"You know how people always ask where you're from?" "I'm from the Village of Love." "If you want to know where that is, well, it's a long story." "A LONG STORY As long as a film, as short as a few lifetimes." "One night, when I was just a boy, we were in another carriage like this." "My dad, my mum and me." "Where have you been, Ali?" "C'mon, get ready, my sweet." "This is our station." "C'mon!" "Come here, son." "Thanks a lot, friend." "Where are we?" "Well..." "Well, I'm not exactly sure either, my friend." "Why did we get off then?" "Hold your horses, honey." "The chief conductor lives here." "He said he'd fix us a place to stay and find me a job." "But do you know the man?" "No, we just met." "But he's a great guy." "So you know this guy now?" "No!" "We've just met." "But he is a good man" "Ali..." "I'm a bachelor, my place is tiny." "So make do for tonight with the switchman and his wife." "I'll take care of the rest." "We've been a bother to everyone." "Not at all." "Don't hang back, miss." "You know, I've taken a real shine to Ali." "Good evening." "Welcome!" "Good evening." "Thank you." "C'mon, come on up." "So, knew him already?" "They've just met." "But he is a good man." "Come on, it's alright." "Those were great years." "It didn't take long to make friends or to fall in love, for that matter." "Why has he come here?" "At my advice, boss." "I said you had a big heart, boss, that he wouldn't be left high and dry." "Where was he before?" "Here and there, boss." "Scraping by." "Here, look me in the eye." "Is he an outcast or something?" "Who knows where he's come from." "Do you know the man for God's sake?" "No, we just met." "But he's a great guy!" "Can I help you with something, sister?" ""No, baby." "I'm trying to save some money by making these but it's not so easy."" "Good news, miss!" "I've found you a place to stay!" "Bless you!" "Ali will be thrilled when he hears." "He went off early to look forwork." "To look forwork?" "Well I'll be damned!" "It's only his first day here." "Who does he know?" "What do you do for a living?" "I've done a lot of clerking, sir." "I've kept books, done timekeeping, helped with accounts." "And I learned to type with a lawyer." "I can type any legal petition you name." "What about schools, education?" "I didn't get to finish school." "But I still study." "I don't hate it." "I don't understand." "As a boy, I worked for a bookseller." "I learned everything from him." "And from books." "I always say if it weren't for books..." "Don't give me books!" "If you're going to study, you study what's in the curriculum." "People who stray outside it have done this country no good." "That bookseller of yours was a communist, no doubt." "Anyway." "I don't need anyone unschooled at this school." "My staff here..." "My staff here are educated people, people who know how to behave." "This is a state school." "Knowing how to behave..." "Yes?" "!" "Umm, I didn't know you had a visitor." "I'm having a quick word here." "I don't have one thoughtful person coming to work for me here!" "What is it now?" "Head, the safe you ordered is here." "Where do you want it?" "Here in my office." "Bring it in." "It weighs a ton." "I'll call the men who brought it." "I'll help." "No, please, mister." "Where's it going?" "Here is OK." "But it's heavy, it'll ruin that nice new floor." "Let's cut a piece of chipboard to put underneath, huh?" "Good thinking, mister!" "You can tell an educated man a mile off." "Whoa, Ali!" "You got the job just like that, huh?" "Well, he saw a useful man with manners and didn't want to miss out So what will you be doing?" "Some deskwork, some odd jobs, my love." "You're one hell of a guy, Ali!" "Did you know the headmaster?" "No, we just met." "He's a good guy then, huh?" "No!" "A total asshole." "But we got along OK." "Well, now you've got a job..." "Here we go, here's your humble home." "What do you say?" "Ali, it's a carriage for heaven's sake!" "How can we live in a carriage?" "Never mind how it looks now, miss." "A good clean, some repairs." "I'll help." "My son will give us a hand, too." "Won't you?" "APRIL 1963" "Hey, it's perfect!" "Garden in front, hills behind..." "And if we had a goldfinch there." "And put a fuchsia there..." "You'll have your bird and your plant, my sweet." "All is for you." "My spring scent, my yellow flower." "Hey, you know what?" "The rich don't have it this good." "Dad, why did we come here?" "It's a long story, my friend." "How many times have I told you?" "Aren't you tired of it yet?" "I'd never tire of hearing it." "And he'd never tire of telling me." "But he'd tell me as a friend, an equal." "He never looked on me as a child." "Who's this?" "Süleyman the Wrestler!" "And who was Süleyman the Wrestler?" "Your grandfather!" "I was just a small boy then." "I had no one." "We were in Bulgaria." "Bulgaria was communist back then." "What's 'communist'?" "Communist is when a person..." "That's a long story." "My grandfather and I found a way to escape to Turkey." "With the money he had my grandfather bought a rundown farm in Eyüp Sultan." "We made the place shipshape." "We settled in Istanbul together." "He even taught me to play the harmonica." "And then..." "Then I lost my grandfather." "I was left with no one or anything." "I couldn't run the farm alone either." "I started working for a bookseller in the neighbourhood." "I saw your mum for the first time in that bookshop." "She was at the girls technical school." "She was so beautiful, though." "So beautiful." "But your mum's family was one of the meanest in Eyüp Sultan." "They ran an open-air cinema." "Her brothers were gangster types." "They kept an iron hand on your mum." "No going on the balcony, no looking out of the window." "I have no job." "I have no money." "And when grandpa's gone, the education had to be put on the side." "The books in the bookstore are my world." "But I love your mama." "And she loves me too." ""I'm waiting for you under the same tree."" "Way to go, son." "Münire, the only answer is for us to run away one night." "No way, Ali!" "They'd never let us." "Who are we talking about here?" ""I'm the grandson of the great wrestler, Süleyman!"" "Maybe you are." "But I won't have everyone saying I ran away." "So we went on meeting in secret for quite some time." "When I was away in the army her brothers decided to palm her off to the idiot son of the cinema owner." "Then they'd be family and get the cinema for free." "Crooks!" "And when the brothers insisted" "I have nothing to do with him!" "You think I'm a dead piece of meat?" "I'd better off dead." "The day I came back from the army we met in secret again." "I found your mum black and blue all over." "No brother does that to his sister." "Not even a Red would do it to a Moslem!" "Ali, calm down." "I'm Süleyman the Wrestler's grandson!" "I won't let them get away with it." "Are you running away with me?" "Ali?" "Are you coming, honey?" "My grandfather had a chum with a boat down at the quay." "We made a deal." "Your mum would come to the quay." "Then we'd wave goodbye to Üsküdar." "That was the plan." "The rest was in God's hands." "Your mom has arrived." "Where's Ali, uncle?" "Sit down, my girl." "He'll be here in a minute." "Try not to slip." "He'll be here in a minute." "While your mum was waiting at the quay I had one last score to settle." "It was summer." "The cinema was packed." "I think a pirate movie was showing." "Whatever." "At the highpoint of the movie, at the most dramatic moment when guns and cannons were firing and the whole place was in flames when everyone was watching with bated breath I set light to the screen which was mounted on wooden poles." "There, black  white made colour!" "At first, no one was sure if it was the movie or for real." "Then the flames, the smoke, the smell had everyone scampering away." "While your mum's dazed brothers were grappling with blazing chairs I delivered the final blow." "I dived into the projectionist's room," "I threw the guy on the floor." "And I grabbed the loudspeaker." "Damn it, didn't I warn you not to stand in the way of lovers?" ""Didn't I say I'd destroy anyone who tried?"" "Well, your cinema, its owner and his idiot son can take a..." "Leave Münire and me alone!" "So the tickets are not valid anymore?" "So we won't see the film again?" "Well, Istanbul never saw a movie like that