A Very Long Kiss by Saber El-Ganzouri

By Saber El-Ganzouri

Tawasul News presents a new short story by poet and author Saber El-Ganzouri, from his narrative world, Adam in the Parallel World.

In “A Very Long Kiss,” the climb up seven flights of stairs becomes a journey through an entire lifetime—from childhood and university days to old love letters and a weary heart that still comes alive in the presence of the person it loves.

Through warm dialogue and scenes filled with nostalgia, El-Ganzouri portrays a love that has matured with time without losing the nervous tenderness of its beginnings. On every landing, the couple recovers a piece of its shared past, moving gradually toward an ending whose quiet warmth conceals an unspoken sorrow that lingers long after the final line.

The Story

He caught her by surprise with a yearning look into her eyes.

— I’ve missed you.

They met at the entrance to the building, just before they were about to step into the elevator.

Her eyes sparkled, and a shy blush covered her rosy cheeks. Astonishment mingled with a happiness that quietly slipped into her heart.

She smiled and said:

— I’ve missed you very much too.

She embraced him tightly and whispered:

— I love you.

She looked into his eyes and said:

— Let’s take the stairs together. I’m still worried about your tired heart.

— I’m not afraid for my heart when I’m with you.

— You are my soul, my heart, my mind—my everything.

— Then let’s take the stairs...

She took both his hands in hers and gazed at his face.

They climbed to the first floor...

He began:

— They told me I didn’t cry when I was born.

— I was laughing, my mother told me.

They reached the second floor.

They sat for a while on one of the steps.

Their fingers intertwined, and nothing but silence surrounded them...

She interrupted him:

— You used to hit me whenever we played together, then make peace with me by giving me a piece of candy.

They laughed as they prepared to stand.

On the third floor, they stopped for a moment. He leaned his body against the wall.

She moved closer, and the whispers of their breathing mingled with smiles and deep looks.

— We still have four more floors ahead of us.

She said it as she rested her head against his chest.

— This was your choice.

The elevator is still right in front of us. Would you like to stop here and take it?

She felt his heart beating rapidly.

— No, let’s continue. I don’t want to reach the top too quickly.

— Don’t be afraid. With you, my heart beats with life... Let’s continue the journey.

On the fourth floor, they sat down again.

He said:

— In high school, I wrote poems for you and sent you hundreds of letters.

— The rose petals are still there, faded but preserved with the letters in my books and yours.

The longing of memory and the ache of time caressed her... Nostalgia mingled with buried desires and the changing tones of her voice.

— Our university days were the most beautiful.

— I used to leave my lectures and come to meet you at your college. We would walk and laugh so much.

— Every day I have spent with you has been beautiful.

His eyes laughed, and her cheeks flushed.

— We’re almost there, my love. Are we approaching the end?

— Don’t call it the end. We are approaching our beautiful nest.

— You’re right. Reaching it took so much effort before it finally brought us together.

Let’s keep climbing...

They crossed the fifth floor effortlessly, amid whispered words, the conversation of intertwined fingers, and eyes overflowing with love and tears...

They reached the sixth floor. His heartbeat quickened.

He pulled her to his chest, his longing reaching her before he did.

They became lost in a wave of love, kisses, and conversations that needed no words.

They were startled by the voice of a resident stepping out of the elevator and laughing:

— Good evening, Uncle Kamal. How are you, Miss Hanaa?

They grew flustered, laughed, and forgot to return his evening greeting.

They continued climbing...

— Have we finally reached the seventh floor?

— Here is our nest.

I missed it so much this time.

— Yes, my love.

— It has been a long, exhausting, beautiful and exciting journey.

— You are still a young man—my life, my sun, my moon and all my years.

He laughed and exclaimed:

— You make me love life.

They walked toward the apartment...

She moved closer, surrounded him with her arms and held him tightly. He kissed her in one long kiss that remained upon her lips and never left them, even after she entered their beautiful nest alone.