The Reluctant Warrior
by Kemal Tahir
Chapter 2
Translated by Elif Mat
Hasan Pasa Police Station
Besiktas, Istanbul
February, 1919
Besiktas, Istanbul
February, 1919
The Police were interrogating a veiled woman in black at
Hasanpasha Police Station. The place was in such a chaos that no one asked
Jamil what he was doing there. He went straight to Captain Maksood’s Office
without being stopped. He heard some voices coming from the room so he knocked
gently. There was no answer. Jamil knocked louder a second time.
“Wait a second, Apostol; some guy is in a hurry as if he has
to go. Come in! I said, come in. Don’t make me get up.”
Jamil wanted to play a trick on his friend nicknamed ‘Arab’
and hide his face with the scarf. Captain Maksood roared when he saw a bashi-bozouk. “Who the hell are you? How
come you entered the Station without permission? Where are the guards? Look at
this, Apostol, if we were doing something inappropriate, somebody could have
easily walked in on us. You know I have given orders not to be disturbed.
Apparently, anybody can walk in! It is not like a Police Station here. It is as
disorganized as a brothel. I will get my whip and beat the guards.” He looked
at Jamil, and then turned his attention again to Apostol. Then he talked to
Jamil: “Since you are already here; you might as well tell me what you want.
Don’t take long. Be brief, very brief.”
Jamil was walking towards the closet and brushing the snow
off. Then he took his coat off. Maksood was so surprised by this he roared like
a lion again, “Why are you taking your coat off? Damn it! Are you deaf?
Apostol, what are you waiting for? Go, get your walking stick and strike him.”
When he realized that the man in the room was Jamil, he was dumbstruck. “Oh, it
is you Jamil! Oh, Brother! I swear I didn’t recognize you. You look like a bashi-bozouk. Not even General von Kress
could have recognized you in this outfit. He knew all thousand students in the
Academy and was able to call them by name five years later. You are out of shape man! You don’t look like
yourself. Damn it! Sit over there. If you look this bad, I must be in much
worse shape. You are depressing me. Anyway, meet Apostol.”
Then he turned to Apostol and said, “Apostol, give him a
good look. He is the famous Gunnery Officer, Captain Jamil. We call him ‘Jehennem’. He shoots head lice precisely
in the eye. What is the point of being such a good shot? It was all in vain.
When he was fighting at Gaza, the English came from the right hand side with a
surprise attack and claimed Jerusalem. The German General, Jamil’s commander,
had to run away in the middle of the night in his night gown. Thank God he fled
or else the embarrassment would have been worse!”
Jamil signaled him to stop by raising his hand; “Enough
Maksood! You turned into a comedian in Istanbul. Good for you. Aren’t you going
to order some tea?”
“Certainly.” He pressed the bell impatiently a couple of
times. At the same time he was calling the guards outside, “Didn’t you hear the
bell ringing?” The Guard entered the room in a hurry and then Maksood asked;
“Where have you been? Did you all become
prisoners to the English? What are you doing with that woman, Jevriye, in the
interrogation room? Did you do a good job interrogating? Don’t laugh. You are
on duty. Bring us some tea. Quick! You are dismissed.”
Apostol stood up to leave. Maksood said, “Wait! Why are you
going?”
“I should be going, Maksood.”
“Where are you going? I ordered some tea and we will have
some bagels.”
He opened the window and called to the boy working across
the street at Hasan Pasha Bakery and called bakery worker, “Son...Dursun...Look
over here.”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Send us some bagels.”
“How many bagels do you need?”
“Ten.”
“How many sesame bagels?”
“Six.”
“Do you need anything else?”
“Like what?”
“Would you like some doughnuts as well?”
“When you pass away we will eat doughnuts at the funeral”
“I hope so, Captain. I would like to go to a better place.
You know the saying, ‘I don’t want any candy from Damascus, because I don’t
want to deal with the Arabs.”
“Fuck you! Damn it! I know what to do with you. I will
arrest you as a deserter, then shave your beard and send you to the desert so
you can see what Damascus is like!”
He closed the window and took a seat. “Jamil, have you met
Apostol before? He is a talented guy! If Fehim Pasha had had somebody like him
he wouldn’t have been lynched in Bursa. And he would have been rich just by
using his services as a pimp to Sultan Hamid!”
“Maksood don’t talk like that; the Captain may believe you.”
“Is that not right?
Are you not a Pimp? Are you the Mayor of Athens?”
Apostol smiled like a little boy, he was embarrassed. His
posture was so bad; you could call him a hunchback. He always had neat clothes
on like a Sublime Porte Gentleman. He was wearing a dress coat, a nice shirt
and a neat tie. He was holding his ebony walking stick with silver engraving
with both hands. He looked like one of the Tanzimat Reform Era Ottoman
Ambassadors who were Christians. He had good manners. He was politely stirring
his tea and eating his bagel.
Maksood spoke as he chewed on his bagel. “My friend Jamil
spent all his life fighting in the mountains and deserts. He knows all about
the rugged terrain and the forests of the country. Now that he is back in town
we should help him get used to polite society. We should help him relax. Send
two pretty women to him tonight. They will massage him, and help him relax.”
“Arab! Shame on you! What kind of talk is that?” Jamil
protested.
“Apostol doesn’t mind.” After Maksood said this Apostol
stood up to leave. Maksood wasn’t pleased. “Why are you leaving early? Why
don’t you eat another bagel?”
“Maksood, it is time. I really have to go. I will come back
another day.”
“Find a woman like I told you. I am not joking. Tell her
that we need her. She has to be veiled; she has to look presentable. Neither
her employer Catharine nor her lover John should recognize her in her disguise.
Not even you, Apostol. If Ferid Pasha sees her, he should mistake her for one
of the ladies in his Harem. I will wait for you to get back to me. Go now!
Don’t look so pious like one of the church officers. Go!”
Apostol said his good bye respectfully in the traditional
Ottoman way and left. As soon as the man left Arab‘s face changed as if he had
a mask before. “We screwed up! We screwed up so bad, we are in deep trouble.”
Jamil checked the door and lowered his voice; “What
happened? Did Patriot get caught?”
“No, that would be bad; he is not in danger...yet.”
“Yet?”
“There is no danger for Patriot yet. I am talking about former
Governor of Diyarbakir, Rashid.”Jamil understood that he was not saying what he
really wanted to say, but dancing around the subject. He also knew that in the
end Arab would spill the whole story. It was hard for him to keep it all to
himself. He knew that he didn’t need to question him.
“I apologise that we acted carelessly. We put you in danger
by sending Dr. Rashid to your home. You could have found yourself in an armed
conflict. We should have known better. Until the moment Rashid died; we thought
all this was a game. It was more serious than that. Now, we know that we are
facing a very difficult situation. When he died, it became clear to us.”
“Didn’t you think to prepare an escape for him? I know
Patriot is very thorough, he is the master when it comes to organizing this
kind of business.” Jamil inquired.
“To be a master you need some tools. His plan was perfect.
Bekiraga Military Prison didn’t have bathrooms for the inmates to shower. So
they were sending the inmates to Vezneciler Hamam. Dr.Rashid was supposed to
leave the prison in the afternoon. The car was waiting for him not far from the
Vezneciler exit to the War Ministry. They ambushed and scared the guards off
and they let Rashid in the car. The safe house was in Kadirga. Once Rashid was
in the car; they passed through Vefa and left him on the hill, overlooking
Kumkapi. He stayed there for five days.”
“Why did you change the house?”
“The owner of the first house had second thoughts. He
started to get scared for no reason. On the fifth day he started to complain.
It might be that the women of the house got scared and pressured him. Coward!
