meet my neighbor

Becoming a small-business owner meant that I was also now officially part of the community, not just another person who contributed to the local economy by supporting construction workers and hardware stores with the renovation on the property. I myself did not feel that change for a while but I knew that others were looking at me in a different light.

I had always gotten along with my neighbors and living here full time allowed us all to get to know each other bit better. There was one neighbor  I was closer to, and would make an effort to visit. Over the years of my coming-and-going, Perihan Teyze would make comments that I chose to take as sincere. ‘When are you going to move down here full-time so we can be real neighbors?’ Though our lives were – and are – worlds apart, she was the only one I could have a conversation with that was beyond the weather and making tomato paste.

My favorite older-lady neighbor is almost as round as she is tall, and despite having three teeth left, has a smile to warm your heart to the core. She also has a wicked sense of humor accompanied by a very foul mouth. When she laughs at her jokes, her entire self jiggles in wavy rhythm. In the winter, she wears floral shalvar under her floral flannel skirt with a striped sweater under a floral flannel top. I would venture she has never owned a bra.

The other night I went up to see Perihan Teyze, to say ‘hi,’and to receive one of her powerful I-love-you-this-much hugs. Two other women were there, knitting away. Both had yarn wrapped around their neck, clicking away with the yarn moving smoothly into guided designs.

The conversation I walked into was about a neighbor whose two sons were in prison.

'What are they in for?'

‘Must be drugs.’

'That's good – anyone who deals or does drugs should be locked away forever.'

Perihan clarified, 'I don't know about the drugs, but I know they were pimping women.'

'They should be in jail for that then.'

One of the knitters added, ‘Things like that are the work of the devil and no one, even Allah, should be surprised at that. '

As if on cue, the call to prayer sounded over the loudspeaker and the knitters both put down their handwork but carried on with their gossip. They picked up where they left off when the prayer ended, never missing a beat with their commentaries

Another neighbor knocked at the front door, let herself in, and immediately headed up the stairs. As far as I knew, there was only a terrace, toilet and bathing facilities up on the next flight. Perihan told her to help herself from the bag, nodding to the sack of potatoes the new arrival had dipped her hand into.

'I only need 2,' the recent arrival said, 'but you need to do something about these stairs. What if you have to do a big one at night?'

One of the knnitters said, 'you need to be careful on the stairs,' as if the thought never occurred to Perihan before.

She replied, well, I have my 'necessity pot' that I use at night. Falling down those stairs is the last thing I need to worry about.'

'You should put the loo where the fridge is, on the first floor. What if one of your guests needs to do a big number? It can happen you know.'

Perihan Teyze, ever in full form, answered, 'if that happens, they can shit in a plastic bag and I'll fling it at your door.'

The knitters carried on, not missing a beat and I felt I was as much a part of the neighborhood as anyone else.