again, that's for sure." "I heard afterwards that my antics had become legend in Eyüp." "It's like selling a single printed page for a legend." "Just like that." "Read all about it!" "Read all about it!" "Read all about it!" "Read about the legendary Bulgarian Ali... burning down a cinema..." "...and running away with Münire!" "My uncles weren't the only reason we roamed from town to town." "Dad was a man who couldn't take injustice." "Bravo!" "How on earth did you turn that hovel of a carriage into a home?" "Team effort." "And your wife gave Munire a few things." "Bless everyone for helping." "Don't mention it." "Does only the head use that entrance?" "Well, he's a big shot, what can you do." "OK, OK." "But look, the head comes in that way, the kids that way..." "...and this place is all weeds." "What I'm saying is, suppose we straighten out this garden bit?" "It's perfectly level, see?" "What's to straighten out?" "You're talking perfectly level soil." "But suppose we plant one or two fruit trees there?" "Then over there, rows of..." "Stop right there." "Stop!" "The head loathes busybodies." "What garden for goodness sake?" "Doesn't the school keep you busy?" "School chores won't suffer, promise." "We'll do it out-of-hours, at weekends." "There's no money, Mr Ali." "No money!" "You know what the education budget is?" "But a few seeds and saplings, head?" "Yes!" "Even that means money." "The real money is in the soil." "You reap five times what you plant." "I'll see to the seeds and saplings." "Never mind the money." "Besides, when the inspector shows up from Ankara..." "You can proudly..." "Fine, OK." "But don't expect a penny." "And if I catch anyone out there during school hours, you're finished." "Are you the devil or simply guilty conscience?" "How did you manage to convince him?" "Are you so terrified by him?" "Hey, chef!" "You are an officer." "You have rights." "You'll speak." "My goodness!" "Well?" "Is this all the tools there are?" "Along with the stuff for fires." "That's inside." "How come you dumped this here?" "Well, it's junk." "If anything's junk, it's you!" "She's a beauty, as good as new." "Whoa!" "What do you want with the typewriter?" "I enjoy writing." "Well I never!" "So what do you write?" "Memories, that kind of thing." "So the hoi polloi have memories, too." "I didn't catch that." "In case you hadn't noticed, that typewriter's broken." "The L key doesn't work." "But then again, it's just as well." "With no L, you can't type Socialist." "You can't type Leftist." "And forget altogether about Lenin!" "But suppose you manage to type pages without running into an L." "How are you going to sign off at the end, Ali Effendi?" "'A-i' instead of Ali?" "Like a braying ass?" "Ass, huh?" "You son of a..." "What was that?" "An ass, I said, never knows a good thing when he sees it." "What's that typewriter doing here, Ali?" "Don't you know people who write are not a loved lot?" "OK, honey." "Do you love me?" "Then love me and it's all I ask." "Forget everyone else." "Anyway, relax." "The head said there was nothing to worry about." "The L key doesn't work." "Son of a..." "Right, son?" "We're going to fill it with soil and we'll water it." "Who's that kid?" "My son, sir." "He's helping too." "You'd all start to whine if I was to ask you to work on the weekend Look at that!" "The soil is very soothing, sir." "Would you like to give it a shot?" "He's going to have us all fired!" "You'd better off listen to what I say..." "It's all in vain anyway." "The kids are going to ruin everything." "Over here, kids!" "If you watch me closely, each one of you will have a young plant." "You're going to water it every day." "With love and kindness, agreed?" "We have a deal?" "Come on, then..." "My daughterwent through the wrong door!" "I'm the wife of Ali." "I brought something to eat." "Would you like to eat something before you go?" "We can share everything that was offered by God." "Would you like to join us?" "Come on, then." "Did you prepare Bosnian Pasta, girl?" "My God!" "But Ali when did you form that gang?" "Don't call them a gang, he'll hear it." "He keeps looking this way, he'll banish us all!" "There are some people;" "with love, work, courage and by sharing;" "with authorities." "My dad was one of them." "I really admired him." "I grew up all day with the smell of mum and waited for dad to come home every evening." "Hey, son!" "Wait, hold on, hold on!" "See what I got mum." "Look!" "Think she'll like them?" "Stick your hand in my inside pocket." "What's there?" "Rooster lollies!" "Give one to your friend there." "Go on." "Münire!" "Look what I got." "Here, a goldfinch for you and a fuchsia." "Like them?" "You're too good to me." "Where did you find them?" "Your wish is my command, my sweet." "My life, my burst of spring..." "In you go now and find them a place." "I'll bring the table in." "The weather's turned chilly." "Let's eat inside today, huh?" "Hey, what the hell is going on!" "I thought you might be hungry." "You take these." "I'll bring the table in." "C'mon." "So..." "What do you want from me for Bairam?" "What could we want, Ali?" "Mustafa has enough clothes thankfully." "What about you?" "What about me?" "Let's get you a nice coat and some shoes, huh?" "My old coat is fine." "Besides..." "Münire." "You were only a girl when you ran away with me." "The pink of your coat has faded." "And they're still the same shoes." "I couldn't afford the best then." "Shoes wear out, Ali." "Everything does." "But look, you're the same man I fell in love with." "Don't you wear out." "Honey, those words are like out of a book!" "In all that poverty, my first love was the love between mum and dad." "I love your mum." "The best place for a child to grow up is in the glow of his parents' love." "So I never say I'm from such-and-such a place." "There's to be no more getting tired for the young lady, Mr Ali." "You have a baby on the way." "How come?" "Doesn't it make you happy?" "Hey!" "How about a girl this time, huh?" "Oh my God!" "Mustafa!" "Mustafa!" "There's a baby on its way!" "A baby!" "Great news, my friend." "You've a brother or sister on the way!" "There's a baby on its way!" "A baby!" "Really, Münire?" "Yes, really." "Why?" "Didn't you expect it of us?" "Ali, really!" "In front of everyone?" "You crazy thing!" "What's wrong, girl?" "He's happy!" "Yes, but it's tempting fate." "No, it isn't." "Why be shy?" "Let everyone hear!" "Bulgarian Ali, grandson of Süleyman the Wrestler is going to be a father again!" "What's going on, Ali?" "I'm going to be a father again!" "That's great!" "C'mon!" "Whoa!" "Check him out!" "Just like a little boy." "C'mon, try it on." "Let's see how it looks." "No, Ali." "Anyway, I'm pregnant now." "I'll be gaining all that weight." "It's best if you take them back." "What do you mean, take them back?" "I made such a fuss of buying them." "What am I supposed to say the man?" "I'll do it then." "Besides, would I ever shame you?" "I'll find an excuse, huh?" "Münire..." "Don't do this." "I'm not doing anything, my love." "Look, there's a baby on its way." "It'll be needing things." "Once the baby is born, we'll go shopping together, promise." "Hello there." "Come in, dear." "Welcome." "I'm Ali's wife." "The thing is, I'm expecting a baby." "I'll be getting big all over." "Would it be OK to return these for now?" "No trouble." "Anyway, Ali hasn't paid..." "Please, don't mention the money to me." "You can sort that out with Ali." "All right, dear." "I'll do that." "In fact, Mum knew that dad had bought the coat and shoes on credit." "But their love for each other was based above all on not hurting one another's pride." "They each felt the full brunt of their troubles but never made it known to the other." "Slow down, kids!" "Stop that noise!" "Careful!" "So that's how it is in town, huh?" "Well, the Governor's office." "It's a den of intrigue." "You're lucky just the same." "I'm stuck here." "Don't think that." "Anyway, look!" "I envy you this garden." "I'll put it to the Governor that we make a garden ourselves." "But don't forget to mention me." "If he asks where you got the budget?" "What's a few seeds and saplings from the budget?" "The real money is in the soil." "You reap five times what you plant." "See those cucumbers and whatnot?" "I planted them specially." "You won't find crisper." "Þükrü