"Sinan, are you there?" " Welcome Mithat Bey!" " Thank you." "How are you?" " Fine, thanks." "And you?" " I'm fine." "I've come about that 11th volume." "Any news?" "No." "There aren't many around." "I'll let you know if one turns up." "I'd appreciate your help finding a copy." "I've been after it for months you know." "It's the final volume." "That's why it's hard to find." " Hello." "Welcome." " Thank you." "Hello." "Do you sell hand-powered torches?" "Hand-powered?" "Yes." " You mean these?" " Yes." " How much are they?" " Three lira each." " Three lira?" " Each one." " I'll have two." " That's six lira then." "But I've always paid two lira up to now." "That's too low." "I can't do that." "Give me five lira then." "But knowing I've always got them for two lira..." "I can't do that price." "You can have them for five lira." "Look, here's four lira." "If it's OK with you, let me have them for four lira." "Just this once." "Hello there." "Hello." "Welcome!" " How are you?" " Fine, thank you." "And you?" "How can I help?" "What are you after?" "A pair of glasses with thick frames." "I don't have anything like that." "But these are good." "Nice quality." "Can't you find me a pair?" "I'll buy two." "You can't get them right now." "They're out of fashion." "You can't find anything out of fashion in this country!" "You're quite right there." "And a copy of 'Bizim Gazete' newspaper." "You're the only reason I get that paper, you know." "I return all the other copies." "Then give me two more since you'll be returning them." "OK." "Here are your tickets." "And I'll have a lottery ticket." "What are you wishing for today?" "A house." "Next to my present one." " Well, good luck to you!" " Thanks." "Mithat Amca, welcome!" "How are you?" " Thanks." "I'm fine." "How are you?" " Fine, thank you." "This one's running two minutes slow." "You always seem to get the slow ones!" "You're right." "Just my luck!" "I want a clock that's neither slow nor fast." "How about this one?" "OK, fine." "I'll have another one." " What?" "The same?" " Yes, the same." " Thank you." " Thank you too." " Good evening, Mithat Bey." " Good evening." "What shall I do with these newspapers?" "Don't touch them." "Leave them where they are." "It's just Hulya Hanim was asking when the floor there would be cleaned." "Why?" "It's not dirty." "Why should it be cleaned?" "Right, but I can't mop under that pile, you know." "It's such a small space." "What's the fuss about?" "Well, it doesn't matter to me." "But..." "Then mind your own business." "Where have you been?" "I had things to do, uncle." " You don't look too happy." " I'm not." "What's up?" "What's the matter?" "I don't understand women, uncle." "They're so unpredictable." "Was Aunt like that with you?" "Hello?" "It's Mithat here." "I can barely hear you." "Really?" "I'll shout then." " How are you?" " Fine." "How are you?" " Fine." " What?" "Fine." "We got here OK." "It's a terrible line." "Neither of us can hear what the other is saying." " Have you cleared out the house?" " What?" " Have you cleared out the house?" " I haven't finished yet, no." "I'll wait for your instructions then." " Come back right away." " What?" "Take the express train if you can get a seat in the women's carriage." " All right." " If not, come on the motor train." "OK." " How are you?" "Are you well?" " I'm fine." " Look forward to seeing you then." " All right." " Goodbye then." " Goodbye." ""Telephone call with Cahide." "Ankara" " Istanbul 1966"" "I can't come now, Gamze my love." "I'm working, you know." "Right." "In the apartment building." "Fine." "Your cat's had kittens again." "Five or six." "We can have one, yes." "You can pick one when you get here." "We'll have one, OK." "Now pass me over to your mum." "Hi, Gulay." "What's going on?" "Fine." "Not a lot." "I've just had dinner." "I made some of your tarhana soup." "Sure." "There's not much left." "Send me some more." "Gulay, what about the post office?" "Did you withdraw the money?" "What did the doctor say?" "Did you manage to get all the medication at least?" "OK." "How are my parents doing?" "What's happened this time?" "Look, can't you just let it go?" "It won't kill you." "It's easy for you to say that of course." "Gulay." "You don't know what you're talking about." "I can't go out." "If I'm away for half an hour even, I get hell." "How am I supposed to find anotherjob?" "I don't know, Gulay." "I don't know." "I'll call you again later." "Hello..." "Hello..." "It's me, brother, Gulumser." "Pick up the phone if you're there." "Hello..." "Mithat, look Uncle Ahmet and his lot keep asking about you." "Look, they want to come and have coffee with you." "Just tidy up that living room a bit and have them over." "Anyway I can't tell people the house isn't fit for visitors." "I'll send you my cleaning lady if you want." "Whatever, give me a call and let's sort this out." "Bye." "Ali..." "Ali..." "Yes, Ruhi Bey?" "Didn't you feel the earthquake?" "No, I didn't." "It measured a good 4.5 or 5.0." "I can't believe you didn't feel it." "Ruhi Bey, you don't feel it on the lower floors." "An engineer's coming to check the building." "Make sure you're around." "OK, Ruhi Bey." "Hello, Mahinur?" "You don't feel it on the lower floors!" "Of course we felt it." "Right." "God forbid." "It's an old building too." "Anyway, Ruhi called an engineer." "Let's see what he has to say." " Don't work too hard." " Thanks, Mithat Bey." "Ruhi Bey was going to find a plumber to look at that leak." "What happened?" "I reminded him." "When is he coming then?" "He didn't say what day." "It'd be just my luck if he came today." "No, don't worry." "He won't come today." "Look Mahinur, I don't have time." "Get Ali to go to the bank and pay it." "He won't go." "He says he doesn't know his way around and sits about all day." " How much is it?" " 2000." "What?" "!" "We'll just pay the minimum then." "Don't, Ahmet!" "Then the interest piles up." "Well, I don't have the money." "What do you want me to do?" "Print it?" "I should never have listened to you and left my job." "There!" "Don't start that again at this time of morning." "I'm late." "Here, take this." "Give it to that slob Ali and tell him to go pay it." " Good morning, Ahmet Bey." " Good morning." "Good morning." "Goodbye, mum." " Good morning, Ali." " Good morning." "How's Gulay?" "Isn't she back yet?" "No, not yet." "I spent quite some time on your machine but I'm afraid the damn thing won't rewind." "Right." "It won't rewind." "Here, listen." " You remember this song?" " Of course." "It was the hit of the day." " The music of the '60s." " Yes." "What was it?" "I don't know the name either." "But it's nice music." "Think how long ago that was." "It's been almost half a century." "You're right." "27 May, 1960. 