Reckless by Hasan Ali Toptas

Author:Hasan Ali Toptas
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781408850879
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2015-02-17T01:07:00+00:00

6

The Debt

When Numan came inside, Cabbar was sitting beneath the almond tree in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette.

‘Come in,’ he said, from within the billowing smoke. ‘Come in, so we can see you.’

Numan came quietly across the courtyard and sat down next to his elder brother, and at once he lit up. Then he just sat there, glowering at his cigarette. Hating the world and everyone in it. The anger and resentment that defined his every movement had also seeped into his eyes, erasing the world, replacing it with a dark and silent emptiness that grew steadily harsher.

‘What’s come over you?’ asked Cabbar. ‘What’s put you in such a state?’

Breathing through his nose, he said, ‘I had that dream again.’

‘So?’

‘It’s a warning. I’ve had it twice. There’s something in it, something terrible.’

Cabbar stubbed out his cigarette and lit another.

The voice floating out of the smoke said, ‘So it’s the same dream, is it? Exactly the same dream as the one before?’

‘Last time I saw them in Nefise’s room, as you know,’ said Numan. ‘They weren’t there this time. There were making love under the mulberry tree in the courtyard. Passionately. Savagely. Breathing so heavily that the whole courtyard was quaking.’

Cabbar looked blankly into Numan’s face, as if he could not see him.

‘But at the end of the day,’ Cabbar said finally, ‘it’s just a dream. So don’t get it into your head that you can go around telling everyone you meet. Some things get worse when you spread the word, as you know. If a rumour gets started about a brother and a sister having relations, it could end very badly. Once it got going, there’d be no stopping it. What’s more – it’s not what I would expect from either Kenan or Nefise. Do you hear me?’

Numan stared cowering into the distance.

‘You just can’t get over this girl, can you? How many years has this been going on now?’ asked Cabbar. ‘It’s always Nefise, Nefise. God protect us! If you keep this up, you’re going to drive yourself mad. We did everything we could. Think how many times we sent over the matchmaker. Think of all the men of consequence we sent after her, to promise jewels and dowries and property and God knows what else, but we couldn’t make it happen, and we never shall. Above all, the girl doesn’t want it.’

‘Because she has relations with her brother,’ said Numan. ‘I’ve had two warnings.’

Again Cabbar reprimanded him. ‘Don’t you ever say that again. Secret relations give way to true love, as you know. If there was a fire, we’d see the smoke pouring out the door as well as the chimney.’

‘But where exactly would that smoke come from?’ said Numan. ‘Have you forgotten that Kenan is sterile?’

Cabbar said nothing. He just turned his head to look into the distance. Then he jumped to his feet, as if he intended to race out of the courtyard then and there. Instead he began to pace up and down, with a cigarette between his lips.

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