"Steps will be taken to ensure that our children, who are our future are raised with the principles of Atatürk and not the foreign ideologies that turn them into anarchists." "Kenan Evren, army chief of general staff, leader of the 1980 military coup" "Respect is fear's equal." "If he'd hit me once or twice we'd have never divorced." "Demet Akalin, Turkish pop singer 15 March, 2007" "You're right." "And you need looking after too." "With his sister away, it's also for your sake." "Hey OK, lhsan Abi." "No "heys", kid." "That's life." "I can look after myself." "That's not why I want him to marry." "He looked after me once when I got sick." "That's all." "He'll start work any day." "I won't let the boy be a bum." "Don't worry." "I'm around." "Thanks, lhsan." "You're calling me a bum?" "No." "I said I won't let you become one." "Right?" "Not my son." "He learned discipline in sport." "True." "But now he hangs out with Salih outside Ömer's store every day." "No, I don't." "Besides, he's much older, what can I say?" "What does Salih do?" "Sorry, ma'am, but I'm going to talk tough." "Go on, son." "I'm used to it." "There's no drug or rathole he hasn't tried." "Every other day he's in a police station." "I always see you with him." "Don't make me beat you." "You know he wasn't like that before." "Plus, even when I'm not around, he finds me." "What happened to that boy?" "Salih doted on Hakan as a baby and played with his sister." "His parents were decent, educated." "They didn't move with the times." "Yüksel Abi's leftist views got him fired from Turkish Radio  TV." "He should've kept quiet, been patient." "Private TV was starting." " Now he prays every day." " They say he's drinking." "That's old news." "Now he's a regular at the mosque." "Right?" "Yeah." "Does Salih ever talk about his dad?" "No." "Why would he?" "They don't even see each other." "His mom works too." "They couldn't handle the kid." "I know many guys like him." "Didn't his mom teach at Suphi High School?" "Right." "Yeah." "So forget Salih." "Don't let him get you in trouble." "And I want no trouble in my cars." "Lifts, favors, turning off the meter..." "None of that." "I'll take 80 lira a day." "And I want the tank back full." "OK?" "Find a regular customer or two and you're king." "But no bums in my cabs." "I'm handing over a whole damn car!" "Any shit and it's over." "I pay you for the day and we go our separate ways." "I'm not stupid, am I?" "Of course not, lhsan Abi." "Just be warned." "Do it well." "You make money, so do I. That's how it works." "I don't do many favors." "Thank your mother." "She has helped my mom a lot." "Don't worry, lhsan Abi." "OK, jump out here." "I'll take your mother home." "It's OK, lhsan." "I'll walk." "No ma'am!" "I'll call you." "No troublemakers, ok." " What are you talking about?" " I'm just saying." " Take it easy." " Don't slam the door." "Motherfucker!" "Thinks he's some saint." "I'll work your car, man..." "Does God just keep giving to guys like him?" "Lord, you gave us nothing." "You took our parents." "You delivered us to bad guys." "But thank you, Lord for sending us Salih Abi so that we receive bread and see the light." "A thousand thanks, Lord." " Hey, where's the "amen"?" " Amen." " You too!" " I already said it!" "God!" " I didn't hear." "Again!" " Amen." " Weird ringtone..." " Scram!" " Hello?" " What are you up to?" "Not much." "Doling out bread so the poor don't starve." "Hey, cool it!" "I'm looking at my lastjoint." "What do we do?" "That's when you call?" "Damn Turk!" "Think ahead for once." "I'll come by today, OK?" " Sure, if you have the cash." " I'll arrange it." "Whatever." "Just have the cash." "OK, OK." "You already lit up this morning, huh?" "What's become of you intellectuals?" "Not to worry." " Hey, don't split if I'm not there." " All right." " I'll leave it to someone." " Ok." "Don't come empty handed!" " Money-grubber!" " Fuck you!" "Money-grubber?" "OK, I'm hanging up." "As he kissed her breasts her body melted and soft moans turned to..." "Strikes break out across Turkey" "There are strikes everywhere and nothing in the newspapers." "No, I read about a them." "A few." "Short pieces in the back pages." "There you go." "Suppose I make a documentary, 'Diary of a Strike'?" " Great..." " Without planning." "Just go to factories and talk to workers." ""Tell us about this sit-in you're holding for fired co-workers."" " Go do it." " But it's already day 50." "I should've gone at the start." "I always hear these things too late." " Hmm." " Hmm what?" " Sorry?" " Hmm what?" " Nothing." "I'm doing my lips." "It'd be good to see what's going on at the unions." "OK, I'm leaving." "But you'd have to spend two months with them." "Maybe without coming home." "Private TV might give you a few cents." "And leftist channels have no money." " They wouldn't air it anyway." " How do you know?" "That's TV for you." "If they were interested they would have covered it." "The way to go is film the thing, and if you can't sell it set up a projector in a café and hit play." "If you're going to do something, shut up and do it." "Don't get mad!" "I'm thinking aloud." "You don't have to listen." "Then don't take a leak next to me." "Or do what the fuck you want." "You've been thinking aloud for 5 years." " It's