He went out one morning and came back all shaken up; he told us the grocer was
asking if he had any houseguests. He was lying. He panicked as if he really was
asked by the grocer.” Maksood helplessly shook his shoulders, “People are sick
and tired of this, Jamil.” He reached for the bagels and stopped as if he had
second thoughts about what he said. I called him ‘coward’ but he was very happy
to see Dr.Rashid on the first day. Once Rashid helped him a lot. He was saying,
‘I am very happy that you are at my home.
What an honour.’ He was very respectful. He must have been very conflicted
about lying about the grocer.”
“He must have been scared.”
“Rightfully so. Three people who helped him escape have been
arrested in the past twelve days. Rashid had to end his life. I didn’t know the
police were so capable! It wasn’t the police, they were in trouble because our
own people got scared and started to give the police names. They were going to
get caught while helping him escape. Everyone was ready to declare himself as a
witness. Most of the witnesses were turban
wearing Madrasah students. The
commotion took place right in front of the Sharia Islamic Law School. They were
all as eager to help the police as if the guy had killed their father. What is
it to them? There was a Madrasah instructor, a skinny man with small eyes. He
had difficulty breathing, yet screaming, ‘grey
automobile, four Unionist infidels, one had a hat on!’ He was so excited
one would think he was going to have a heart attack. Patriot told me all about
this; he told me all the details. One of the Madrasah students gave a
description of Neyir that was so accurate that he even mentioned the rip on his
coat lining. He went as far as to say that Neyir might have had a gun under his
coat. I didn’t know we had so many enemies, brother! If you spent a couple of
hours here, you could see for yourself. Today there is a man hunt in every
corner of this damn city of Istanbul. In every window there is someone
watching. You know how cats look just before attacking a bird, their jaws get
tense. They are all like that. I didn’t know bringing freedom to the country
was such a crime. We had enemies from the beginning but now our so called
‘friends’ are also turning their backs on us. My father, may he rest in peace,
used to recite a poem;
“Friends will come to plunder
quicker than the enemies,
May God protect the country from
collapse.”
It is like that. They were enthusiastic Committee of Union and Progress supporters once. They would do all
kinds of dirty tricks, using the name of the Party. They would have no rest.
Most of them used to make a living by blackmailing people. Bekiraga Military
Prison doesn’t just have political inmates. All kinds of people from different
ethnic backgrounds are crowding the place. They push them in through one door
and let them rest a little and turn them out through the other door. That’s why
they can still make a living by blackmailing and making false accusations about
people.”
“How many political inmates are there in Bekiraga?”
“There are 93 higher ranking CUP members including the
latest additions that have been brought in this month. Other than those, there
are another 130 waiting for the trial at the Court Marshall, in relation to the
Armenian Massacre. The first trial is scheduled for today. The Governor of
Bogazlayan Kamal and two of his friends will be on trial today. I am afraid
they will hang them.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so!”
“You never know, these days’ things are changing. Until now
I thought these events were not such a big deal. The arrested members also
didn’t take it too seriously. One of the guards told me that since Rashid Bey’s
suicide everybody has started to worry.”
“Was Rashid really guilty? Did he believe that he was going
to get hanged? Did he kill himself because of that?”
“I don’t know, even if he didn’t think of himself as guilty
of a crime he might have thought that the enemy will take advantage of the
opportunity. They will use this to hang us all. Probably we would have done the
same under the same circumstances.”
The phone rang. Maksood answered. “Hello? Hello? Talk
louder, bastard, I don’t understand what you are saying? Apostol, is that you?
Have you sent the woman? What? She is not coming? She is crying? How come she
says ’no’? What does she think I am going to do to her? How can she continue
what she is doing from now on without my protection? I will beat her up if she
doesn’t accept. Is she crying? Tell her not to cry, it won’t help. How will she
get into respectable clothes and present herself as a nice girl from the
Sultan’s palace to the French Officers without my help? I don’t believe
Margaret is refusing to help me. How can she? I considered her a friend but she
turned into a snake. I won’t forget this. I won’t say anything else. If she
were to come to me begging I will not accept her apology! Stop it! I don’t want
to listen to you anymore. What a chatterbox. I need a woman in conservative
dress right away. She should be here in half an hour. What? Yes, you can send
an African woman. Get her in a carriage, quickly. Don’t say she is scared as
well. Are they all afraid of the British and the French? Are they afraid of
them, yet not afraid of me? Am I completely powerless? Damn you all! Bastards!
No, I don’t need you here, don’t come. I don’t want to see you anymore. I know
what to do with you. You are not doing your job well.”
He slammed down the phone. His voice sounded surprised when
he talked to Jamil.
“The woman didn’t want to come here. I don’t believe that.”
“What do you need the woman for, especially on a day like
this?”
Captain Maksood began to talk to the phone as if it would
understand. “Margaret didn’t want to come! We have lost all our power. We are
dead already and we don’t know it yet. Good for you Margaret. Slap my face so I
can wake up.”
As he was turning his attention to Jamil, the phone rang
again. He looked like he was afraid of answering it. He was disappointed, but
his expression begins to change as he once again asserted himself, the proud
Judicial Officer. He was smiling happily now. With a wink he said, “The woman
didn’t have the courage to come. Whore! Doesn’t she know who am I?” Then he
answered the phone proudly, “Hello, Maksood the Arab speaking. Who is calling?
I didn’t recognise your voice, Fevzi the Gypsy? What do you want? What party?”
He looked tense, “Tonight? No, I can’t come tonight.” He hung up. He said to
Jamil, “For a second I thought Margaret called. I was hopeful. Damn it! Why
didn’t I ask Fevzi to bring us a girl? Oh, my God! There is nobody in the world
more stupid than I am right now!”
Jamil was curious, “What do you want the woman for? Why did
you want me to arrive in plain clothes? Why did you want me to bring my gun?”
“Let’s have a smoke first.”
“Forget about smoking, answer me. What is the matter?”
“I didn’t want to involve you in this but I had to.”
“Why is that? Why
shouldn’t you involve me? Did you think I was a coward?” Jamil’s voice changed,
“Did you think that I would screw it up?”
“Don’t be silly. I didn’t want to get you involved because
we didn’t ask you when we decided to help him escape from the jail.”
“This is all nonsense, Maksood!”
“We didn’t ask you if you wanted to participate in this.
Omer and I thought we could pull this off on our own. We acted like fools. We
thought we were the masters of these kinds of operations. There is a difference
between facing danger knowingly and just falling into a trap unexpectedly. I
haven’t been able to focus since this morning. I asked myself, ‘what if they had waited until Dr.Rashid
entered the house?’ Then I answered
my own question, Jamil wouldn’t let them get the prisoner and he would fight
until he died. Once you enter a fight you don’t know how to give up. It is all
Omer’s fault.” He thought for a while than sighed, “We are losing our abilities
to fight in combat and turning into city boys.”
Jamil was getting impatient. “Enough! Now start telling the
story from the beginning, so I can understand.”
Maksood laughed and shook his head. “There was a police raid
at Omer’s safe house this morning. That’s the story.”
“Damn it! Did he get caught?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Didn’t Lieutenant Farouk know about this?”
“He knew, but I told him not to say anything to make you
worry.”
“Why did you ask me to come over here? I understood
something went wrong, when he told me to bring my gun.”
“I was planning something, but I needed a woman to take part
in the plan.”
“What is your plan?”
“We need a woman to accompany us to go to his location.
There is a women’s tailor located on the ground floor. If we find somebody, she
will go in the building veiled and Omer the Patriot will go out in old lady’s
clothes and will have a veil on as well. That way, in case there are some
people watching they won’t be able to recognize him. If somebody attempts to
take her veil off and see her face; then her ‘husband’ will start a fight. He will say; ‘You can’t touch my wife’s veil’. In this commotion Patriot will run
away. We will send a friend in the role of the husband.”
