HUNGRY STREETS

Ambition, will and little dreams are just some simple tools to conquer the whole world. Some people in this world got these simple tools in there back pockets of their brains, such as Alexander the great, Hitler and many other great and not so great people who conquers the world, just for there own reasons of wealth and power. So these tools are the main cause of all the turmoil, bloodshed, hunger and poverty, the world wars caused so much unrest and planted a seed of hunger on this lovely Earth. So the title of this story and the starting paragraph of introduction placed a image in your head that this story is again about misery, pain and all crying. But infect this story is starts from here, thousand lights flashing just like loads of fireflies gathered around in one place, celebrating and dance. And in all that gilts and glam was a place full of people, full of rich, famous and hungry people. Rich and famous are understandable but why they were hungry and for what.

            All those people were hungry for something good to eat, they were in a restaurant. A restaurant named rues affamées; it is a French word for “hungry streets”. What was so special about that place which drove all those rich and famous people to come and eat there? So this the main story how this restaurant became famous, who build it and how. In all the rich and famous people, there was and old man was sitting. The wrinkles and the smile on his face tell his story. His shivering hands grabbing the papers so gently and with lose grip. He was the owner of the restaurant. But he had this shabby and dusty personality, non like those people around him. He was just like rust on a silver shiny sword. Everything around him was just not contrasting with his personality. Now I don’t know how to start this story, the story which only the old man knew and was kept deep in his heart. That was the reason for the smile on the face.

             So this old man named Bruce was once a small business man, he used to go out of his country for trading, basically he was a trader. He used to travel all over the world because of his lumpy business. He used to travel day and night just to get to one place. He use to travel in his own old boat. The boat was not like a huge expensive yacht instead it was old miserable piece of wood. But for Bruce it was the trustiest companion, just like a family member. Bruce doesn’t have any family members; he lived his own live singly. Sea was one of his family members, the sea which was so wide and blue. When ever Bruce used to get sad or little down, he used to sit along his boat and used to talk to the deep blue sea. He use to share all his secret with the sea just like a friend and all his pain and sorrow of being lonely synced in the depth of the deep sea and he use to feel better. Some people find happiness in little things they have.

            One day the sea turned so violent, just like it was also made at something. The sky turn black, as the clouds swallowed the bright sun. Everything became so dark and mysterious; Bruce smelled death in the fast harsh winds. He had never seen such beastly waves. As they hit Bruce’s old wooden boat, sounded like million of lighting bolts stuck down the earth. Bruce heart raced to its maximum speed because he knew that he was about to crushed just like they were made up of toothpicks. His boat was no match for the mighty waves. It felt like the blue sea had a broken heart and destroying everything in misery. The blue sea which use to take away all the sorrows was about to take Bruce’s life. But friends never hurt their own friends, Bruce survived the mighty waves but all his trading goods were lost with the giant waves, now he got nothing to do. Bruce was left alone only with his boat and the wide blue sea.

           He again sit down with his feet dumped in the mighty sea and shared all his sorrows with it. His tears added more salt to the sea as his tears drop in the might sea. But he didn’t lose hope, got hope, hope to carry on no matter what happens. So he went inside his deck grab a bottle of old British whiskey and cheered to a new start, a start he himself didn’t know about. Something knocked in back of his head; I was an idea for a new start. He got whole sea and a trustworthy boat on his side. So he decided to carry on traveling all around the world but this not for trading just to see the entire world. So he traveled with a dream to see all the magnificent places of the world. He started his endless journey by going to France first. He traveled the entire France, the most romantic place of the world. But Bruce didn’t want to indulge in any false relationship so she kept his focus on his dream. In his tour in France he learned all types of Croissants, pastries and all other famous cousins of French. Then he went to Italy, the soccer loving land. He enjoyed every bit of Italy because he saw the most outrageous wonder of world, the leaning tower of Pisa. In Italy he learned the famous ice-cream locally called gelato. He got few money in his pockets so he didn’t eat all those things he learned, instead he learned the entire good thing so he can go back home and make then for himself to eat. With ambitions to fulfill his dreams without anything to give for, Bruce use to work in the famous restaurants as a janitor .Just like Bruce In all those streets where he learned all those cousins, there were the dark sides off those glamorous places, some where too dark to even describe.

            Hunger and poverty was creeping in the deepest and the darkest ally of those streets. Bruce saw something undesirable to watch, there were family so poor to even get the basic necessities of life. Where there were glamorous building and monuments, there was this unseen world so disturbing. When Bruce saw the disturbing image, his heart sank in to the same deep blue sea he used to travel. Child abuse, adultery all sin roll down in the streets just like stray dogs. But the biggest shock was that people don’t have anything to eat. Huger was the main problem for all the sins that were caused. It was a jaw dropping to see such unrest and misery among the poor. The picture was embedded in Bruce’s mind with such a impact the he started thinking for a cure, a cure to help all those miserable people. But he had nothing to help those people, to get those children out of those slums. So with a deep heart Bruce carry on with his trip, so he when to Rome. Rome a country of the great gladiators and the huge arenas, it was a might country. Bruce developed a great love for cooking in Rome and his previous countries he had been to. In Rome he learned all types of pastas, he even remember all the names of pastas such as fettuccine and tortellini.