not that easy." " Oh, really?" "If I'm gone two days it's, "Where have you been?"" "When the fuck have I said that?" "You've done one interview in 5 years and had me decode it." "You mean 'transcribe'." "Come on!" "You'd do it if you wanted." "35 kilometers is next to your ass." "You're all talk." "Just stick to fantasy writing." "I'm out of here." "See you tonight." "Can you give me some money?" " Are you smoking in there?" " No!" "You're late for school!" "I told you, my first two classes are free." "But it's almost noon!" "Weren't you going out?" "Come straight home from school." "We have guests tonight." "Fuck off and go play cards!" " Did you hear me?" " OK!" "My God, what will this girl become?" "A whore." "Abi, look!" "The girl I told you about." "Here she comes again." " Nice chick." " Don't say that, Abi!" " So what is she?" " Don't call her that!" "She's a chick, man!" "What else do you call a chick?" " She's just a girl." " That's what you think." "How naive you are." " She lives at 1¨43 Süvari Street." " How do you know?" "I'm hooked." "My heart stops when I see her." " My heart stops when I see you, girl!" " So what?" " Where you headed?" " What's it to you?" "As if you're off to school, eh?" "We did that too." "Go on then." "She's fine alright." "But have her and the rest will taste like trash." "It's ok." "I don't want anyone else." "I want her." "You in love or what?" "I don't know, Abi." "I'm crazy about her." "You know her, right?" "This is my neighborhood, man." "Say the word and I'll set it up." "Forget it, I got no money, nothing." "Why would she look at me?" "If this taxi thing works out..." "Won't start?" "No, the fucker!" "Must be the cylinder." "Of course it won't start." "Aren't the new bikes cool?" "No pedal." "Push a button and it starts." "So it won't start." "Where was I going, anyway?" " Right?" " Right." "Have a seat, Salih Abi." " Did you go to the match yesterday?" " At the stadium?" "I asked if you went, not watched, dumbass." "I went, but the bastards wouldn't let me in." "Dogs!" "Didn't you tell them you played five years for the team?" "Didn't you say you were Mouse and everyone inside knew you?" "No, man." "If you're not A team, no one knows you." " Anyway Harun Abi wasn't there." " You should've called Alper and said..." ""If this lame ass hadn't busted my knee, we wouldn't be bottom of the league now."" "How could I, Abi?" "The guy's a star now." "So what?" "The stadium's empty anyway." " Where's your Altay player's card?" " They took that too." "If I'd been there when they busted your knee..." "What could you do?" "Bear Bahadir was in on it too." "Since when was he so big?" "You fear a guy that runs a tea garden?" "It's not like that." "Man, I'd get kickbacks all over Turkey with two guys as crazy as me." "A former president sent flowers to his funeral." "Who am I to bully them?" "If I were you, I'd have told the media." ""There's shit flying down here while you watch Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe."" "If they told you to shut up, you'd go, "Put cash in my pocket and I'll break my leg off at the knee and keep quiet." Right?" "I couldn't, man." "No one backed me either." "If they had, at least I could have found treatment." "Don't they do that surgery here?" "Sure, but there are good doctors and bad doctors." "It's tough." "Same thing happened to Ridvan." "If they can't fix him, how would they fix me?" "Sevki's in jail now." "You know that?" "Yeah." "If he was headed to jail, why did he have to mess up your life, right?" "Yeah." "He only got on the team because Bear Bahadir is his dad." "Ah well." "You can't open an umbrella once it's up your ass." "It's that clean heart of yours." "That's why you get all this shit." "You're naive so they keep hitting you." "You shouldn't pity anyone." "You gotta hit too." "For example, in the park last night." "With Paleface and my cousin." "We're drinking beer." "I want sunflower seeds." "And there's a line..." "So I cut in." "There's this rich kid in shorts at the back." "He says, "What's this?" "We're the idiots in line?"" "Four or five guys are in front of him." "I go, "Nobody here said a word so who made you speaker?"" ""Back off or I'll fuck you so hard you'll never leave home again."" " Nice one!" " Yeah, but seriously." "He was shit scared." "Then the fucking cops show up, "What's going on here?"" ""Nothing, officer," I say." "I put a hand on the kid's shoulder." ""We're friends, officer." "Just messing around."" "The cops know we're not friends, but what can they do?" " Charge you with disturbing the peace." " Meaning?" "Nothing." "The guy's terrified." "I'm squeezing him here." "He keeps quiet." "The cop says, "Don't give us grief in this heat."" "Wasn't I the shit?" "I gave the kid's cheeks two sloppy kisses." " I bet the faggot liked it." " I wouldn't know." "Point is, the guys at the top fucked up the peace long before us." "You and me, we get leftovers." "If a piece comes my way I fight for it, take it from their hands." " What do you get?" " What they got." "You have to fight and grab too." "Or they'll beat you to it." "What happened to that taxi job?" "I'm waiting to hear." "They'll call soon." "No money in it, you know." "I worked a taxi once." "It's a bitch." "You're on your own." "And