Chapter 5

When do you things from your soul; you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

When action comes from another section, the feeling disappears.

(Jalal al-Din Rumi)

"Son! Yin Chu! Son!"

Yin Chu poked his head out from the backroom, hearing a cavernous voice calling him with some urgency. When he saw his uncle's flushed face, he became worried, noticing the man's dishevelled appearance.

"Soner amca, what's up?"

"Oh, you're here. I was already despairing." Puffed the man, trying to catch his breath.

"Something wrong?" He asked him, stepping closer to pour him a glass of cool water.

After drinking all the liquid in one gulp, Soner finally regained a natural colour.

"Please tell me you have some khmeli suneli [1] in the shop." Said the man with wide eyes full of hope.

"No, not at the moment, uncle..."

"Ahhh! Who's going to tell my wife now? Last night she dreamt that she was supposed to cook kharcho [2] for the nişan [3], but we don't have any in the house, and she doesn't have time to make any again." The desperate man interrupted him.

"...But I have the ingredients to make it." The young man finished speaking as soon as he had the chance, flashing a reassuring smile.

"What? What? Oh! Bless you, my son. You are my salvation. May Allah always protect your path." Soner exclaimed, throwing himself at him joyfully.

Yin Chu almost choked in the man's strong grip, even though he was used to Soner's festive outbursts by now, his poor bones always came out a little bruised.

"When would you need it for?"

"If you could have it ready by closing time, that would be wonderful." The man replied, clasping his hands in his.

"Of course! We have plenty of time then," the boy sighed.

It was true that he had the ingredients but, he also had many other things to do. Not to mention that that day, he would once again have to look after the shop alone. For weeks now, Azad had left him alone for hours at a time without giving him any kind of explanation.

He had bags of seeds to grind and, within minutes, the horde of customers and tourists would be pouring into the streets of the bazaar.

"So, I'll come by tonight and pick them up, son." Soner greeted him, giving him another resounding pat on the back, before leaving him to his duties and returning to his shop.

Yin Chu watched the man's back leave the premises with a smile on his lips and returned to his duties. He returned to the mortar a little worried; perhaps he should have called someone to give him a hand. But who?

"Kuş kuşş!"

As soon as Yin Chu heard that nickname, he brought a hand to his temple, already sensing the first signs of a headache, even before seeing the person who was calling him.

"Efe...what are you doing here?" He asked, looking at the major source of his troubles, who had just walked in.

"Hey! And this is how you treat your brotherly friend? Ayaz's influence is increasingly visible in you." The boy immediately sulked.

"I'm treating you like this because last night I almost got my ass kicked again. Only because my brotherly friend thought it best to go after the wrong girl."

"Are you still upset about that? But that's in the past now. Besides, nothing happened to us." Efe commented, removing an invisible fluff from his red polo shirt.

"Only because we're speedy runners." He observed Yin Chu, crossing his arms and staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"But it's not my fault that girls are fascinated by what Allah has given me. I didn't do anything."

"Yeahhh...Anyway, what are you doing here now? You should have been in the lab for quite a while."

"You're here too! You'll get a lot of wrinkles from being so serious! But who am I kidding? With skin like yours, you'll never get them. I hate you for that." He blurted out angrily.

Yin Chu couldn't help but laugh at his friend's foolish outburst. That was how Efe was, genuine and unfiltered, and he would never change. He had known him for years and loved him for that, too.

He would never have thought, eight years earlier, that by escaping from an unhappy and lonely life, he would find his place in the world. Thanks to Azad, he had found the warmth of a new family, true friends and a profession he loved. Now, at twenty-six, he felt like a satisfied man.

"Efe, please empty the bag! I have a lot of things to do, and I'm only in the shop." He tried to speed up his friend.

"Hm? How? Azad amca isn't here?"

"No, he had chores to do today. He told me he didn't know what time he'd be here."

"You're alone again? How strange! In all these years, Azad has never been away so much." Reflected Efe.

"Don't worry, I've managed so far. It's just that, today, I have a lot of things to do in the back too, and your father just asked me to make him khmeli."