Effendi!" "Fill a string bag with produce." "Planted them specially, did you?" "Stupid prick." "People are strange, my friend." "Be yourself." "And give credit wherever credit is due." "Treat everyone equally, OK?" "And listen." "The best girls go for that kind of guy." "You'll soon be a real heartbreaker, you know." "Did you break mum's heart?" "Hey!" "Your mum is my heart and soul." "Look, you're being good, aren't you?" "You'll have a brother or sister soon." "You're helping mum, aren't you?" "That's my boy!" "She's our flaxen-haired treasure." "Dad, what does 'flaxen' mean?" "It means silky blonde." "Like mum's flowing ringlets." "Look, a fish!" "You've caught a fish!" "You've caught our dinner again!" "Hold on tight, son!" "There you go!" "Þükrü Effendi!" "The meat's cooked and we have no tomatoes or peppers!" "Step on it!" "All done, head." "I'll just give them a quick wash." "What's he up to?" "His friends from town." "They're all big shots." "Guys from the land registry..." "...from the health services even from the education board." "But you've done all the work, you deserve a share." "Take some home for yourselves." "Are big shots meant to eat it all?" "Of course they are." "What did you expect?" "Come here!" "Ali!" "Enjoy the spread!" "Keep it short." "Head..." "How about the students and staff, people who've worked on this garden..." "...have a share of the produce?" "Stop blathering and get back to work." "Have some respect." "Now go away!" "I didn't mean any disrespect." "But if this garden has its rewards..." "...shouldn't they be split equally between everyone?" "What do you mean "split equally"?" "Are you asking for trouble?" "What in hell are you?" "A communist, socialist, what?" "!" "If sharing is socialism, I'm a socialist." "If you insist on calling it a name," "I'm for justice, equality, hard work." "The sweat from that toil must have gone to your brain." "Wash your face and come to your senses." "We're going to talk about it later, come on." "I said come on!" "What's the matter?" "What happened?" "Nothing, baby." "Everything's fine..." "Have you started arguing with that horrible headmaster?" "Are you defending all the world's rights again?" "Dad says you should allow everyone their rights, mum." "Hey now!" "No snitching." "That's shameful." "What's he saying, Ali?" "What's going on here?" "Nothing, honey, I told you." "Ali..." "Look, please." "We've put down roots here." "If you..." "No, honey, no." "It's the head." "The man's an idiot." "Don't you worry." "Don't worry." "Son of a..." "Ali!" "Mum?" "My mum!" "Münire!" "Münire!" "In the name of God!" "It shouldn't be coming now!" "It's still early, too early!" "OK, Münire." "It's OK." "Calm down!" "What are we going to do, girl?" "What are we going to do?" "I'll find clean sheets and towels." "You fetch some hot water." "In the name of God..." "Ali!" "Where's your dad gone?" "Didn't he say, Mustafa?" "Oh, Ali!" "Oh, Ali!" "Ali!" "Where have you been, Ali?" "Ali." "Ali!" "She's lost a lot of blood." "What's up?" "The baby?" "No." "It's too early." "I don't know." "The train will be here any minute." "We must take her to town." "Hang in there, my sweet." "Be brave." "Be good, OK, honey?" "We'll be back." "C'mon, quick!" "I was good." "For days, and even nights, I behaved!" "A day or two later when the others returned neither mum nor dad was with them." "At one point, some people came asking for dad." "Seems the reason he vanished that night became clear at school next morning." "The garden was like this when I got here, head." "Teachers and students' families all woke that morning to find a string bag of produce hanging from their doors." "Umm..." "Forwhat it's worth," "I found this hanging on your door." "In other words, dad had rebelled and given everyone their fair share." "As for me, the endless pats on my head and whispered conversations around me told even my young mind that something was badly wrong." "Look..." "Now isn't the time, I know." "But your boss is going ballistic." "What have you done, Ali?" "I see." "Don't worry about it." "Seems we've reached the end of the road here." "Dad didn't say a word." "The things in that parcel said it all for him." "Mum's worn-out shoes tugged at my heartstrings." "But her faded pink coat really tore me apart." "I guess I first realized that day what kids lose throughout their lives when they're raised with the idea that everything will be OK if they're good and behave themselves." "That day was also the first time I ever saw dad cry." "I've no idea how many towns we visited after that." "But we spent a long time in the one we reached that day." "How do I remember?" "Well, dad's first job whereverwe went was to have our photo taken." "Uncover your face." "I'll take a picture of it." "If you really need to, go for it." "What will the government do with my face?" "You said that it was for your id." "Can you picture a picture like that?" "So I won't take it." "There are people waiting." "Just go now but come back tomorrow." "Oh, come on!" "C'mon, son." "A nice photo of us two, my friend." "And make sure it shows how handsome this young champ is." "What's it for?" "A souvenir." "Our first photo here." "Stand up straight." "Good boy." "I'm taking it." "All... done." "I used to look at those photos and then in the mirror to figure out how long we'd spent in that town." "The day we arrived, dad made friends with a certain Emin Sarýkaya." "He was the longest resident in town and owner of the hotel and teahouse." "So dad began typing petitions in a corner of his teahouse." "As time went by, his business grew." "He'd had his L key mended by then." "Ever loyal to mum's memory he bought a new goldfinch to replace every bird that breathed its last." "He turned the space between the hotel and the teahouse into a mobile office." "Emin, come and sit down." "We did well moving the table out here." "You were choking on smoke inside." "My cloth peddler should trade out here instead of loafing about reception." "Well, the cloth peddler says he can't be out here in winter." "He says you'll move him back inside the hotel." "Smart-ass!" "If we brick up the gap, put on a roof, it'll be set forwinter." "Where the hell?" "Here." "Ali, uncle here has a piece of land." "He's looking for a lawyer, you can help him." "I'm not a lawyer, uncle." "I'm a scrivener." "But if you need a letter of application, I'll do it." "But you can be an attorney?" "True, true." "He's worked for a lawyer." "He knows the law he writes letters, he shows you the way, he understands every issue." "Uncle Emin, please stop." "A lawyer, in a place like this?" "A scrivener is half an attorney." "Let's get to work." "Come sit here, brother." "Sorry about the..." "Construction?" "While dad was busy with his work, I was trying to settle into the town." "It was a small town." "Come evening, the only entertainment was the cinema." "In those days, they showed mostly cowboy, pirate and Hercules movies." "The lads who watched the movies..." "...used to do pull-ups on branches to develop bodies like Hercules." "They lifted giant boulders to try to beef up their muscles." "I was a puny kid with arms and legs like matchsticks." "But no matter how hard they tried..." "...no one could match the performance of Ýsmail the mechanic's apprentice." "He was known as Triangular Erdogan." "Whoa, Erdogan." "How did you do it?" "I filled two 70cl raki bottles with sand." "I welded the caps on good and proper." "Hey, get out of here!" "Do you have nothing better to do?" "Of course I had better things to do." "I was at school all morning..." "...and worked afternoons as a waiter in Emin Sarýkaya's teahouse." "Umm, can I go?" "Sure." "Off to see Celal?" "Uh-huh." "He's at home, Abdullah, isn't he?" "Yes." "Where else, poor lad?" "He'll be expecting you." "Off you go." "Ice-cold lemonade!" "Ice-cold!" "A cool drink to feel in the pink!" "Gets the sick on their feet and takes off the heat!" "Ice-cold lemonade!" "Ice-cold!" "And two bottles for me." "Ice-cold lemonade!" "Ice-cold!" "Thanks." "There we go." "My only friend was Celal, the son of Abdullah the cloth peddler." "He expected me right afterwork." "He had a muscle-wasting disease." "He couldn't walk." "You're supposed to say 'thank heavens'!" "Slow down there." "Hey, listen." "We keep drinking this lemonade." "You don't think that's why my muscles