in this heat..." "What else can I do?" "I didn't even finish high school." "Maybe I can make something of it." " Or I won't find a girl to marry." " You're still on that?" " I look at my mom now..." " Is that girl still on your mind?" " Yeah." " Oh man!" "Don't say that." "We looked at each other last week." "Come on!" "They look at everyone like that." "Times have changed." "In the old days you'd ask for her hand, she'd play coy." "But now they jump on you without batting an eye." " Really?" " Go ask the old guys." "Ask if they'd fuck the same chicks as their friends." "With girls now, it's one guy today, another tomorrow..." "And yesterday's guy is there watching." " You're right, but she's beautiful." " Maybe, butjust have a good time." "Forget marriage." "Show you're interested." "Say, "I'd kill and die for you." Then watch how she falls for you." " You think?" " You're something else!" "I'm going to the shop." " I'm here." " OK." "He's a loser." "He'd ask to borrow your underwear." "That was then." "Now he's a thug." "Feet off there!" "So what." " Who's that?" " Yasar." " Which Yasar?" " The janitor's son." " Where's he after all these years?" " Ömer Abi saw him." " We used to beat his ass." " He asked for it." "He was kind of dumb too." "One day Ilker has a knee in his chest." "Barely breathing, Yasar says, "Get off or I'll beat the shit out of you!"" "Whenever he got tackled, he'd yell, "Oh Lord, I'm hurt!"" "He shows up the other day in a leatherjacket." "A guy is with him, not from here, short like him." ""I hear a guy called Salih hangs around here," he says." "Yeah, I say." "And he goes, "Tell Salih to watch his step."" "I say, "Don't mess with Salih." "He's a psycho."" "He asks, "You know Jesse?"" "I say, "Why the hell would I know Jesse?"" "He says, "See Jesse, then talk."" " What's the story?" " Salih beat Yasar up at some point." "Why?" "He must have asked for it." "He'd started carrying a knife." ""What's this?" I asked him." "He goes, "All Bornova thugs carry a knife."" "If he said that to Salih, he had it coming." "He's an idiot." "Let's see Ömer Abi's degree." " Don't mess with that." " Let us fix it, man." " Wait, clean it first." " Leave it." "'... has earned a bachelor's degree in economics and administrative science... ' '... from Anatolian University.'" " We live in a choice neighborhood, see?" " Right." " Morning!" "You're well, I hope?" " Not bad." " How are you?" " Ok." "How are you, Hakan?" "I saw your mother." "She said you're getting married." "No, Mrs. Gülseren." "She wishes I was." "Poor woman has had enough of him." " What can I get you?" " Marlboro Lights and yogurt." " Which brand?" " Whichever." " Big or small?" " Big." "Ibo, grab a yoghurt." "So Hakan, you're done with military service." " I guess you're looking for a job?" " I have one hopefully." "As a taxi driver." "Well, as long as you have work." "Haven't they grown up?" "I hope this job works out and puts money in my pocket." "I keep throwing them out but they come back." "Goodbye then." "Say hello to your mothers, ok?" " Stay for tea?" " Another time." "Say hello to Yüksel Abi." " God, she changed." " Let's see you raise a son like Salih." "You know I hated school." "But if I listened to one teacher, it was Mrs. Gülseren." "But she was the music teacher." "You blew a flute an hour a week." "What matters is how you spend the hour." "She was pretty then." "Right, Ömer Abi?" "You'd know." "They were in the education faculty, two years above us in university." "Later she went downhill fast." "That's what happened with Özal as prime minister." "Yüksel was regional head for Turkish Radio  TV when he got fired." "He couldn't find work." "He'd been branded a leftist." "He got depressed." "And he'd been in line to run TRT." "But being a leftist, he was finished." "Someone used to that life, making do on a teacher's wage..." "The kid was difficult." "He slipped through their fingers." "But his mom tried so hard with him." "Well, kids shouldn't be spoiled." "No one in Turkey had Adidas shoes then." "Salih, age 7, wore nothing else." "He used to get beaten up for being a rich kid." "He gave us marbles." "The American ones." "I told Yüksel Abi not to spoil the boy." "But he'd insist on giving him the best." "He said, "He won't grow up without this stuff like we did"." "But everyone wants the best for their kids." "Wouldn't you?" "If I could afford it." "Hey, put that back!" "You don't pay for nothin'!" "You owe me a fortune." "I'd tell your mothers but I feel shame." " You're grown men!" "Now fuck off!" " Run." "Just fuck off!" "For God's sake!" "MAP OF HEAVEN What does the Prophet Mohammed say?" "He says if a fly falls in your soup, and one wing goes in you should dip the other wing in the soup as well." "Does anyone know why?" "No one reads Science  Technology magazine?" "Nobody?" "Read it, friends." "Researchers at Mecca University found if poison exists on one wing the antidote is on the other." "So..." "What are you yakking about back there?" "Huh?" "My friend said Atatürk was a great guy and I said he sure was." "How dare you!" "Get out!" "Out!" "No respect!" "And taking Atatürk's name in vain." "Out now!" "I fogot where I was." " Don't spin the ball." " They break better this way." " You're stripes." " Last game, ok?" " Nail