“Was that your plan?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
“You planned all this by yourself?
“Yes. What is wrong with the plan?”
“Nothing! It’s Brilliant! Let’s say you find a woman, and
then who will play the role of the husband?
“We will find someone that is not well known by the police.”
“Then what will happen? Where will he go to hide, after
leaving that place?”
“I asked a pharmacist friend of ours to find a place for
him.”
“Who is the pharmacist?”
“Vasif, he owns the Tooran
Pharmacy in Kasimpasha.I asked the Fire Department Chief, to help find a
carriage.”
“Are we still dealing with the Firemen? Damn it!”
“It is not them! I am joking. It is Captain Ismail Hakki
from the Navy Fire Batallion. Do you know him?”
“No, I haven’t met him.”
“Ismail Hakki is a good guy. He is from Ayvansaray. He would
give me not one but all the carriages in the Batallion!” Maksood sighed, like a child having bad
dreams. “As I am talking, I also realize that in this day and age you can’t trust
your own father. It makes me depressed to think about it.”
They heard the streetcar breaking with a screeching noise.
Arab gazed out the window, relieved to have a diversion.
Patriot’s situation
was worrying him. He hadn’t found anyone to help him. He was feeling uneasy
about asking for Jamil‘s help since it hadn’t been even fifteen days since he
returned. He didn’t want Jamil to get in trouble, so he didn’t know how to ask.
Jamil understood how he felt, but he pretended not to, to
buy time. He was contemplating. It was getting cold in the room. Jamil began to
feel chilled. Arab must have felt the
same way because he rang the bell to order some wood for the stove! Jamil
checked the time as if this would help him find some answers that he was
searching for.“Is it absolutely necessary to help him get out of there today?”
“Not necessarily today, but...I was thinking. Do you
remember when we were at the front and under attack and we used to run from one
crater to the other thinking that the same spot won’t be hit by a bomb for a
second time. Just like that. The safe house was ambushed today. Patriot went to
the house next door and luckily, escaped this time.”
“Why did they raid the house in the first place?”
“I think someone tipped off the Police. Some agents may have
been people watching the house. Maybe the owner had enemies. The raid was not
successful. Now they must be searching other places. I think they will send
someone to watch the house anyway. They won’t give up. We should quickly hide him somewhere else.”
“Right.”
Jamil tried to remember some women from the past, who could
pull this off. He didn’t hear the knock at the door. It was Lieutenant Farouk.
“Hello Lieutenant.”
“Hello Captain.”
Maksood asked, “Is it done?”
“The carriage is ready. If we can get him out of there; he
will come to Ismail Hakki’s place to change.”
“Did you find a place for him?”
“No.”
“Not even a day or two?”
“No, the pharmacist
Vasif tried a number of people, but couldn’t find a place for him. You know
Kasimpasha, in that neighbourhood people have small wooden townhouses. The neighbors can hear your cough. There are five-six kids in each house. There
are always people who are trying to get information from children. If there is
a police raid there is nowhere to hide. That is the worst part. It is also
impossible to fight over there.”
Jamil looked at the Lieutenant, then to Maksood. They were
both embarrassed, sad, and at a loss. They were trying to smile. He looked out
of the window. There was a lady leaving the bakery, she was wearing a veil. He
thought, “I will make something up and convince my aunt to come with me. If
they were to approach us and try to see her face and touch her veil, she would
beat them up with her umbrella.”
“What are you laughing at, Jamil? Are you laughing at how
desperate we are?”
“No. I am thinking about Sadik. Where is he?”
”He is around. Why do you need him?
“His house is behind the orchards, if I remember correctly.”
“I already asked him for Rashid and it didn’t happen.”
“Osman Kadirga?”
“No.”
“Zekeriya Aksaray?”
“No.”
“Have you asked them and they said ‘no’?”
“Well, not quite, but the answer was negative all the same.
Some talked about his mother-in-law being too much of a chatter box; another
one said his sister-in-law doesn’t like him.”
Jamil lit a cigarette and turned slightly around. “Wait, I
think I know someone.”
“I don’t think so. Everyone that we know, we have knocked on
the door and were refused.”
“Do you remember Dr. Munir? We met him at the Monastir War
Academy. He was short and skinny”
“I can’t remember. Where was he stationed during the war?”
“He was all around; first to Sarikamish, then Iraq. He came
to Damascus, with the Seventh Army when I was a patient at the Navy Hospital.”
“I can’t recall. So what about him?”
“You’ll remember! He was one of the first members of the
Committee of Union and Progress. But he left the Party during the events of 31
of March.”
“He left the Party? So why are you bringing up this jerk?”
“Why is he a jerk? Because, he said the truth? He said from
the beginning, when we hadn’t lost anything that we were going to lose. He said
it would be a disaster for the country.”
“Oh! I don’t know about the politics. So what are we going
to do?”
“He will hide Patriot.”
“He left the Party and opposed the policies and you are saying
that he would hide Omer while a huge search for him is going on? You call me an
idiot but I think your brains got dried up in the desert!”
“He would hide him if his house is suitable. He is known to
hate the Unionists so nobody will look for Patriot in his place.”
“Have you thought about what I said before about the
others?”
“Trust me; this could work if he is in Istanbul and if his
place is suitable. Don’t worry.”
“Where does he live?”
“At Erenkoy.”
“If it wasn’t that far away I would come with you. I am sure
you will get refused. Then I can say ‘I
told you so’ but it is the other end of the city.”
“It doesn’t matter if it is at the end of world; you are
going to come with me. You will come to see if we can get Omer out of his
hiding place today!”
“I doubt it.”
“He will accept.”
“Let’s say he agreed, we haven’t found a woman yet.”
“If he agrees, I will find someone. It is not that
difficult. If you think that after all the wars, there is a shortage of women,
maybe you are right. Let’s not lose time. Arrange transportation and we will
leave shortly.”
Arab was about to ring the bell. He stopped and said, “I
won’t come. It is not necessary to go together and I have lots to do here
anyway. I have a lot of paperwork to do.”
“Don’t put me off with your paperwork. You have to come. In
case I need to be separated from Patriot you should know the address, so that
you can take him there yourself. We have to think about the worst case
scenario, as well. I don’t know the address myself. I can’t write it for you on
a piece of paper. I went there two years ago. Only once. I am not sure if I can
find the house myself.”
Arab’s eyes widened with surprise; “That’s right! I can’t
believe our luck.” He started to ring the bell loudly; while he was shouting,
“You guys come here at once, it is urgent. Hey, I need you.” He was looking at
both Jamil and the Lieutenant in confusion. “When you look for them; they are
never here” He pressed the bell again. He shouted at the Officer when he came,
“I need a carriage right away! We need strong horses. Go! Quick!”
“What are you laughing at, Captain? You think it is easy to
run this Station?”
“I am not laughing at that!”
“What then?”
“They say history repeats itself. It is the second time that
I am helping a friend to run away disguised as a woman.”
Arab looked preoccupied, but asked; “Who was the first one?”
“I helped Atif after he shot Shemsi Pasha.” Jamil laughed
nervously.” If somebody had told me I was going to do the same thing after the
Revolution, I would be really pissed off.”
Farouk was listening; he was interested in the story. Jamil
lit another cigarette. He didn’t want to appear to be bragging about old
stories on a day like this. Arab was chewing his lip and pulling his moustache.
Lieutenant Farouk asked timidly, “Captain, did you help Atif escape in woman’s
clothing from Monastir?”
“Yes, he was disguised in women’s clothing.”
“Was it at night?”
“No.”
“Wasn’t it better to escape at night?”
“No, it wasn’t, because at that time ladies in Monastir
didn’t go out at night.”