are wasting, do you?" "What's that got to do with it?" "How do I know?" "They say it's got acid in it." "Hercules is on at the movies." "Shall we go?" "Sure!" "I'll just leave my useless legs behind." "Yeah, but we have wheels!" "What wheels, man?" "I thought you'd drop me at one point." "C'mon, would I drop you?" "!" "Hey, Celal." "Nice wheelbarrow you got yourself there" "We're jealous!" "Take us for a ride sometime." "Break up the party, loudmouths." "What are you doing here, dad?" "My goldfinch spotted the official car." "When she whispered the news, I thought I'd come to meet you." "Let's go in, Mr Celal." "I've got you seats right at the front." "C'mon, champ." "Osman, the youngsters are on me." "Come Celal." "How do you feel about your surrounding?" "You're not watching, dad?" "I'd rather go home, I have stuff to do." "Don't be late." "Hey, boys!" "I believe you'll help my brother Celal at the end, huh." "So you'll all make some use of yourworkouts." "Sure, brother Ali." "You bet!" "Good to hear." "Great." "After mum died, dad devoted himself to writing in the evenings at home." "He'd type until late into the night, then put what he'd typed in a drawer." "I always wondered what he wrote about so feverishly and with such gusto." "This heart will carry your name..." "Good night, sweetie." "Mustafa." "Do you see what I see?" "Man, who is that?" "The partridge comes down to the water." "What are you talking about?" "You know how partridges come down to the water on the plains?" "Mustafa?" "Fetch me some water from the fountain to drink." "That was the first time we set eyes on her..." "Feride!" "After years of searching, I guess I'd finally found peace in the town." "Is the door catching, Abdullah?" "I guess." "There you go!" "Just the job!" "Winter won't get the better of us now thanks to you, Emin." "What kind of eyesore is that?" "!" "We were about to stop for a drink." "Why don't you join us, Zopuroglu?" "Is that a joke, Emin Effendi?" "You don't have a permit to build this." "Permit?" "It's the gap between the hotel and the teahouse." "Everyone knows that." "I don't care." "Knock it down at once!" "Excuse me, who are you to say that?" "Less of that cheek!" "I'm a municipal policeman, no less." "Fine." "Where are the papers then?" "Where's the municipality title deed?" "The land registry hasn't even been here." "Hey!" "Who exactly are you to say that?" "Excuse me, but he's no half-baked mountain bandit like you!" "He's an educated man who knows about the law!" "Stuff his education, Emin Effendi!" "I respected you because of your age." "Stop winding me up!" "This place goes!" "Well, be seeing you." "Bring the papers first or I'll sue." "Shut it!" "You have two weeks." "If you knock it down, OK." "If not, I'll just knock it down myself!" "Put your feet up, Emin." "Put your feet up." "Take it easy there, Emin Effendi!" "Thanks." "Thank you." "Oh, Ali!" "If only you hadn't fought with the guy." "To hell with the office." "He's a municipal cop, after all." "Some cop!" "He's the lousiest bandit ever to walk these streets!" "Too right." "The guy's a total idiot." "What's his background?" "How come they made him head cop?" "I told you, he did the dirty work for mountain bandits." "He came back on the scene when party politics got started." "He rose from the mayor's drummer to his right-hand man in no time flat." "So Ali, when you defy the man, you're defying the mayor." "And that means the state!" "If he's the state, I'm a citizen." "And I have my rights." "Enough wittering!" "I don't feel good as it is." "C'mon, you're OK." "Listen, Emin, let's light the barbecue tonight." "We'll have a few drinks and believe me you'll feel better." "Hey, Ali." "What kind of socialist are you?" "You speak of rights, of the law, but you never miss Friday prayers." "And then you drink, too!" "Well, Socialist is just a nickname." "Son of a bitch, he got on my nerves this afternoon." "And what's more they call him a socialist." "He's a socialist and he goes to Friday prayers." "I don't get it." "Socialist is his nickname." "Relax." "How can I relax!" "He's too full of himself." "He's already got people using him as a lawyer." "He thinks I'll bow and scrape to him like everyone else." "Don't dwell on it." "You're an authorized state policeman." "So did you set him a time limit?" "Yes." "In that case, go back when the time limit is up." "Don't worry." "I'm behind you." "Mum used to call dad a magnet for trouble." "Although he said Socialist wasn't his nickname here, too, he'd found people who drove him to defy the system." "As for me," "I only had eyes for Feride in those days." "Her family were new in town." "She was at the girls technical school." "I used to secretly watch her come out of school and dream." "But like all dreams, this one didn't last long either." "Give this to Feride for me." "As a memento of me." "And..." "Say hello from me." "OK?" "Oh, Celal!" "Did you have to do this to me?" "Those blues are Feride's eyes and the reds Celal's tortured tears." "Well, where am I?" "For a while, I roamed about in a daze with the necklace in my pocket..." "...wondering how to give it to her." "I've been watching you there dripping with sweat." "Here, have this and cool down." "N- n-no, I'm not!" "And already you're stammering!" "You're nowhere near her!" "Face to face you'll make a total ass of yourself!" "Why was I like this?" "Why wasn't I big and brave like dad?" "Just as I was asking myself this..." "Feride!" "I wanted to say something, Feride." "Go on." "With knees shaking, I told her all about Celal, not me." "That he couldn't walk because of his wasting muscles that he made things with beads." "Thank you." "It's beautiful." "Well, that's it." "Oh, Feride!" "Did she realize I loved her?" "That I'd given her my heart along with Celal's necklace?" "I hope he gets better." "Hey, son!" "Bring over that grill so we can toast some bread." "Here." "Eat some cheese!" "Cheese!" "Water, water, water!" "Drink this, quick!" "Tomorrow your time runs out to knock down that eyesore." "Seems you have no intention." "Well, we're waiting for you to bring along the papers." "Seems you have no intention." "Look, your son's a wise lad." "He never sticks his neck out like you." "Of course my son's a wise lad." "Wise up yourself." "Bring us that title deed from the land registry." "Otherwise I won't let you touch this place." "Just try!" "What?" "!" "You think you scare me because you know how to write?" "Don't worry." "I wouldn't waste paper on you." "Zopur!" "What's going on again?" "He only put a table there, damn it!" "He handles all our official business." "Right!" "He does what the state doesn't!" "You see?" "If you kick the man out of here, your authority's gone." "Just you wait." "I'll show you the state's authority!" "Police!" "Open the door!" "Dad, what's going on?" "Sit down." "Open the door!" "Police!" "Open the door!" "Good evening." "No arguments!" "We're doing a search." "My goodness!" "Search the whole place." "Under the bed, in the saucepans..." "I have nothing to hide." "Isn't this unlawful?" "You're here to teach us the law, huh?" "Dad?" "It's a book, officer." "A book!" "Oh, Lord..." "Careful." "Bring those here." "They couldn't find a thing." "Does that mean we can't nail the guy?" "Just hold on." "Don't rush things." "Excuse me, but you won't let us knock down that shack either, mayor!" "What's going on?" "The guy has made himself popular!" "It's madness to bulldoze him in public and make enemies at election time." "So what do we do?" "Just wait." "I'll handle it." "Mustafa, I had a file here." "It had my writing in it." "I put it in the drawer just before the police came in." "Oh, Lord..." "When the police descended I didn't want them finding it." "Dad had been so secretive about it, he'd only be in trouble." " Good evening." " Hold back, we're searching the house." "So I tried to think what to do, where to hide it." "I stuffed it outside in my dirty laundry bag." "It's all here." "You know what?" "You saved my life, my friend!" "So you aren't angry?" "You really want to know what's here?" "C'mon, come over here then." "For years, dad had collected all the quirky news stories he read and written notes of his own." "But what notes!" "No oil has been found in drilling on Zeki Müren's" "Kumburgaz property." "Note:" "Incredible!" "If only..." "Even