5:40 am." " Mithat Bey, isn't that you?" " Yes." "Your voice hasn't changed a bit." "Amazing!" "It's just the same." "Gather round your radios." "The voice of the trusted Armed Forces will address you in one minute." "Dear Citizens..." "Due to the current crisis of democracy and recent lamentable incidents and at the same time to avert a battle between brothers the Turkish Armed Forces have taken over government of the country." " That's Alparslan Turkes." " Yes." "The 1960 coup." "That day we went up to Istiklal Street." "There were tanks in the streets." " In Istiklal Street?" " Yes." "Unbelievable." " Welcome, Mithat Amca." " Thanks, son." " Thank you." " Enjoy it." "Can you play it again?" "Rewind it?" "Well, we can't." " Oh, that's right." "We can't." " I'm afraid not." "He goes, "I treated you as an object." "I wasn't happy with things at home."" "Is that right, Yavuz Bey?" "No, it's not." "It never ends, this fighting." "Let me turn it down a bit." "They're at it all day sometimes." "Like it or not it gets on your nerves." "The fish is delicious." "Thank you." "Enjoy it." "I made it specially for you." "It's best eaten hot." "I was worried you'd be late." "This is for tonight, Mithat Bey." "OK." "Thank you very much." "OK." "Here I am at last." " Is that for the collection too?" " Yes." "Kayhan's still not back from the shops." "It's an hour since he left." "You know what he's like." "A bit of a shirker." "But you're expert at dealing with so many men on your own." "Thanks." "I expect your husband would be jealous if he were still alive." "Well, would he?" "No, I don't think so." "What is there to be jealous of?" "Was Cahide Hanim jealous with you?" "Yes." "But not because of other women." " Why then?" " Because of my collections." "Well, if they're like you describe, it can't be easy." "Every woman wants a bit of order." "She was right up to a point." "Don't you think so?" "In the end she said, "It's me or the collections."" "What did you choose?" "The collections?" "Yes." "The collections." "But let me tell you something." "Good for you!" "Really." "Bravo!" "You made your choice." "You have the courage of your convictions." "Look at that lot." "They've been blabbering all morning." "They want to have their cake and eat it." "Everyone accepts everything." "They're not honest." "The house wasn't actually that full." "She was exaggerating." "One day, she just left." "She said she wouldn't come back until I'd cleared out the house." " Did you clear it out?" " I tried, but it was impossible." " Didn't she come back later?" " No, she didn't." " Maybe she'd have come back if you'd had children." " Maybe." " There, that's fate for you." " I don't believe in fate at all." "Don't say that, Mithat Bey." "Believing in fate really can be a great comfort." "It's helped me a lot." "Then you must be happy with your fate." "Chance would be a fine thing!" "What's there to be happy with?" "I was a good student till second grade of high school." "Then I had to drop out." "And your fate changes of course." "Everything I've ever done, it's always been half-finished." "That's too bad." " Good evening Mithat Bey." " Good evening." " Good evening." " Good evening, yes?" "I had told you about the leaking, you were supposed to call a plumber." "You seem not to have looked into it?" "Well, you haven't looked into the earthquake issue." "You won't care if the building will collapse." "You are changing the subject." "I'm talking about the situation in my flat." "There's water everywhere." "No news of the plumber." "Well, I checked." "There's nothing wrong here." "I don't see any leakage." "Am I lying then?" "Let's go and check it together." "We need to see." "Then you don't believe me." "And you didn't believe our earthquake report." "There is no such thing as the earthquake report" "The building is strong enough." "The municipality requires just minor repairs..." "OK, I see." "Let's now go and do whatever we can do." "It's not a good moment for me now." "There's a contractor I know who says if we tear the place down right now that within a year he'll build us a brand new earthquake-proof building." "It'll also have a playground, parking security, a pool, all those facilities." "Saffetjust did the same thing." " Value of his flat's doubled now." " At least." " So how big will the new flats be?" " Ninety square metres." "Smaller than now, then." "Only 10 or 15 square meters." "Not enough to make a difference." "Anyway isn't it worth it to be safe?" "This is about protecting lives." "We have family, children." "God forbid." "Yes, you're absolutely right." "But Mithat Bey won't sign it for sure." "If everyone else signs, Mithat Bey will have to sign too." "What will he achieve by not signing?" "Well, he's not at the administration meeting again." "Ali, go and ring Mithat Bey's bell." "Tell him everyone's waiting for him." "Let me ask the audience first." "Then I'll think on it, if that's OK." "Now, here's the question once again." "If a public sector worker thinks he's been unfairly moved to another job and wants to appeal which court can he take his case to?" "A. An administrative court B. A civil court of first instance" "C. A magistrate's court D. The Council of State" "You have 10 seconds." "Administrative court." "Listen