it!" " No chance." "Don't drag it out." "You can't win." " What's this?" " Dollars." " What do I want with them?" " But they're dollars!" "Get the fuck out of here!" "If the derivative is negative, draw a tangent to the curve." " Why from the negative side?" " Don't you know any of this?" "Let me see that." " It's fake." " My ass!" "I stole it from my old man." "He works for NATO." "Don't smoke." "It's bad for your lungs." "I was smoking when you were playing hide  seek with girls." "My turn?" "Look, Emre found himself a girl from vocational school." "Your turn." "The guy's a jerk." " I want to learn 'chiss' too." " It's not 'chiss', it's chess." "Whatever!" "The guy looks just like Jack." " No way!" "He has a belly." " Your hair looks amazing." " Come on." " It does!" "Hey, your boy's losing." " Are you waiting for him?" " Why would I?" "Did you fight or something?" " He's just killing time with me." " Planning to marry him, were you?" "Don't be stupid." "Where did that come from?" "I swear he looks like Jack." "Look, they're private school kids." "They just fuck around with girls who spread their legs like you and me." "Don't include me." "I saw you changing for gym." "Your ass is black and blue." " What are you saying?" " Don't play innocent with me." "At least I don't fuck kids like him." "No, you do the thugs waiting outside school." "Bravo!" "Go on like that and you'll have to drag your cunt around." "Knock it off." "Why did you upset her?" "You're something else." "It's for her own good." "Everyone should face the truth." "Look who's here." "Will he mess with your boy?" "Never mind him." "I'm scared he'll get to my parents." "How you doing?" "Let me have a go." "Why should you hog the table?" "How much do you pay for an hour of this?" "Huh?" "Don't spend so much on this stuff." "You'll make your mom mad." "Come on, play." "Who's ahead?" "You go on." "Where have you been, Abi?" "What happened to you?" "You a good boy now or what?" "Look how your girl's watching you." "Good boy?" "What?" "What's with that fat wallet?" " It's for show." "It's empty." " Let's have a look then." " Easy shot." " My ass." " Come on, give it here." " Abi, there's nothing in it." "Hey, I win with 50." "We go on?" "So you won't let a brother see your wallet?" " But it's empty!" " Don't worry, I won't steal nothing." "Let's go 15 more." "It's still lunch break." "No, that's enough." "Wait, ok, let's go on." " Chill, it's my turn then." "So hand over that wallet." "Let's have it!" " Abi, there's nothing in it." " Then what's the problem?" "You're all witnesses." "He gave it to me himself." " Your boy just lost his wallet." " Idiot!" "Why's he talking to that ass?" "Doesn't he buy weed off him?" "Shit!" "My photo's in there." "I'm taking 20 lira." "I need some cash." "I'll take it off your next purchase." " No worries, Abi." "You off to Cesme?" " Yeah." "Whoa!" "A photo of Ms. Özlem." "She's grown up so fast!" "I say my heart stops for you and you don't even look at me, girl!" " Abi, that's not cool." " Relax." "I ain't doing anything." "I'm like a big brother to her." "Right, Özlem?" "She's gone shy." "So what's up, are you two together?" "Yeah." " Are you talking marriage?" " Come on, we're young." " Let's go or he'll start with us." " Just wait." "What's young?" "You must know by now." " I don't, that's all." " Your turn, bro." "So what do you do?" "How does it work?" " Do you feast on her in the park?" " Don't, man!" "Nothing to be shy about." "You're young, right?" "Let's not get into that." "How do you do it?" "In the park?" "Huh?" "Take the key to my flat if you like." "Huh?" " Should I pay?" " No!" "Do you do it in the park?" "Answer me!" " Yeah, I saw them." " That's what I like to hear!" "Bravo!" "So you're just screwing around with her then." "Bravo, my boy!" "Here you go." "The photo, Abi?" "You got the real thing." "What do you want with a photo?" "Freak." ""I saw them..." You jackass!" " What's up, Mouse?" " Hey, Murat Abi!" "How's it going, Abi?" "Same as ever." " Isn't Salih around?" " He'll be back from the shop soon." "Have a seat, huh?" " He didn't leave anything for me?" " No, Abi." "Like what?" "Bastard!" "He went on and on this morning." ""Bring cash." "I'll leave it."" "Right..." "I don't mess with that stuff." "It's better you don't." "What are you up to?" "Not much, Abi." "I hope to start driving a taxi." "I'm just waiting to hear." "Great." "Good job." "Pays well too." "It's tough though." "I'll do it anyway." "Or no girl will marry me." "Whoa!" "Look at you, Mouse!" "Big enough to get married!" "Who is she, kid?" "She's from your old neighborhood." "She's in the last year of high school." "She seems like a decent girl." "Do you talk to her?" "Not yet." "But we did exchange looks a few days ago." "Salih Abi knows her too." "But he says forget marriage and have a good time with her." "Ignore Salih." "What's he done for himself to tell you what to do?" "Don't say that, Abi." "He might act like a bum, but he has a clean heart." "You think you know him better than I do?" "We were mates before you were born." "Before primary school." "Both our grandmothers lived at home." "There was a cartoon series called The Lone Ranger on TV." "He had a white horse, Silver." "And his sidekick was an