wealth is a way of testing oneself when the time comes." "Over and over again." "What is this all about?" "Then there was the stuff he wrote about justice and equality." "There are women's rights and there are the rights of the eyes." "And rights of the fideles." "Even Beþiktaþ has a Mr Righteous." "I now knew all dad's secrets." "Just as Celal shared all of his." "Mustafa..." "I want to ask you another..." "If it's Feride again, we'll fall out!" "But look, she said she hoped I'd get better." "She accepted my memento." "She liked it." "So what if you talk to her again?" "No, Celal." "Forget the girl." "Besides, she isn't in love..." "Quiet!" "I didn't mean that." "I love her so much." "I'm finished, man." "Don't say that." "But I'm going to die." "Oh, these small towns..." "Each one a hell of unrequited love." "Blessed Friday!" "Blessed Friday!" "Blessed Friday, Zopuroglu!" "Spare us your blessings." "You're shaking up the blessed mosque with your visits." "Good God!" "It's also your job to police who comes to the house of God, is it?" "You're in hot water, Mr Socialist!" "Perform your ablutions with that hot water." "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful..." "This is the very best I could do." "Tell him to take care of himself." "Thanks, Feride." "Mustafa!" "You're a really nice boy." "I want you to know that." "Calm down." "Shame on you!" "Shame on you!" "Why are you throwing that away?" "Dad?" "Where's my dad?" "Mustafa, your dad's with the police." "Come here, c'mon." "Here, sit down." "C'mon, don't worry." "My grandfather was Süleyman the Wrestler." "He always told me to fear nothing in life." "But he'd warn me to beware of murky waters." "That came to mind with that faceful of water." "If you've got any balls, turn off that light and let's see your face." "Never mind who I am and listen carefully." "Tomorrow you clear out of here." "Forget that." "Why am I supposed to go?" "Well, for your son's sake." "OK, you don't mind about yourself." "But don't you mind about him either?" "You bastards!" "Whoa!" "Look, your son has begun sprouting a moustache." "He's growing into a young lad, a fine one at that." "But one night the young lad might get kidnapped, mightn't he?" "Not even a Russky would sink to that!" "Enough!" "Look." "Either you pack up your kit and get out of here tomorrow or just as you can't see my face now who knows when or where you'll see your son's face again." "Let him go." "The rest is up to him." "Dad..." "Ali, we were worried!" "Say goodbye to anyone you need to." "Pack your bags, then wait for me here." "Dad..." "Do as I say." "Son, catch your breath at least." "Emin..." "If anyone asks, you haven't seen me." "What was there to pack anyway?" "Whenever the time came to leave, the one thing hardest to pack was the pieces of my heart scattered all over that town." "I said goodbye to everyone who had one of those pieces." "I spoke to Feride." "She sent you this." "May your heart be full of hope" "May you always be smiling" "I have your blue necklace Let it be a memento forever" "Hey, if it weren't for you..." "It seemed impossible that anyone, especially a hapless kid like Celal could be so happy that night." "But he was." "The girl I longed for, my first love, had made him happy, not me." "So be it." "Good for you, Celal." "Good for you, Feride." "So long as I had a father like this falling in love or putting down roots were taboo in any case." "And so-called Mr 'Socialist' Ali was calling it quits here." "Been to prayers, huh?" "Think you can con God like you do everyone else?" "Put the gun down." "There's a verse in the Koran that says..." "'By the pen and what they write, you are truly of a noble character.' 'They will see that, without a doubt.'" "If you want to see, open the page and read it yourself." "You thought I had a gun, right?" "Look, a pencil." "In the hands of a writer it's the world's greatest weapon." "And a pencil hurts all the more because its words are sharpened." "That hurt, huh?" "I'm leaving now." "But I'll always be at the throats of people like you." "And every time you're an asshole, I'll stick the pencil in further." "We were on the road again." "I know nothing about these goings-on so I was mad at dad this time." "He'd chosen to do another hit and run instead of staying to fight." "After a few more villages our last stop was the town of Hanyeri." "I finished high school and failed university entrance exams twice." "Long hairwas in." "I parted mine to the side." "But the top bit wouldn't lie flat." "Dad said it was because I'm stubborn." "I was aloof with dad." "He'd sworn off legal work." "He took over a small bookshop promising we'd lead a quieter life." "He was all enthusiastic again." "You'll see, we'll turn this place into a cultural centre." "I didn't care." "So long as we stayed, that was good enough for me." "Whoa!" "You've come, huh?" "Take a look there." "How's the new goldfinch?" "And the new fuchsia?" "Your mum just loved them." "You can get them anywhere." "But if this was their permanent home..." "Drawn the plan for the shelves?" "Yes." "I moved them around, added some more." "Good for you, son." "I've ordered the books." "Second-hand, but great titles." "It's a small place." "And literacy rates are low." "Let's concentrate first on teachers and students, huh?" "What do you think?" "Whatever you say." "Well, OK then." "I'll go to the printers." "I'll pick up those flyers and hand them around and about." "You go to Turan the sign-maker, see if he's finished." "OK?" "OK" "OK, champ." "See you this evening." "Selam aleykum!" "Hey, Ali!" "Welcome!" "That press is busy, huh, Sgt Musa?" "Business is good, thank goodness, Ali." "We're also starting a newspaper." "Just trying out the title." "Come on in." "You know Mr Þeref, a retired teacher?" "Of course." "Hello, Mr Þeref." "Hello, Ali." "Welcome." "True to his name, Mr Þeref will bring honour on the newspaper." "He's written an unrivalled series on the town's folklore, history, etc." "Don't say "etc"." "That's selling him short." "Who knows?" "Mr Þeref's writing may enlighten the town's youth one day." "Quite right." "You can't tell." "You can never tell." "Hey, listen." "Your reputation precedes you." "I don't suppose you're called" "Socialist Ali for no reason, are you?" "Why not write something for the paper?" "No." "Socialist is just a nickname." "Don't get me involved." "I came for my flyers." "Are they ready?" "Uh-huh." "They're right here." "All the same, I'd say give it another thought." "Thanks, Sgt Musa." "All I want now is a quiet life in my little bookshop." "Take care of yourselves now." "Goodbye." "That's a pity." "He's a good guy." "I wish he said yes..." "Maybe he will." "You never know." "Simply never." "How?" "Whoa!" "What do you think, friend?" "It's fabulous, Turan!" "Thanks." "And how about some fancy writing in the shop window?" "'Life is Good with Books'?" "Sure, why not?" "Dad would love it." "Hey, Turan." "You're a great artist." "Slow down." "What makes me an artist?" "I'm talking about the pictures you do on walls, in display windows." "Look." "A rose means a lover, a nightingale love a tulip a wine glass and cypress trees honesty." "Is that why you did a cypress in Halim the grocer's window?" "Because he's honest weighing things?" "Halim is a total crook!" "And everything you said is beyond me." "You make me sound like an Ottoman poet." "Aren't you?" "No." "If people thank me, that's enough." "All I know about is bridges." "They're a place of reunion." "Oh, and snowy mountains." "They mean separation." "I've heard that too." "LITTLE BOOKSHOP" "I've also taken them to the schools." "You have lots of dressmaking students." "If you support us, we'll get any books, magazines or stationery you may need." "Sure, Mr Ali." "A gentleman like you can count on our support." "I'll give them to my students, too." "Thank you." "And if you need any other help, please don't be shy about saying so." "It would be a pleasure." "That's great." "And how about a picture?" "But of what?" "For that wall, right?" "Sure." "Let's do something the same colour as the doors and windows, huh?" "I say you should do a picture of the world." "You know what they say about books making a reader's world bigger?" "Maybe this small bookshop will open up this small town to the world." "But that's amazing." "You sound