Fiction
March 2015
This city is empty
Inspired by the real events
by Rovshan Abdullaoglu
“Willie, a man only needs ten seconds to start feeling happy.” “What do you mean, ten seconds?” Smiling, as usual, he said, “All one needs is to think of someone like me.” The spectacular story of two wounded souls healing each other breaks all mental boundaries. Willie's success in football culminated in an invitation to join the Dallas Cowboys, which seemed to guarantee him a great future. He played impressively; however, blows of fate were not as easy to resist as sports’ rivals were. The indifference and betrayal of loved ones forced Willie into an inner fortress; he lost all interest in life. Changing jobs yet again, he became a janitor at a hospital. Here, he encounters a young immigrant who has gone through great losses and the horrors of war, and now is fighting cancer. At the MD Anderson Cancer Hospital, people call him an angel. Usually, patients with a diagnosis like his don’t have long to live, but the young immigrant with a positive outlook on life is not afraid. Rather than thinking about his own death, he sets himself a challenge: to bring Willie back to life. Will this “angel” who has preserved a human love inside be able to untie Willie from his past and set him free? Everyone meets his or her own “angel” in life. Sometimes, it is another human being; sometimes it’s a book. The novel, which became a bestseller in its native Azerbaijan in 2016–2018, gave hope to thousands of people and saved many who were on the verge of suicide. The friendship of the two protagonists stands for universal values and their victory over social, religious, and national barriers. This book is dedicated to everyone who never gives up and stands up to cancer and other great challenges.
