COMRADE

“What is happiness without you… I’ve never tasted it, I wouldn’t know…

You were written on my forehead… No matter what I do, I cannot erase you.”

 

As his favorite song played softly on the record player, Mr. Kemal sat in his mustard-yellow armchair by the window, as he did every morning, watching the passersby. People hurried along, some off to work, others to school.

Looking up at the sky through the window, he noticed the rainy, pale hues. It was exactly the kind of day to reflect on the past… Although, there wasn’t a day when Mr. Kemal didn’t think about it.

The street where Mr. Kemal lived used to be one of Istanbul’s quietest streets. Now, it had become a hangout for young people, bustling both day and night. Of course, as the young population increased, the longtime residents felt their age even more.

From their windows, they watched and sighed, “Oh, youth…”

Sometimes, Mr. Kemal even felt out of place in his own street, or even in his own home. This feeling had grown stronger after Mualla Hanım. “Ah… five whole years without her…”

The lyrics of the song, playing softly, seemed to echo and accompany Mr. Kemal’s emotions.

 

“Loving you from afar; the most beautiful of all loves.

I’ve grown accustomed to your longing… Even if you called me, I couldn’t come…”

 

Was it easy… Their companionship had spanned forty years. Now, even if a little more sadness remained, he was content with his life. He had never wanted much from life anyway. A loving family, a peaceful home — that was enough. Thankfully, he and Mualla Hanım had built that family together.

They had met in this neighborhood as well. One day, after work, in similarly overcast weather, he had seen her. Hesitant, fearing a misunderstanding, he had watched her with his eyes for a while. It had been improper at the time, to follow someone with your eyes. But what could he do? He was curious… Where did she live? Whose daughter was she? Was she single?

With that curiosity and excitement, from that day on, every evening he would wait around at the same hour, thinking, “Maybe she’ll pass by again, and I’ll see her…”

And… a few days later, she really did pass by. She had come out of Sevinç abla, the neighborhood tailor’s shop, and walked right past.

Seeing this, Mr. Kemal, both excited and embarrassed, immediately went to his boss to explain the situation. His boss was a good man. Understanding his excitement, he tried to calm him and said, “Hold on, son. Don’t rush. Haste makes waste.”

From that moment on, Mr. Kemal waited for his boss silently but with equal excitement. As days passed, it felt as if years chased one another in his perception of time. Yet he waited patiently, because happiness lay at the end of this path.

In the meantime, he started coming to work early, thinking he might hear news at any moment, and every morning he would take the newspaper without waiting for his boss. Each time his boss served tea, he would look at him as if to say, “You forgot again, didn’t you, master?”

Finally, one day after work, his boss called him over, ordered two cups of tea, and sat down across from him. Mr. Kemal could hardly sit still from excitement; he was eager to hear the good news.

“Look, my boy, love is a beautiful thing, and everything beautiful requires effort. Now you’ve seen her, you like her, you’re excited. But I need to ask you something. How much effort can you put into this relationship? There will be challenges as well as joys. Do you have the strength for it?”

Mr. Kemal thought to himself, Why is he asking this? Of course, marriage could be challenging, and he had already accepted that. He was ready to overcome anything. He had a job, a family expecting him to marry — he was exactly the kind of man a young woman would hope for.

“God willing, Arif abi, I really want to have a beautiful family. But did something worry you? Why are you asking this?”

“Son… You need to know everything from the start. This girl’s parents passed away years ago, and she takes care of her siblings. Understand this: if you marry her, you’re not only responsible for her, but also for her brothers and sisters. You might want to enter this journey with excitement, but there’s no turning back afterward. So think carefully… ‘Do you truly want this marriage? And not just want it, but also accept all that comes with it?’ Answer me honestly.”

These questions made Mr. Kemal think. What had started with feelings was now moving toward acting with reason. He feared not being enough or causing unhappiness. But he never even considered giving up.

His boss understood this from his expression, and nothing more needed to be said.

“All right, son. If this is clear, we can take one step further. I’ll let you know,” he said.

And so began Mr. Kemal’s forty-year companionship with Mualla Hanım. Of course, it wasn’t easy… But both of them had invested so much into this journey. Both were aware of everything… A family is not built easily, and once it is, maintaining it is no easy task.

 

Mualla Hanım was the joy of the home. Even when she herself wasn’t cheerful, she always filled their home with happiness… And Mr. Kemal was the strength of the house. He was steadfast — no matter how hard life got, he never stopped working and providing.

Every member of the family seemed to compete in making one another happy. For example, not a single day would pass without a pot of warm soup in the house. Anyone who stepped inside was greeted by its scent — as if it carried the very fragrance of peace. Everyone who walked through that door would smile and excitedly tell of their day.

It was as though when Kemal and Mualla married, a family that had long been incomplete finally regained its warmth. And her siblings saw Mr. Kemal as their brother for the rest of their lives.

And could such sweetness ever be missing from that home? Of course not… Even their arguments would become something to smile about a week later — just like he was smiling at the memory now…

Now, however, the years without Mualla had begun for Mr. Kemal. Yes, his children never left him alone; they visited often. His son and daughter even insisted, “Come live with us now, father. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?” But he didn’t want to leave his home.

Each morning, walking these streets, buying his newspaper and bread, and sitting on his mustard-yellow armchair for breakfast — it all made him feel good. Even if the street had changed, what he felt here hadn’t changed. Here, he grew up and here, he became a family.

Yes, those who once accompanied him were no longer here, but even if they were gone, he was still a traveler of this place.

He wanted to honor every relationship he had lived so dearly — each stitch in his life was woven with care and effort, and he had companions who had beautifully accompanied his journey.

Now he would say… Greetings to every one of them… To each companion of this road whom I can say, “I’m glad you were there…”

These are the thoughts that crossed Mr. Kemal’s mind this morning… And when the song ended, it pulled him out of his thoughts. Why? Because his grandchildren were coming today. With excitement, he got up to wrap the toys he had bought for them, while saying:

“Oh Mualla, my dear… You left behind the most beautiful gifts. Even though you are gone, everything that still brings me joy comes from you. I’m so glad we built a family together and raised such precious souls into this world.”

 

“God willing, they too will have companions in life who cherish each other as we do… For every journey is beautiful with a true companion…”

 ===

Experiential Design Teaching is a knowledge community that produces strategies for designing our future based on past experiences.

The "Who is Who", "Mastery in Relationships" and "Success Psychology" Seminar Programs offer the needed methods for those who want to be happy and successful in life by solving their problems and achieving their goals.

"There is only one thing in life that can never be discovered; The better one..."

===

Yahya Hamurcu