There was silence for a minute. Farouk was intrigued,
waiting to hear the end of the story. He asked with a smile, “I heard Atif was
injured. Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“What happened? I mean how come he didn’t get caught in
spite of his injury?”
Jamil started telling the story, without really wanting to,
but then he got enthusiastic as he was telling it. “When Atif fired his gun,
suddenly there was gun fire all around. Shemsi Pasha was down and Atif was
frozen for a second. I yelled “Come on, quick! Run!” I was nervous. Then Atif
snapped back into reality. He checked himself to see if he had any injuries,
and then sprang to his feet. There were carriages waiting. He ran under the
horses’ bellies and fled into the side streets.
He was crouching and running. I saw one of General Shemsi’s bodyguards
aiming his shotgun at him. I thought about shooting the guard in the head but
then changed my mind and shot him in the leg. The guard fell on his knees when
he was shot but at the same time fired his gun. Atif was still running so I
thought he was alright. I took a deep breath. He didn’t realize that he was hit
while running. Imagine how difficult it was for the guards to shoot somebody in
that crowd. There was a lot of commotion. The guy shot Atif even though he
himself was hit. Atif accomplished
something incredibly difficult when you consider how skilled Pasha’s Albanian
guards were at shooting. Atif was wounded in the leg, but the bullet entered in
and out of the leg without causing major damage. It didn’t rip the blood
vessels. They could have followed the blood stains on the street. God helped
us! It started to rain heavily. With that rain, the blood stains were washed
away and the level of panic increased in the town square. We got back to the house to wait for the
news. We were very worried. Because the moment they caught him, they would have
killed him for sure. I wasn’t so worried about being caught and sent to be
tried in a Court Marshall. We were waiting, listening outside for footsteps.
Then we heard a knock at the door. When I answered the door it was a Lieutenant
named Omer. I asked him what he wanted. He scanned both sides of the room and
entered the house quickly. He was a shoemaker, he owned a shop. When he heard
the shots he decided to close his shop. As he was closing the metal doors
somebody entered the shop, pulled his gun and told him to be quiet. He pulled
up a chair and sat down. When they saw the blood running through his leg, they
bandaged the wound the best they could. Lieutenant Omer told me that he would
never call the cops on a hero like Atif. Patriot didn’t trust him at first and
told him that we knew nothing about this issue. He said to him that whoever
sent him to our place must be wrong.”
The shoemaker said, “The person who shot Pasha sent me here
to give you this “He showed us the good luck charm that Atif’s Macedonian
girlfriend gave him. Patriot asked where Atif was. The Lieutenant told us that
Atif was in the shop. We wanted to know who was staying with Atif, since he was
wounded. He answered by saying that his son was with him. Then we were relieved
to learn that he was safe. We were lucky that day! First he was able to shoot
and kill Shemsi Pasha. As you know you can’t always hit your target. Even if
you shoot a man, you can’t always kill him. Secondly, he was lucky to be strong
enough to escape even though he was wounded because his wound was not serious.
Third, there was the rain, washing away all the blood stains. And finally, he
entered a shoe shop where the owner was willing to help him. Another thing was
that the shoemaker was working with his son! If it had been an apprentice he
couldn’t have trusted the guy. After hearing the whole story we wanted to know
the location of the shop. It was right behind the Telegram Office so we went
there at once. Atif was all smiles. Next day I wore an Albanian Gentlemen’s
clothes, and Atif had a woman’s veil on for a disguise! We left Monastir in a carriage!”
The Officer came and informed Maksood the Arab that the
carriage was ready. Arab wanted his coat. While leaving the Office, he asked
Farook to stay by the phone and answer the calls.
The wind stopped blowing. The city was covered with snow.
Istanbul at the time of the truce was old, disorganized, in piles of ruble and
dirty. All that was covered temporarily by the snow.
The carriage was going fast without shaking too much. Arab
looked depressed; his lower lip hanging.
From time to time he looked at Jamil out of the corner of
his eye. “Jamil?”
“Yes?”
“Brother, we are going to that place, but...”
“But...”
“I really don’t want to do this...”
“Why?”
“Because he left the Party at such a bad time. We must be
crazy to ask for his help? What if he says yes and then plays a trick on us?
Did you think about this business thoroughly? If this turns disastrous we would
be in shame like no other. Worse than that, we will let Patriot down. It will
be such a bad situation.”
“Don’t worry. If I didn’t trust the man I wouldn’t go to his
place.”
“Look what this world has come to. At a time like this we are
going to ask the enemy for help. Yes, I have come to the conclusion that we are
really out of our minds! When I heard that The Generals fled, I was upset. I
thought they should have stayed, they should have stood trial. They should be
held accountable and they should have faced the charges. That’s what I thought,
but it is a different situation now. Things have changed. Who is going to judge
them? Will there be a fair trial? They don’t want to judge the Unionist, they
want their heads! He was quiet for some time and he covered his face with both
hands. Then he continued. “How did we lose the war? Nobody thought of defeat.
We would have been better to die than to lose a war. It is a terrible
situation. It is all our doing! What does the opposition say? They say that
those men are accustomed to gang fights and don’t know about politics. They say
those thugs finished the Empire in ten years. The mighty empire that has lasted
six hundred years! They managed to collapse it in ten years! When the country
was still recovering from the Balkan wars, when that defeat was still in front
of us lying like a dead animal; how could the Unionist go into the Great War
head first? What kind of craziness is that? They were like mad dogs. They were
like lions eating whatever is in front of them and beating up whatever is
around them. They were acting courageously and yet when they couldn’t face
defeat they fled the country! We know the big shots in the Party very
well. Were they better than the Vizier’s
of the bygone era? In the past even porters, forest men and musicians became
viziers without proper education. Did
our leaders run the country better than the Viziers? Why did they flee? Is it
because they were cowards? I asked everyone that I know who had been to
Sarikamish about Enver. They told me that he was fighting like crazy; nobody
could take him from the line of fire. All around him were very courageous
soldiers. All the strong soldiers who could have killed the lions were hiding
while Enver was so courageous. The Batallion Commander had to warn him to get
out of the trenches which were in front of the artillery. He was afraid the
enemy would see Enver and start firing on our troops. You know Jamal better
than anybody and you know Talat from the Babiali (Sublime Porte) coup
d’etat.There is no doubt that they are brave individuals. They teased the Angel
of Death. If it comes to intellect, there is noone in this world who is more
stupid than British Prime Minister Lloyd George. Why did we have to be
defeated? Was it fate?”
Enver Pasha
“I think the war is not only a question of courage. The
camels carried the water to the Suez Canal. We had to carry the artillery on
wooden planks. Every fifty feet, we had to go back to bring the wooden planks
from the back to the front. They had installed water pipes as large as my waist
at Gaza. They transported their arms by train. We weren’t defeated by the
artillery Batallion or the cavalry in Gaza. We weren’t defeated because we were
outnumbered. We lost the battle because of the water pipes and because of the
train tracks. Forget about feeling sorry for the past we have to look to the
future!”
“Why should we think about the future? It doesn’t look
bright.”
“Maksood, you get softened by just being a Commander of the
Police Station”.
“The future looks very bleak to me, Jamil. The more I think
about it the more confused I feel.”
Arab lit a cigarette. He was uneasy about asking for help
from somebody who had not been faithful to the party. They were passing through
the Mercan Street and Sultan Hamam. There were foreign soldiers walking on the
bridge and the sea was crowded with foreign ships. They caught the Haydarpasha
ferry, at the last minute. In the ferry there were a lot of foreign navy
personnel. Many of them didn’t have coats on, even though it was cold. They
looked like they were having a good time. It was as if they were never had been
to war. Their faces were red from the cold. There were a couple of black
soldiers among them.
“Hey Arab, are these youngsters all from your tribe?”
