-Thank you.

-We have arrived Seyranbaðlarý, where do we have  go?

-Turn right.  Stop in front of the second building.

-Okay.  Here we are Judge Auntie.  Shall I come with you?

-No, wait here.

Osman started waiting.  Then he became curious.  He looked at the at the buildings´ sign.

"Seyranbaðlarý Orphanage for Girls"

 He couldn´t understand.  What could this women be doing here, he thought.

Half an hour later, Mrs. Adalet came out.  There was a middle aged, kind lady next to her.  She helped Mrs. Adalet to get into the car. The women said "Mrs. Adalet, we can never thank you enough.  You are always with us (support us).  The girls love you a lot too.  Please don´t give a long gap, come and visit us again". 

With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Adalet said "Inshallah, I love the girls too.  Please say my greetings to them.  Take good care of them."

The car moved.

-Where to Judge Auntie?

-Just 2 streets ahead.

Osman parked his car in front of another building 2 streets ahead.

This time the sign read " Ankara Seyranbaðlarý Retirement Home´.

-Wait for me.

-Of course Judge Auntie.

After an hours´ wait again, Mrs. Adalet came out, this time, with lots of elderly men and women.

After kissing and hugging each other, they left.  Osman realised the tears running down Mrs. Adalet´s cheeks.

-Are you alright Judge Auntie?

-I am fine Osman.  When you see old friends, you feel weird.

-Where are we going?

- To Cebeci Cemetery?

-To the cemetery, Auntie? Okay.

Oh My God, you are so fast Merih.  I was just starting to translate.  Anyway, very sad story indeed.

Not finished yet... by the way, sorry if I am making any mistakes..

Osman was surprised.  They were going to the cemetery.

- Auntie, where are you from?

-I am from Söke (Aydýn).  My father used to farm cotton.  My father went to fight in the War.  Söke was under invasion.  We ran up to the mountains, with my mum.  We hid in the mountain villages.  When the war was over, we came back to Söke.  Thank God, my father came back alive from the war.

-What happened after that?

-My father has sent me to the high School in Aydýn.  I have met Atatürk there.  I went to Istanbul to keep my promise.  I joined the Law School.  That is where I have met my late husband.  He was studying in Harbiye (Military High School) at the time.  We got married when we graduated.

-Do you have any children?

-I had a daughter and a son.

-Where are they now?

- My son used to work in the Ministery of Foreign Affairs.

-How nice!

-My son was shot by Armenians in 1978 in France, he was martyred.

-I am very sorry to hear that, Judge Auntie.  Accept my sympathies. So he is a martyr like his grandfather.

-Yes. Martyr grandfather´s martyr grandson. Martyr uncles´ martyr nephew.  May Allah never give anyone the pain of losing a child.

-Amen.  What about your daughter?

-She and her husband lived in Izmit.  She was a teacher. In 1999, her husband died in the earthquake. After that my daughter volunteered to go to the South East.  And she was martyred by the terrorists over there in 2002.

Then she added these words:

And my father, after all these pains, have passed away.

Quite a story, Merih and Yilgun, thanks again for translation, you did an excellent job, Merih!

Even though he didn´t finish the translation, I want to make a little correction for the title Bir Türk Kadýnýnýn Gerçek Öyküsü"="The Real Story of a Turkish Woman". This is not a "real" story even though it is a very nice and touching story for us.

 Still not finished

-I am very sorry, Judge Auntie.  May them rest in peace.  I have upset you with my indescreet talk, forgive me, Judge Auntie.

-Like I wouldn´t think of them if you didn´t ask.  You don´t worry.  Thank you.

-Here we are Auntie.

-Okay, son. Here is your money. You may go now.

-Judge Auntie, how in the world will you go back to your home from here?  Shall I wait for you and drop you back to home?

-NO, they will pick me up from here!

-Judge Auntie, this money is too much.  Please forgive me, I lied you before.  The car owner is asking for 350 Liras only.  Forgive me.  I will give 350 liras to him.  Keep the rest.  I don´t want money from you.  The life lesson you have taught me today is invaluable.

-Do you have children?

-Two.  They kiss your hands (this is a cultural expression of respect, the youngers kiss the elders hand).. Then he took out their pictures.

-What are their names?

-Kemal and Ayþe.

-My son´s name was Kemal too.

He pushed her hand holding the money gently.  Mrs Adalet:

-Buy something for them from me.  Educate them.  But with the money you earn without lies and cheating.  Make sure they realise the power they have inside, like Atatürk made me realise.  And advice them to love their country and their nation.

-Osman, was holding Mrs. Adalet´s hands to kiss them.  He promised her to raise his children very well.  While Mrs. Adalet was entering the gate of the cemetery in a slow pace, Osman watched her with teary eyes. His heart twisted. For the last time he looked at the cemetary, and the old woman he dropped there.  To whom she was waiting for in the cemetery?  Who was she going to meet?  His heart was filled with pain, he was left in sweat.  Then he turned his curious eyes back to the streets and the people of this city.  And he moved away.

He learnt the biggest lesson of his life from this tiny old woman who had a strong and big heart in spite of all the pains she has been through.  He realised entering the city in the dark night where the turbid / cloudy stories are coming to life.  Osman, decided to take the car back to the owner.  He couldn´t have worked more today.

The next day, there was a strange and extraordinary rain in Ankara.  As if the skies were drilled.  Osman picked the car from the owner, and came to the taxi station.  He picked the newspaper next to the kitchen.  He ran an eye over the news in the first page. It was full of politics.  He didn´t know anything about politics.  Getting bored, he opened the 3 page for the judicial news.  This was where normally the taxi dirvers would get any bad news about their driver friends.

While he was checking the news titles, one particullar news drew his attention.  The news were as follows:

Last night, in the late hours, a woman´s body was found in the Cebeci cemetary and was identified as Mrs. Adalet Yýlmaz, who was one of the first Judges of the Republic.  It was understood that the graves, where the body was found, belonged to her husband, son and daughter.  It was informed that Yýlmaz drew all her money from the bank, and donated half of all her money to an Orphanage for Girls and the other half to an Elderly Home.  The Police believes that Yýlmaz has gone to the cemetary to die.

Osman was shaken suddenly.  he was trying to close his face with his hands.  He started sobbing.  He couldn´t stop his tears.

The friends of the taxi driver didn´t understand anything. Osman, didn´t tell anyone what happened the day before.  They wouldn´t understand, he thought.  So he kept it for himself.  All they knew was Osman stood in the heavy rain and screamed "Even the sky is crying for you"

THE END

To Merih ,

Thank you very much for your interest.

Zahmet ve katkýnýz ve edebi tercüme için çok teþekkür ederiz.