SHAUT AND HIS WIFE

The father stood by the ice-cream box. He smiled constantly while filling up the sides of the box with blocks of ice which he sprinkled with salt.(1) Then he looked at his wife. The woman sat at a little distance, close to the pillar of sunshine brilliantly reflected from the ceiling. She was patching up-who knows how many patches she had already put on that piece of cloth-the shirt of her seventh child. 

‘’What are you thinking about, woman?’’ said the father. ‘’Are you thinking about the fact that you are going to be a doctor’s mother?’’

The woman laughed,

‘’You are thinking about that much more than I do,’’ she said, ‘’I swear you’re bursting with pride at the idea of being a doctor’s father.’’

‘’Yes, woman, why should  I lie, I am bursting with pride. We'll have a big house. I shall wear clean clothes...Just think of it, I shall sit in an expensive coffee-house, cross my legs and smoke a water pipe. I shall be the father of a doctor. It's not something to be looked down upon.’’ 

The woman laid her sewing on her knees and rubbed her eyes:

‘’I guess I am dreaming all the time. You know those doctors’ houses in Abidin pasha Avenue. Well, we’re living in one of those houses in the biggest and highest one. On the door, my son has a plate with his name on it. Shall I tell you something? Every single day, with my own hands I shall wash my son’s plate with soap and water. I swear I shall not behave like a mother-in-law to my son’s wife. I shall be terribly fond of my grand children...’’

‘’So shall I ‘’ said the man; ‘’every afternoon I shall take them for a walk in the park. A child is like a flower: fresh air, plenty of sunshine..’’

‘’I shall sweep the floor myself, I shall wash their laundry with my own hands. It’s not good leaving such works to strangers, they might make a mess of it. I shall also fix their clothes.’’

‘’They shall probably give us a room in their big house. Feeding us will not cost them a lot. Anyway, we’ll be even older then...’’

‘’We’ll die in peace and be buried like decent human beings...’’

‘’I tell you I will not die in peace, if one day, after my son becomes a doctor, I cannot cross my legs right in the presence of my friends and enemies and smoke a fine water pipe.’’

‘’They will of course eat their food with a fork and a knife. Do you think we ‘ll be able to manage that?’’

‘’Oh why make a fuss about it? We’ll withdraw into our room and stick to our old customs.’’

‘’We won’t even show ourselves to their guests. When visitors come, we’ll withdraw to our room and lock the door...’’

‘’We’ll make their coffee and hand it in at their door.’’

‘’Of course, we'll have to make their coffee.’’

‘’Woman,if only I could cross my legs in the presence of my friends and enemies and smoke a fine water pipe in my old age. If only I could do that...’’

‘’Well, what then..?’’

‘’Then, God can take my soul if he wants to.’’

With his strong hands he started to turn the ice-cream box which stood among the salty blocks of ice.

                                                                                                          Orhan Kemal

1) A primitive way of making ice-cream