I ting lentil soup on tor at t burn,”  a couple of turns in t .

    t not pity for o ask w had happened.

    “Don’t boto come inside,” I said, “I’ll be out as soon as I ches.”

    I donned ts t I o Ramadan festivities, s and lengtook up my c back,” I said to poor Nesim.

    Black and I reet in my little Jetles force out team, and I said:“Shekure’s former husband is back.”

    Black fell silent and stayed t il  the waning day.

    “ime later.

    From tion I guessed t S at  t S once t t, I opened a door of acking to tatement.

    “urned o my eyes.

    “I  seen  from the house.”

    “?”

    “From your face.”

    “tell me everything,” he said decisively.

    Black roubled  understand t Esternally at ternally to tell everyted to continue to be the doors of so many unhappy homes.

    “ I’ve  ted your  ened old S t  ernoon, and t if  find S’s motful . S told to ed cautiously, but couldn’t come to a decision. toernoon, S left to be her.”

    “hings?”

    “ Sold you about  to get o ime ters to Shrough me.”

    “Did so them?”

    “I knoies of anbul,” I said proudly, “to her house, her husband and her honor as Shekure is.”

    “But I am her husband now.”

    typically male uncertainty t alo o pieces.

    “e a note and gave it to me to deliver to S described  o a turn of imate ceremony,  o be her and how he was never going back.”

    “how did Shekure respond?”

    “Sed for you all t h poor Orhan.”

    “ about hayriye?”

    “ing for years for tunity to droiful er. te, may  in peace.  S alone in fear of murderers and gs,  along anote through me.”

    “ did e?”

    to God t your unfortunate Est read or e, because able fation, s read tter, only tiful maiden reading tter.”

    “ did you read in Shekure’s face?”

    “helplessness.”

    For a long time  speak. Aing nig my clotcery lined o greet t.

    “Slo Black later, “I can’t get up taking me chis?”

    “Before you bring me to aking you to some generous and brave young men so you can spread out your bundle and sell t lovers.”

    It  Black could still make jokes in iable state, but I could fato gatake you to ened to deats and brawls.”

    “If you continue to be telligent Est nor brawl.”

    e passed tered traigo of t o a barbers ill open. I sao ter barber being s-looking boy  of an oil lamp. Before long, tice, and later, t a side street in Sudent, ure involved in suche darkness, sword in hand.

    “Do you plan on raiding a y in broad daylight?” I said.

    “It’s not day, it’s nigone more pleased than joking.

    “Don’t be so confident just because you’ve put toget’s  catc of ttle army wandering around.”

    “No one c of us.”

    “Yesterday t raided a tavern and t Sa? 1rkap 1, beating up everyone took a bloo ick died. In tc t.”

    “I  to dearly departed Elegant Effendi’s c all to S Effendi been spending a lot of time he preacher from Erzurum?”

    “If I sounded out Elegant Effendi’s   it migimately o sest clot to involve myself in your legal and political affairs—hom anyway.”

    As ered treet,

    brancnut and mulberry trees glimmered in t of tcled trees and carried t of our group to neig. As to bark one by one, I pointed out to Black. e stared quietly at its dark roof and sters. Black ake positions around ty garden, on eityard gate and berees in back.

    “In t entryatar beggar,” I said. “ reet better tinually plays an’s vulgar monkeys. it letting your ouc or ten silver pieces and ell you everything he knows.”

    From a distance, I c t of to pressure ions. Next, I’m not sure  ice, co beat tatar t of c  last, but tatar hey killed him.

    “ice.

    “  rust e t ten. “take t to t to  t to her,” he said.

    “ you ten anytook te.

    “If I send e note, it’ll incite tell her’s vile murderer.”

    “Is true?”

    “Just tell her.”

    Cising tatar, ed  forget o tion t I’d dra t so I  o leave.

    uck my nose into te neiger cutting off o one man married anoto tell me t turks en kill a man for no reason. I longed to be  Nesim, at il soup. Even t resisted, I t about o ty ing at me.

    “Clotfits.”

    I sensed t filtering out betters move. te fated me inside. ted at a loable o .

    “Shekure,” I said, “your husband’s here.”

    “hich one?”

    “to fight hasan.”

    “ e father-in-law.

    “unate. take a look at te like a proud ambassador of tan executing his merciless will.

    As tlemanly fate, S me pour you a boil soup to warm you up.”

    “I don’t like lentil soup,” I said at first. I didn’t like tress of t  sed to be alone er her.

    “tell Black t it’s all because of S,” s niged all nigrembled  until morning. My ced!  kind of mot from o come back, told me t Our Sultan’s torturers alk and t h.”

    “asn’t Black her was being killed?”

    “Estiful black eyes wide, “I beg of you, help me.”

    “tell me and and help.”

    “Do you turned?” sears. “Black urned, I believed him.”

    But I could tell from  sell. “I o infer from t s did S s hasan because she had married Black?

    tered carrying fresible.  sigell from  after te Effendi, t be sold, couldn’t be dismissed— of fresood trutter as S be t finding a o find a fat of intentions, to love any good husband.

    “You’re seeking  ,” I said unto be making decisions h your mind.”

    “I’m prepared to go back to Black immediately  I ain conditions!” S. “ treat S and Or inquire about my reasons for coming  abide by our original conditions of marriage— I’m talking about.  me all alone to fend for myself last nig murderers, thieves and hasan.”

    “ yet found your fat old me to tell you he has.”

    “So him?”

    Before I could anse, said, “tell Black Effendi I can’t take ty of er-in-la my son being present.”

    “ softly.

    “iquette,  son is on nesses.”

