Gift

‘Ugh… It’s so hot!’ he said as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead… The man next to him, whose blue shirt had changed shape with sweat and wrinkles, smiled sincerely:

That’s what you call Çukurova, brother. It’s hot and humid, but you should know that it’s comfortable in the winter.

The man slightly raised his eyes and looked at the man for a moment. He was a scorched man of fifty-fiftyfive, with big eyes, a stubble beard, and traces of sun and age on his face.

- Yes, it is, he said. He didn’t want to prolong this conversation too much. He intended to get his suitcase and leave the bus station as soon as possible. He wiped the salt clusters formed by the drops of sweat on the glass of his glasses with the tip of his finger. With this movement, the glass of his glasses became even more blurry, and he cleaned it with his shirt:

- Which way is the hospital? he asked.

The Asisstant - Turn right when you leave the bus station, follow the main street, you’ll see it when you go up the flagpole, he said.

The man nodded in approval and started walking. As he felt the sweat running down his back from the back of his neck, he got angry with himself, saying, ‘Why didn’t I come by car?’ The flagpole was across the street. Whatever, he said. I’ll cool off a bit in the tree grove across from the flagpole…

He felt hungry. That's right, he had set off at midnight and hadn't eaten anything. He looked at the clock. 'Oh, it's past 9.' he mumbled. He was hungry but didn't feel like eating anything. It was always like this, he had no appetite when he was going somewhere.

Forget about food now, I'm burning from the heat, he thought. He got cold water from the small kiosk on the corner of the sidewalk. He collapsed on a bench in the woods beyond the kiosk. While thinking about what to eat in this unfamiliar city, he saw a boy selling bagels on a tray a short distance away. Although he didn't pay much attention to the boy at first, he liked the way the boy talked while selling bagels. Despite his young age, he had become a master at this job. He would sell two bagels to those who wanted one, and make them like him by making jokes. He smiled and began to examine the boy. He must have been eight or nine years old. The first thing that caught his attention was the boy's hair. It was quite long for school age, but it was cut very untidily. His black wavy hair reached down to the back of his neck and covered both of his ears from the sides. But the front was strange, as if someone had cut the front of his hair short and covered the nape and ears. He was a stocky boy with a clean face, eyes like fire, and front teeth that had grown instead of baby teeth. He said to himself, ‘He has a nice face, he is smart, but what is that hair?’ ‘Wait, let me make that rascal say a little bit.’ He said and approached the boy.

-Hello, can you give me two bagels, young man?

-With butter or plain?

-What is the difference?

-No way, with butter it is 50 cents more.

-Okay, give me one of those and one of the other. How are things?

-Well, thank goodness for our situation.

Look, he was talking like a shopkeeper of forty years.

-What will you be when you grow up?

The boy answered without looking up.

-I will sell bagels, we will see later.

He sat down on the paving stone next to the boy. It was nearing the end of September. This boy should be at school at this hour.

-Don't you go to school?

The boy said confidently;

-I dropped out of school.

-Why?

-Can't you see ? I can't to go to school! the boy snapped.

The man looked at the boy for a moment... He was a handsome boy, except for the way his hair looked. The dialogues he had been listening to showed that he was intelligent. His clothes weren't very new, but they weren't shabby. His family must not have been well off, he thought.

-Why don't you have money?

The boy got angry and showed the change in his pocket.

-I have money. I can even buy a bag with these...

The man didn't lose his seriousness;

-Well, then why don't you go to school?

-I won't tell you, you'll make fun of me, the boy snapped. He held out the bagels so the man could leave as soon as possible.

-Here are the bagels.

-Okay, but why are you angry? He was curious. Besides, shouldn't you be at school at this hour?

-I said, I quit...

-Isn't it too early to quit school?

-I learned to read.

-What about math? What will you do if I ask for 17 bagels?

-I'll use a calculator.

-I understand. You've set your mind to it, but what I don't understand is why don't you go to school?

The man thought there might be a problem with the boy's family. How can I find out without getting into it, he said to himself. He had to change the subject.

-I just got here, I don't know anywhere. How do I get to the hospital?

-You've already arrived. Turn left here and go straight, there's a huge building there, he pointed with his finger. Then he added, "Are you sick?" His voice softened.

-No, I'll work there now.

-Are you a doctor, uncle?

Yes

-What doctor?

This time, the boy looked the man over carefully.

This time, the boy looked the man over carefully.

The man smiled. What a leg boy knows!

-What is that?

-I fix people's deformities, the man explained.