“If the blacks look like they are from my tribe, all the
rest are from your tribe!”
“Whenever I see them all well fed and rosy cheeked, I wonder
how our poor soldiers won the battle. I also wonder what they think of us.”
“I think the English think of us as Indians, Italians as
Habeshis, French as Algerians, and Japanese as Chinese. That’s what a German
Officer friend of mine told me.”
“How about the others? Americans and the Germans?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the American’s think of us as
the Native Indians. I think German’s consider us the same as Jews.”
They drank some tea. The ferry approached the shore with
difficulty.
Then they boarded a train which was not crowded. The
employees on the train were all minority ethnic groups. Things had changed.
Once again they were running the train service. Their demeanor had changed.
During the war time they were humble, now they were proud.
A Greek punched Jamil’s ticket as if he was doing him a
great favour, like he was giving him a farm for free. Arab looked at him for
some time.
“We shouldn’t have lost that war.”
When they reached Goztepe train station, it was snowing
heavily.
They wrapped their scarves around their faces and pulled
their coat collars up. They decided not to take a carriage, because they didn’t
want to be noticed.
They were walking swiftly.
As Maksood’s discomfort increased he became more agitated
and began to walk even more quickly. He had thick boots on and with his
military winter coat he was not cold. Jamil suddenly noticed that he was
missing his uniform very badly. He was caught off guard by this. He was afraid
he would never wear his uniform again. He envied his friend. His brand new coat
didn’t warm him anymore. He felt frozen. When he was in the desert enduring the
summer heat he would dream about Istanbul’s winters. At the time he wished to
be that cold. He wished to be out in the snow with only his shirt on.
Even though it was still snowing, it didn’t feel as cold.
When they turned into Bagdad Road, they had the wind at their backs. While
crossing the street they stepped into slush up to the ankles twice.
This was the famous Bagdad Road that stretched from Istanbul
to Bagdad, crossing almost all of the Empire. Yavuz Sultan Selim went to the
Battle of Chaldiran using this road (in the year 1514 against Shah Ismail).
After conquering the Holy cities and Egypt he became Caliph and brought its
emblems (the sword and mantle of Muhammad) on this road.
Maksood said that these neighborhoods had become rough
recently.” You could get robbed, not only that, because of the holes in the
street you could fall and break your leg.”
“Do you know the house?
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t find the place so we could have
turned back and sought out a solution to our problem somewhere else.”
“Then you will be disappointed because I know where the
house is.”
“I still am not convinced that you can find the house.”
From Bagdad Road they turned on to Caddebostan, near the
dockside. Munir rented a large house by the sea. Jamil rang the door bell. He
waited and tried again. The house must have been far away from the door at the
outer gate. They didn’t hear bells ringing from there.
“I think nobody is in.”
Jamil rang the bell for the third time.
“I am coming, Wait...”
Then they heard footsteps approaching, it was a woman’s
voice with a Circassian accent; “Who is it, Doctor?”
Dr. Munir sang loudly the Army of Action’s march that had
been popular after the Events of March 31st;
“Army of Action...Army of Baraka...”
They heard a woman’s voice who was the housekeeper Gulnihal,
“God damn Army of Action! I don’t approve of them.”
“Don’t get scared woman. I am only joking. What a stupid
Circassian you are! First I joke, then I explain the joke then I have to tell
you where to laugh at the story. Then we would have to wait ten minutes and you
will finally laugh. Then I will ask whether you understood the joke and you
will say, “I don’t get it, Sir!”
He lifted the heavy iron bar to open the door. And one side
of the door slowly moved.
Dr. Munir had a fisherman’s rain coat on. He had put the hood up. He was short and skinny. He
wasn’t handsome but you had the impression that he was fit, fast, strong, and
intelligent.
First he looked calmly at Maksood and he tried not to notice
the changing looks on Arab’s face confused, nervous, suspicious, and worried.
Then he turned his attention to Jamil. “Hello Jamil! Jamil the Cannon Man.
Welcome. What brings you here in this weather?”
“Anybody could have come on a nice summer day; I chose to
come on a day like this! Let me introduce you to my friend...Maksood Bey. You
might have heard his name before. Some call him ‘Uncle’ some ‘Sipahi’ ”
Munir hid his smile. He showed them the way to the house.
While they were walking, he looked at Maksood out of the corner of his eye and
said:”I think I remember you from somewhere? Where were you during the war? In
which Fronts did you serve?”
“I wasn’t in the war zone. Well, not much...”
Jamil knew that Maksood always worked for the secret service
and he didn’t want to talk about the fronts so he changed the subject. “He is
with the Military Police Force; he works at the Hasan Pasha Station.”
“Is that correct I think I might have seen you somewhere?
Have we ever met?”
Maksood stuttered, “No...I don’t think so....”
The yard was quite large. You could clearly see under all
the snow that it was disorganized and overgrown. There were two cherry trees on
both sides of the entrance.
Dr Munir let them enter the house and welcomed them. Munir
closed the door and pulled the iron bar. Maksood elbowed Jamil and said, “Don’t
tell him about our problem. Talk about something else and try to leave as soon
as possible. I will tell you the reason later.”
Munir said; “Take your coats off...Come on, let me take your
coats...I was thinking about you the other day. I thought you might come by but
didn’t know when you returned to Istanbul. I was thinking about how mad I was
about your nickname.”
“Why?”
“You know they call you “Jehennnem”. We used the greatest
cannons of the time when Mehmet conquered Istanbul. When we were building those
huge cannons nobody used the term” Jehennem” the Cannon Man...Then the
westerners got better at making cannons. As a result, we started buying these
heavy weapons from them. Now they are better than us so what did we do? We
started bragging about what we had done...If the cannon could fire one shell in
an hour and if we could send the bomb fifty feet away we thought we had the
best artillery. The people who can use these guns start to get the nickname
“Jehennem”. As I was thinking about this matter I found another question to
consider: The concept of “Hell.” Our imagination on this is not very
impressive.”
Gulnihal was standing by the kitchen door. She was looking
like she was looking at the enemy. It was as if the guests were not Jamil and
Maksood but the Army of Action itself! She said; “Army of Action... Damn it!
They didn’t let us have peace. We had blessed a country, look what happened to
it? Muhammad’s people are suffering from hunger...Balkan Gypsies....”
Dr. Munir took his fisherman’s raincoat and hung it on the
hook. He was wearing a Cossack shirt and had a Circassian belt adorned with
silver. Those clothes made him look even shorter. He went to open the door of a
room overlooking the garden. There was porcelain stove in the corner. They also
had a copper stove situated in the middle of the room with some wood burning in
it.
“Come and sit somewhere. It is warm in here...He remembered
something. “We missed the winter when we were at the desert, didn’t we?”
“I was thinking the same thing and laughed, while coming
here.”
“Do you still feel the same way?”
Dr. Munir seemed laid back about the situation and he was
somewhat ignoring Maksood. Maksood, however, looked increasingly uneasy about
being there. His desperation was apparent.
When the door was closed, Maksood hit his knees and said,
“Damn it, Jamil! We are in trouble.”
“What happened?”
“You are asking as if you don’t know. Don’t talk to him
about Patriot. Make up something and let’s get out of here soon. We need to go.
This is a complicated matter. I will let you know later.”
“Tell me now!”
“I am telling you, this is serious...”
“Is it about the Doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know him?”
“I know him quite well...”
“How did you meet him?”
“I will tell you later. Tell him we were just passing by and
stopped in. I will be angry if you don’t do as I tell you. You shouldn’t have
told him about where I was working. That was a huge mistake. We are in trouble.
I shouldn’t have come with you. It was stupid of me.”