to me." "Forget the audience." "A.38% B.13% C.19% D.30%" "You've never worked in the public sector." " No." " You'd know the answer if you had." ""23.09.0811th blood sample for allergy test." "Nurse Fatos (she never finds my vein)"" "Good evening." "It's 11 o'clock." "Here is the news..." ""10 minutes slow in 193 days."" " Excuse me." " Yes?" " I guess you can read Ottoman Turkish." " Yes." "There's a gravestone over there." " Could I possibly ask for your help?" " Of course." "With pleasure." " You mean this one?" " Yes." "I'm working on my doctoral thesis." " Really?" "Very good." " Yes." "It's on gravestones." "Then you haven't learned." "Ottoman Turkish yet presumably." "I'm taking classes at university but it's incredibly difficult." "I see, yes." "That's why I haven't learned." "How did you learn?" "My father sent me to Koran classes when I was three." " Three?" " Yes." "And I finished the Koran there." "That's great." "I went there for two years." " But you still remember it all." " Yes." "I've got this one down as Haydar Sefik Bey." "Haydar Sefik Bey, Manager of a state owned bank." "He didn't invent anything or whatever." "I don't see what he's doing here." "This must have been important in his day though." "Perhaps you're right." "I suppose so." "What would you like your gravestone to say?" "Well, given the chance I wouldn't want a gravestone." "Why not?" "The world's full of graves." "There's quite enough as it is." "It's time to put a stop to them." " What are you going to do then?" " I'd like to be cremated." " But it's illegal in Turkey." " More's the pity." "Perhaps by the time you get old cremation will have been legalised." "I doubt it." "It's highly unlikely." "So it's a gravestone like it or not." "In that case, mine would say, 'Born in 1926.'" "We don't know the date of death yet." "'Inventor of the transistor.' That's what I'd have liked it to say." "Here are the results." "It's the 12th test, Mithat Bey." "Look, your medical book's full up too." "Get yourself a new one." "OK." "You can show these to the doctor." "Goodbye." "I'm afraid your allergy is to dust as I suspected." "If it gets any worse it could turn into asthma." "Isn't there any cure?" "Keep well away from dust." "Get rid of the carpets if you have any." "Ali..." "Ali..." "Yes, Mithat Bey?" "The plumber was going to come today." "Did he?" "No." "They're going to check your flat anyway to see where the water's coming from." " Who is?" " That's what Ruhi Bey said." "That Ruhi Bey!" "Ali..." "Ali..." "Yes, Mithat Bey?" "Tell Ruhi Bey to come and see me." "It's a bit airless in here, isn't it?" "No, not at all." "There's no problem of the sort." "There seems to be a smell to me." " Really?" " Yes." "No way!" "Maybe you're smelling upstairs." "Maybe." "But coming in from outside..." " Oh goodness!" "Be careful!" " Forgive me." "Watch it or you'll ruin them." "You must be very careful." "The real reason for getting you here is to show you the leak." "Yes." "The water seeps down from your flat." "And those newspapers there are ruined." "If it spreads any further it'll ruin everything in the house." "How long have you been collecting those... those newspapers?" "Since 1950." "There's never been a problem before." "But now I'm faced with this problem." "Don't they attract bugs?" "No." "Never." "No, they don't." "Where did you say the leak was?" "Look, the ceiling up there leaks." "From your flat." "It drips through the ceiling and ruins the newspapers." "It needs to be fixed right away." "I can't wait any longer." "Because if it leaks any more the whole place will be ruined." "So we must take the necessary action at once." " Who is it?" " Good morning." "We're from the municipality." " Yes?" " We've had a complaint about your flat." "We need to do an on-site inspection." "That means coming upstairs." "Would you mind opening the door?" "Please don't." "I'm only taking them for the file." "But it's not right." "You can't take pictures here without my permission." "I won't let you." "Look, these piles weigh a lot." "And the building isn't safe either." "I've had that looked into." "To satisfy both myself and people who make claims like you just have." " I had some construction engineers check that." " Construction engineers?" "Yes." "The floor here can carry 300 kg per square metre." "That's 300 kg per square metre." "What's here weighs less than 100 kg." "You can't stack them to the ceiling." "Even if you could, it would be fine." "Here, have a look at this." "I would think there's also a fire risk here." "After all, you're a smoker." "The place would burn down in seconds." "There are no children here, nobody to drop burning cigarettes." "I'm very careful." "There's the same risk in your house." "In every house." "You can't even walk around in here." "It's like a trash heap!" "Trash is not the appropriate word." "This is a collection!" "If you know what that is..." "How can you live in this dust pile?" "I have no complaints." "My heart's in good shape." "Look, you're posing a risk to yourself as well as to people around you." "Get this place cleared out and we'll be back in a few weeks." "OK?" "Why are you going to come back?" "If you don't clear the place out by then we'll just have to do it ourselves." "If you come again, you'll need a warrant from the court." "Otherwise I won't let you in." "Look, we have the legal authority to do this." "Clear out this stuff yourself and we won't have to do it for you." "We don't want any trouble." "I'm the one who's being troubled!" "And it's you who's troubling me!" " Mithat Bey, what are you going to do with those boxes?" " I need them." "What's this?" "You know this building is going to be knocked down." "This is the new one." "Ruhi Bey had this toy made so everyone could see." "He must have spent a fortune on it." "No." "His nephew made it." "I don't suppose he got paid for it." "Now forget about Ruhi Bey." "Are you free in the afternoons after your apartment duties?" "What for?" "I need you to get some things for me." "If