just like a book." "Sorry if I'm interfering." "I saw the flyer and was really excited." "I just wanted to have a look." "No, no." "Oh, goodness." "So you like books too." "Well." "Don't listen, Mustafa." "She gets through a book a night." "Really?" "I've never known her to leave a book unfinished." "I should go, Sevim." "They'll be expecting me at home." "Wait, I'll come with you." "Good luck, boys." "Thanks." "Good luck." "Hey, what's with the staring?" "Who is that?" "The prosecutor's daughter, Ayla." "As if you've never seen her..." "I haven't." "Give me a break." "Really, I haven't." "She's so beautiful." "And with that flaxen hair." "Waxen?" "Flaxen." "It means silky blonde." "Like her flowing locks." "Her hair's like a kiss of life." "Too right." "But her dad's the kiss of death." "No, really?" "How's that dressmaking course going?" "Fine, dad." "Sevim is a big help." "She's my teacher, but a friend, too." "I hate you making friends with the old maids in this town." "You may not like it here, but you won't send me to the city to study either." "Times are bad." "The universities are in turmoil." "My next appointment is coming up." "It won't hurt you to go a year late." "How many more times do we have to discuss this?" "Then don't meddle in my life here." "What way is that to talk, dear?" "She asks to go to sewing classes, so we let her." "What more does she want?" "Anyway Selami is coming from Istanbul." "He'll be staying with us for a while." "I want him to spend time with you." "He's such a boozer, dad!" "How could you want that?" "You're out of line, young lady!" "That "boozer" happens to be your cousin and my nephew." "Ayla?" "Hello." "Aren't you going to introduce me to this pretty lady?" "Selami, my cousin." "Sevim, my teacher." "Miss?" "Aren't you coming to the opening, Ayla?" "Sevim and I have to go somewhere." "Wait here for a bit." "I'll come too." "I'm not going with him!" "He's an embarrassment." "You go ahead, Sevim." "It's OK." "It's up to you, dear." "Take care now." "Wow!" "That teacher of yours is hot." "What's this?" "I thought you'd given up!" "I have." "Just the odd one." "If you tell your dad, we'll fall out." "You stink." "Just kidding." "Want a drag?" "I won't tell." "Get out of here!" "Filthy git!" "You know what, Ayla?" "That teacher is one curvy babe!" "For God's sake!" "Hey, Mr Þeref!" "Welcome!" "All the best to you, Ali." "Thank you." "All the best, Ali, my friend." "Thanks." "Come on in." "Let me get you both some lemonade." "Here you go." "May the business flourish, Mr Ali." "If I do the sign for a shop, it always overflows with customers!" "Too right." "You can't tell." "You can never tell." "Mr Ali." "Thank you." "Thank you, all of you, for helping." "But Miss Sevim most of all." "These cakes and pastries are to die for." "Please, don't mention it." "I had a lot of help from my students." "I may run a dressmaking course, but I'm fairly good at most things." "Look, see how popular you are?" "And your son will run the shop." "C'mon, won't you think again about writing for the newspaper, Ali?" "Let's not get into that, Sgt Musa." "I told you, didn't I?" "Count me out." "But no, it would be so nice to read something you'd written, Mr Ali." "I mean, you've read so much, experienced so much." "That woman has her eyes on your dad, I tell you." "Forget her, Ayla isn't here." "Ayla!" "She's disappeared since that day." "Girls never show up, pal." "They appear once, then never again." "And now it's you?" "The bitch hurt me." "She fell in love with an old guy with snake hair." "She went with him." "Lads!" "Let me take you for a ride." "Not in balloon mood right now, thanks." "What if Ayla runs away too?" "I wouldn't know about that." "What I'd give to know where she lived and escape with her in that balloon..." "And one night, my dad made off with mom..." "Dad..." "Suppose we return some of these books?" "Every day we're losing more money." "Just let them stay where they are." "Books have a fate of their own, son." "Tell you what." "The books are too heavy-going for here." "Suppose we change our approach?" "Every household needs a childcare book, a cookbook, an encyclopaedia, right?" "Let's order that kind of thing." "Don't force it, son." "Can't you see?" "It's a loser." "It's a loser." "Anyway, this is fine." "There's no telling how long we'll be here, after all." "Wait a second." "Are you saying it's time to leave again, dad?" "Didn't you say not to worry when we opened this place?" "Didn't you say we were here to stay this time?" "If we can't make a living here, we have to go." "What do we do?" "No, dad!" "I'm not going anywhere!" "Wherever we go, you always find some excuse to bail out!" "Because of some guardian of the system!" "They're everywhere." "It's a loser." "You know why it's a loser?" "Because you can't take injustice." "Fine." "But your nickname's Socialist." "That's why it's a loser!" "What?" "Say again why it's a loser." "Because so long as you demand justice in your own perverse way without a thought for the law, you'll never put down roots anywhere!" "I turned my back on mum's grave because of you, dad!" "I gave up school, gave up my friends, gave up Celal." "I gave up the girl I loved and could never tell you about her." "You don't know." "You have no idea." "What don't I know, dad?" "Huh?" "What are you talking about?" "If it weren't for you, I'd have stood up to Zopur." "I'd have used the law to demand justice." "But they dragged you into it." "They said they'd kidnap you." "I'd have done everything to keep you safe." "But if something had happened to me what would you have done on your own?" "All right." "OK." "Look, I've grown up now." "No one can mess with me." "C'mon!" "Got any other excuses, Süleyman the Wrestler's grandson?" "Huh?" "OK!" "I want to write for Green Hanyeri." "Bravo, Ali!" "Dad was back to his old excited self and suddenly 15 years younger." "He dashed off his first column and turned it in." "The piece was a hit." "If I was in love with Ayla, her student then Sevim was always hovering around dad." "Hello there!" "I don't know if you'll like them..." "...but I wanted to do my bit." "I made you some stuffed vine leaves." "Thanks." "You shouldn't have." "Enjoy them." "Dad was aware of her interest but never mentioned it." "Years after mum mum he'd found love again:" "the Green Hanyeri newspaper." "Hey!" "Do you smell that?" "The whiff of molten lead and ink." "The way those rollers wind the paper, the noise of that press..." "It's amazing!" "Like being inside a typewriter." "It's amazing!" "And so the first edition rolled off the press." "Our paper should be sold here, right?" "Of course, dad." "Now listen." "We're here to stay from now on." "If another girl comes up that you can't tell me about you won't blame me again." "Will you?" "OK, dad." "Good." "OK, I'm back to the printers." "The shop is all yours." "Hello there." "Come in." "You disappeared." "I was worried." "I can only come with Sevim." "There wasn't the chance." "Umm..." "I'm looking for a notebook." "But like a diary." "Do you have any?" "Yes." "Yes, sure." "Of course we do." "Right away, ma'am." "Anything for you." "Sorry?" "These just came in." "Which means there's no dust on them, of course." "But it has a lock." "Do you write a diary?" "No, well, mainly poems I like." "Ümit Yaþar, Turan Oguzbaþ..." "That's great." "Do you like novels as well?" "Yes." "But my dad works in law." "Well, with things being unsettled he pokes his nose into what I read." "Have you read 'Crime and Punishment'?" "Really?" "If your dad works in law, he might like it, you too." "It was a bit dusty." "How much is it?" "It's a gift." "Well, if you'll accept it." "I mean, the diary is 10 kurush." "And when you've finished the book bring it back and we'll exchange it." "Thank you." "Will we..." "Will we see each other again?" "Well, it's a small world." "Like the one in yourwindow." "Of course we'll see each other again." "It's a small world." "A small bookshop." "She has a real way with words." "Selami stopped by today." "He waited for you but didn't see you." "I've waited for him, dad." "But he didn't show up." "I should be getting home." "But he came!" "He's a grown up man." "You'd have to be the one waiting." "You're embarrassing me!" "But your Selami said things he shouldn't have said." "He is so mean with her." "Oh