Early Bird (Erkençi Kus)(Part 1)

94. Does it look good on me?

Muzaffer, Nihat and Osman are all either sitting or standing around outside the butchery drinking tea after their day of handing out samples and numbers, relaxing and catching their breath in the relative quiet around them.

Then Muzaffer slurps his tea.

"I swear my mouth thought it was a desert," he groans and slurps some more and then sighs long and hard. Both men look at him. "I'm bored." He looks at them hopefully. "Can't we do something else? Why are we just sitting here? Do we have back gammon?"

"We don't," Osman says and shakes his head. Thank God!

Muzaffer shifts into another position on the stool and grimaces.

It's quiet again for a few minutes and then Nihat looks at Osman where he's standing in the door. "Maybe we can clean up a bit inside?"

"Oh yes! I'd even do it for free!" Muzaffer offers, ready to jump up.

"No!" Osman says quickly. "Really, it's not necessary." He finally got  them to leave the inside by sending them to hand out samples and now they wanted back in. I'm not having it. "I've dealt with the cleaning already, and besides, you've both helped more than enough today. But thank you."

"I guess," Nihat sighs, his shoulders dropping along with his face.

Osman breathes out in relief. Phew!

"Ugh," Muzaffer mumbles, "we did so much and not one'e even bothered to come through and call." He holds up his cellphone. "Look, nada. Zero."

"Muzaffer, patience, son, patience," Nihat pats his shoulder. "Stores aren't busy all the time you know? Most of it is just sitting and waiting."

"I hate waiting," Muzaffer pouts.

"Listen, I give it less than five minutes. The phone will ring." Nihat puts the store phone between them, and both stare at it.

Within a minute - but instead of that one - Osman's cellphone rings and he digs it out of his pocket. "Hello?" He listens. "Yes, this is Yilmaz Buthchery." He listens again. "You did?" He looks at the other two and mouths, 'we have a winner!' "That's great!"

"A ha!" Nihat grins. "See? What did I tell you?"

Muzaffer nods and grins just as wide. Another phone starts ringing between them and Muzaffer cheers, grabbing his cellphone. "It's mine! Look! It's ringing! Hello?" he answers just as the store phone also rings and Nihat answers it.

All three men were now busy and talking over each other to clients. 

"Yes we deliver. On foot, but we deliver fast!"

"No, we don't have that's fried already. But in future we definitely will! It's among the things we have planned." 

"It's not touched my bare hands at all...no...completely vegetarian."

"You want 2.5 kilos?!" Muzaffer's eyes bulge.

"Yes! We have even more than that!" Nihat holds up a thumb.

"Okay, I'll send it right away," Osman smiles at them. "What's your address ma'am?"

It's taking off! Osman couldn't believe that the idea actually worked out. And by the sound of things, it worked out very well.

**

Can stares at his laptop screen, lazily scrolling through the report he was sent earlier. It was propped up in his lap as he leaned back in his chair with his feet on his desk.

"Can, can I ask something?"

"Hm?" Can looks up at Polen. She promised not to bother but she's been chatting here and there non stop all while working and it wasn't that he minded - not at all - but he wasn't in the mood.