is not the child his family looks to for leadership. This realisation fills him with bitter indignation and hatred towards his parents. Devastated by the haunting emotions of the long-buried grief and neglect of his parents, he runs from his village at the age of seventeen.

Moving out on his own to the city for the first time is challenging. Aaron faces new social situations that cause him hardship. He retreats to seclusion and solitude for a long time. The only moments he cherishes are when a regular client visits the bookstore where he works. She’s a mature woman whose grace and beauty leave him transfixed. But Aaron’s love remains unrequited.

Alex is the first person to open the door of friendship to Aaron and help him overcome the isolation that controls his life. Alex introduces him to a world of excitement and alcohol. Unfortunately, their friendship doesn’t last long, as Alex’s circumstances change after discovering the truth behind his conception, a reality that affects him dramatically.

Despite his newfound engagement in the world, something is still missing in Aaron’s heart. He looks for a sense of belonging and approval. He needs to give up all the afflictions that have followed him since childhood. To escape, he moves to a foreign country in a quest for answers. In the exotic Dubai, he works as a bartender and encounters several characters. The things he sees and the stories he hears are life-changing. Nesrine is a woman who resides in Dubai illegally in illicit trade; Caroline is an Egyptian-American whose marriage is on the verge of collapse. Nesrine’s problems, however, are more complex.

In the course of his quest, Aaron confronted by a severe sickness that confines him to bed for several months. He loses his business, his apartment, his livelihood. Nesrine offers to nurse him during this convalescence. As the story unfolds and their relationship deepens, Aaron discovers the truth about her past. Both confess their pain and Aaron sees this as the first steps of a love story between two fragile people.

But some people are meant to be miserable. Aaron receives a letter from Alex that reopens his healing wounds. He must return to London to complete the last favour Alex asked of him. He promises Nesrine he’ll return in a few weeks, but on the plane, a note falls from his jacket.

Heartbroken, Aaron returns to his mother after nine years. He stays with her for a few months to complete his recovery. After that, he meets with Alex’s mother and executes his will.

With a chronic disease and perhaps only a few years left to live, Aaron finally realises that the completeness of these experiences has allowed him to attain harmony, reconcile with grief, and forgive himself and life. Towards the end of the story, an unexpected twist adorns his agonising life with a pleasant flavour.

DEDICATION to 

My lovely father 

My cousin Soufiane

My best friend Zakaria 

The memory I have of you is my ultimate consolation.

Content: 

Part I: SOMEWHERE 

CH 1

Part II: WALES PART

CH 2

PART III: LONDON 

CH 3

CH 4

CH 5

CH 6

CH 7

CH 8

CH 9

CH10

CH 11

CH 12

CH 13

CH 14

CH 15

CH 16

PART IV: DUBAI

CH 17

CH 18

CH 19

CH 20

CH 21

CH 22

CH 23

CH 24

CH 25

CH 26

CH 27

CH 28

CH 29

CH 30

CH 31

CH 32

CH 33

CH 34

CH 35

CH 36

PART V: AFTER THE COMA 

CH 37

CH 38

CH 39

CH 40

CH 41

CH 42

CH 43

CH 44

CH 45

CH 46

Epigraph: 

“And you would accept the seasons of your heart just as you have  always accepted that seasons pass over your fields and you would  watch the serenity through the winters of your grief.”

- Khalil Gibran