The Fisherman and His Son by Zülfü Livaneli

Author:Zülfü Livaneli [Livaneli, Zülfü]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Other Press
Published: 2023-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

Night was falling on the village, and even the tourists had disappeared. The sea was calm.

The fisherman went to the closet, retrieved the money he’d hidden there for emergencies, and put it in his pocket. They’d go through all of it on this trip. However things worked out, he wasn’t going to have any income for a while. When people saw the exorbitant prices restaurants charged for fish, they thought fishermen made a lot of money. But fishermen had expenses such as fuel, nets, and paint, and lived from hand to mouth.

Mesude dressed the baby and packed a suitcase. They put the baby in the basket and covered him, and Mustafa took the suitcase. It was almost morning, and they didn’t meet anyone as they made their way down the dirt road. The fishing harbor was deserted as well. Mesude and the baby boarded the boat, then Mustafa untied the ropes and jumped aboard. He didn’t start the motor, but instead rowed out of the harbor. They moved out to sea without anyone noticing them. Out on the water there was a refreshing coolness, and stars shone like gems in the sky.

If his friends didn’t see his boat in the harbor or at sea, they would worry and inform the coast guard. In an hour or so he was going to send a text message to Yusuf saying they’d gone to his sister’s because she was giving birth. He’d also invented a reason why his boat was missing. After rowing for quite some time, Mustafa started the motor. Then he sped through the darkness across the waters he knew so well. He was going to leave the boat with his close friend Süleyman in a fishing harbor near the town.

Everything went according to plan. They passed the town and entered a small fishing harbor. Mustafa tied his boat to Süleyman’s, a blue-and-red fishing boat named Mermaid, then sent him a text message. Sorry, my friend, but some work came up for me in the area and I have to leave my boat here for a while. They began walking toward town and reached the bus terminal just as dawn was breaking. Mustafa bought two tickets for the Denizli bus, saying they would get off at Nazilli. Then they sat and waited on the white plastic chairs in the waiting room. Mustafa got some sesame rings, right out of the oven, from the bakery, and the tea boy brought them freshly brewed tea. The sesame rings were hot and crunchy. After their second tea they felt restored. Mesude changed the baby on a plastic chair and then fed him. Then they dozed in their seats as they waited for the bus.

Thankfully everything had gone well so far. Strangely, the fisherman felt both calm and anxious. From time to time there was a twinkle in his eye as he smiled, and then he would suddenly become serious again. As if a shadow was passing across his face. The baby was in his arms, and Mesude was sleeping on his shoulder.

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