The Serenity Murders (33 page)

In return for his assistance both on the night of the operation and with the Cemil Kazancı issue, Selçuk too deserved a memorable gift. I wondered if he, like Ponpon, would be expecting chocolates, the gift Ponpon had apparently, and longingly, expected from me for so many long years. I’d add a box of chocolates to his actual gift.

I finally got to speak to Gül on the phone. Hesitant and nervous, she told me that my dream man Bahadır really liked me, and that if I was up for it, they were proposing to have a threesome. I listened with my mouth half open, unable to believe my ears. They hadn’t tried it before. She said she was ready to do anything to keep
hold of the guy. The fact that Bahadır fancied me, and the idea of making love to him, were enough to sweep me off my feet, but I had a different sort of respect for Gül and I couldn’t imagine myself in the same bed with her, sharing the same man. I thanked her and told her I would think about it.

I received an e-mail from my author Mehmet Murat Somer, from the land of sunny beaches, Rio de Janeiro, asking what had happened. “Have you sorted it out?” he asked. Of course, his life was bliss over there. When he got back, he’d augment all that had happened and write yet another novel.

And I was going to buy Ponpon, who would show reproach for days after hearing the end of the story, of which she was a part but did not actually witness, a huge box of chocolates from the Gezi patisserie. She’d tuck them in her mouth one by one, close her eyes, and find peace in the sweet flavor spreading across her tongue. “Chocolate is just such a marvelous thing. I think it is mankind’s most important discovery. Believe me, it’s better than sex, more effective—and, it’s safe…”

Like she said, everyone loves chocolate.

Glossary