it's nearby I can but..." "You know I can't leave the building." "There's always a problem when I do." "There you'll see the regulation for caretakers." " You can read and write, can't you?" " Yes." "Now read it and you'll find out what your rights are." "Twenty lira for two hours a day." "Mithat Bey, that's not important but I really can't leave this place." "But it's not so far away." "Where?" "Cagaloglu, Eminonu, Karakoy, Kadikoy..." "Places like that." "I don't know those places." "They're all right in the middle of the city!" "Ruhi Bey might give me hell for going out on private errands." "He can't." "He can't." "He doesn't have the right." "Look, if your errands are round here I can go, but..." "They're not round here." "That's why I need you." "Besides, it's a chance for you to save some money." "Think about it and let me know." ""Missing"" "Hello, this is Mithat." "I'm not home right now." "Please leave a message." "Uncle, hello." "It's Omer." "It's ages since I last saw you so I thought I'd give you a call." "I was going to ask you if you needed anything." "Anyway." " Hello, Omer?" " How are you, uncle?" " Not bad." " I haven't been round for a while." "Sorry." "Why don't I drop by this week?" "You haven't been over for ages." "I keep meaning to call." "I just haven't had the chance." "How are you?" "I hear you're clearing out the house." " Who told you that?" " Aunt Gulumser." "What are you going to do with your collections?" "I can come over if you like and help put things in boxes." "It's not a good time at home." "So if you want to help, spare me a few hours outside." " For what?" " There are things to buy." "I can't leave the house." " Newspapers?" " Not just newspapers." "Several other things." "I don't have so much time, you know, uncle." "Ali..." "Everything OK, Mithat Bey?" "I thought you didn't run private errands!" "Did my dad take the man to see the field?" "So now he's changed his mind about buying it?" "Fuck that!" "Just our luck!" "Ali..." "Ali..." "Wait." "Wait!" "Someone in the building wants me." "Talk to you later." "OK?" "Ali..." "Yes, Ruhi Bey?" "Come up and I'll give you that meeting notice to deliver." "OK, I'm on my way." " Are you OK, Mithat Bey?" " Fine, thanks." "Mithat Bey, that lot are having a meeting." "They'll be collecting signatures." "It seems they really will knock down the building this time." "They can't." "They can't do a thing." "Ruhi Bey asked if I was looking for a new job." "Look, without my consent they can't kick anyone out of here." "Not you, not me not anyone." "OK?" " They can't?" "No, absolutely not." "It would be illegal." "Have you thought about my offer?" "Have you made up your mind?" "Hello." "Welcome." " Liezer Bey, right?" " Yes." "Who sent you?" "Mithat Bey." "There's a machine of his." "I was expecting him." "Where is he?" "I've been expecting him for days." "He's busy at home." "He sent me instead." "Have a seat." " Here?" " Yes." "The machine's ready." "Sorry, we don't have any stools." "Was there anything else?" "He sent this along too." "Here you are." "He wanted you to look at it." "Let me see." "It works, no problem." "...my father was just a civil servant." "He had five children to look after." "How on earth did you get to study in America then?" "On a scholarship from the state." "So what did you study?" "Electronic engineering and mathematics at Stanford University." "Wait, but what year was that?" "November 1945." "There were 15 students who went to America on scholarships." "Good for him!" "We couldn't find a passenger boat." "They were all carrying soldiers home from the war, you see." "So we had to take a cargo ship." "It took us 22 days to get to America." "This is the way to Sirkeci, right?" "Yes." "Sirkeci." "Would you like anything to drink?" "No, thanks." "Beer?" "Vodka?" "No, I have to be going anyway." "Thanks though." "Go on, have something." "You must be tired." "Well, a glass of water then." "OK." "Just a minute." "I'll get that from the kitchen." "Thanks, Mithat Bey." "Did you find everything on the list?" "Yes." "I did." "It's so quiet here." "Well, with all these newspapers or rather with all this paper..." "It absorbs the sound." "I brought you your dinner." "Feride Hanim said hello to you." "She was worried about you." "She asked where you'd been." "How is she?" "Fine." "Just fine." "Here are the newspapers." "Two of each." "Good." "But there's one missing." "There's one newspaper missing." "I couldn't look for that one today." "There were too many places to go to." "The time ran out." "How could you miss that?" " I'll get it tomorrow, Mithat Bey." " Tomorrow is too late!" "Newspapers are returned daily." "You won't find it tomorrow." "I'll ask everywhere." "If you ask today, you might find it." "If you can't find it, it'll be a problem." "I can't ask today." "I'll ask tomorrow though." "Here, these are your lottery tickets from the man on the news-stand." "He sent you some old ones too." "I don't see what use they are." "Well, he would know." "He'd know why I asked for them." "I went to the radio man." "He fixed this." " He found the spare part." " Good." "And this small tape recorder." "It works, Mithat Bey." "He said there was nothing wrong with it." "Good Lord!" "Then why it didn't work yesterday?" "I don't know." " Anything else?" " No, thanks." " Are you a relative of his?" " A distant relative." "I help him out sometimes." "Good for you." "That's nice." "He'd never leave his errands to anyone else." "But he must need help these days." "It's good of you." "You know what you've done?" "You've recorded over my old recordings." " I swear I didn't do a thing!" " Who did it then?" "Someone must have pushed the record button." "And now my own recordings are gone." "I put the machine straight in the bag when the radio man gave it back." "Did he push it by mistake, I wonder?" "Is the tape ruined now?" "Yes, of course." "I don't know if I have a back-up recording either." "I need to look." "I also need to listen to this later and check what's on