Last Sacrifice | #Wattys2018

Chapter One

Wisps of fresh bread and caramelised waffles beguiled hungry customers who stood impatiently in a neat line right outside the infamous bakery shop.

It was the early hours of the morning, 8:30 AM to be exact when the doorbell started chiming and in came the towns elite. Clutching their wallets, they made no hesitation to order their usuals, constantly checking their watches before their 9-6 hour shifts started.

The young man behind the counter, seemingly possessing 3 hands, managed to serve the odd 30 people in exactly 15 minutes. With the last customer in line that was patiently waiting, he knew by the obvious wear and tear of the customer's clothing, that he could only afford a biscuit, and maybe if he was really lucky a lollipop for his kid too. Like father, he too had holes in his clothing. The waiter prepared some milk and a couple of biscuits, not forgetting to add the extra lollipop in the bag.

'No cash required, sir.' He smiled and handed the free food to his neighbours. They were living across from him for a number of years, they saw him grow up and the amount of company they offered him at the time he needed it the most was invaluable.

The father chanted praises to Allah and thanked his friend for his generosity. He sighed a breath of relief and sat by the edge of the window as the father and son walked out, joining their hands together in gratefulness.

Still stationed at the counter, his mind was occupied. He often wondered what his life had come to and why he was still working at his fathers bakery for over 6 years. Although, all the profit was greedily stolen from his cynical uncle, he put in all his efforts just to earn some warm bread and butter. The drive to do more, to set out and achieve the things he'd always wanted plagued his mind like a disease. He could have been a doctor, or a CEO of a large company, maybe even an architect...

'Ray, you better get behind those doors at the back, your 'Mrs' at 9'o'clock!' The poor soul almost collapsed dead on the floor at the sudden warning of his rather amused friend. He rushed to the back, nonetheless, almost forgetting he had legs as he stumbled with every step. He leaned his ear against the door, praying that this time she would speak just a little louder.

'The usual Miss Hayat?' The idiot emphasised her name with his bloody thick Turkish accent as soon as she stepped foot into the shop. He sounded like a pervert, great.

'Yes, please. In fact make it a takeaway, Abdullah! Ya Allah, I am going to lose my job today!' Her soft voice echoed through the doors, awakening his crestfallen heart. Already, his palms were sweating a ton. She was always late for her work, ten minutes past nine, God knows what she had to do in the morning but by her appearance she looked rushed. There was nothing much to look at other than the veil that neatly covered her face and an all too loose black dress that she seemed to effortlessly pull on.

It was simplicity at its finest.

'Okay, that's your double espresso done, with the chocolate donut, that would be 8TL-'

'Shoot! I've only got a 10TL note, that will have to do, keep the change!' And with that, her feather light footsteps scurried out the door and into the busy streets. Before Abdullah could even motion Rayhan to come out, he was already leaning across the door frame, with a cheeky grin etched on his face. He was an absolute child.

'Only she would give us a tip.' He strode towards the counter, feeling nothing but bliss as he watched her clad-in-black silhouette, run down the street and into the most busiest hospital in town.

'Great heart, definitely inherited from her mother though.' Abdullah stood, watching his comrade in pure amusement.

They never knew how they had become so close to each other over a short period of time. The thing they had in common was the dreams and hopes that hung by a thread over their heads. Still, their fathers were the best of friends, striving together to build that bakery since day one in Istanbul.

But the girl, he thought, she hadn't seen him once. In fact, she never knew he even existed, despite his constant efforts of trying to fake an injury to get treated by the most studious nurse the hospital had to offer.

'Anyways, let's get back to business. We've got the lunch rush as well.' He took a last look, and smiled. Maybe, one day he could finally prove to her father that he wasn't as he thought; a worthless, poor scum. The rich stayed rich and the poor stayed poor, there was no changing that, even for a useless thing called love.
His heart hurt, but he remained firm to the last untouched dream he beheld.

The duo talked about silly nothingness and joked about the production of bread, pointing out the sticks that were lopsided and laughed to death. Despite their ages, they were anything but serious, children in the form of adults. But that was when, the laughter came to an end and a silence sliced through the sky.

The screeching of tyres and a loud bang followed by a scream that pierced the ears of every bystander and eye-witness, stunted everyone to their spot. It only took a few moments for everyone to collectively gather themselves up. Flocks of people exited the shop, leaving their half eaten buns and coffee cups strewn on the floor.

It is no revelation in fact to tell you at this point, someone had just died.