"But then...I'm right on target!" Exclaimed the friend, all beaming.

"Huh?! What do you mean?" He asked, puzzled.

"I'll stay in the shop, and you can finish your stuff in the back."

"You're kidding, right?" Yin Chu felt the onset of a massive migraine after hearing his friend's suggestion.

"No, not at all! I'm made for selling. I'm wasted being cooped up in a laboratory. With my good looks, I attract customers and, with my gab, I charm them and make them buy whatever I want." He affirmed with conviction.

"Ah..."

"No, don't say anything. The right spice, to the right person, in the right quantity. I know your credo inside out. And I'm convinced I've absorbed your spice lessons well over the years. I'm brilliant too."

"But..."

"No buts. Hop hop...go to work, my little kuş." Said Efe, pushing him back towards the backroom again.

"Alright, alright. You could stop calling me that, though."

"And why is that?"

"Well! You know, I'm all grown up now, and you, you're not that much older than me. We only spend a year there." Yin Chu reminded him.

"But you're still smaller, my little kuş. Look at Ayaz how he bullies me, and we are only two months apart. Come on, don't waste time, go and produce and leave the sales wizard here to work his magic."

Yin Chu, bewildered went back to grinding his seeds; despite the bit of anxiety he felt at leaving Efe in the shop, he chuckled for a few moments. Today would be a day to remember.

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"Azad, my dear old friend, what brings you to knock on my humble door?"

Azad was relieved when he saw the familiar face, smiling at him with joy, welcoming him with open arms.

"Aref, my friend. What a joy to be able to see your face." He exclaimed, opening his arms in turn.

After they had embraced each other warmly, Aref led Azad into a large and spacious living room. Aref's young niece brought them tea and delicacies and, after serving them, retired, leaving them to their discussions.

"I swear, my heart leapt into my throat when I saw you at the door. So many years have passed."

"Time passes too quickly, my friend."

"How are you? Where do you live now?" He asked him, handing him a saucer of biscuits.

"I'm still in Istanbul; I haven't moved."

"How? I don't believe it. What about your wandering life?" The friend asked in amazement.

"It has come to an end." He admitted regretfully.

"Well! Actually, we're no longer the two youngsters who enjoyed attracting customers in the souks of Marrakech. Ahahah." Aref laughed heartily.

Azad laughed in turn for a moment, then a veil of sadness covered his clear gaze. He thought back to those days long gone. Again, he saw his young self, who had just left his beloved Tehran to venture out into the world. Marrakech had been his first stop, where he had met his beloved Manaar, the only woman he had ever loved.

Unfortunately, their love lasted only the blink of a butterfly's wings. After only two years of wedded bliss, the young woman had left the earthly world, taking their precious gift of love with her.

Azad was then overcome by grief and despair, had completely lost his way, and his business suffered. Until one day, a smiling face appeared at the door of his almost empty shop and offered him a cup of tea. The man was Aref, a young Turk, an expert in silverware and a fervent admirer of the works of Rumi. The warm comfort of his friendship and the words of the wise master had helped him to recover and lift his spirits out of despair, leading him on a new path that had taken him around the world and to recognise broken souls, like his own, to help them.

"What brings you to Konya after so long?"

The last time he had been there, it had been when he had lost track of Wei Mei Te ten years before. He had seen in a dream a wild rose that had been cut in half and a small bird crying over its withering petals. After that dream, his Nastaran had not replied to his letters, making him lose track of her.

"I had another dream."

"Azad, I'm not as good as you at interpreting these signs, you know that. I can only try to help you out." Said Aref desolately.

"I dreamt that I was feeding a small bird. Suddenly, however, it flew away from my hand and headed towards an unknown place, a city full of very bright lights. In the dream, I could sense that the bird would have difficulty staying in that city. I could feel that he would not be well, and yet I was unable to call him back because my lips were sealed."

"Do you think this is about your new protégé?" The friend asked after hearing the details.

Azad had often written to Aref about Yin Chu's progress, praising him in every way possible, almost as if he were a father proud of his son's accomplishments.