yes..." "I don't want to hear it!" "And you shouldn't pay so much attention to her." "Sevim, that drunk is here to pick me up again." "He has his eyes on you, you know." "But dad never mentions that, never." ""He's seen Istanbul, he's educated."" "If you heard how he praises him!" "Come with me." "C'mon, quick!" "Thanks, Sevim." "You've saved my life." "C'mon, quick!" "Ayla, Ayla!" "Stop following!" "Leave me alone!" "Why should I leave you alone?" "You're in my custody." "Get off!" "You stink again!" "Does dad know you drink all day?" "Get lost or I'll tell him, I swear." "That's shameful in front of a pretty..." "I said go away!" "Ayla, we shouldn't run away or your father will have a fit again." "But he's crazy!" "Didn't you see how he was hitting on you?" " He's so unpredictable!" "What shall we do then?" "Let's go into Mr Ali's bookshop." "Oh my God!" "Quick, Sevim!" "Mustafa, help!" "Quick!" "Lock the door!" "What's going on?" "Look, I'm really sorry." "That's my boozer cousin." "Dad has dumped him on me." "Who?" "Ayla!" "Ayla!" "Come out!" "Come out of there, girl!" "Hey!" "Hey, come out of there!" " Mustafa, do something!" "Oh God!" "This is crazy." "I'll go out and see what he wants." "No, no." "He'll go in a minute." "Who owns this place?" "Huh?" "How dare you lay hands on the prosecutor's daughter?" "Come out!" "Come out if you're a man!" "Asshole!" " Come out, I said!" "Forgive me." " I mean, say forgive me." "This is out of order." "You stay inside please." "Mustafa!" "Mustafa don't go." "I'm just going to talk, it's OK." " Come boy, come." "Yes?" "What's going on?" "None of your business, loser!" "None of your business, son!" "Clean up your mouth." "You're drunk." "The ladies are too scared to come out." "They have to come out!" "Come out of there!" "Come out!" "We aren't in the wilds!" "There's a thing called law and order." "Am I supposed to learn law and order from you?" "Look, OK." "Mustafa, please." "I'm coming, God damn it!" "Careful now." "Was it because of this loser you didn't take me to that opening?" "Because of this idiot, huh?" "What was that?" "!" "I swear to God I'll shoot." "I'll kill you!" "Go on..." "Shoot!" "If you call yourself a man, shoot!" "What's going on?" "Drop the gun!" "Take him away." "Can't you see?" "He's an armed thug." "Come with me, woman." "C'mon." "Come with me, teacher!" "C'mon, woman!" "Ayla, you can explain this to your dad." "You can explain!" "You can explain at the police station!" "Do you know who I am?" "Off!" "Ayla!" "Don't be afraid, it's over now." "Mustafa, you're a chip off the old block." "Bravo!" "The gun may be licensed, Mr Prosecutor, but he threatened people." "I'll give him a talking-to." "And I'll put the gun away?" "Show some goodwill and forget this." "For my sake." "HANYERÝ POLICE HEADQUARTERS" "I had no idea your drinking was so out of control, Selami." "I tell people you've seen Istanbul, that you're educated, and look at you!" "Drinking turns you into a monster." "I have a reputation here, I'm respected." "You've shamed me!" "You say you're respected and all that, uncle." "But Ayla has something going with that boy from the bookshop." "What are you saying?" "The guy was almost begging me to shoot whatever gave him the nerve." "Imagine the rest for yourself." "Take the first train to Istanbul." "Don't let me see you here till this has blown over." "Look here!" "Yes?" "Are you the boy who works here?" "I don't work here, I'm the owner." "I'm Ayla's father." "Keep away from the girl, otherwise..." "Is there a problem?" "We're just talking here, damn it!" "I'm his father." "Whatever you're discussing, discuss it with me." "Fine, OK." "I've told him and I'll tell you just once." "Your son is to mind his own business and keep away from my daughter." "Otherwise?" "Otherwise, don't blame me for the consequences." "That's all." "Well, Süleyman the Wrestler's great grandson?" "You're the talk of the town." "No, I'm not, dad." "Don't give me that!" "Go and grab us a couple of teas." "You champ." "Look, my memento of you, Münire." "Our son has grown up and fancies the prosecutor's daughter." "What kind of books do you get from them?" "What kind do you think, dad?" "Reþat Nuri's 'The Wren' and whatever." "Your mother found these in your room." "Dostoyevsky, 'Crime and Punishment'." "The guy's Russian, you know!" "Have you no idea of the goings-on in this country?" "I never expected you to lecture me for reading, dad." "Look, dear girl." "I'm not saying don't read." "Of course you should read." "But I can't let you be brainwashed before my very eyes." "You're not to go to that bookshop again." "If you want a book, tell me and I'll get it." "Is that clear?" "Yes, dad." "You go straight to dressmaking, and from dressmaking back home." "With your boozer nephew, of course." "Don't be disrespectful!" "Selami has gone." "That's all." "You can go to your room now." "When are we asking for Ayla's hand?" "Forget that." "Her dad's cracked down on her." "I can't even get news of the girl." "It's really getting to me, Turan." "Man, you're the opposite of your dad." "Oh yeah?" "Why's that?" "Well, how did your dad send messages to your mum when they first met?" "Turan." "Hey you dark Turan!" "Poor Turan!" "Come on, now!" "Ayla dear, could you help me with these?" "Sure, sister." "We almost ran out of needles." "You did good." "Just drop the needle now." "It's from Mustafa." "I'm back!" "You're in a good mood, dear?" "I'll be in my room, mum." "I can't stop thinking about you." "Right, food's here!" "I'm starving." "What is there?" "The set menu as ordered." "Flatbread, cheese, grapes." "Hello." "I'm not disturbing you, am I?" "Come and join us, Miss Sevim." "We're having a break." "Yes, you always bring the food." "Be our guest for once, please." "Quite right, destiny." "You can never tell." "Please." "Thanks." "I couldn't find Mustafa in the shop." "So I thought he must be here." "What's up, Miss Sevim?" "Mustafa..." "It's from Ayla." "She said a big thank you." "Water..." "I forgot to get any water." "Let me get some water." "We'll drink it, right?" "Sure, son." "Off you go." "I'm glad you're here too, Mr Ali." "I read your columns." "They're superb." "I think about you too." "I read 'The Milky Way' in one go and loved it." "I'll think of you now every time I look up at the sky." "Turan!" "Hey, watch it!" "What's going on?" "I need roses." "Rose petals are OK too." "Where can we get them?" "There, look!" "She's come out." "Oh, Mustafa!" "Crazy Mustafa!" "What's going on for goodness sake?" "Look, the girl's dad is there." "What?" "The prosecutor, her dad." "Get down!" "What's he doing home at this time?" "What's happening to us now?" "Then we realised that Ayla's father was allergic to flowers." "He went straight off to the printery, sneezing all along the way." "Thanks." "First it's soap and medicine, now sugar hits the black market." "The headline?" "'Where are you, sugar?" "' How's that?" "Didn't I tell you your son was to keep away from my daughter?" "But that son of yours is circling above my house in a balloon!" "What a nerve!" "What impudence!" "What..." "Slow down!" "You own the skies too, do you?" "Is it a crime, Mr Prosecutor?" "How can you presume to speak to me like that?" "Which party is encouraging you to talk back with that smirk?" "I've never supported a single party." "Obviously!" "Well, we'll see." "I'm reading your columns, Ali Effendi." "If I see one gaffe, you're finished!" "This is my last warning." "Not just to you, to all of you." "My last warning." "Bless you!" "My son!" "That's my boy!" "I say we should hold back a bit, Ali." "It's always best to keep people sweet." "Trust me." "Quite right." "You can't tell, Ali." "You can never tell." "I say there's no reason to hold back." "Look, our readership's grown." "Readers wonder which party we're with." "We should give readers what they want." "Trust me." "Those who know will know." "In local dialect, 'part' means nose, stomach, abdomen or belly." "The word 'parti' comes from French and has five different meanings." "First and foremost, it means a bargain, a scoop." "So 'partiyi vurmak' means to profit from a good business opportunity." "'Parti' also means a social gathering involving entertainment." "Although we talk about a hunting party, a backgammon party or a cocktail party we people have reduced the 'parti' concept