Merhaba Türkiye

Milna Hyder Ali

by Milna Hyder Ali

Story

Time passed. My first birthday was fast approaching. You know parents who splurge on their offspring’s birthday party, leaving no stone unturned? Themed parties with catering, event management and details that would put weddings to shame? Well, Lolo and Papa aren’t like that. In fact, they decided to take a trip to Turkey to commemorate the occasion. And so off we flew. Had it been now, I’d have been super psyched to be on a plane, but back then it really didn’t mean much to me. I just had fun throwing the pamphlets on air safety all around me. The first day of our journey was very tiring – we travelled by plane and then bus and then walked through jam-packed, rickety streets to get to our Airbnb. By then I was at my wits’ ends because all my naps had been forsaken, and I was HUNGRY. Fearing my wrath, they dumped their stuff, locked the room, and we headed to the nearest restaurant. I chewed greedily on the fragrant rice, bits of kebab and something else that was kind of spicy. We then made our way back to our accomodation and all of us jumped into bed hoping to get a good night’s sleep. But that was easier said than done. My schedule had gone bonkers and bone tired as I was, I simply couldn’t fall asleep! So I cried. A cat howled outside the window. Lolo and Papa took turns trying to shush me, but to no avail. My cries were punctuated by me toppling like a bowling pin from sheer exhaustion. One time I fell smack on Papa’s nose. He jumped up and got really mad. Meanwhile, Lolo seemed to have gone delirious and was actually trying hard to control her laughter. One time I even fell out of bed. It was all a nightmare. But eventually we all dozed off in a tangle of arms and legs. Next morning, I felt considerably better after my daily dose of milk, and we set off to explore Istanbul. Apart from the bumpy pram rides and missed naps, I kind of liked it. The food was a revelation. I fell in love with the ooey gooey cheesy eggy goodness called Menemen. I had grilled meat and fish that were so tender, even I could eat them and I barely had 4 teeth back then. Soft warm slices of Pita bread, clotted cream and honey, hearty lentil soups – I could go on and on. The people were lovely too, barring one horrific incident. We were at a mosque when a group of Turkish grandmas accosted us. They spoke no English, but they were beaming and gesticulated wildly, clearly asking Lolo and Papa if they could please hold ‘baby’? Papa smiled and nodded. Yes, of course they could. The leader of the grandmas came over to me and, before I could fathom what was happening, lifted me up, then bounced me up and down, hugging me close. The rest of them huddled all around me, grinning wide. The Leader barked at one of them to take a ‘photo!’. Lolo was filming the whole interaction too. I narrowed my eyes and surveyed the scene. Who even was this woman and why was I in her arms?! Up until then, I hadn’t really been around a lot of strangers, and it slowly dawned on me that this woman was no one I knew. I panicked. Lolo and Papa suddenly felt very far away even though technically they were right there. Sobs racked my entire body and I heaved and cried, my lips quivering. I pushed against the plump woman’s chest and wanted nothing more than to get away from her. To my horror, all of them began laughing. How dare they?! But then Lolo came over and picked me up and soothed me and made it all better again. The Leader did offer me a toffee for my troubles, but I didn’t want anything to do with them any more. Shudder!

© Milna Hyder Ali 2024-03-09

Genres
Humor & Satire
Moods
Komisch, Entspannend
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