it." " Did it record everything?" " Of course." "It's a great machine." "It records everything faithfully." "It's late, Mithat Bey." "I should go." "Let me give you your change and the receipts." "Here you go." "Just a minute." "Thanks, Mithat Bey." "Let me take the trash while I'm here." "I'll get it for you." "I'll wait by the door, Mithat Bey." " Take this down with you, will you?" " Sure, Mithat Bey." "Only you have the keys to the storeroom, right?" "Yes." "And you." "Good." "Look, I want to give you this." " What's that?" " A manually powered torch." "You can use it in the storeroom whenever there's a power cut." "How does it work?" "When you do this, it produces light with its own energy." "It works fine." "Say hello to Mithat Bey for me." "OK." "I'll be off." "Thanks." "Goodbye." "Bye." "This is the way to Sirkeci, right?" "Yes." "Is he going to leave?" "Some men from the municipality came round to his flat." "They told Mithat Bey something." "That's why he's been putting everything in boxes." "But I don't think he's going to leave." "They're wasting their time." "Mithat Bey would never leave his collections." "The man even chose his collections over his wife!" "Was he married?" "Didn't you know?" "Right." "Maybe I'd heard." "Are you married?" "You have any kids?" "I have a daughter." "Where are they?" "I guess you're separated." "No, they're in the village." "With my parents." "Nice!" "She leaves you on your own in the big city." "Well, our flat's in the basement." "There's a lot of damp." "My daughter got sick." "So then I took her to the doctor." "It turned out she has asthma." "So I sent them to my parents in the village." " They'll be coming back though." " I hope she gets over it." "Thanks." "Let's just hope for the best." "Thanks." "Say hello to Mithat Bey." "Here, put this in the bag too." "But careful it doesn't get lost." "What is it?" "He'll understand." "Say hello to him." "We arrived in America after 22 days at sea." "All those days on board ship!" "Yes." "That boat was an unforgettable experience for us." "It was a cargo ship." "And it was the stormy season out there in the Atlantic Ocean." "There were SOS calls all the time." "Hello, uncle." "Come in." "If you can..." "The collection's seriously grown since I last saw it." "How are you?" "Fine." "Not bad." "How about you?" "Fine." "You look well, you know." "What are you up to these days?" "Not a lot." "Just hanging out." "Hanging out, huh?" "What would you like to drink?" "What do you have?" "You're sure to have something interesting." "Take your pick from over there." "How about this vodka?" " What's the brand?" " Stolichnaya." "OK." "Uncle..." "Where did you get that mannequin?" "From my uncle." "He was a tailor." "He was throwing it out." "I rescued it at the last minute." "Oh no!" "What have you done?" "What's wrong?" "It was part of the collection." "Why did you open it?" "I've got an open one here." "I'm so sorry, uncle." "I..." "I'll put the lid back on right away." "Shall I put it back?" "That's no use." "It's been opened." "It can't go in the collection." "I'll find you exactly the same bottle." "Don't worry." "You can't." "It's impossible." " So what are we going to do?" " We have to drink it." "There's some cherry juice over there." "Shall we put some of that in?" "Just a drop, yes." " To the collection!" " To your health!" "Uncle, there's a lot of work to be done here." "How much time do you have?" "The municipality people said they'd be back in two or three weeks." "But you never know when they'll show up." "So I'm preparing myself." "I presume you're not putting this in the storeroom too." "What's that?" "Stamps." "I've been looking for those stamps for ages." "They were hidden behind the newspapers." "Yes, they would have been." "That's why I didn't see them." "These are very old stamps here." "Who knows what else we'd find here." "But how can you keep these here, uncle?" "These are stamps from 1936 when Antioch was under French rule." "This album alone is worth a fortune." "You know that, don't you?" "No, I don't." "I've never wanted to sell them." "So I've never asked anyone how much they're worth." "Can I help?" "Resit Ekrem Koc..." "Do you have him?" "I expect you mean Resat Ekrem Kocu." "Let me have a look." "His writing isn't very clear." "Istanbul Encyclopaedia." "Resat Ekrem Kocu." "Not Koc." " You need the whole set?" " Just Volume 11." "Volume 11." "No, I don't have it." "No." " You don't think it could come in?" " Unlikely." "What do you need it for?" "A university professor." "He wants it." "I was going to get it for him." "It's hard to find." "Even if it did come in, it would be expensive anyway." "How expensive?" "Around 300-400 lira." "Around 300-400?" "!" "It could be more for an original." "More..." "Can I help?" " Hello" " Hello." "Welcome." "I guess Mithat Bey got this from you." "Who?" "The old guy with the hat?" "Is it slow again?" "No, this time it's fast." "Do you have any more of the same?" "Sure." "Here you go." "I also need a ladies watch." "For women?" "Women's are that side." " How much are these?" " Ten lira." "I'll take three." "But pack them separately." "What kind of job are you after?" "I'd like to work in the public sector actually." "I applied to the police at one time but they turned me down." " You wanted to be in the police?" " Yes." "Mithat Bey used to work for the police." "He should have a word for you." "Doesn't he have any contacts there?" "I don't know." "I've never asked." "But I don't suppose they'd take me anyway at this age." "What good is the public sector anyway?" "You'd never get by on that money here." "Take my son." "He wouldn't manage if I didn't help him out." "Look, a customer of mine was looking for someone." "How about I have a word?" "What kind of work?" "He has a shop." "A shop selling textiles." "He was looking for a salesman." "Do you think the job includes social security?" "I've no idea." "You can ask." " Let me give you the number." " OK." " How's Mithat Bey?" " Fine." "When is he coming