to entertainment." "Now, dear readers, you've worked out why we have the word 'part' in Turkish haven't you?" "I put this to the bulging bellies and fleshy midriffs to those who mercilessly exploit the rights of the vulnerable." "I condemn anyone who sees party politics as 'part', or a chance to get fat." "Don't let it be thought that" "I refer to everyone in party politics." "I trust my remarks won't be misconstrued." "Who am I addressing then?" "They know very well who they are." "I'll expose all of them and their dirt to the public." "Let that be known." "Now you're done for!" "Socialist Ali." "Make a note." "Notice of criminal charges." "Yes, Mr Prosecutor?" "To establish the domination of one social class over the others or to oust any person from..." "Or to oust any person from key economic or social structures established in the country, to generate deliberate propaganda..." "Oh my God!" "The rest is mumbo jumbo." "What will happen now, dad?" "You can't tell." "You can never tell." "Don't worry." "They can't nail anything down." "Are you telling me dissent is a crime?" "This won't get anywhere." "Get us some tea, champ." "Go on!" "OK, dad." "The court rules that the defendant be remanded in custody until the court has reviewed the evidence presented in the charges..." "...brought by the prosecution." "Please, MrJustice." "That evidence is a newspaper article." "How could I tamperwith it?" "You know where I am." "I won't run away." "Why am I being held in custody?" "You'd do well to hire a lawyer to defend you." "The hearing is over." "This won't end here." "I'll demand an expert witness." "The judge is right." "Get a lawyer, Ali." "No." "I'll put up a legal fight that will be an example to all the town." "You'll see." "Dad?" "You stay at the shop, son." "They want to put my nose out of joint." "The charges are just an excuse." "I'll carry on with my columns inside." "I presume you'll print them." "Don't worry, son." "I'll be out soon enough." "You'll see." "That's my champ." "Dad was locked up, I was free." "For the first time in my life I was truly alone." "No one called in." "I'd never gone so long without seeing Ayla." "I was alone with mum for the first time ever." "Sympathy, encouragement and good wishes slowly died away to be replaced by a distant wave of gossip." "I found myself increasingly isolated." "Completely on my own." "Sgt Musa, I've changed the layout." "We go on printing the man's columns." "I tell you, I can't be rotting behind bars at my age." "Fine, but how do we tell Ali, Mr Þeref?" "I'm going to visit dad, Musa." "Are you coming?" "Umm..." "Things are tight here, son." "You go." "Give him our greetings this time." "So they didn't show up, huh..." "So be it." "I'm writing here they're dealing with it." "God bless them." "Dad, I doubt they'll carry on printing these." "It's not in their interests." "Besides, nothing will ever be OK again." "What kind of talk is that?" "Is that how I taught you to be?" "Huh?" "You don't lose hope, remember?" "OK." "I didn't say I was." "Don't get mad at me." "What's the situation now, dad?" "What do you think?" "I'll be out of here in a few months." "I wrote one hell of a petition!" "The court rules that due to the defendant's request for an expert witness the case file be sent to Istanbul..." "...that the trial therefore be adjourned for another two months and that the defendant remain in custody for this period." "They say fate's bow waits loaded, Mr Prosecutor." "Ready to fire in due course..." "What goes around comes around." "You wait." "I'm a mess, Turan." "Dad's in jail, I'm banned from seeing Ayla." "My hands are tied." "I see you're becoming resigned to your fate like me." "I don't want a fate like that, Turan." "Change your fate then." "Write your own fate like your dad." "My dad is brave." "Nothing like me." "He made off with mom." "So, you, what are you waiting for?" "If I was me, I'd made off with Suna!" "I'd have wrote my own destiny." "What are you waiting for?" ""What are you waiting for Süleyman the Wrestler's great grandson?"" "Ayla!" "Look who's here." "Could we have a few moments alone?" "Well, don't let her father hear." "Please." "Sevim," "I haven't been allowed out for weeks." "It's killing me!" "Stop complaining and come over here." "Mustafa sent me." "How is he?" "He has a message for you." "He says if you're willing, he wants to run away with you." "Did you speak, sister?" "What happened?" "You talked or what?" "Cried and cried." "Mustafa." ""I'm in love." "And this is true." "My love is eternal but I can't run, a prosecutor's daughter doesn't run!"" ""God knows, my love is great." "Our love will dwell in life for aeons."" "I see sister..." "Thank you..." "Sorry, Mustafa." "Don't be, sister." "I can't even visit; they'd start talking." "How is your dad?" "Forget about my dad, sister Sevim." "He loves my mama." "To death." "There has never been anyone else." "And it was true." "My dad has never been with anyone else." "And even if he ever did, I would have never told it." "What's up, my friend?" "Can't you look after them any longer?" "Dad, I can't take it any more." "Here..." "Your harmonica." "I can't even play that like you." "It's so hard without you." "I..." "I sent Ayla a message." "I asked her to run away with me." "Whoa!" "You asked her to run away with you, huh?" "Whoa!" "Look at you, son!" "She said she couldn't." "I can't leave you here, dad." "I can't stay either." "I can't leave you here, dad." "I'm stuck here, dad." "Leave all the keys with Sgt Musa." "Take whatever you need with you." "What are you saying, dad?" "Don't interrupt." "Sgt Musa has our money." "Take as much as you need." "Take as much as you like." "There isn't much." "Try to make do." "So you're hurling me into the unknown?" "Hey, you put that so beautifully." "Listen." "Throwing rose petals from the balloon, beautiful words like that..." "Have you started writing poetry?" "Dad..." "I can't." "You must." "And take this with you." "No, dad!" "It's everything to..." "Take it!" "They don't print my columns anyway." "If I say take it, there's a reason." "Wait, one last thing." "You once said the only way to face up to injustice was through the law." "Remember?" "Like everything else, love has its own law." "And the law says..." "No force can drive lovers apart." "Not even death?" "Not even death." "Dad!" "Never mind that she said no." "Go and get her." "You're my son." "Never mind that she's the prosecutor's daughter." "Get my daughter-in-law and go!" "C'mon, we're going!" " Mustafa, are you crazy?" "Run away with me." "Mustafa, don't." "I thought you always finished books, that you always read to the end?" "Are you going to leave us unfinished?" "Don't you want to know the ending?" "Do we even have an ending?" "We won't know without trying." "Is your dad going to write your story or are you?" "Ayla..." "Let's write a long story together like the novels we read." "Ayla!" "Ayla!" "Who is it?" "No one, mum!" "Just kids!" "You know what?" "You have such a way with words." "Stop!" "Please stop!" "I'm out of breath." "You're crazy." "You really are." "And I'm crazy for saying yes to you." "What are you laughing at?" "I'm laughing at us." "It's like one of Turan's pictures." "We're finally reunited on the bridge." "Where are we going now?" "The train's coming." "Run!" "What?" "We're going by train?" "But where?" "Of course we're going by train." "Don't you know stories begin on trains?" "C'mon, run!" "Slow down." "Quick!" "Quick!" "Quick!" "You wrote it so beautifully." "I read it in one go." "I wrote it in one go." "Did you like it?" "I loved it." "But I was jealous of that Feride." "Was she really beautiful?" "We were kids." "Everything was beautiful." "That's such a cop-out!" "Where have you been?" "Talking to the chief conductor." "Get ready, ours is the next station." "What?" "Do you know the guy?" "No, we just met." "But he's a great guy!" "What do you think?" "If I hadn't read your story, I probably wouldn't have noticed it." "Like anyone else I wouldn't even have turned to look." "But now..." "Now..." "Shall we write a long story together?" "Only if it's really long." "HANYERÝ PROSECUTOR'S DAUGHTER ELOPES WITH COLUMNIST, ALÝ TUNALI'S SON" "I told you, they say fate's bow waits loaded, Mr Prosecutor." "Ready to fire in due course." "What goes around comes around."