             So after enjoying all the breath taking places of Rome, he left Europe and when to turkey, the mystical place of Sufis and the most outrageous Muslim architectural work of art. Bruce had never seen such breath taking mosques in his entire life; the whole place had a magical, fairy tale like touch. The aroma of the water pipes locally know as the hookah or even sheesha and the traditional teas took Bruce to one of the local café. The café was filled with smoke of water pipes and there were these belly dancers dancing around the people. It was just like mystical Arabian night; Bruce enjoyed every bit of it, from water pipe to the exotics tea and even the belly dancers. While Bruce was about to go out of the café, he saw the most picturesque beauty sitting alone. Bruce stopped and asked her name, at first she felted little uncomfortable but Bruce knew how make a girl comfortable. Her name was Fatima; she was there to become a belly dancer. She was also one of the victims of the ugly hunger, which was eating the deep core of the lovely earth. Bruce just consoled her and told her that one day he will come and take her away from all the pain she had been through. With heavy heart Bruce when out of the café by just giving Fatima the hope to met each other again for good. After learning the famous water pipe and all the exotic teas Bruce when far away from Turkey.

            Bruce when Asia and land in India, the land of Ganges, the gods and mighty Bengal tigers. Every where there was this pinching of spices everywhere. Everyone loved to eat and live freely. Everyone there loved to add spice to their life. There was this respect for everyone. The soul touching music of the Indian tradition just took Bruce’s breath away. India was a mixed cultured land, where they were Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and other religious people living together in harmony. And to add sugar to add this there were people very religious as well as the people who just live there life in search of something they never intend to found. They were this race going on in the old streets to get something nobody knew what it was. India got two different faces, one was the growing economical country and other was still very hard to tell. People in India also didn’t know what their necessity of life was, people laying where ever the find shade to lay their heads under and sleeping unaware of everything. No one wanted to be changed, as the might building crushing the poorest.

            After all that differences, there was a smile on the faces of the poor. To see all h heritage of India, Bruce worked in a Indian famous restaurant as a server. After his job Bruce learned many cousins and he didn’t wanted to leave India. One day Bruce was walking along the sea when something grab Bruce by his shirt. Its was this confused creature, just wearing a greasy shorts and his skin was tanned with the heat of sunlight. His face was covered with mud and it’s was difficult to tell that was it a little boy or some muddy thing. He was an eight year old by who was a beggar. Bruce asked the little boy why he was in such a condition. With his bright eyes shining, the boy told Bruce that he had to beg for money so he can feed his family of six. Little money which was left in Bruce’s pocket, Bruce gave it to the little boy, a smile sparked on the young boy face made Bruce’s eyes to leak. Bruce wished he could help everyone who is poor and then he remembered Fatima. He started wondering that in which condition she would be in. So Bruce decided to back to his homeland. But he had nothing to do back there so again he was bit confuse. So Bruce went on his ship and started think, an idea clunked in his head. A idea which a again about to change his life         

             Bruce when back to turkey on his trusty boat to take Fatima with her to her home land, after searching everywhere, he was unable to find Fatima. He was so depressed and sad, with sadness and emptiness in his heart he was going back to his homeland. A sound came from behind, a voice to sweet and pleasing. It was Fatima stand behind him. A wave of joy swiped all the emptiness out of Bruce’s heart. Fatima agreed to go with Bruce because she no longer wanted to wait for Bruce. On there way Bruce told Fatima about all his experiences in India and other countries, how he had nothing and he worked in all those restaurants and learned all those mouth watering cousins. Then he told her about his plan, the plan was to open his own restaurant in his own home town because people in his homeland didn’t knew about all those flavorful cousins he had learned for himself. Fatima boosted her ideas by being by his side all the time.

          

            So when they arrived at there destination, there was this big problem. Bruce didn’t have any money to get all those things he required to open the restaurant. He didn’t have all the equipments, but he didn’t lose hope. He sold his boat, his own trusty partner. On the other hand Fatima had little money she had saved in all that time being a belly dancer. So the big problem was over with little help by Fatima and the ambition of helping the poor in mind of Bruce. God helped both of them in their good willing mission. So at the end of the week with starving nights the restaurant was final about to open. The fingers were crossed; the restaurant was named “rues affamées” meaning hungry streets. The name was dedicated to all those people Bruce had felt to help them. So at first there were one few people came to restaurant. Bruce and Fatima were disappointed at first then god knows what happened, the restaurant became a big success. All the richest people came to visit the restaurant. They had never eaten anything before; it was a mouthwatering treat for the rich. In one day Bruce and Fatima earned enough to buy anything they like.

             

            So Bruce and Fatima bought back the trustworthy partner, the boat. After many months they got enough money to give away to the poor, back to the hunger streets. On their trust worth boat, they went on a world trip to help the poor. Bruce and Fatima went to the same places once they had nothing in their pockets but the ambition Bruce had in his back pockets of his brain. Bruce spends all his earning for the poor. Both Fatima and Bruce expanded their restaurant and made it a chained network. With all the money they started a trust in which they feed poor people for free and grant wishes of the poor. With a good aim they became more and more successful day by day. They have never thought that one day they will become so rich.

          

           The story is about to end but I want to tell you that why Bruce was in such a condition as mentioned in the starting. It was al because he never wanted to become a rich man because he thought that when the rich people got everything, why cant they help the poor so he never pretend to be a rich man instead he stayed as he use to be before becoming rich. And the smile was because Bruce thought of himself as a robin hood, a legal robin hood. After many years his hunger streets opened in every corner of the world and became a world famous. Its my first happy ending story and a different theme of ambition, hunger and a heart of gold to end it with.