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"Like every morning, Hadj. Ali took his plastic chair outside his house, placed it in front of the metal door, and sat down. He spent the whole day sitting there, watching the world go by. He’s always there, rain or shine. His house was painted blue, which was a bold choice in this neighborhood, most houses were not even covered in cement. There were red bricks as far as the eye can see. He painted it himself.

Hadj. Ali was the eyes of the neighborhood. He saw children running to school, their backpacks bouncing. He waved to the mailman, who always smiled back. He watched birds fly from tree to tree, chirping their little songs. He noticed when young love started to blossom and when fights erupted behind closed doors.

He was the eyes of the neighborhood but above all, Hadj. Ali was the friend of the cats, all the cats and kittens from around the neighborhood. He pet them. He played with the. He fed them. He loved the.

One day, a boy named Sami stopped in front of Hadj. Ali’s house. “Good morning, Uncle!” Sami said.

“Good morning, young man,” Hadj. Ali replied. “Where are you going?”

“I’m coming to see you actually,” Sami said. “I have something to show you.”

Hadj. Ali was curious. “What’s that?” He said.

Sami giggled and got his phone out of his pocket to show him a video. On the video, one could see Hadj. Ali surrounded by a dozens cats. The cats seemed excited to see him. They were rubbing his legs and jumping around excitedly.

“I put this video on the internet, and it had more than one millions views! I received many messages of people who want to send you cat food so you can feed all your cats.”

Hadj. Ali was shocked. He wasn’t sure he understood everything, but he was very happy that the cats were going to get food.

Later, a cat came and sat near Hadj. Ali’s feet. It was a skinny, orange cat with big green eyes. “You are a star now, did you know that?” Hadj. Ali said, laughing.

Hadj ali was the heart of the neighborhood."

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Hang On a Second

• Hang on a second. So, you're telling me that you can make Crepponi at home? My mind is blown right now haha. I never thought that that was an option. I thought Crepponi just magically filled those old ice cream machines and only the chosen few could pull the lever for that delicious freezing swirly goodness haha. I have to try it. What do I need?

- I know right? Well, you need lemons of course. When life gives you lemons, you make...crepponi. and you also need sugar and eggs.

-Are you for real? Eggs? Is this ice cream or is it Mouskoutchou?

- I will send you the recipe. But just FYI, it takes some time and you might not get it right the first time. You need to hang in there and keep trying and maybe the next time we hang out we'll be eating your very own homemade Crepponi.

- I am excited. Crepponi was such a big part of my childhood. One of my core memories was running to 3ammi Zouzou's shop with my cousins with our 5 dinars in hand. He would always give me more, or at least that's what it felt like. I loved him for that. Sabrina would eat so slowly, it would melt on her hands and she'd always cry about it. That was the routine. Haha (Ding) Oh I just got your text. Thanks.

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Text: A Flood

I was standing on the edge of the pasture near Oued Djedi, watching the gray clouds gather over El Djelfa. The air was thick with the smell of rain, and the wind blew through the trees. Farmers nearby were hurriedly moving their sheep to higher ground. They were shouting and waving their hands. Every once and again, their yells mixed with the sound of thunder. Suddenly, the rain began, light at first, then heavy and relentless. The once-dry river bed began to fill up rapidly. Within minutes, the water was overflowing its banks. I was scared.

The sheep were stuck in the middle of the river bed, huddled together. Their loud bleats were drowned out by the sound of rushing water. An old shepherd, holding a long stick, stepped into the water. He shouted and tried to guide the sheep to higher ground. Other shepherds joined him, using ropes to pull some of the animals to safety. I wanted to help, but my legs felt rooted to the ground, overwhelmed by what I was seeing.

The water carried many things with it—branches, trash, and even a bright yellow bucket I had seen earlier. People from the village came to help. Everyone was wet and muddy, but they kept going.

Just as quickly as it began, the rain stopped, and the water’s advance slowed. The shepherds, soaked and exhausted, managed to save most of their sheep, though a few were still stranded on small patches of higher ground. I was very impressed by their quick actions, their resilience, and their bravery. I was embarrassed that I didn’t help and a little shocked at how frozen I had been. As the sun broke through the clouds, casting a golden light over the muddy scene, I felt a strange mixture of awe and sadness. The river that was nothing more than dry rocks that kids play on had reminded us all of its power.

