(A true story )
By Sotir Athanasi
A group of visitors from Athens was at the exit of the Blue Mosque. At its entry, the women had handed over the head scarfs given to them as a token of respect for the religious rite and were still barefooted. They brought out the sandals from their handy bags and put them on to descend the numerous stairs. They were driven in that numbness provoked by the perception of all what they heard and saw, which would also produce a natural sort of confusion for everyone. Among these visitors was also a Lady who afterwards would be called: “L E J – L A”.
Her husband had left a few minutes ago and was putting on the shoes when he lifted his head and saw his wife (now without the head scarf which fitted her perfectly well, because he had “smelled” the grace on her thanks to the blue colour fallen by super skies ) and asked her in bewilderment:
– How comes that you did not take a picture with that head scarf?
The woman lured not only by the masculine glances but also within herself could hardly wait and was still perceiving that this cover coming from paradise and sent to her with a galactic speed was in a certain way a compensation for the denied beauty of this whole mosque. For it was an exceptional match for her. Didn’t she herself give a certain boost to it?
Thus, she started to ascend the stairs in haste although she doubted if she could put on again that fabric piece of Moslem rite with God’s colour; and she believed even less to be able to persuade the security man, who looked somewhat dismal to take a picture with her handy.
Nonetheless, she went up.
The representative of the law turned his head around.
His glance, if not rude, did openly show reluctance to help her. Besides, his portrait showed some shades that after all were hiding an inner personal drama. The woman, who knew quite well to distinguish the fine flavour in the feminine nature did also “smell” from its embryon the storm of masculine temptation. Once she felt she was closer, she smiled at him. Hence, when her portrait took shape, it expressed sweetness, cheerfulness and thus, in the eyes of this super female one could clearly see the status of a genuine Lady. It was at this moment when a disarming innocence unveiled to whoever she would address so sweetly this request in the form of favour. This made any declination hard while any non-acceptance impossible.
She said in English:
– Sir, please, would you have the kindness that characterises you and give me back for once that head scarf which I just handed over? And then she added with the same tenderness in her smile: Out of excitement for this mosque with exceptional values of a Moslem cult where you, sweet security are blessed to serve I forgot to take a picture!
The other, although at first saw her in surprise, instinctively, as if she was speaking Turkish with someone from the staff there gave to her instantly the head scarf together with a shy and somewhat forced smile which stretched beyond his type and character. It should be admitted that suddenly, the protective shield that backed up his entire conduct with a female fell down and flung off only because he was attracted by the phrase “sweet security”. This was widely spread as an intoxication liquid in his veins and thrilled his heart. How could the good Turkish know that this expression in Greece was randomly used and that it applied even to the opposite side? Thus, for instance, a male in a supermarket could address the young sale girl: “my young lady”, or: “My Lady!” for analogy when the other one was a woman). But let us not divert from our story. We are in the Orient and the “ sweet security” was very shy or uncertain as how this lady would take his joy and delight. And he was feeling more important after her request, moreover beautified with the words: “sweet security man “! Unlike other random cases when he was obliged to observe the rite of the cult with visitors, his previous move with someone else was cold not to say boring. This was sufficient for this lady to win over him as if in a secret deal, one that a lady knows when she catches the well-wishing signals of the other gender. Feeling safe in her actions, as among friends, she left her phone in the hands of this legal watchman, without asking him in advance to have the kindness to hold that. This action was like a test in the continued game with a more daring step. Because after that, she put the scarf on her head, so that he could have his hands free and she told him in English as if they were old acquaintances:
– Please, gentle and respected Sir . . . ( she thought a little e while before saying it in English, the most graceful expression:) – Mister supervisor! Could you please help me with my scarf?
Certainly, this trespassed all boundaries. First: she was Greek and he Turkish. Secondly: He was Moslem and She Christian. And thirdly: She was a married woman and this was seen in HER but also in HIS finger ring. A thing which showed that he should be also married. Therefore, he hesitated in giving an answer before this entirely natural and logical request by this strange Lady who had softened, not to say overcome his rudeness. However, she did not intend to insult his self-dignity. Not in the least! On the opposite: she drew nearer and whispered to him secretly or in confidence only in his own ears:
– I am an Albanian Moslem.
After that, in a very low voice,
(if I do recall well )
She recited a sýre ( Moslem verse) that she remembered from her childhood and that started with the following words:
– Eshen ilaj-laj hilellaj . . .
Then, the Turkish security officer, without the least hesitation, in a very brotherly way put his hands around and embraced her.
And hey, look!
He started to help her with the scarf as if he was with his partner when they prepared themselves before leaving. Besides, this Lady had even the same age. When he finished doing that, the Oriental security officer glanced at her for long, sweetly and with a wondering admiration pronounced instinctively the name of his former spouse: LEJ-LA!