this way?" "I don't know." "Soon, I expect." "I'm so used to having him round." "I miss him when he doesn't show up." " He sent you this." " What's this?" "Remember you sent him something?" "A bread label." "He wanted to thank you." " Do you like it?" " It's beautiful." "Look at those flowers." "Aren't they cute..." "It's lovely." " Are you in charge here?" " Yes." " How much is that?" " Ten lira." " How many did you want?" " Just one." "For my daughter." "Here, let me show you." "Help yourself from there." "I'm afraid I only have 8 lira." "That's OK if you only want one." " Thanks." " Thank you." " Goodbye then." " Goodbye." " Did you get the newspapers?" " Yes, Mithat Bey." "Here you are." "What about the missing paper?" "The missing one..." "I asked at four or five places but I couldn't find it anywhere." "But we have to find it." "We can't have it missing." "Or the collection will be ruined." "I asked at lots of places but they all said the same." "The papers had been returned." "I told you so." "Did you get to the library?" "Yes, but I didn't make it in time." "It had been shut down." "The system." "So what did you do all afternoon?" "Well, I was chasing around after those newspapers." "The time just flew by." "Did you get the watches?" "Yes, Mithat Bey." "And Feride Hanim sent your dinner." "I hope you got something nice." "I'll show you." "Here." "It's much too fancy." "But Feride Hanim liked it." "Don't worry." "She likes plain things." "She only said that to be nice." " How much was it?" " Ten lira." "He ripped you off." "But I bargained with him." "You have to look determined when you're bargaining." "You should say you'll pay 10 lira for two." "That's the maximum he reduced." "Did you manage to change the other clock?" "I also got those things." "Those photocell lamps." "Mithat Bey, can I go if there's nothing else?" "Thanks, Mithat Bey." "Thank you." "Don't forget to take down the two boxes by the door, OK?" "OK, Mithat Bey." " And don't be late tomorrow." " OK." "What are you going to do?" "Open a place that's a café upstairs and a second-hand bookshop downstairs." " A second-hand bookshop?" " Yeah." "You're going to sell old books?" "Books, stamps, records, postcards..." "But you've never been interested in books or whatever." "My friend already had a second-hand book shop." "So we decided to expand it and add a café." "You can come and go whenever you like." "I can't go anywhere right now." "There's all this packing to do." "Actually, uncle." "I have a suggestion." "Instead of boxing all this up and putting them in the storeroom let me put it all in our new place." "It's much safer there." "Customers would see the stuff too." "We could also sell it if you wanted." "Sell it?" "I didn't buy all this to sell!" "These are collections." "I don't mean sell it all." "Just the things you wanted." "Collections aren't for sale." "Now ask your friend... if he has the Istanbul Encyclopaedia." "Volume 11 by Resat Ekrem Kocu." "Why?" "Don't you have it?" "Look I have all the volumes here except No 11." "It's the most valuable." "OK, I'll ask him." "Maybe he has it." "It would be good if he did." "My friend would die if he saw this place." "Shall I bring him over one day?" "No, don't bring anyone here." "Hey, I remember this." "You got it for me." "Absolutely." "I grabbed it back when you grew up." "Look, you wrote the date." "'June 3rd, 1975." "Istanbul.'" "'The first toy I got Omer.'" "So what's it doing here now?" "Has the book come in?" "The Istanbul Encyclopaedia, Volume 11?" "No, it hasn't." " You don't think it'll show up then?" " No." "Even if it did, I've promised it to an old customer of mine." "You sell old watches and stuff, right?" "Take a look at this." "Will you take it?" "It's rather old." "It works perfectly though." "I'll give you 50." "Can't you do 70?" "No." "How about 60?" "No, I can't do that." "I'd never be able to sell it." "Fifty." "OK." "Here." " I'm looking for the encyclopaedias." " They're on the second floor." "Your bag, please." " Hello." " Hello." "I asked yesterday about the Istanbul Encyclopaedia." " Which volume?" " Eleven." "Just a second." ""Job application form for the municipality library"" "Here you go." " Thanks." " Thank you." " I'll bring it back in a few days." " Hang on a second." "You can't do that." "It's an original." "You have to read it here." " Have you been working here long?" " Six months." "I was a cab driver." "I lost the job when my boss sold the taxi." "My dad insisted on the public sector so I had to start here." "What's the job like?" "Good?" "If you steer clear of the boss, you have an easy ride till retirement." " What about your education?" " I dropped out in seventh grade." "Don't they ask for diplomas?" "It depends on yourjob." "I just saw..." " Hello." " Hello." "I just saw Ruhi Bey." "There's a meeting." "He's expecting you there." "Let him send the plumber round first." "He said he was coming this week." "He's said that so many times!" "I don't believe him any more." "Here's your vodka." "The photocopies." "But it's not all here." "The man there said..." "It's a thick book, right?" "He said he couldn't copy it all." "That's as far as he got." "He didn't take you seriously." "If I'd gone, he'd have done the lot." "Still, we can carry on with the rest tomorrow." "OK." "What should I tell Ruhi Bey?" "Tell him I have a visitor." "Say I can't come." "OK." "Now those boxes outside the door, shall I take them down?" "Uncle..." "He's signed, he hasn't signed..." " Well, have the others signed?" " I don't know." "They can do what they like." "I'm not signing." "Earthquakes, knocking it down..." "That's the new fashion." "All they're after is money." "Yes?" "Mithat Bey, aren't you coming to the meeting?" "No, I'm not coming and I'm not signing either." "I'm happy with my flat." "Good evening, Ruhi Bey." "Good evening." "Good evening." "I was just coming to the meeting." "OK." "Go on up." "I'll be there soon." "Now look, if this building collapses in an earthquake won't you feel