“I expected that to end very differently” is the response I usually get at the end of this story.
I managed to make my way to the shopping center of Samsun Turkey by myself for the first time. I took the light rail, but at that time the train only had ticket offices at the beginning and end of the rail. If you wanted to board at a station in between you had to buy a ticket at a bakery or hardware store. Since I couldn’t understand Turkish, I couldn’t figure out where to go. When I tried to ask a rail employee, he came up with an alternative. He had a word with a gentleman walking up to the platform entrance. The gentleman swiped his rail pass twice, once for me.
But when I tried to hand him 2 lira, the cost of taking a one way trip, he waved me away.
I reached the city center and wandered around. I managed to find the shoe store and bakery I was looking for, and tried to make my way back to the rail station.
However, my already atrocious sense of direction deserted me completely. I walked, I later realized, about a mile in the opposite direction. I started to see fewer and fewer shops around me. It was only 4:30 but it was already getting dark since it was the middle of winter. I finally realized I needed to ask for directions.
I walked into a technology shop and approached a middle aged man behind the desk. I used an app on my phone to translate the word “Train” and showed it to him. When he realized what I was asking, he laughed.
And when someone laughs when you ask for directions, that’s never a good sign.
Luckily for me he spoke a bit of English. He had a word with his coworker and asked me to follow him. We went outside, he climbed into the driver’s seat of his car and invited me into the passenger’s seat.
Were there red lights going off in my head? Of course.
But I didn’t really feel like I had much of a choice. I climbed into the car and we started driving. It was slow going, as there was snow on the ground and the streets were narrow. He talked to me about how he used to be in the Turkish air force and how he had two daughters in college. I confess, in the back of my mind I envisioned myself jumping out of the car door while it was still moving.
But it proved to be unnecessary. Before I knew it, we went over the top of the hill and I saw the station in front of me. He pulled up alongside it, reached over and opened the door for me and said “Have a good evening.”
Short Stories
Comments are closed.
1 Likes
1000 Views
Share:
A very sweet story.
I thought it was nice, short, and to the point. If I was writing this I would focus on the description a little bit more. I’m from Miami and don’t know anything about Turkey. From what you described Turkey sounded a little bit like the US, except for the fact that there was a slight language barrier. You should bring out the distinct features of Turkey; tell the audience what made this experience so different from where you are from. How did the clothes look, the monuments, the buildings, and the shopping centers? I find that adding these intricate details make the reader more intrigued. I would also add more detail about this man you hopped into the car with. It was probably a normal thing for him to open up himself to you, but because you’re probably an American, you thought “Hey! You’re a serial killer!” I think all this is important to add.
I agree with Mikayla! Some amped up descriptions of the location and people involved (little details you noticed perhaps) would really make this story pop. It’s a good story about the kindness of strangers.