Indian." "Man, Turkish guys who marry women to take care of their mothers..." "Anyway..." "We'd hang out in the building." "Salih was Silver, I was Lone Ranger." "I'd climb on his back." "I'd ride up and down the corridor." "When I had to be Silver I'd rear up and not let Salih on." "I never carried him." "But he never said anything." "Then we started school." "My grades were always good, his average." "So we started going different ways." "Then the stuff with his dad..." "You know all that." "He hasn't come to my house in 15 years." "I haven't invited him either." "We were always together." "Him, me, your sister and the doctor's son Cihan." "What are you doing now, Abi?" "I'm still studying." "You're not done yet?" "When will you earn money?" "Won't you have internships?" "It's not fucking technical college!" "It's philosophy." "However I got into it..." "So how will you make money?" "Money's easy." "I write fantasies for King magazine." "About tourists, travelers, local girls..." "That makes money." "You studied all that time to write for those magazines?" "This country is like that, kid." "I used to bust my brain writing for 10 lira a piece, if it paid at all." "Now I reel off a story in two hours." "It pays my rent." " So you write fantasies." " Yep." "How do you come up with them?" "They're all over the Internet." "I hear stories too." "Salih told me one the other day." " Didn't he tell you?" " No." "He was sitting in the Vestel store." " Down there?" " Yeah." "They wanted Salih's help on a delivery." "He agreed." "They took it to a flat above the tire shop." "There was a girl at home." "Her parents were out." "Somehow he knew her." "He'd probably sold her weed." "Whatever." "The Vestel guy went back to the shop for a part." "So they were alone." "And he jumped on the girl." "She begged him not to and stuff, but he went for it." " Above the tire shop?" " Yeah." "I changed the place and stuff." "Süvari Street, No 1¨43." "Right, Süvari." "But I don't know the number." "That's the last thing I wrote." "I do 7 or 8 a week." "I change the names and places." "The editor eats it up." "Hey, what's up?" "Your face changed." " Nothing, Abi." " What's up, kid?" "I'm exactly as I am." "But everyone is different from what they seem." "Mouse?" " Özlem, stop!" "Where are you going?" " Leave me alone!" "The guy's a psycho." "Stop!" "Ok, I'm not dealing with babies." " What did you say?" " What?" " Who's a baby?" " You." "You're fucking a baby?" "At least talk behind my back, asshole." "How can you say you're just screwing around?" " I didn't say that." "He did." " Do you have no pride?" "The guy's a psycho." "He took my wallet." "What could I do?" ""He took my wallet." "What could I do?" Poor thing!" " I expect you to defend my name." " What name, girl?" " Where's the man in you?" " What are you saying, girl?" "Stop saying "girl"!" "Aren't you a man?" "Sure." "Aren't you a chick?" "Like I don't know you're just killing time with me." "Aren't you into girls at my school because they won't fuck you at yours?" "You're shit scared of Bornova thugs." "Right?" "Look at me!" "Like you're not dying to get rid of those guys?" "You think I'm so naive." "Don't you?" "You'll go to university and won't even look at us." "At least be man enough to say you're messing around with me." "God!" "Are you going to marry me?" " What?" " 'What?" "'" "Who's the guy who said he saw us in the park?" " Kerem." " He's following us again." " Say hello to Peeping Tom for me." " Fuck you!" "In your wet dream, kid." "When I was a kid we'd spend money on bikes." "We were at the repair shop every other day." "Not because anything was wrong." "To get red and yellow wheel rims, or blue and yellow for Fenerbahçe a reflector for the back, or a pinwheel for the handlebars." "The Hüdaverdis, Pinocchios, Captains, Cinderellas..." "We rode two to a bike." "Someone was always on the back." "But they were standing." "We were lunatics then." "Show-offs too." "We'd skid and pop wheelies." "The tires got shredded of course." "The Turkish kids from Germany would show up." "They had counterpedal bikes." "There were Bianchis too." "Hardly anyone had those." "They were fold-up bikes." "Kids took them to their summerhouses." "We'd be so jealous." "Polos were like Harleys to us." "You wouldn't know them." "They had a weird gear system." "BMXs came out much later." "That was long after our time." "We'd just seen them in ET, the movie." "We thought they were flying bikes." "Now every kid's bike is a mountain bike." "They're made handsome." "Put it this way, no one spends money on bikes or motorbikes anymore." " How much do you want?" " 150 lira's worth." "Hey, don't smoke so much." "You'll make your mom mad." " I'm buying for friends too." " So your share is free." "Are you smart or what?" "Come with me." " Hello." " Hello?" "Miss Özlem..." "I see you every afternoon." "You say hi to Salih." "Don't get me wrong, I don't know what to say, but..." "I could kill and die for you." "Are you crazy?" "Did you get those lines from Salih?" "Get lost!" "I'm in enough trouble because of him." " Exactly." "He's trouble." "Avoid him." " Fine, OK." " What did he do to you?" " What's it to you?" " Özlem, what did he do to you?" " Move, will you?" "What did you get from Vestel?" "Huh?" " I didn't