TE23 Double Feature

Selim Özdo ğan

52 Factory Lane

What do I care about the water and how trapped we are here? I’ll go to the office in the morning and ask why they give me less money than Işık. ‘We’ll take care of it, Mrs Yolcu,’ the lady in the office says the next day. Gül goes back to work, unconvinced. We’ll take care of it. They probably won’t do a thing. She just wanted to fob me off, but what was I supposed to say? I’ll just go back again tomorrow and ask again. I won’t let them get away with it. I’ve worked for that money; I’ve earned it by the sweat of my brow. And the next day, she does indeed go back to the office to ask about the issue with her payslip. The woman tells her the same thing: ‘We’ll take care of it, Mrs Yolcu. Have a little patience.’ Gül vows to go back tomorrow and the day after that. She’ll go back every day if she has to. She’ll keep going back until it gets embarrassing for them; she’s got it into her head now, and she won’t give up. During their break, Işık comes over and asks: ‘Did you go to the office and ask about the payslips?’ 222

‘Yes,’ Gül says. ‘Great,’ Işık says, ‘that’s just great! I add up how tight things are for us, and then this is what I get.’ ‘What?’ asks Gül, who can’t understand why Işık is so het up. ‘They got their sums wrong. They paid me a hundred marks too much, and they wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t asked. They’re taking it out of my next pay packet.’ Gül looks at Işık, not knowing for a few seconds whether to laugh or cry. She sees Işık’s features growing even harder. ‘It’s not funny,’ she says. ‘No, it’s not,’ Gül admits. ‘But don’t be upset. It was my fault you lost your money. I’ll give you the hundred marks, I just need a bit of time. You shouldn’t have to pay the price for me trying to get my lot. That wouldn’t be right.’ ‘I can’t accept.’ Gül smiles even more now, because Işık’s eyes are saying something different. 223