Rushed and breathless, he climbed the stairs. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys so quickly that he dropped them twice before he opened the door. As soon as he turned the key in the lock, he opened the door with one shoulder, forgetting to close it behind him. He kicked off his shoes and ran to his desk. Without stopping to breathe, he turned on the computer and got back to work. He pressed the keyboard buttons so quickly that he couldn’t see his own hands. Shortly afterwards, he received a call from his manager. “Yes, sir,” he replied, perplexed and worried. “I got home at five o’clock and have been working non-stop … of course, I won’t sleep until I finish them, sir.” His manager hung up without saying anything.

Speedily, his fingers were coming and going, while he kept peeking at the clock from the corner of his eyes saying, “Don’t go quickly. Please don’t go quickly. I beg you don’t go quickly.’’

An hour later, he suddenly stopped writing and ran to the bathroom. As soon as he sat down, he picked up a device on a shelf and listened to his mother’s voice messages. Then he replied, “Hello Mum, I miss you too. I’m fine and everything’s going well. If work goes fine, I may come back and see you in five months.” Then he replied to his friend’s voice message, “I’m in a terrible situation man. I worked until one am last night, so that I could pay my room’s rent. But fortunately, I might finish before eleven today. I’m happy to hear about this new job of yours. Thirteen hours is manageable and you’ll have plenty of time to rest.” He returned the device, pulled up his trousers quickly, and hurried back to work.

His hands were feeling numb, his eyes burning. It was eight o’clock in the evening and he still hadn’t blinked his eyes off the screen. He worked fast and was so restless that his whole body was soaked in sweat. He kept telling the clock, “Please don’t go quickly. I beg you to go more leisurely.” Suddenly he heard a lady’s voice coming in and saying, “You didn’t close the door, do you want me to come in?” Without taking his eyes off the screen or saying anything, he nodded to her to come inside. He had been staring at the screen so hard that his eyes had turned red and watery. And he kept praying in his heart, “Please don’t go fast. I beg you, I beg you.” His whole consciousness was focused on the screen when he was startled by the lady’s voice, “Answer me!” Then he remembered that there was a lady in his room, but he was too busy to answer. The girl stepped behind him and touched his shoulders and chest slightly, and said “I’m in a hurry, I have to visit all the other rooms too. Tell me what you like?”

Continuously and quickly his fingers were moving back and forth over the keyboard. He spread his thighs slightly and pointed downward with his chin without moving his eyes off the screen. The woman knelt in front of him and lowered his trousers below his knees. He stared at the screen incessantly, his fingertips and nails aching. Suddenly his body quivered and he closed his eyes. A shiver went from his chest to his waist. The lady pulled his trousers, got up, wiped her mouth, and asked, “What else can I do for you?” Without answering, he quickly began working again. The lady rushed toward the door, and asked on her way, “Should I close the door behind me?” Without answering, he continued writing.

It was a little past eleven when he finished his work.

He got up, exhausted, and went to sit on his knees in front of the clock. He closed his eyes and said some prayers. Then he put his forehead on the floor, bowed to the clock, and said some other prayers. Then he got up and went to the bathroom. He stood motionless under the shower. He wondered which lady had come tonight, what was she wearing, what did she say to him? But nothing came back. He couldn’t even remember when, where, or what he ate today.

After five minutes, he turned off the shower, wrapped the towel around himself, and went out and stood in front of his window looking at the opposite apartment. Through some of the windows he could see people working fast and hysterically, some kneeling before clocks, some sending voice messages for their loved ones from the toilet. On his bed he collapsed face down, and, without having the strength to get dressed or even close the door, he fell asleep.