Last Night, The End of Everything

When we finally finished tomorrow's work, it was time to leave; the five men set our course towards Istiklal. We got off the bus at the underground stops; how much could a place change? This place was no longer Taksim; it was like Sirkeci's underground market.

I immediately remembered that we came to have fun tonight. Neither the concrete square nor the nostalgic tramway made from the carpet field could not upset my mood.

We were swayed to the door of the tavern where we were going to spend the evening, and although I was very strange at first, the conversations of these men began to take hold. It was not their fault; in fact, they could only improve themselves so much in the education they received and the environment they were in.

In a way, these people were one of the main factors in my plans to escape abroad. I was afraid that I would become a prisoner of inextricable vicious circles like them.

We bought a house, and I have to work overtime to pay for it, the car loan has more to run out, let's tighten the belts, our child's head is not working anyway, I wanted to get away without being a part of my daily life.

While the hot appetizers were mingling with these thoughts, everyone except me was getting up and down on the table to make a base for their drinks. By the way, I have nothing to do with alcoholic beverages. However, everyone who heard it for the first time had the impression that it was for a religious reason; as they got to know me, they could see that I was not related to religions and accept the truth of the matter.

I literally couldn't drink. I tried all kinds of things, but what was the solution? As soon as they poured out of the glass into my mouth, it was just that they came back. This did not seem to change on my farewell night either; even the smell of anise that filled my nose when the bottle was opened was enough for me.

To satisfy the hunger of the whole day, I attacked the appetizers, settling the drink with a spicy turnip. I was over twenty now; I was not in the tavern to order a coke or yellow soda like a child who had come to the cafeteria with his mother.

My co-workers had already knocked down the first glasses with enthusiasm and were clinking their glasses loudly before drinking the second ones. What kind of joy was there in them? Are you so tired of me?

Of course, this was not the truth of the matter. I understood everything, and they were people who wore blinders, no matter how much I wanted to tell them because they did not accept it after a while; I gave up the job of putting this truth in their faces.

Looking at their state, it was as if they had stolen a pinch of pleasure from a place outside of their miserable lives, from the vast blues where there was only peace and happiness. I couldn't have any other way but to follow them, anyway, since the belly dancer came to our table, I've been nice too.

Now I understand the mood of those money-scattering men. Regardless of my poorness, I wore a handcuff to the woman who knocked me out with her hip. The man of the night was none other than me; I threw my belly the most, with this beauty dancing by tossing her waist-length hair towards my face. Time flowed like water, and we continued to have fun as if it was the last day of the world.

"Gentlemen, we are closing now!"

We were swimming in such a wave of happiness that we were able to understand after the waiter's embarrassing warning that we had played and said it ourselves. It was just on this word that they suddenly surrounded me, and before I knew what it was, there was a glass of raki in front of my mouth.

"Come on, boy, roll it in one stitch!"

Muharrem big brother stopped and was chasing evil again at the last moment, and this was the moment when I got burned. The insistence of the older man was famous. It was impossible to get rid of him once he got stuck.

"Big Brother, don't do it. You know I can't drink!"

I was trying to escape my fate, and my actions, equivalent to rowing against the current, did not affect the hard-boiled older man.

Drink this. What happened to a glass of raki?

It was the picture of me being burned. I blacked out, so I finished the glass in one gulp. Applause on the way out, the place was collapsing, you think I did an excellent thing. I nervously hung on the outer door handle, which was given a nostalgic air with four small windows.

The night had come to an end. The herald of the morning, the winds that filled one's heart with shudder were hitting my face. I had to sneeze hard for many hours after the little quarrel of the smashing breeze with my elevated body temperature from alcohol, heat, and excitement.

''Bless you!''

''Bless you!''

My co-workers, whose heads were a million, were all shouting in unison. It was strange how the minor incident was the polish of their joy. These usually tense guys were now as jolly as the kids who went to the grocery store to buy soda after playing a game in the neighborhood when they were little.

"Thank you, all together!"

This word is a classic for us; no matter who says it, you say it afterward so that it is not shameful, but maybe it was the first time in my life that it came out of my mouth so fully.

I worked, tried, raised money for my dream, my visa application, and my language school is all ready, and I'm flying far away like a bird tomorrow. My last night ended when I saw the warm faces of the people I sometimes fought, sometimes watched, and worked shoulder to shoulder for two years. Even if I die, I won't regret it after this hour.

"Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar"

"Come on, is it time for the Morning Prayer?"

One of the team spoke in amazement. How did the man lose his fascination with time when he had a chance to have some fun in his monotonous life?

At the end of the adhan, a terrifying trumpet sound was heard, resembling the sound of an instrument in the castles that notifies everyone that the enemy forces are approaching.

Then, I was startled by the sound of a collapse on my right side; when I quickly turned in that direction, I found Muharrem Abi kneeling on the ground, praying with open hands.

"O Allah, forgive me, forgive my sins. You are great, and you are powerful!"

He was praying with such speed and breathing that the man with yellowed mustache from the cigarette, my mind was about to get drunk again.

I found the whole team doing the same movements the next moment, so they just started worshiping in fear out of the blue.

I was going to get rid of this thought that occupied my mind when the light of the new rising sun hit my head because I understood what was going on, albeit slowly.

Everyone has a good side in this life. Some can make friends with numbers, some with words. On the other hand, my ability to find directions allowed me to stand out from other people by birth, and I could tell you directions with a glance like a walking compass.

I witnessed the end of the joyful night, the fast-paced morning, by watching the sunrise from the west.

I don't remember what happened next. When I opened my eyes, I was in a place with people of all races and nationalities. The ground was dry, the earth cracked, and the last time I remember, the sun in the sky was stabbing its scorching rays almost above my head, penetrating like a sword.

Everything that I convinced myself didn't happen had happened. I guess the apocalypse broke out, and all the people gathered to wait for the moment when the account would be made.