tell anyone." " What?" "I swear I didn't." "I swear on the Koran." "What are you talking about?" "Tell whoever you like." "Are you here to beat me up?" "Good God!" "What?" "I'm here to help." "Damn!" "He said if I told anyone, he'd beat the shit out of me." "Or he'd get his friend to." "Isn't that you?" " What are you talking about?" "No!" " Plus he said he'd tell my parents." "Özlem, look." "I'm here to help you." "I heard something." " Go away!" " Wait." "Look, what did he do to you?" " Nothing." " How do you mean "nothing"?" " Just nothing." " What does that mean?" "Why would I trust you anyway?" "I don't know." "Don't if you don't want to." "But I'm not a shit like him." "I heard something and came to help." "Plus I'm crazy about you." "Why?" "I've never been crazy about anyone but you." "I mean, I don't know why things like that happen." "I don't know a lot actually." "I just know about football." "I know how to drive." "And..." "Don't laugh, ok?" "I'm not laughing." "I know how to cook." "My mom was sick for a while." "So I learned." "That's good." "It's good, isn't it?" "You see it on TV." "An 80-year-old man on his own." "His house is a dump." "Dirty dishes and stuff everywhere." "You should think about that, right?" "So?" "So what?" " What did Salih do?" " Nothing." "He can't do anything to you." "I won't let him." "Promise?" "Promise." " Swear on the Koran?" " I swear on the Koran." " You swear on your mother?" " I swear on my mother." "We used to buy hash from him." "In the bike repair shop." "I'd go with friends from school." "You swore on your mother." "Then..." "A couple of weeks ago he came to my house with the Vestel guy." "He was looking at me real dirty right off." "I was on my own." "And scared he'd be trouble." "I went to my room." "I heard the door." "I thought they'd left, so I came out." "I saw he was alone." "I asked where the other guy went." "To get a tool, he said." "He asked if I wanted some hash, I said no, I had some." "Then he asked where the bathroom was." "I pointed to it." "As he passed he grabbed me." "He told me not to yell or he'd tell my parents I smoked." "Asshole!" " He forced me to the wall and kissed me." " It's ok." "Don't go on." " That's not all." " Hey, OK!" "But it wasn't like that." "Against the wall he keeps kissing me." "But... 10 minutes go by." "And his thing wasn't erect at all." "He pulls away, I push him." "He's just standing there." "I'm scared he'll hit me." "I'm trying to straighten my skirt." "I still get chills thinking about it." " Did he hit you?" " No." "He started crying." "I was so scared." "He pulled up his pants." "He said if I told anyone, he'd beat the shit out of me and kill my parents." "He said, "If I don't beat you my sidekick will."" ""I won't let you be with anyone else." Then he left." " What then?" " Nothing." "That's it." "Have you told anyone?" " No." "Damn you, Salih!" "What kind of man are you?" "How did you know I lived here?" " I told you, I'm crazy about you." " Have you followed me before?" "Yeah." "How did you know about the Vestel thing?" "I have a friend, Murat Abi." "Salih told him." "He's like..." "He writes for men's magazines." "He wrote about it." " And he told me." " Did he use my name?" "No." "He changed the names and places." "Don't worry." "But he wrote about it." "Yes." "Son of a bitch!" "God knows how he lied, "I fucked her this way and that."" "So he couldn't get it up, huh?" "With all those drugs in his system..." "Bastard!" "Right." "I don't have any bad habits, thank goodness." "That's good." "I mean, I'll have a drink." "But only sometimes." "Anyway I have no idea what you get from hash and stuff." "Forget it." "I mean, it's not as great as they say, or as bad." "But nice." "If you know when to stop." "Like drinking." "If you know where to stop." "Hello." "So should we call the police?" "What?" "Salih..." "Do we get him arrested?" "Özlem, they catch him all the time but he always gets out." "Don't bother." "He'll only give you more grief." " So he'll get away with it." " No." "God will judge him." "I can't wait forjudgment day." "You're a witness." "So is the Vestel guy." " He'll get scared." " And you?" "I'm not scared." "So?" "So what?" "Didn't you say you'd kill and die for me?" "I did." "Then kill the bastard and it's done." "Think how many girls he's done this to." "And you say police won't do anything." "So what if he's dead?" "Who'd cry for him?" "Nobody." "You're right." "Of course I am." "So what will you do when he's dead?" "How do you mean?" "I mean, could I maybe see you sometimes?" "Sure." "Look, I'll start driving a taxi." "I mean, I'll have a job too." "That's good." "But I smoke hash." "And I sometimes pop a pill." "It's ok if you know when to stop." "Do whatever you like." "So are you going to do this?" "I don't know." "If not, he won't let us be." "He'll follow us." "He'll set the shoeshine kids on us." "We have to find a way." "Killing someone's easy." "But then there's a trial and jail." "Claim self-defense." "Everyone knows he's a shit." "Say he was high and attacked you, that he would have killed you." "Then what?" "After high school I'll take a course, learn accounting." " What about university?" " I'm last in line for that." "First there's Anatolian and super high schools." " I'm