His eyes became red and this meant a lot for the super Greek lady. Perhaps for a longing of even regret from a divorce or parting with her. But the lady knew how to hide even this guessing which was very near the truth. Therefore, with a very social gesture She gave him the phone and He filmed her without the slightest hesitation. He handed over the blue head scarf and surprisingly enough she saw that his glance, resembling an actor while shooting a movie was not on the camera’s direction but behind the cameraman; the glance was focused on his right. However, as women know pretty well how to hide the goal, She moved her body a little to make way toa woman who had just handed over the scarf and divided her intimacy with the security officer to pass by. For our lady this was enough to see with the tail of her eye the shake of the head and the love of the lips of the Turkish colleague, also security staff – who approved the resemblance of this lady with the former partner of his quasi brother. Even though together with the shake of his head he kept on repeating in a low voice as if in hidden but very sweetly in two syllables, the name LEJ-LA!
LEJ-LA!
This was the name of the former spouse of our security officer – Qemal. But, before that, he was an unlucky painter, although he used to be a Van Gog of landscapes and Turkish nature with which each visitor was fascinated to see the greenery of Constantinople, (as the Greeks call it still officially the present Istanbul)
Painter Qemal’s partner managed to drag on for almost a year with enormous denials in facing her life filled with sacrifices and privations, too. These effects were due to lack of a permanent job for the painter but his support on the sale of his works which he could not give it up. Whereas she was a hair dresser. Nevertheless, He considered the economic dependence on the salary of his wife a shame, even though he suffered from the most basic lacking items for survival. The grievances with his partner who lived with his despair produced the only single forces solution: abandonment.
Istanbul has 20 million inhabitants. She passed over Bosphorus and in the Asian part helped by her partners and opened up a beauty saloon. It was a year since she had opened it and managed herself with a satisfactory clientele. What about the painter?
The painter, reduced to a lamentable situation asked his friends for a loan. He was Refik whom the reader knows as the next security officer. He persuaded him to begin working with security in the Blue Mosque to replace someone else who had retired. Here, our painter could be also inspired for his creative works. This was the opportunity of his life! The painter, already employed in the same day rushed back home and took up the paints. He casted easily the outlines of the portrait of visitor-Lej-la with the head scarf and then started with his fingers to stir the colours repeating:
“Prove now yourself that stirring the colours like this is music for our job. Let us make this . . . under the title: “Come back LEJLA” .
And, as always in such cases, he was focused behind the cameraman. There, where the imagination had already brought the image of his LEJ-LA. And so he almost spent the whole night finishing his work.
Two days later, the group of tourists from Greece in the hall of OKEAN Hotel was bringing down the luggage feeling happy with this week full of sightseeing. On that morning, they did not fail to take in the desserts’ shop the typical and famous Cream Baklava of Constantinople. (As we also like to say although we are fully integrated into the mentality of then Greek civilization we call current Istanbul).
The hotel manager was going through the daily papers before he would place them in the tables near the armchairs in the hall. On that moment the couple did also leave room 404. He took back the keys and He was looking with confusion, at times the newspaper and at times the Lady who handed over the key and he did instinctively say: – LEJ-LA!
The client smiled sweetly. This smile did reveal the best, the most sincere, cheerful and imposing virtues of this class lady.
– Come back LEJLA! did the hotel manager repeat in the reception. It was understood that he was adding a title but intentionally, he uttered smiling in English.
The special super lady realized it pretty well. Intuition brought back to her mind the Turkish security officer convinced that was going through a drama in his life. The receptionist waved his hand to come closer and show the newspaper to her. The Lady of the Greek group saw her own portrait with the paradise scarf in the Blue Mosque. However, only the portrait was hers. Because the author has made it with wings to turn it into a migratory bird. The enigma in this painting consisted in the fact that the flight meant the departure or the return of this migrated bird?
However, the title Come back LEJ-LA! did show the purpose. Marshallah!
Somewhere in its corner, as women know to see the details, especially when someone tries to hide them, the Lady read the author’s name. Even that, not so easily in Turkish but with Latin letters was attracted as a shy smile by the words:
“Çok gjyzel, LEJ-LA”! (Very beautiful Lela!)
And it was not so difficult for her to feel grateful on being thanked by the security painter, Qemal. For the wish crossed her mind “ God help that LEJLA returns to the security painter Qemal!
Let us also repeat it in Turkish so that our dream could come true: INSHALLAH!
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SOTIR ATHANASI,
Konstandinopolis – Athinë,
10, June, 2019
/Argumentum.al