"Yes. I know it is he, just as I know it is not possible for me to hold him back, for my path on this earth has come to an end."

"What? What are you saying?"

"My days are numbered, my friend, but I do not regret that. I have lived a full life; what has been taken from me has been given back to me in greater proportions."

"But how? When? Can nothing be done?" Aref asked, regretting to learn that news.

"No, but that's all right. Only, I am worried about Yin Chu. I have kept him with me all these years and never given him a chance to be reunited with his parents. Now I'm afraid this selfish act of mine will affect him. What will he do when I leave?"

"What are you talking about? I've read all the letters you have written to me over the years, and I've seen all the photos taken with him. What I've noticed is that, from the little bewildered boy who came into your life, you've made him a confident and happy young man. Yin Chu is capable of facing the world; you don't have to fear for him."

"You are right. I have let my fears cloud my judgement. Yin Chu will be able to walk on his own."

Yes, Yin Chu would have made it even without him.

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"Did you see that? I'm sure that thanks to me, you guys broke all the box office records." Efe gloated, vigorously massaging his aching back from the many hours he spent on his feet.

Yin Chu shook his head slightly, loosening the sore muscles in his shoulders.

"You're incorrigible!" He exclaimed, looking at him with an amused smile.

"Incorrigible? You mean phenomenal. Imagine what I won't do in Macau."

"Macau?" Yin Chu turned to look at his friend with obvious surprise.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? Silly me, I had come to tell you this morning, before you blocked me with your little speeches about my misdeeds."

"What did you come to tell me?" Yin Chu asked hesitantly, knowing in his heart the answer.

"By the end of the year, I am moving to Macau. My uncle asked me to join him there to help him out." Replied Efe, all delighted.

"A hand? In what?"

"I don't know which rich guy there, he bought a big complex that he wants to turn into a department store, obviously all high-class stuff. And he wants an area to have a sort of multi-ethnic gourmet market, only top products from all over the world, to attract the customers of his hotel-casino. My uncle has managed to get a shop, but he needs someone to help him, and since I, with the help of my brotherly friend, speak Mandarin..."

Cough! Yin Chu choked back some saliva.

"What is it?"

"People in Macau speak Cantonese." He told him bluntly.

"Huh? But isn't Mandarin the official language in China?" His friend asked, appalled.

"Yes, but Macau is a special administrative region. And they decided to keep Cantonese as the official language."

"Whaaat? How am I supposed to do that now? Can I learn Cantonese in three months? My uncle relies on that." Efe's face turned red.

"Um...Counting that you've been studying Mandarin for eight years, and you're still making gross mistakes..."

"Please don't say any more; my pride depends on it. What am I going to do now?" Said the boy in despair, covering his face with his hands.

"What do you have to complain about now?" Ayaz entered the shop. "What's wrong with our drama-king here? He asked, flanking Yin Chu to get a better look at Efe's distressed face.

"Don't make fun of your brother, you!"

"We are not..."

"Shut up! The Nişan is tomorrow, and you've already come to ask for Tan's hand, so on balance, you're my brother now."

"I accept that, just because you are Tan's only flaw," Ayaz affirmed.

"Ouch! That was sharp!" Yin Chu commented.

"I know." Admitted the newcomer, bursting into laughter.

"Stop making fun of me. I know you'll be crying inconsolably when I'm gone."

"No."

"No."

Both boys denied in unison before resuming their laughter.

"You guys are evil. I don't want anything more to do with you two." Efe got nervous, turning his back on them.

"Come here, salak, you know you're our favourite entertainment." Said Ayaz, catching him before he could get out, pulling all three of them into a single embrace.

Yin Chu happily enjoyed that brotherly warmth. He had chosen a simple, hard-working life, but every day proved that his choice had not deprived him of anything; on the contrary, he had gained much from it all.

The only thing he sometimes missed was a special person with whom he could share that full life. Just like it had happened to Ayaz and Tan and, like so many years before, it had happened to Azad.

Who knows when it would happen?

[1] A mix of herbs and spices used in the Caucasian region.

[2] Typical soup from Georgia.

[3] Turkish engagement party