Then he heard a voice and made a gesture by putting his
finger in front of his lips. “Hush...”He looked around trying to change the
subject, “So many books...Even if he lived until he was a hundred years old, a
person still couldn’t read all these books.”The walls were covered with
bookshelves all the way to the ceiling. He was looking at them with
disapproval. When the noise coming from outside ceased, he said, “You see, I
know what kind of a man he is... Look at all these books...I never trust
bookworms. You know why? They read too much and forget themselves. Nothing good
comes from the likes of him...”
“So you think he is no good?”
“He is no good! Even if I didn’t know him, after seeing all
these books, I wouldn’t trust him at all Jamil, I know I am not very smart;
however, I am not as stupid as you are! That’s for sure. All my years at the
secret service I dealt with all kinds of people...”
“You are the expert!”
“Yes, what do you think? If a man reads so many books, let
him go. Because he will learn a little from this book, a little from the other and
at the end he will be all confused. His brain will become mushy! He wouldn’t
make sense. One day he will say something next day he will say something
else...I am very sure of the fact that he is not a good doctor as well. I don’t
trust these types…They are trouble. Don’t let any secrets out! I am glad I came
with you or else there would be irreparable damage.”Then he listened outside.
“Hush...Be quite...”
The door opened Jamil and Maksood saw General Halil entering
the room. General Halil was General Enver’s uncle and he was one of the leaders
of The Committee of Union and Progress.
He said to Maksood, “Oh! Is that you Arab?”
“Oh! I was surprised to see you Pasha.”
Both Captains jumped to their feet and stood at attention.
Halil Pasha had the General’s winter coat on. He was tall man and he smiled at
them like he usually does in a fatherly way. “Hello, Jamil!”
“Hello, Sir!”
Halil Pasha entered the room and closed the door. “What
business do you have with Arab? I don’t like this. He will spell trouble for
you.”
Maksood the Arab was surprised. He was swallowing nervously.
For weeks now both Turkish and Foreign Police were looking for General Halil.
All over Istanbul. If twenty people had come and told him that he was at
Munir’s house, he wouldn’t have believed them. He would have told them to come
back with better lies.
Halil Pasha gestured to them to take a seat as if it was his
own home. “So what brings you here? Is it good news or bad?”
Jamil was waiting because he wanted Maksood to do the
talking. Maksood was still swallowing and didn’t know what to say.
“Pasha...err…We were just passing by Sir… Well Dr. Munir...err..”
Pasha winked at Jamil. “Take a seat. I insist. Please take a
seat. I am listening. Tell me about Dr. Munir”
“Well Sir. “Maksood was checking the door and talking in a
low voice, “Dr. Munir was among the political inmates that was sent to Sinop
Prison in relation to Mahmud Shevket Pasha’s murder.”
“Well, well… Is that true, Arab?”
“Yes Sir. I know this for a fact because we took the Exiled Officers
to Sinop ourselves… Patriot and I.”
“Oh yes, I remember now. You were in charge of them...So?”
“So...I would suggest we leave here right away, Sir. I would
never trust him. I should take you somewhere else. It is not only that he was
one of the men who were exiled to Sinop; there is also another issue.”
“What other issue?”
“Dear Sir, he is one of our arch enemies. He writes for the
opposition newspaper. Murat Bey’s paper,”Mizan”.
You should see the things he wrote about our Party. Patriot knows all about it.
There is one more thing. We were just about to...”
“You were just about to...don’t say.”Halil Pasha was making
a gesture of shooting somebody by pulling the trigger on an imaginary gun. He
asked, “Were you going to shoot him?”
“Yes. That’s right! We thought about coming here and
pretending we needed him for a patient, and once he was out the door we would
shoot him.”
General Halil teased him, “You were going to shoot Dr.
Munir? You were going to shoot the Freemason doctor?”
“Freemason? Yes, I remember now. His nickname was ‘Mason’ Right?” Then Arab turned to Jamil
and said: “I told you so.”And suddenly he was so embarrassed that he started
looking at the floor. Then he apologised. “I am sorry, what was I thinking. I
got nervous when I saw him, Sir.”
Halil Pasha continued teasing him,
“Maksood ...Do you have any brains?”
Dr. Munir entered the room
carrying a tea tray, “Would anyone like to have cognac with their tea?” Jamil
stood to help him. Doctor put the tray on the table and went to the cupboard to
take out the bottle.
“Pasha?”
“I wouldn’t say no to that”.
Doctor Munir said, “Jamil, I know
you will have some? How about you, Maksood?”
Then he started to tell the story
to Halil Pasha, “Maksood here didn’t recognize me. We are friends from way back
when. This brave man took us to Sinop! After just about three days, when he saw
me in Istanbul, he was very surprised. Then he followed me. Is that right
Maksood?”
Maksood swallowed hard, “No Sir, I
don’t recall anything like that!”
“‘I don’t remember’ means ‘Yes’
in my book! I thought about coming home and let him come after me. I thought he
would send someone to bring me to the station and be embarrassed by the
results. Then I changed my mind and proceeded to the Istanbul Military Guard.
As I was going through the door you should have seen his face.”
“He was surprised? Good!”
“He was surprised then like he was
surprised this evening when he saw me at the door. He said, ‘Oh! It is the wrong address’ Jamil, what
was he telling you? He was whispering something to you.”
“He was talking about something
else....”
“I bet he was telling you to get
the hell out of here! Probably he said, ‘that
dwarf is our enemy. Even if he is dynamite I don’t care. You don’t know him’
Famous Maksood of the Committee! They call you ‘Sipahi’. But you travel by
foot now. You screwed up at the end. Ottoman’s, they were all Cavalrymen for
centuries; however some of them are on foot now! They are on foot to the point
that it hurts their feet to walk in this vast land. Why?”
When Dr. Munir started to criticize the Unionists, General
Halil raised his hand to stop him. “Hold on! I don’t want any criticism against
Unionists.” He turned to Maksood, “I understand now. You were right. Munir here
is no good; you should have done what you planned.”
Dr. Munir asked. “What were their plans? Did they make some
plans with Patriot?”
Halil Pasha teased him. “Patriot and Maksood are good
people. If they were not they would have already shot you.”
Dr. Munir continued criticizing the Unionist’s ways of
governing particularly their secret service and hit men. “General, you should
have got rid of them earlier; you thought they were not going to hurt us so you
let them be.”
Halil Pasha pressed, “What did you think when you heard
about Shemsi Pasha’s death?”
“You mean was I happy when I heard the news. Is that it?”
“No, I don’t mean that. You decided on something. You swore
to do something. Try to remember...”
Dr. Munir answered. “I had sworn not to talk to the military
officers about political matters. For some time I kept my promise. But then I
ran out of patience. I had to warn them that what they were doing was wrong.”
“Then you changed your mind when Jamal Pasha ordered you
to be taken out of the prison in Sinop.”
“Yes but I was
concerned. They haven’t captured one of the suspects for Shemsi Pasha’s murder
yet. So I thought if Jamal Pasha was looking for a third person to be
executed for this case he might choose me. Would you be concerned if you were
on my position, General?”
“Yes, I guess I would be.”
General asked Jamil about the current events. He was sad to
hear that Rashid had to kill himself. Munir on the other hand didn’t care much
about Dr. Rashid’s suicide but he was more concerned with Patriot. He didn’t
want Patriot in danger. He said to Jamil, “Bring him here. I understand the
situation. Don’t lose time.”
Then he turned to General Halil and asked, “Is that alright
with you, Sir?”
“Yes, it is fine with me. But I want to ask you something.
Why didn’t you accept Rashid? If you didn’t refuse him, he would probably still
be alive.”
“I am a medical doctor. The things that he had done I can’t
accept. Whatever the reason, I can’t accept violence. He was merciless.”
“Very well! Is Patriot not violent?”
“He is different; I can’t accept Rashid but I can’t refuse
Patriot.”