in normal high school." " I know." "Ok, I take a test-prep course, but it's a formality." " What about me?" " Didn't you say you'd be a cab driver?" "Yes." "That's great." "We can go around a bit." "OK, I'll be going then." "I'm going to go up." "By the way..." "My name's Hakan." "Ask for Mouse and they'll tell you where I am." "OK." "Something weird happened." " Then what?" " I said I didn't want any money." ""You're Faruk's customer," I said." "But she said "Take it," insisting." "As I took the money she stroked my hand." "Then I realized what was going on." "Older women are another breed." "Man, she devoured me!" "And told me to come back when she calls." " Whoa!" " You said it!" " Will you use this one too?" " We'll see." "Go on, write it." "Seriously." "You're such a weird guy." "You're married and look at yourjob." "Right?" "So what?" "How could I make better money?" "Doesn't your wife say anything?" "No." "I mean, the stuff you write, it's in your head." "And she says nothing?" "She wouldn't." "She minds her own business." " So she's into her own thing." " What's it to you?" "I earn my own bread." "I don't harm anyone." "You talk like you know everything." "What do you do?" " Why did you pay me just now?" " For some hash." "That's it." "Sometimes I hang out in the shop do some repairs." "Plus, I don't pay no rent." "Man, you still live at home at your age." "No!" "I kicked our tenant out." "I live on my own now." "It's cool for my mom, cool for me." "I filled the fridge with beer, I got a TV." "And a fan." "What more do I want?" "So you snatched your parents' income." "Shame on you!" " What can I do?" "Kill my mom?" " Exactly." "Kill your mom." " Watch your tongue, Murat!" " You watch yours!" "Your age matches your number of arrests." "How far can you go selling hash to kids?" "Get yourself a job." "You don't get it, Murat." "Someone has to do the illegal stuff for the rich." "Otherwise they'd be in trouble." "And that wouldn't be good." "Right?" "See this phone?" "I've got numbers on here you wouldn't believe." "Someone has to go into the rough neighborhoods for them." "How long can it go on like that?" "Don't smoke so much at least." "It'll go as far as it goes." "I want respect, Murat." "Respect." "When I'm in trouble, I want someone to say, "I know this guy."" "I'm always on my own." "But I'm here, right?" "Give me a break." "Don't lie." "What if I said let's go to your place." "Huh?" "Would you take me?" "How long have we known each other?" "Since we were five." "It would be different if I was single." " But I have a wife now." " Don't worry." "I'm not angry." "If I were you, I wouldn't have me over either." "But I want respect." "I'm leaving this place anyway." "I've had enough." " Where are you going?" " Germany or Holland." "One of the two." "I have friends there." "They say when they go someplace everyone stands up." "They wear nice leatherjackets." ""We play the game big," they say." "Like you said, I ain't going nowhere selling joints to students." "That's bullshit." "They stand in fear, not respect." "We have leatherjackets here too." "Buy one, put it on." "You still don't get it." "Over there, you're someone." "You're a Turk." "You're different." "What the fuck are you here?" "The meat has been eaten." "We get the bones." "You know it." "Tell me you don't." "If you want, you can be someone here too." "Don't you have a skill?" "OK, I can make meatballs for minimum wage." "But instead of poisoning myself in a factory I'd rather poison rich kids." "Plus, it pays better." " I agree." " Right, huh?" "I guess you like it here, Murat Abi." "It's too hot at home." "I can't take it." "And this poor kid is stuck on driving a taxi." " So?" "It's a good job, good money." " My ass!" "You're in the car 10-12 hours." "Alone." "And in summer, it's hell." "No one pays you to grow your ass." "You have to work." "Ignore him." "You go work." "So what happened?" "Did they call?" "Not yet." "But they will soon." "Keep waiting, sure." "They'll call." "What are you bashing the kid's hope like that?" "Hey, Mouse." "Are you set on this job?" " Yeah, Abi." " You're set on it." "Yes." " Have this then." " What the hell's that?" "What does it look like?" "You're giving him a knife?" "Murat's a sharp guy." " You'll get him killed!" " What, me?" "He's asking for it." "Mouse, look, you're my brother." "Pricks and drunks will get in your cab." "And you can't say no." "Cabs make money by night, not day." "Normal working men don't take cabs at night." "They sit home, watch TV, eat nuts, play cards..." "You hear me?" "Yes, Abi." " OK, I know what's coming." " Wait!" "Listen." "Remember when cab drivers were getting killed all the time?" "All those drivers going around, horns blaring demanding that the police protect them." "And what happened?" "What happened?" " What?" " Not a damn thing." "Nothing could happen." "Police won't do jack shit." "They're scared of the guys on the street too." "Everyone's scared." "Those guys have blank stares." "Two years ago, this guy is in the main square." "The day of university exams." "Packed." "I'm waiting for a customer." "The guy is yelling, "Fuck you all, fuck your sisters!"" "His friends try to drag him away." "But he's still yelling, "Fuck your mothers!" and all that." "No