Autumn Page #2

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Put her on the phone.

Sopiko, how are you, my sweet?

I miss you so much.

What would you like?

Tell me what I can get you.

OK. You want a horse-drawn carriage?

I'll get you one to play with.

Now give the phone back to Granny.

Mum, I have to go now.

I'll call again later.

- You're done?

- Yes.

Hey, Yusuf!

What's up?

I guess the outdoors

doesn't do it for you.

No, it's not that.

It's just I wasn't feeling so great.

Right, OK. Well, come on then.

Let's have a smoke outside.

The weather's turned too.

It looks like it's going to rain.

So... What are you going to do?

Go back to Istanbul?

No.

I'm here for the time being.

I'll probably stick around here

for a few months more.

What have you been up to?

When I didn't get into university

I started working with my dad.

The idea was to stay a few months

and then take off somewhere else.

But suddenly it's 10 years later

and I'm still here, f*** it!

Never mind

This place is just another prison.

Hey, Mikahil! Haven't you finished

those door and window frames yet?

Harun Amca...

I told you I had anotherjob to finish

before I could start yours.

You always have otherjobs to finish,

you miserable cheat! Damn you!

If you can't do it, say so.

Thanks to you, I've now got

the old hag bleating at me at home.

If you can't do it, say so!

Goddamn you!

Hang around all these geriatrics here

and you get to be like them.

Hello?

Yes, he's here.

Yusuf! Mikahil's on the phone.

He wants to talk to you.

Hello?

Oh no!

I forgot the bread in the oven.

I don't know

whether to come or not.

Isn't it late?

How would we get there?

Stop talking nonsense!

Get out of the house for once!

OK, OK. Don't shout.

I'll be down there in 10 minutes.

All right. By the bridge. OK.

Hey, Mikahil.

Maybe we should go somewhere else.

Why? We'll have a couple of drinks

then go.

Hey! You haven't been around

for a while, Mikahil! How's things?

- Fine. And you?

- Good.

Mikahil, where's the bathroom?

Over there. See?

Maria...

Come over and join us.

OK, darling. Thanks.

This Norwegian guy comes to Hopa.

A seaman. To unload his cargo.

It rained for days on end.

So he had to wait.

Maria, Eka... Yusuf.

Finally he unloaded his cargo

and went back.

Then this guy from Hopa goes to Norway.

He runs into the guy there.

And the Norwegian guys asks,

"Is it still raining there?"

I'm feeling hammered.

Should I drive in this state?

I say it's better not to.

Let's go and stay in a hotel.

We can go back to the village

first thing in the morning.

It's up to you

but what will Asiye say?

Don't you worry about that.

I'll call her from the hotel.

What are you staring at?

Are you going stand there all night?

Wait! Stop!

It makes no difference to me

whether you wanted it or your friend.

- This isn't what I want. No.

- I've been paid for the night.

This isn't what I want.

I've got a little girl.

Her name's Sopo.

She's four.

- Where is she now?

- With my mother.

I don't even want to see her father.

He never calls

to ask how she is anyway.

So you spent the best years

of your life in jail...

...because you wanted socialism.

Are you crazy?

Haven't you had any sleep yet?

You need to see a doctor.

How about we go up to the hills

at the weekend?

Are you crazy?

Go up to the hills in this weather?

Sure. It's better now.

The last time we went it was autumn.

Look, we can only go so far in this.

Then we'd have to walk.

We'll do it in spring.

Come on. Sing along!

When are you coming?

OK. I'm with you. During the

semester break. Right. OK.

And you say hello to my brother-in-law

for me. OK. I'll pass you over.

Mum!

What is it, my love?

I'm not well. My bronchitis is worse.

The pills I've taken aren't working.

I'm getting breathless again.

Yes, my love?

OK, my love.

Give Nehir a kiss for me. OK.

Silly old man!

Your father was mad at your sister

for marrying this man.

As for you, he'd say what was the good

of sending you to school...

...when you ended up in jail?

He was always bitter.

He never stopped.

He always said

you children took after me.

And now he's gone. Dead.

Buried in the garden.

He never saw you again, son.

I don't know.

- Let me go and get some water.

- I'll get it, Mum.

No, son.

I was getting up anyway.

Well, son. So he wasn't meant

to see you again.

But I've seen you.

He died too soon.

Shoo! Go away! Damn you!

Why are you here squawking again?

- Are you done, Onur?

- Yes.

Here. Let's have a look.

This question was 213 times 45.

- Is it right?

- Yes. Well done!

- You see? It's not so hard after all.

- Yes.

OK. Do those four questions there then

we'll have a look together. OK, Onur?

I've made tea, Yusuf.

Did you make your own tea in prison

or get it from outside?

We made it ourselves.

So could do your own thing there?

- Are you going to do the sugar yourself?

- No. I don't want any.

Oh, son!

It's been 10 years

since I last drank tea.

Let me see what it tastes like.

Why are you so pale, son?

You're not sick, are you?

Are you not telling me something?

Is there something troubling you?

Did they beat you a lot in prison?

Did they treat you badly?

You never say anything.

You never talk. Huh?

You never tell me

this happened or that happened.

Hello, Cihan?

It's me, Yusuf.

I'm fine, thanks.

No, I haven't seen anyone yet.

OK, sure. Let's meet.

No, I don't have a mobile

or anything like that.

But I'll come into town tomorrow.

It doesn't matter.

You know what we should do?

Let's meet at the post office

tomorrow at two o'clock.

OK.

OK, Cihan. See you then.

Thanks.

How are you doing?

Have you got yourself together a bit?

- Do you have any kind of problem?

- No, no. I'm fine. Really.

Yesterday I called

the guys at the magazine.

They were worried.

They hadn't heard from you.

I don't know. Time goes so fast.

Right. They said hello to you.

They asked if you needed anything.

No. It's nice of them to ask.

I'll give them a call sometime.

- Say hello if you speak to them.

- I will say it.

- What have you been up to?

- Well, I don't know.

Time just stood still inside

but out here it seems to fly by.

We had a boy, you know.

Now we've got a little girl as well.

Really?

That's great.

Are you in touch with

friends from back then?

I call them sometimes. Do you remember

Sinan.

He got married with Feryal and had kids.

He brought his family and come from

Erzincan to here last summer.

We went up to the hills all together.

They had a week here.

Really? I'm so happy for him.

I mean, he got to be a father too.

Yes he got. We'd like too.

Do you hear from Neslihan?

- Neslihan got married, you know.

- She did?

Here, let's sit down over there.

God... Remember the summer of 1991

when you start university...

We spent whole nights out here.

How could I forget?

Wow! That was 16 years ago.

Well, I guess that was our lot in life.

But none of it was a waste of time.

I'd do it all over again if I had to.

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