Then I can finally continue, “Well, at least she is a liberal I can somehow work with, unlike that corrupt hypocrite Aibek Ospanov! I know Elena’s strengths; I know Elena’s weaknesses. If she is somehow elected to the Parliament, I will easily crush her there! I can make her willingly be my servant with the new moves I acquired after a long time of taking advantage of, fucking, tricking, and abusing those model girls that I wanted back in Los Angeles!”
Sabit raises his already-loud voice on me again, “What the fuck are you talking about, Alisher! Why would you want to kill or destroy Elena?”
I continue, “Just to calm you down, Sabit and Abzal, I would not arrest or execute or murder Elena for my pleasure. No! If I kill her, then these Progressives may get galvanized by such a ‘martyr,’ drive me out of office, or even execute me for fuck’s sake!”
Abzal chuckles, “Oh damn, they would never have the guts to execute you. Did you forget that these soyboys are against any violence?” Afterward, Abzal leaves to his living quarters, “Well good night, comrades, I have more important things to do.”
Sabit is standing in front of me. Without Abzal in sight, he appears to be sad. Perhaps Elena indeed means so much for him as a close comrade, I wonder how they managed to do that after all these years and time apart! Then again, I picture a scene from sixteen years ago. It is September, right after I start my eleventh and final grade. I leave my school’s cafeteria, walking to a private room to relax and to study until the lunch break ends. The students throw tomatoes, dirty forks, and their drinks at me. Rushing to the bathroom to clean myself and my clothes from this mess and this disgrace, I encounter Elena. She immediately runs away from me. However, unlike most people who are disgusted by me, she rushes into the cafeteria to scream at all these students to stop disrespecting me. After the chaos, we leave for that private room where nobody can annoy us so that I could finally tell why I am treated as a pariah in my school. Hearing my story for the first time, Elena holds my arm and softly speaks, “I am worried for you because your great personality and knowledge are constantly being undermined. I am very lucky to have other people support me. You don’t have anybody at this school to open up to, so instead I’ll support you when you will need me. Even if I wouldn’t understand you all the time, I would always try to listen to you and try to support you because it’s always reassuring and calming to know that there’s someone you can rely on.”
I burst into tears. I cannot hide myself from being touched by such a gesture from her. I sob, “Please don’t judge me as someone lesser due to my struggles…”
She comes closer to my body, wrapping her arms around me and caressing my back with her soft fingers. She sympathizes with me, “Alisher, I would never do that. In fact, I admire you for your bravery.”
“You must be… joking… me?”
“No, I am being serious here. It takes a lot of courage to open up and talk about such things, especially as a fellow Dalab myself. I do not think I could have told my parents or anyone else if I was dealing with something you have to endure on a daily basis.”
That is the moment I realized that Elena is a girl who treats me as a person, not as a laughingstock or as an animal. The first woman of my age in my life to do so! Perhaps right now is the chance for me to awaken some of her best qualities I rendered obsolete a decade ago—perhaps there is a chance for my emotions and love actually being useful in this world and in this country! Maybe these qualities are the ones that make so many voters and constituents fall in love with Elena, just like these qualities made me deeply fall head over heels in love with Elena.
In the end, I order Sabit before he leaves the room, “We’re starting the campaign tomorrow. I would announce running for President tomorrow and film the first ads by next week.”
About the Author
Sultan Kamysbayev was born in 2003 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Growing up, he witnessed various political philosophies and events unfold around him while watching global news. Sultan decided to channel his clashing observations into a form of a book. Throughout his high school years, he has often participated in debate and soccer tournaments while exploring his interests and representing his school domestically and abroad. He is currently an international student in The Hague, the Netherlands. Sultan Kamysbayev is also very passionate about politics, debating, history, soccer, traveling, and aviation.
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