    “e the soup Shekure had offered me.

    “ to gaters and otoms Office,”  yet dull men er erday, tain to be on treets tonight.”

    “e didn’t see anyt,” I said as I oo say?”

    I asked tion of to intimidate  S I was really

    addressing ruly ting turn of  I liked her indecisiveness.

    “e don’t  Black,” S said confidently. “And make t visit, fat lady.”

    “But tableclot your pretty mote red s clotil I return, you can open it up and take a look, try on, alter and sew wever you like.”

    I . I’d never seen S ears. As soon as I adjusted to tside, Black stopped me on the muddy road, sword in hand.

    “ o t to buy o celebrate Surn. Per case you’ll come to blo red sword of elling w he’ll do.”

    “ did Shekure say?”

    “tely not, I  give up my daug if I

    Sook refuge er s and your disappearance  a  in t same old  you

    come back or anyt. S, and it seems ts to return to you, but sain conditions.”

    Staring directly into Black’s eyes, I listed ions. ed at once h a genuine ambassador.

    “I, too, ion,” I said. “I’m o ted out tters of t. “In a little  door. ’ll be to stop. If  ate to attack him.”

    My  befit an ambassador, to  myself get carried aime, as soon as I yelled “Clot directly to ther-in-law.

    “tire neigs, t is everyone, kno Sates of to life and returned o you from  Moses, it’d be of no use for he’s divorced from Shekure.

    You’ve abducted a married  I tell you o your punis for the judge can.”

    “take,” said tely. “e didn’t abduct S all! I’m to God.  all alone, o seek ser s, sake  never forget t t o hem.”

    “S to return to your father’s house?”

    So cry on account of t ?  embraced  . But Est: I kne Sears  to appease bot o make a decision. But I also kneears, because to cry, too. A iced t  snake, was also crying.

    As if to pay back t crying, Black and tack on t very moment by banging on tters and forcing t t door tering ram whe house.

    “You’re an experienced and dignified man,” I said, encouraged by my oears, “open tell t t Shekure is on her way.”

    “ould you send an unprotected o treets hose dogs?”

    “Ss to go,” I said. ituffed up from crying.

    “In t case so open the door and leave,” he said.

    I sat do anot more tears, to cry louder, aking into account tening cries from outside and ttering ram t seemed on troying to gain time.

    “My beautiful Sed all of your terms, ing for you lovingly, you no longer his

    on your cloak, don your veil, take your belongings and your cly back to your house.”

    tatement of mine made to open her eyes in shock.

    “I’m afraid of hasan,” she said, “his revenge will be horrible. he’s wild. Remember, I came here on my own.”

    “t cancel out your ne o take refuge someake you back. As for he way we have for years.” I smiled.

    “But I’m not going to open turned to him of my own free will.”

    “My dearest S open t tterly avenge such meddling.”

    I could see from  sood. “t’s  for to break it doake us by force.”

    I kne once t alternative for S t means blood  involved in t for years. No and by and co and raided to abduct a here.”

    I once again understood regretfully ive and calculating telling me to forget everyt I could no longer tered to t. Actually, I   t Black’s men, ed in me,  going too far and migreat at any moment,  to So cry fake tears, but  couldn’t be feigned.

    Stepping torengtop, t’s enough!”

    tion outside and tbeat.

    “Mot of inspiration and in a s voice, as if I o ts to go ake issue .”

    t my mout, lifted tened tceps. tside entered as t all of us ance. S said, “I’m going to tell Uncle hasan.”

    I saake up o leave, and I ly relieved, I il soup.

    Black elligent enoug to come anyer So let S take along o leave th us.

    “Be afraid of  and vengeance. o Shekure’s ear.

    time at tove of t t years of   could sell t t it bore tenc  by coming back here.

    It  t t brougoget, one Je range neigreets and tection of Black’s men, and just like a caravan carrying treasure, -of-treets and solitary, seldom-visited neigo avoid running into guards, Janissaries, curious neig times, t see your ually bumping against eaco one anotion t t us into t. Just beters, time cold as s in tables.

    Even Estranger to t and  districts, s of Istanbul—t is excluding ts and tunate communities congregated—occasionally felt t s, ed and turned  end t I could still make out certain street corners t I’d patiently passed in time toting my satcailor’s Street, table adjacent to Nurullay, tes on Acrobats Street and the Falconers

    Arcade t led into tain, and t oe fat all, but to some oterious destination.

    telling  ell you, no out of spite, but because I’m convinced t S to erest. But Black, intelligent as rusted me.

    e reet be ed at treet. e art of a figicks and tter pain.

    Black o one of  trusted men, forcibly took t, causing to cry, and ice and tance audent told me ake me cut; t is,  let me stay  of fate or some cunning attempt to keep secret ts of t?

    tood to be a coffee treet opped as soon as it’d begun. Croered and left; at first I t ting, but no, troying took out all of ts, glasses and loables under t of torcroyed tried to stop t o get a target s ill effects,   and tomac dulled tellect and caused men to lose t ed Muurned do o iful an in disguise. It rics for a nigruction in moral etiquette, and if I finally made it  I mig to drink too muc poison.

    Since te a fey, and t ood t t ended to clean up all titution and coffee in Istanbul and punised Muo music. t ted rators. I suddenly recalled t knew no bounds.

    A coffee maker’s apprentice, tered   collapse, but , melded in h

    our group and began to ctle out of fear. I noticed Black recognize somebody and ate. By to collect toget ts orcinguishe crowd became a confused mob.

    Black grabbed me by tudent take me areets,” o your udent ed to slip a running as ed. My ts  if Estaken out of t possibly continue ory, can she now?