one says a word." "No one!" "Not even the groups of guys standing around." "The police don't shut him up either." "They come toward my cab." "Hell, I think, I'm out of here." "But the engine won't start." "Not till they're in the car." "The guy says, "Bornova, bro, Atatürk district."" " What time was it?" " 12:30." "Maybe 01:00." "This guy tells me to switch to the day rate." "Just try refusing." "He's out the window, yelling again." "I guess the bars didn't let him in so he's all riled up." "Murat, suddenly he starts crying." "But bawling his eyes out." "I think, what the fuck?" "Then our eyes meet in the rearview." ""What are you staring at?" he says." ""A dancing bear?"" "I say no, and he says, "Watch the road or I'll fuck your mother."" "I'm going fast, I buckle up, slam on the brakes." "He hits the front window." "The other guys are shaken up." "They speak Kurdish so I don't understand." "The guy's facedown, OK?" "I grab him by the neck." "Just then one of them grabs my throat." "So I knife him in the arm." "I say, "If you're crazy, I'm crazier." And I cut the guy's neck." "I say, "Now fuck off or I'll kill the lot of you."" "They grabbed their friend and ran off." "Did you really cut his neck?" "Yeah." "Like this." "He could have died." "Maybe he did." "I don't know." "Hey, Mouse." "Don't hang around this guy so much." "He isn't normal." "I gave you that knife." "The same knife." "Thanks, Salih Abi." "I wanted to ask the guy, "What's up, brother?"." "Then he turns on me." "People curse your parents, they want to go to dodgy places." "You never know." "I should go." "It's late." "I have fantasies to write." "Murat Abi, sit down." "I'll tell you one." "Forget it, Mouse." "I have loads already." " Don't follow his lead, OK?" " Hey, Murat." "Sit down." "Don't let the kid fool you." "He's a heartbreaker." "Just low on action." "Sit down, Abi." "Maybe I don't tell a great story, but you can dress it up." "Sit." "Have another smoke." "Go on, kid." "You telling a writer how to write or what?" "Let's have it!" "I'm in the supermarket." "Mom sends me." "We're out of food at home." "I get canned soup." "It's winter and I don't want her to cook." "I also have meat and vegetables." "I'm at the check-out." "The woman behind me says, "Don't buy that soup."" ""God knows what's in it." "I'll give you something better."" " What was the woman like?" " The woman?" "She was ¨45 or 50 but her tits were firm." "Her ass was in its place." "Anyway, then, Abi..." "She says, "My back aches."" ""You'll have to help carry my bags."" "I say, OK." "What else could I do?" "So I walk behind her." "We get to her apartment block - it's above a supermarket." "I ask why she doesn't shop there." "And she says the selection is no good." "Then we're in the elevator." "And she says, "My husband gets home late."" ""And my son moved out."" " "I'm alone."" " That's how it is 'round here." "Just like that 'Housewives' series on TV." "Seriously." "So we get to her place." "I put her bags down." "I say I should be going." "And she puts my hand on her tit." ""Where are you going?" she says." ""My mom's waiting," I say." "And she goes, "Are you going to suck on your mom?"" "So we do it in the bathroom." "Then in the kitchen." "And then in the living room." "I'm wrecked." "I mean, barely standing." "And she says, "I used to do it with my son."" ""But he couldn't handle it and left."" "Whoa!" "Some Oedipus shit!" "I'm about to go and she's pressing money in my hand." "I say, "Mrs. Gülseren, please don't."" ""Salih and I are like brothers."" "Are you out of your mind, kid?" " The supermarket is Sütçüoglu..." " Just shut up!" "What kind of story is that, asshole?" " Salih, sit down." " The fuck I will!" " Whose mother you disrespecting, fucker?" " Yours." " Salih, he's joking." " Fuck you and fuck the joke!" "Out of the way or you lose an eye!" "There's a photo of you as a kid." "Playing the flute." "Hilarious." "Game over for you, man." "You're on candid camera, Salih Abi." "What have you done, kid?" "Is he dead?" "I guess so." "Wow, so it's that easy." "Murat Abi..." "Murat Abi!" "You're a witness!" "He attacked me!" "He was going to kill me!" "What kind of story was that?" "Did you get fucked by a lunatic?" "Forget it, man." "Will anyone cry for him?" "Will you?" "Get out of here." "Go!" "Run!" "It was sooner than later." "Where did you park?" "In the lot." "Are you working all night again?" "We'll see." "If I make good money by ¨4:00, I'll be back by 7:00." "The other driver has a key too." "Don't turn on the meter." "Get smart like the others." "Sometimes I don't." "But what can I do?" "I got busted last time." "Doesn't everyone do it anyway?" "I'm not everyone." "Any word from Murat?" "He called again." "When?" "Yesterday." "Just after you left." "What did he say?" "He can't pay his rent, he needs money." "God damn him!" "The guy takes half our income." "It's two months till the baby's born." "We can't call the cops." "What can we do?" "It's obvious what we do." "Either we hire a guy to scare him or we handle him ourselves." "How can we scare him?" "He'd go to the police." "Listen, Hakan." "I don't even let my parents mess with us." "And that bastard won't either." "So what are we going to do?" "Get rid of him too." "Let the son of a bitch die."