“Because I thought I was all alone in the world, and now I find out that I have you.”
Rafael nodded his head in understanding. It was clear he felt the same way. “And what are you going to do now?”
“I want to live here for good. I make perfumes, and if things go well, I might be able to leave Mama Can’s restaurant one day and find a place to live that’s a little bigger. And I want to find out more about my roots, make up for lost time, get to know you.”
“I’m often out at sea, but I’d be happy if you stayed in Turkey.”
“Have you ever felt like leaving? Living somewhere else?”
“To go where? Turkey is the most beautiful country in the world, and it’s my home.”
“And you can forgive it for what happened to our parents?”
“One has to forgive. Not everybody was at fault. Think of Yaya and her family, who saved us. They taught me tolerance. I think one person’s courage can defeat the complacency of a thousand others. Look out the window. Look how beautiful Istanbul is.”
Alice did so, as another question sprang to mind.
“You never felt like trying to find me?”
“When I was a child, I didn’t know you existed. Yaya only told me about you when I was sixteen, and even then, it was only because her nephew had said something he wasn’t supposed to, and I started asking questions. She told me I had once had an older sister, but that she didn’t know if you were still alive. She talked about the choice she made because she couldn’t raise both of us. Please don’t be mad at her for keeping me and sending you away. The future of a young girl was very uncertain in those times, but a boy still stood for the promise of the old days that might return. She didn’t send you away because she loved you less, but because it was all she could think to do.”
“I know that,” said Alice, looking at her brother. “Although she did tell me that she had a little preference for you and couldn’t imagine letting you go too far away from her. But it doesn’t make me angry. I understand.”
“Yaya really told you that?”
“She did.”
“That’s not very nice for you, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t touched to hear it.”
Alice considered this for a while.
“At the end of the month, I’ll have enough money to go back to London. I’ll only stay a few days, the time it takes to pack up my things, say goodbye to my friends, and turn my flat over to my neighbor. He’ll be delighted. He’s a funny man, you know. He never imagined that the man I’d find at the end of my journey would be my brother, but he was convinced that there was a man waiting for me in Turkey.”
“He had more faith in fortune-tellers than you.”
“Honestly, I think he just wanted to take my flat and use it as his studio. But I have to admit that I owe him a great deal. I’ll write to him to let him know I’ll be coming back to London.”
Dear Alice-Anouche,
Your last few letters have been incredibly overwhelming, but the one I received from you this evening was the most touching of all.
So you’ve decided to stay on and make your life in Istanbul. God knows, I’ll miss you, but the knowledge that you’re happy gives me reason to be happy as well.
I wish I could have seen you again on your trip to London, but fate seems to have decided otherwise. I promised to go on holiday with a friend, and I’m afraid the plans are already set. She has already asked for the days off, and you know how difficult it is to change these things once they’ve been set up.
It’s hard to believe that we’re not going to manage to cross paths. You should have tried to stay longer! On the other hand, I understand that you have responsibilities of your own. Mama Can is already being generous enough to let you have the time off that you’ll need even for a short visit.
I’ve taken all my things from your flat so that you’ll feel at home. Everything is in perfect order. I took the liberty of repairing the window frame so that the cold wouldn’t come in, because it would have never happened if we had waited for our pinchpenny landlord to get around to taking care of it himself. I suppose it matters little now, because when winter returns you’ll be in a warmer place.
You keep thanking me for everything I’ve done for you, but it’s important for you to understand that you allowed me to go on a beautiful trip that most men would only dream of taking. Our time in Istanbul will remain among my fondest memories, and no matter the distance that separates us, you will always stay in my heart as a faithful friend. I hope to come and visit you one day, and I hope that when I do, you’ll have time to show me around and share your new life.
Dear Alice, my faithful travel companion, I hope that we’ll keep writing to each other, even though I’m sure that we’ll probably do so less regularly as time passes. I miss you, but I think I already wrote that. I send my warm regards.
Your ever-devoted,
Daldry.
P.S. I forgot to mention, it’s a funny thing—just as the postman (we made up over a pint at the pub) brought me your last letter, I was putting the very last finishing touch on my painting. I thought about sending it to you, but I realized how silly it would be. You just have to look out the window to see an even better version of what I painted during your long absence.
Alice walked down the street with a large suitcase in one hand and a smaller suitcase in the other. When she entered the restaurant, Mama Can, her husband, and the best guide in Istanbul all rose to their feet and led her to a table set for five.
Mama Can was particularly emotional. “Today the house is waiting on you,” she said. “I hired a replacement for the time that you’ll be gone, and for that time only! Sit, sit. You have to eat before your long trip. Your brother isn’t coming?”
“His boat was supposed to come ashore this morning. I hope he’ll get here in time. He promised to come to the airport.”
“But I’m the one to drive,” said Can, worried his place might be taken.
“Now that he has a car, you can’t refuse him the pleasure of driving,” said Mama Can, gazing proudly at her nephew.
“It’s practically new. It only had two owners before me, and one of them was a very meticulous American. Since I have stopping working for you and Mr. Daldry, I have found new clients who pay me well. And as the best guide in Istanbul, I must drive people around. Last week, I even took a couple to the Rumeli Fort on the Black Sea. It took only two hours to get there.”
Alice kept her eye on the window, hoping to see Rafael arrive, but when the meal was over he still hadn’t shown up.
“You know,” said Mama Can, trying to comfort her, “the sea is in charge. If the fishing is better than they expected, or worse, they may return tomorrow.”
“I know.” Alice sighed. “Besides, I’ll see him again soon.”
“We have to go or you’ll miss your plane,” said Can.
Mama Can kissed and hugged Alice goodbye and accompanied her to Can’s new car. Her husband put Alice’s suitcases in the trunk, and Can opened the passenger-side door.
“Can I drive?” she asked.
“Are you kidding?”
“I know how to drive. Daldry taught me.”
“Not this car,” said Can, pushing Alice in and closing the door behind her.
He got in, started the engine, and listened to the motor purr, beaming with pride.
Alice heard somebody calling “Anouche!” and she turned to see Rafael running over to them.
“I know, I know,” he said, jumping in the back seat. “I’m late, but it’s not my fault, one of our nets got tangled. I came as quickly as I could.”
Can took his foot off the brake and the Ford started down the hill through the narrow streets of üsküdar. An hour later, they arrived at Atatürk Airport. In front of the terminal, Can bid Alice farewell and then left her to be alone with her brother.