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Text: Watch Out

"We are in a bit of a disagreement with my husband. I’ll tell you what happened and you tell me what you think. So, I got a bank draft the other day and found that 250 000da was missing from our account. I was shocked. I thought that someone had hacked into our account so I immediately called Zakaria. He said that it wasn’t a mistake and that he used the money to buy a watch. A watch! 250 000da for a watch! I lost it. I couldn’t believe that one, he would splurge on such a frivolous item and that two, he wouldn’t ask for my opinion prior to making such a big… he calls it “an investment”, I call it throwing money out of the window for something that your phone can do, that your oven can do, that a stupid microwave can do; to tell the time. We merged our finances when we got married and now we have a joint account so we generally discuss bigger purchases. I felt blindsided. I hung up on him and spent the day watching the clock, waiting for him to come home. I called my sister first and she said that I should stay calm and try to see things from his point of view.

When he got home I asked him. I asked him to tell me his side of the story. He said that it was a very high-end piece and it was actually a bargain. A watch of that caliber usually goes for 750 000da or more. He said that it was beautifully crafted and that it could be passed down to our son and maybe even his son after that, like a true family heirloom. He said that just because I don’t care that others don’t notice. According to him, a nice watch is an indicator of success. It puts you immediately in a higher social status and his clients would definitely notice. It was overall a great investment. By this point I was agreeing with him. I could understand where he was coming from, plus he’s been doing so well at work, I thought that he had the right to treat himself. And the he added the part that I didn’t like. He said that he didn’t have to justify himself, that I was a control freak and that I wasted more than 250 000da this year alone buying low-end bags. I was furious again. "

Text: "Yesterday morning, I walked into my bathroom and immediately felt my socks get wet. What a bummer! I was already late. “I don’t need this.” I thought. I looked down and saw a puddle of water on the floor. At first, I thought I had spilled some water the night before, but then I noticed it was still dripping from the side of the bathtub. “Oh no,” I said to myself. “The tub is leaking!”

I grabbed a towel and tried to soak up the water, but it just kept coming. I didn’t know what to do, so I called my dad. “Dad, the bathtub is leaking!” I said. “There’s water everywhere. What should I do?”

He told me not to worry. “I’ll call Karim,” he said. “He’ll fix it.”

Karim is a plumber who lives nearby. We call him every time we need help. He answered right away. Dad explained the situation.

“Hi, Karim, how are you? How’s the family?” Dad said. “Look man, our bathtub is leaking, and I can’t stop the water. Can you come to help me?”

He asked where the water was coming from. I looked closer and saw it was dripping from underneath the tub. “It’s coming from below,” I told him.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll bring my tools and be there in an hour.”

When he arrived, he brought a big toolbox and got right to work. He checked under the tub and said, “There’s a loose pipe. I’ll tighten it and seal it so it won’t leak anymore.”

We watched as he worked, using wrenches, tape, and some special glue. After a little while, he stood up and smiled. “All done!” he said. “The leak is fixed.”

We were so relieved. “Thank you, Karim! I truly appreciate you coming so fast.” I said.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “Keep an eye out for leaks in the future. It’s good to catch them early.”

After he left, I cleaned up the bathroom and put everything back in place. In the commotion, I forgot that I was already late. Now, I am super late. That should be my superhero name. Super Late."

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Text: " “That guy is the worst! I don’t want to work with him. Please, pair me up with anyone else.” I begged my boss but he wouldn’t hear it. He said that Samir has experience with this project and that he would be able to lead me. So not only do I have to work with him, but I also have to follow him? How am I supposed to work with a guy I don’t trust? I don’t know how on earth he earned the trust of the boss but from what I have seen, he’s a loose cannon. He is unpredictable and not in a good way. He plays the fool but I can see through him. He is a calculating, conniving, always looking out for number one kind of person. I don’t trust him farther than I can throw him. I have proof for what I am saying. I saw him take credit for work he didn’t do. I saw him steal our colleagues ideas. I saw him harass one intern and bully another, plus I know he cheats on his wife all over town. And I know all this is after being here for only one year. Who knows what else he is guilty of? Who knows if he steals from the treasury or if he cooks the books? Who knows if he lies about us to look good? Oh my God! What am I going to do? I can’t stand the idea of working closely with him. Integrity is very important to me. I just want to do my job and go home. I don’t need this kind of added stress. "

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