DAUGHTER OF MAFIA BOSS

Untitled Part 3

With fresh air, greenery and an icy stream flowing by, poiting about and sullen faces around fountain of happiness. Who had taken off his shoes, Ulaş's wandering in the shallows of the icy stream with cold chills inside him. His picking up a stone from the stream and squeezing it in his palm and the mark, it left on his hand. Shining brightly and parching, the sun on the top. Ulaş, opening his frozen palm with difficulty. Arnisa watching him with worried eyes. The lunch they had together. Playing ball and riding on the swing. Then walking back home beside the fields and vineyards in the evening with the stretching shadows. In the following days, the father of the house was either at the mosque or at the village coffeehouse, the gardening was left to Ulaş, he was hoeing and picking cherries, and the household chores such as cleaning, laundry, washing dishes, cooking were taken care of by the daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, in other words, everything was taken care of, but nothing was settled. Bored ones sat on a small mound of dirt and looked to the vast plains.

On the day of the move, they had a hurried breakfast. After the truck had arrived, members of the household loaded as much as they could onto the truck parked in front of the house. There had not been much, and the sun had just risen when they finished loading. After a bumpy travel, the truck stopped in front of a five-story building. The belongings were carried into an apartment on the first floor and settled to their spotlessly clean places. It was two P.M. when a meal was had hastily with food Ulaş and his father had brought from the nearby market. Then tea had been brewed and a deep conversation had ensued, even politics and football were discussed, but not the wedding, no one was talking about that. Then, inevitably, Ulaş brought it up. In a time interval, when everyone was silent for a long time, he said "Arnisa" and shaking his head from side to side in despair, he caught her eyes. "I'm going to say something, but don't misunderstand me," he said, "It's impossible for us to get married without getting caught... You..." "Yes," Arnisa replied. Then they both fell silent. "I think I know what you're going to say," said Arnisa. "Then you must know that we don't have a choice. I mean, you don't have any other choice. We are already ruined right now," Ulaş continued. But Arnisa interrupted him sharply. "I won't go back to that man," she said in a high voice, then her iron looks softened involuntarily, "I could never leave you anyway," she added.

"You have no other choice, if you go back yourself..." Ulaş insisted, "Before it's too late and you're implicated in murder charges... Look..." got out of his mouth. For a long time the words, disguising, saying the same thing, returned like waves, crashing against hard rocks or disappeared into the depths of the forests. A hand had squeezed Ulaş's mother's throat, she had not been able to resist it anymore and ran into the kitchen.

When Ulaş's struggles were over, Arnisa slowly stood up. "Is it over?" she said, "If it is, I have work to do in the kitchen." Then she took quick steps towards the kitchen. Ulaş took his head in both hands. When Arnisa entered the kitchen, her mother-in-law was out on the balcony, she looked around with a blank stare. She lit a cigarette. "Do you smoke, mom?" she asked. "Just once in a blue moon," Ulaş's mother replied. Then she reached the cigarette pack to Arnisa with a few cigarettes, sticking out. "Light one," she said. "No mom, I..." the young girl replied, she smiled slightly. "Here, take it, don't be shy," said the mother-in-law. Arnisa hesitantly took one of the cigarettes hanging out. She lit it with the offered lighter. After taking the lighter back, the mother-in-law paused for a moment, then she said, "Arnisa, don't be angry with him," and added, "He loves you very much, he just doesn't want your even a strand on your head are harmed." Arnisa was silent. She began to look around with blank eyes too. Hot tears fell from the young girl's red, black eyes. She took another deep drag on her cigarette. She poured another cup of tea for herself and her mother-in-law. A long police car with a flashing headlight passed on the nearby road. His eye caught that car traveling slowly in the sun. She sighed with wet eyes. "Let's go inside," said the mother-in-law. "Let me wash these glasses and the teapot," Arnisa replied.

When she came into the living room, Ulaş was flipping through the newspapers, muttering, "There's nothing about us in them." "Nothing on TV either," Ulaş's father said in a relaxed tone. Oh, let it not be," said his mother, who did not hide her joy. Everyone took a deep breath and started watching the feature film on TV. After a while, the chirping of birds announced that someone was at the door. Ulaş's father opened the door, just like the first day in the village house. It was the lady of the apartment across their door. "Good afternoon," said the man. "Good afternoon," she replied, "I think you just moved in."

"Yes, we just moved in."

"I wanted to ask if you need anything."

"No, thank you for asking."

"If you will need something, our apartment is across your door."

"Thank you very much. That's very kind of you."

"Good afternoon again."

"Good afternoon."

The father of the house returned to the living room. "Who is it?" Ulaş's mother asked with a curious face.

"Lady came from the apartment across our door. They asked if we need anything."

"Thanks to her."

They continued to watch the movie with interest. When the movie had been over, Ulaş and his father had gone to shopping to the nearby supermarket and they returned as their hands were full. Things in packages and bags were placed on the shelves or into the refrigerator. This time everyone was buried in the newspapers. The headlines were as interesting as ever:

We Will Soon Pass Beyond European Countries

I Do Not Accept That There is a Problem in the Economy

Mullahs Disobey

"I Wear What Suits Me"

Locked in the cellar for three days, freed as drunken

He Stepped on Thai Boxer's Foot and Hospitalized

He Ate One Hundred and Fifty Eggs and Entered the Guinness Book of World Records

Six Months in Hospital for Nothing

Third Grade Students Cannot Read and Write

Unstoppable Dollar

Olay olay, olay olay, olay olay olay olay.

After a while, newspaper reading was over. Today was the anniversary of Ulaş's employment beside Arnisa's father, but of course he wouldn't cut a cake and celebrate, those days had gone long time ago. He remembered the day in which he had gotten the job, he had been happy as an idiot. He had been as happy as an idiot, who had not known where he had stepped for he had started a job with a high salary and at a very serious position. He had reported everything that had gone on in the confectionery factory to his boss in monthly reports and answered questions verbally. At that time, he had followed with interest the news about the group of companies in newspapers, magazines, books and on television. Every time he had entered the factory, he had felt like a tiny creature that had to keep a close eye on everything in a giant thing. Then one day, towards evening, when he had had coffee, he had suddenly realized that the invisible part of the organization had been much bigger than the visible part. He had wanted to leave, but he had been threatened. Then the threats had stopped,the financial opportunities had increased and everything had been forgotten. By making the first and biggest mistake of his life, he had not quitted his job. Every month a large sum of money had been deposited to the bank account. Then neither he nor the factory had had anything to do with the dirty work. The optimistic thought of nothing had going to happen to him always prevailed and he had continued to work. One day, when he had been on reporting, he had seen Arnisa in her father's room. It had been a moment he had going to remember every day of his later life in colorful dreams. He had been scared to death for his feelings had probably going to be known. It had been much later that he had realized the young girl in that room had been in the same situation, and that had been the happiest day of his life.