bad?" "Do you have no fear of earthquakes for goodness sake?" "!" "If the odd repairjob is necessary we can have the work done." "But there's no need to knock down the building." "Now look, have you seen that model the contractor made downstairs?" "Yes." "There's parking, gardens, security..." "What more do you want?" "I don't need any of those things." "Now look..." "The building will go up in value." "The man will pay us a year's rent in advance." "What else do you want?" "I want peace." "I'm happy with my flat." "I just want to live there." "I have a guest waiting." "Sorry, I need to go now." "You're so damn selfish!" "If this building collapses one day it won't be because of an earthquake." "Because of your trash!" "Shameless idiot!" "He thinks I'm stupid." "He reports me to the municipality and now wants me to sign!" "Uncle, it's not a bad offer actually." "It's up to you, but you'd be more comfortable in a new house." "I'm quite comfortable here." "Leave me alone." " Mithat Bey..." " Yes?" "The doctor's ready to see you." "Do you feel breathless even when you're not moving?" "I do recently, yes." "OK, you can get dressed now." "I'm afraid it's turned into asthma, Mithat Bey." "I'll give you a decongestant spray for now." "You're still very active in spite of your age." "But you need to be careful." "Otherwise the asthma will restrict your movements." "It's five past five." "I'm sitting by the shore in Samatya." "Hello, Sevim?" "You have a visitor." "Who is it?" "Who is it?" "Who, me?" "Ali." "Ali Bey." "Where have you come from?" "Mithat Bey sent me." "He's been sent by someone called Mithat Bey." " Hello." " Hello." "Mithat Bey sent me." " For the one missing newspaper, right?" " Yes." "I put it aside when he called." "Just a minute." " Here you are." " Thanks." " Say hello to Mithat Bey." " Of course I will." " What happened?" "Did you find it?" " Yes, thanks." "Where's do the Eminonu buses leave from, do you know?" " See that street there?" " Yeah." "Walk straight down that street." "The bus stop's right at the end in the Karanfil shanty town." "This way." "The flat's downstairs." " Isn't there one upstairs?" " Yes, there is." " Let's look at that one then." " OK." "This way." "What's the landlord like?" "Nice?" "Very reasonable." " You never get the deposit back, right?" " No, he's a good guy." "Here's another room." "But there's damp in there." "No, there isn't!" "A lick of paint and it would be gone." "This is the kitchen." "There'll be cupboards put in." "Here's the balcony." "Nice and airy." "It's the perfect apartment." "Can you get me a beer?" " Thanks." " Enjoy it." " Hello there." " Hello." "You're late if you want photocopies." "That's OK." "I'll do it tomorrow." "Can anyone take one of those?" "An application form?" "Of course." "Help yourself." " Thanks." " Thanks." "Goodbye." "Hello?" "Nothing." "Drinking tea." "What are you up to?" "How's Gamze?" "I miss her so much." "Put her on." "Let me talk to her." "Why won't she come to the phone?" "Is she being all coy?" "Ali..." "How's things with you, Gulay?" "Ali..." "Tell me about it!" "I wanted to be a scientist." "Then you could be a teacher too." "All I wanted was to be a scientist." "I had big dreams." "I was going to invent the transistor." "What's that?" "In the old days, radios had these bright little lamps in them." "You could see them when you looked inside." "They now use transistors instead." "A transistor for every lamp." "My father died when I was still at college." "I came back to Turkey after finishing college." "But in those days, nobody even knew what electronics were in Turkey." "I applied for a job at a state company to pay back my scholarship." "They wanted to send me to a cotton mill in Anatolia." "I protested." "I said I was an electronic engineer and what could I do in a cotton mill?" "They sent me there all the same." "I did a year or so as a control supervisor." "Then I couldn't take any more and left." "So what on earth did you have to do with the police force?" "I was never a policeman." "Someone gave my name to the police department." "They needed an engineer with experience of radios." "They called me in and I started working there." "At least it was a job that was relevant to my profession." "I set up the Police Radio station." "And I ended up retiring from there." "I know you'll say you don't believe in it." "But your fate is no different from mine, Mithat Bey." "Maybe not." "Good luck then, Ruhi Bey." "So what will happen to Mithat Bey?" "Well, I've told him a dozen times to pack up." "But he couldn't care less." "I said they'd be coming to knock down the building." "What more can we do?" "It's his problem now." "Ali Eryilmaz." "Place of birth, Corum." "Age, 34." "If you waited another year, you'd be too old for the public sector." "Married with one child." "Work experience, caretaker for eight years." " Haven't you worked anywhere else?" " No." "You said you'd come back and you didn't." "I've been stuck at home waiting for you for days." "I take your point." "But there have been lots of new developments." "Your building is confirmed as unsafe." "All your neighbours have moved out." "You're the only one left." "There's Ali too." " Who's he?" " The caretaker." "He'll only stay until the demolition." "Look, without my signature no one can pull this building down." "It's against the law." "Well, there's a new law out." "If your house isn't safe and there's a report to prove it and if a demolition order has also been issued no one can stand in the way whether you're one person or ten." "Why should I believe that report?" "Our engineers have taken readings." "I have their report." "Your building isn't safe." "Well, has the law been published in the Official Gazette?" "Yes." "It would be worth a lot if it was complete." "But Volume 11 is missing." "I'll give you 500 for the lot." "You can find the missing one later." "At least make it 700." "Six hundred." "That's my last offer." "Hello there, Mithat Bey." "Remember that missing newspaper?" "I'm