Sinop Fortress
Jamil and Maksood didn’t talk much, until they reached the
train Station. Maksood couldn’t believe what had just transpired. He thought he
knew people.
When the train moved, he asked; “If we can bring him here,
how do we pull it off without a woman in disguise?”
“We don’t need a woman. I will go and get him myself. I’ll
find a carriage.”
“We need a woman because if they become suspicious and look
at her face then they must believe that it is a woman. Otherwise they will pull
the veil down and see Patriot’s moustache! They shouldn’t recognize you either.
You shouldn’t let them be suspicions of you. If it is only one person that is
watching the house you can knock him down, but if he gets suspicions he will
call for backup. The woman doesn’t have to be particularly smart, but she
should keep her calm and not faint should there be a commotion. She shouldn’t
be a known prostitute either, in case the guards know her.”
“Wow, I am impressed how you planned all this. It is as good
as Napoleon’s war plans. Smart, Maksood!”
“Don’t tease me now. I am stressing over this. I have known
the night life of Istanbul for years, I know a lot of women, yet I can’t find
anybody now.”
“They are no good. You can’t trust them. When it is serious business they won’t come. This is
the very definition of “Bitch”. You can’t trust all the men, either.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We will find a solution!”
“It is hopeless.”
“The fact that you couldn’t find somebody doesn’t mean that
the situation is hopeless.”
“Do you know somebody? Why are you laughing?”
“I know a lady who would help us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Relax; I have somebody to help us with the plan.”
“Who is that?”
“Neriman”
“Our Neriman?”
“Of course.”
“I thought about her too before you came, but...”
“What?”
“We have to think about the worst case scenario. For the
past week our police have been cooperating with the French and the British
Police. If you are caught; they will put
both of you in jail. Neriman will get scared. If we can’t get her safely to the
house before the evening, Salime Hanim will kill us!”
“Salime Hanim won’t bother us today.”
“Why, what is so special about today?”
“We are engaged.”
“You are engaged to
Neriman?”
“Yes, I haven’t’ told you about this yet? We will tell
Salime Hanim that we are going out to celebrate and we will go to Omer’s house,
to tell him the good news. Aunt Salime won’t object to that. If I tell her this
story, Neriman won’t get scared. Maybe she will get surprised. That’s it. If
something goes wrong, I will tell Salime Hanim that we just went to see Omer
and how were we supposed to know that the police planned to raid the place that
very moment. No, I think Neriman is our best bet!”
“Just think about what we will do, if things don’t go as
planned. Then how can we explain all this to Salime Hanim?”
They discussed the situation until they reached Haydarpasha
Train Station. For the last time Maksood called Farouk to ask if there was any
news. He was furious and swearing at all the pimps and hookers in the entire
country!
Jamil elbowed him on his side. “Don’t worry about this
anymore. We need the carriage within an hour, in the next street. Nobody has to
worry about this anymore. Now, tell me Patriot’s address. I will cross the
Bosporus at Uskudar.”
“Uskudar is a good choice”. Maksood was ashamed of himself.
He was still complaining.”How can we let our sweet girl do this dangerous job?”
“Enough of that! Let me have the address. I will deliver
Omer safe and sound.”
Maksood returned to his normal optimistic self. “Alright
then, write down the address. What time is it? Almost three. Let’s say we roll
at four o’clock, sharp. The carriage is ready. The horses are chestnut colour.
It is a just a phaeton, they couldn’t get a better carriage. Go ask the driver
if he is waiting for somebody. If he says ‘I am waiting for the Doctor’; you
know it is your ride.”
”Good job Maksood!”
“Stop teasing me...”
“I am on my way...”
“Don’t go yet without listening to me. Damn it! Listen,
first Neriman will exit the house. She will walk as if in a hurry and go
straight ahead. She will look to both sides of the street as if she suspects
something. If there is somebody watching, he must be in the houses across.
Patriot will wear old maid’s clothes...wait, don’t hurry! Let me give you a
hug. Tell Neriman I said “hi” and tell her I am happy for you two.”
When Jamil finally returned to the house it was almost four o’clock.
He made a plan and thought that it was best not to say anything to Salime
Hanim, about the conversation he had with Yahya.
Salime Hanim answered the door and said; “Hello, my son-in-
law!”
Jamil was surprised.
Salime Hanim was happy. “I am glad Yahya has talked to you,
otherwise I am afraid it would have taken
you years to ask...”
Jamil happily gave her a hug. “Don’t embarrass me you know I
was thinking that I was not good enough for Neriman.”
“Neriman is so happy, she cried so much. I thought my
daughter was clever. I never knew someone could cry so much from happiness. I
wish you all the best.”
“Thank you. Where is she now?”
“I don’t know. When she heard the bell ring, she fled
upstairs. Maybe girls run away, so a man can catch them. You go try your luck!”
Jamil checked the kitchen first and then quietly climbed the
stairs. Neriman’s door was ajar; he pushed the door open and called her “Where
are you?”
Neriman came and hugged him with joy. “I was so embarrassed
when Yahya came and asked me. He insisted on getting an answer today. Why did
you tell him today?”
“It is time”.
“You know my mom was so happy.”
“How about, Enver. Was he happy?”
“We haven’t told him, yet. Grandma will tell him. Thank you.
I am happy. My darling…”
He was teasing her again; “They said you cried? I guess you
thought that you could have done better?”
“I cried because I was so happy.”
“Let me see...”Then he pulled her and kissed her deeply;
“You are even sweeter now.”
“Jamil; take off your coat. Let’s go downstairs. I don’t
want my mom to think that we are doing something inappropriate.”
She started inspecting the coat. “It is a nice thick coat.
You found a good one. I like it. Are you going to take it off?”
“No I am not going to take my coat off, I will take you out,
get ready.”
“Where are we going?”
“Omer sent a word to us that he isn’t feeling well and he
wants to see us.”
“In this weather he wants us to go all the way to Aksaray?
“No. He doesn’t live at Aksaray anymore, he lives at
Osmanbey now. We will get a carriage. Get your coat quickly. I don’t want to be
late.”
“Is it OK if I don’t come with you? I am so tired. What
happened to him?”
“We should go. It is not every day that he requests
something from us. Come on, get dressed.”
“I can’t be quick? I have to style my hair first.”
“Don’t worry about your hair now. Let’s go.”
“Did you tell mom?”
“No, we will tell her, when we see her downstairs.”
“OK, then leave so I can change.”
“I don’t want to.”
“No, you have to leave.”
Jamil left the room. He sat down by the window and lit a
cigarette. Snow was blowing. He was looking at the wooden houses far away. They
were so old they seemed like they were trying so hard to stand upright under
the wind. Desperate. He remembered a little German town he visited once. He was
there for shooting practices. He was learning to use mountain cannons.
There was a chateau on top of the hill. The houses were made
out of stone and were situated around the town circle that had been used as a
market place in the middle ages. The houses had pointy roofs. They had little
balconies supported by marble columns. They had narrow windows covered by metal
shutters outside and thick curtains inside. It seemed like their purpose was to
not allow the light in.
Those houses belonged to proud people who believed that
whatever they earned would be inherited by their grandsons for generations.
They were strong people and built their homes on strong foundations, strong
enough to stand all the storms.
He was invited to one of those houses for dinner. With the
passage of time things no longer look run down and old. On the contrary they
increased in value. Colours and designs became more harmonized with each
passing day. There was faded gilded wall paper on the walls. There was a
hundred year old piano, an old carpet on the floor; there was a picture in a
thick frame and a Slavic icon on the wall. They ate at an oak table. All these
items remind people of the pride of hard work and enjoying life not of death
and mourning.