-Uncle, can I ask you something?

The self-confidence he had a moment ago had disappeared, and he was looking at the man timidly. There was a shy look in his eyes of someone who wanted to say something but couldn’t, someone who was about to confess his crime… When the man looked at him, he stared at the ground. He rubbed the toe of his shoe on the paving stone and said, “Uncle…” There was no more.

The man wanted to encourage the boy:

-Tell me, is it ever okay to be afraid of a doctor? he said.

The boy pushed his misshapen hair back, showing his ears:

-Can you fix my ears too? Everyone in the neighborhood and at school calls me ‘scoop’.

The boy’s sincerity really pleased the man. He smiled.

-Of course I can fix them, why not?

-Will you charge me a lot of money?

-I can…

-I don’t have that much money, the boy sneered.

The man seemed to regret his previous sentence:

-I can get money, but not from you, they call it salary, you know?

-I know, what did you think? I’m eight years old, he boasted.

The man smiled again.

-What’s your name?

-Mustafa.

-Okay Mustafa, if you promise to go to school, I’ll do it.

The boy nodded in approval. His eyes were bright.

-When should I come?

-You can't come alone, you need someone older with you.

-Can I come with my father next week?

-Okay, said the man. Let's go to the hospital now.

……..

A week later, Mustafa and his father came to the Plastic Surgery Polyclinic. After examining him, the doctor told Mustafa's father that Mustafa had to go to school and that it was already a legal obligation.

Mustafa's father:

-What can we do, doctor, we can't make him listen to anything we say. He did everything he could to avoid going to school. We sent him by force, he caused chaos in the class and fought with his friends.

-I didn't fight, Mustafa objected.

-He didn't fight, they attacked Mustafa. You understand, doctor.

-What does his teacher say?

-What should he say? "Mustafa is very ill-tempered... His comprehension is good, but he can't get along with his friends because of his aggressive behavior. Don't send him away for a few days, let him miss the school environment and his friends. In the meantime, let's keep in touch," he said. The teacher was also confused about what to do…

The doctor turned to Mustafa, with an authoritarian tone:

-After the ears are done, you will go back to school, behave, no fighting. Promise?

Mustafa:

-I promise. I swear! I will even bring you my report card…

-Okay, let's do it then. First give me these tests, let's see if Mustafa can get anesthesia, then we can set a date.

……

While watching out the window, he was startled by a knock on the door.

-You seem lost in thought, doctor, what's wrong?

It was the nurse in charge of the ward. She was smiling and looking at the doctor.

-Nothing, the doctor said. I was thinking about the young man who came at night. Without a helmet, riding a motorcycle, and also running red lights… His mother just came, asking about his condition… He couldn't continue.

-Isn't he in intensive care? the nurse asked in a tone that showed she shared the doctor's concern…

-Yes. There is brain edema, all facial bones are broken, if the general condition improves, we will do something... It has been years, every death is untimely, but it is even more painful when you are young...

The nurse wanted to change the subject.

-Doctor, what happened to your scoop Mustafa?

-Oh, that? He had surgery but he did not come for check-ups except for the first dressing. Actually, I got used to it now, if the patients are happy with the result, they usually do not come for check-ups. Sometimes they come not for check-ups but to bring various gifts.

-You actually insist that the patients should come for check-ups.

- I am telling you but it is useless... This is the biggest problem anyway. Sure, the patients may be happy, but as doctors, we should also see the results of the operation we performed.

….

On a hot June afternoon, the polyclinic doorbell rang.

-Come in.

The doctor had finished his checkups, but he didn’t want to turn anyone away.

A child’s head appeared from the doorway. The doctor recognized the child as soon as he saw it.

-Welcome Mustafa. Where have you been? You didn’t come for checkups either.

-You’re right, doctor uncle. His eyes suddenly lit up. I brought you a gift.

The doctor was about to say, ‘What’s up?’ Mustafa handed the doctor a white piece of cardboard. It was his report card…

-Look, everything is fine, I also got a commendation.

So Mustafa had gone to school. The doctor hugged Mustafa and kissed him on the cheeks.

-Well done, I was proud of you. You kept your promise, then.

Mustafa nodded in approval. I’ve decided what I’m going to be when I grow up, he said.

-Tell me, what are you going to be?

Mustafa’s eyes sparkled:

The man smiled. What a leg boy knows!

-Plastic surgeon, he said. The doctor's eyes filled with tears and he hugged Mustafa tightly so as not to show it... Could there be a greater gift?