looking for its box." "Wait..." "Let me help you." "It must be a big box, right?" "I suppose so, yes." "One of the boxes used for newspapers." " Is this the one?" " Yes." "We need to put that newspaper in here." "Here, I got it yesterday." "I forgot to give it to you." "I also finished the photocopying." "I mean of the Istanbul Encyclopaedia." "The last 50 pages." "That's all done now." "But meanwhile my book man He's found the missing volume." " Volume 11?" "An original?" " Yes." " Who?" " You know, Sinan." " Did he call you?" " Yes." "What did he say?" "He said he'd found Volume 11, the one I was looking for." "He said I could go and pick it up." "But he wants far too much for it." "How much?" "He came down as far as 250 but said he couldn't go any lower." " He's so expensive, that Sinan." " Very." "Take these upstairs if you like, Mithat Bey." "Oh no!" "It's damp in here." "My boxes will get damp." "We need to get these out of here, to take them back upstairs." "Where upstairs?" "There's so much damp!" "To your place?" "No, Hulya Hanim's." "It's empty now." "You mean all the boxes?" "Of course." "If we leave any here, they'll only get damp." "But we don't have to do it all in one day." "It'll be tough lugging them all." " You and I can manage together." " OK." "Hello, Mithat Bey." "It's Sinan." "From the bookshop." "How are you?" "I'm fine." "You remember that Volume 11?" "Someone wants to buy it." "What should I do?" "Let him have it?" "I gave you a good price, really." "I can't go any lower than that." "No, really." "I can't." "So should I let him have it then?" "All right." "Have a good day." "Hope to see you soon." "He had me looking for it for months." "And now he says he doesn't want it." "It's yours if you want it." " How much?" " My last price is 250." " That's too much." " It's a good price." "Make me a good deal." "I can't go lower." "You won't find it any cheaper." "Forget it then." "I don't want it." "It's up to you." " Let me show you something." " What's that?" "That." "1950." "Where did you find this?" "I inherited it from a relative." "Let me show it to a friend." "Here, have a look at this." "How much should I pay for it?" " I'd say 150." " 150." " Don't pay any more than that." " All right." "I won't." " I can give you 150." " OK." "That'll do." " Thanks, Sinan." "Bye then." " Goodbye." "Thanks." "I want the place, but you said the deposit was three months' rent." "And I can only pay two." "Can't you talk to the landlord?" "He'd listen to you." "It might be OK." "OK, but call me right away." "I'll expect to hear from you then." "OK, goodbye." "The first successful heart transplant was carried out on which living thing?" "A. A human being B. A monkey C. A dog..." "Damn it!" " Who are you?" " Mithat." "Yes, Mithat Bey?" "There's a power cut in my place." "I thought maybe you were OK here but clearly it's a general thing." "I expect it's everywhere, Mithat Bey." "Nobody has power right now." "Really?" "I thought if you had power..." "There's a programme on, a quiz show." "I thought I could watch it here." "But anyway, sorry." "Come in, if you like." "Wait here." "Don't go back upstairs." "Right." "Maybe it'll come back on." " Come in." " All right." " This works with batteries I presume." " Yes." "But the batteries will run out." "Do you want to turn it off then?" " I can turn it off if you like." " Yes." " Who drew this picture?" " Gamze did." "My daughter." "She did a greatjob." "It's a nice picture." "Bravo!" "Well, she likes drawing." "I brought this for Gamze." "It's good for asthma." "She should spray twice a day." " It's for the lungs?" " Yes." "Why did you bother, Mithat Bey?" "I could have got one." "I bought a couple for myself." " And one for you." " Thanks." " But don't throw away the packet." " OK." "I'll keep it for you." "Good." "Thanks." " I just made some tea." "A fresh brew." " Thanks, but I don't drink tea." "There's vodka." "You must have got it from my drinks man." "I got it to offer visitors, but it's just sitting there." "Do you want some?" "I'll have a drop." "What shall I mix it with?" "Do you have any cherry juice?" "I have some compote." "Cherry compote." "But it would be too sweet." "Gulay sent it." " It's not that sweet." "You want to try?" " OK." "I'll have a taste." "OK." " Is Gulay coming back soon?" " Probably." "There you go, Mithat Bey." "You want a cigarette?" "One of these?" "What's that, Mithat Bey?" "Ruhi Bey left this for you." "He said he couldn't find you." "It's your redundancy money." "Thanks." "Seeing as Gulay is coming back, you'll be living here, won't you?" "I don't know." "We'll see." "How about you?" "You know Kemal Bey moved out today." "I was busy inside." "I didn't notice." "What are you going to do?" "I can't move all that stuff anywhere." "What will happen to all those boxes?" "Well, those boxes..." "I expect when I die they'll go out in the trash." "It was the quiz show, right?" "Here, here, stop there." "What is the first European national football team that won the World Cup?" "Italy..." "That was an easy one." " Come in." "What was your name?" " Ali Eryilmaz." "Ah, here." "Fill in this social security form and bring it back to me." "OK." "Let's start you off in this section." "And later perhaps you can move to photocopying." "But you must be careful with the books." "Wipe them with a barely damp cloth." "If it's too wet, you'll damage the books." "Some of the books here are 100-150 years old." "Of course." "When should I start?" "Deal with the paperwork." "Start at the beginning of the week." " Good luck to you." " Thanks." "Hello, this is Mithat." "I'm not home right now." "Please leave a message." "Hello brother, Gulumser here." "I was worried." "Omer said everyone in the building had moved out except you." "Don't be so stubborn." "Let's get you moved out." "Look, what are you going to do if the demolition squad turns up?" "If nobody's left in the building the central heating won't work." "Come and stay for a few days and let's talk it through." "Goodbye then."