The snow was blowing all over, the wind was strong; the
houses over the hill were shaking as if they couldn’t stand anymore. The grand
house that was being used as a high school on top of the hill was about to give
way. The wooden structure of the house was loose, it was wailing. The Bulgarian Cheesery by the river was
trying hard not to slide into the water. Its windowless walls were sinking in the
mud. On the bottom of the hill the trees were leafless. There were piles of wet
rocks...Without daffodils, the field looked naked...It seemed everything in
this whole wide world was trying to hang on until spring. Everything was trying
so hard not to slip away.
Jamil realised for the first time in his life how comforting
it is to live in security. Security that is deserved and honourable. He lived
all his life fighting. Fighting for his life, since the day he was born.
Neriman, unsuspecting of the coming danger; was happily
getting ready to go out. She was smiling, excited to give the good news to
Patriot.
Patriot was one of the heroes of the Young Turk Revolution.
It was not long ago. It seemed almost like yesterday. He was famous. But today
he was in hiding, couldn’t go anywhere. He was waiting, with his gun in front
of him on the table, listening to the littlest noises coming from outside. He
was waiting for somebody to help him escape.
When the place he was staying at was raided, he ran to the
house next door. He must have felt embarrassed. He didn’t like things like
that. Probably he didn’t know what to say; probably he forced himself to smile
and looked around sheepishly. As a warrior and a proud man he must have found
this incredibly difficult.
Jamil was listening to any sounds around the house. He was
preoccupied, “How come I am not concerned
for Neriman as much as Maksood?” He thought about this and concluded that
he stopped trusting this shaky world, long ago. Maybe it was even more
dangerous to leave her at home; he wanted her to be with him.
“Do you like my outfit? I was in a hurry so I put on the
first outfit I saw in the closet. I was looking for my umbrella. I didn’t know
where I put it. I haven’t been out lately.”
Neriman was complaining. She was pretending she didn’t like
the idea of going somewhere today, but she had a child’s smile on her lips. She
put her umbrella aside to put on her gloves. She was looking at herself on the
mirror.
Jamil approached; “You look so beautiful!” He noticed something
different in his own voice. “I am
speechless”
Neriman waited for him to say some more. Then she turned and
wrapped her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and kissed him. She was
kissing him like a woman who had waited too long and she kissed him until she
lost her breath.
They went down the hill, arm in arm, under the umbrella,
feeling the warmth of each other.
Jamil was thinking that it was their first outing as a
couple and what an outing it would be!
“Mother was surprised when I told her that we were going
out. She was right. In this weather nobody would leave the house. Is Patriot
really very sick?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why did he want us to visit him today?”
“No idea!”
“Don’t tell him that we are engaged, he will tease us.”
“No, he will be happy for us.”
“I know he will be happy for us. Maybe he won’t tease us but
Maksood definitely will.”
“We will tease him back.”
When they approached the lone carriage at the corner, the
coachman saw them and came out from the coffee house. “We want to go to
Osmanbey!”
“Yes, Sir!”
They entered the coach and took cover under the thick nylon
coverings. “Open your veil.”
“I am fine.”
Jamil wanted to see her face when he explained the purpose
of the trip. He didn’t insist on her opening her veil, though.
The Coachman whipped the horses as they climbed the slippery
hill. He didn’t want them to stop midway. Neriman was scared and held Jamil’s
arm.
The horses were climbing the hill with difficulty. The
passengers were listening to the horse shoes on the road.
Jamil felt his revolver then held Neriman’s hand.
When they arrived at Osmanbey, Jamil looked at the time once
more. “Why are we not going in front of the house? Why are we getting off at
the corner of the street?” Neriman asked.
“Listen darling, take this paper first.”
“What is that? What is going on?”
“This is the address of the house and names of the people
who live there.”
“You are not coming with me?”
“Don’t stop, you should walk as I tell you what to do.”
“You are not coming with me? Where is Omer? Is he in that
house?”
“Yes, he is in the house. I will walk you there, but I won’t
enter the house.”
“Why?”
“We are not here to visit. Omer will come with us.”
“You said he was sick! Wait...I understand now.”
“Good...all right. Now listen. Get this address and ask for
this person.”
Neriman read the paper. “OK! I don’t need the paper. I won’t
forget. Number 8, Australian tailor, Madame
Lily, I know her name. She used to advertise on the paper.”
“Oh Yes, I also remember. That Madame Lily...”
“Is Omer in Madame Lilly’s house with her?”
“No, Madame Lily
returned to her homeland before the truce. You are going to ring the bell and
ask for “Madame Lily”. An old Greek
lady will answer the door and you will say that you need a wedding dress. Then
she will let you know that Madame Lily
has left the country. You can say that you are coming from far away and act
very disappointed. Then she will invite you in so you can rest a while. It will
be easy. You will leave the house shortly anyway.”
“Remember, if somebody asks you anything; tell them about
the wedding gown.”
“Who will ask me something?”
“Nobody, but just in case...”
“Alright!”
“When you leave the house; walk straight to the carriage”.
“Which one?”
“You will see.”
“Are you going to wait for me in the carriage?
“No, I will be at the corner.”
“Why?”
“Because it has to be like that…”
“Should I tell anything to Omer?”
“You don’t need to talk to him. When you leave the house he
will come right after. Well, in fact, he will come with you disguised as a
woman...”
“I see.”
“What?”
“We are helping him escape.”
“We are taking him to another house. That’s all. Will you be
scared?”
“No!”
“Don’t get scared. I will be right behind you. I will follow
you a couple of meters behind. The coachman is one of our guys. He is not a
stranger. You climb up the carriage and don’t worry if he starts going without
us.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I will come as well. I am just letting you know if I can’t
get in the carriage in time than don’t be afraid.”
“No, you have to come in time.”
Neriman was scared, her voice trembling.
“You promised me you were not going to be nervous. We are
together. I am telling you this, just in case something happens. Then we will
take another carriage.”
“How can you find another carriage in this weather?”
“There is another one waiting for us in the street below. We
have a lot of carriages. Don’t think about that. This is all as a precaution. I
want you to be brave, don’t be afraid of anything. Listen we are approaching
the street. If you see a carriage ahead then turn to the street.”
“If not?”
“Then we should go back and try another day.”
“The house is at the same street as the waiting carriage?”
“No, further away. You turn from the corner behind the
carriage and then take the first right. You will see the house on your left. It
is the forth house when you enter the street. Three steps to the door. Wait a
little in front of the house as you enter and when you leave the house try to
appear nervous.”
“I don’t understand. Why?
“You should look around as if you suspect something. Try to
walk like a man with big steps. Don’t hold your skirt like that.”
Neriman stopped and looked at him under her veil. She asked,
“Should I pretend I know neither of you?”
“No, you are my fiancé and Omer is our dear friend and
brother. Like always. The important thing is not to open your veil. Never! Be
careful as not to let the wind open your veil either. If they see your face...”
He was going to say” it will ruin the plans” but stopped mid
sentence and said; “It won’t be good.”
“All I want from you is that you keep your face covered and
don’t get scared, no matter what! Please...”
“I understand.”
“Do you want to ask anything?”
“No”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“We are going to take Omer with us. That’s all. How are you
now? Are your knees shaking?”
“I am fine”.
“We are getting close now. Like I said if you see the
carriage, proceed with the plan.” He waited for a moment as if waiting for an
answer.
Then he said;”I am going to ask you something;”Would you
have come with me if I let you know about this at home?””
“Of course, I would. If I need to do something to help Omer,
of course I will do it for him.”
“Thank you, Neriman. Now Go!”
Neriman was walking bravely .She was holding her umbrella.
She turned the corner without hesitating.
Jamil understood that the carriage was there. He was feeling
like a commander who was letting the soldiers out of the shelter for the very
first time. There was the responsibility, feeling sorry for them, and regret.
He was walking fast.
