Angels Favorite Dream

3

The next morning, as soon as Berk opened his eyes, the only thought in his mind was to leave. Staying here no longer made any sense. He hurriedly began packing his bag. While placing his belongings, he took a deep breath; this was his final confirmation of the decision to leave.

Once he finished packing, he went to his usual resting spot, the hammock under the big tree behind his tent. This was where he would relax and let himself drift into his thoughts; he would lie there for hours, listening to music and smoking his cigarette. Lying in the hammock, he reflected on the journey from Istanbul to here and the excitement of the new beginning he had dreamed of.

Another adventure had come to an end; he was going back again.

As he smoked his cigarette, Recep, the friendliest member of the camp, approached him. "Berk, Meral wants to see you," he said, wearing his usual sincere smile.

Berk reluctantly got up from the hammock. As he walked slowly toward Meral, he felt a vague sense of tension. He had a good idea of why she was calling him, but he decided to stay calm.

Meral, with her usual serious expression, was waiting for Berk. Her eyes had a stern look. As Berk approached, Meral spoke in a cold tone, "Don't go anywhere. We're about to have a meeting."

Berk nodded silently. One by one, the other workers began gathering in the office. Meral moved to the center of the room, briefly glancing at everyone before speaking about what had happened the previous night.

Fixing her gaze on Berk, she said sharply, "You're not staying at the bar, you're not keeping up with the work, and you can't even sell drinks. We almost fired you because of this."

Berk smirked at what he heard. He thought there was no point in saying anything, knowing that Meral wouldn't listen to him.

After giving brief warnings to the other workers, Meral turned back to Berk. "Your first shift will start at one in the afternoon and end at four. Your second shift will be from eight in the evening until four in the morning," she explained, laying out the new schedule. Berk wanted to voice his decision to leave the camp, but seeing the stern expression on Meral's face, he knew it wasn't the right time. He walked out in silence.

Since there was still time before his shift started, he decided to head to the beach and make the most of his last day. He lay on the sand, sunbathing for a while. Then he cooled off in the refreshing water, washing away the unease he felt.

When he returned to camp around noon, it was almost one o'clock. His shift was about to start, but he didn't feel like going to the bar. After everything that had happened, staying at the bar and watching the disrupted order felt even harder for him.

Unable to decide when to leave the cove, he went to see Osman, the head chef of the camp and his closest friend, for advice. As usual, Osman was busy in the kitchen. When he saw the turmoil on Berk's face, he put down his work and turned to him.

"I know how much that meeting affected you, but don't wear yourself down like this. What he said was harsh, but letting it weigh you down will only exhaust you."

Berk took a deep breath, struggling to control his anger. "Osman, I've had enough. Not being recognized for my efforts and being blamed for things I didn't do—it's just not fair!"

Osman sighed, seeing the disappointment on Berk's face. "Berk, you're being treated unfairly. But you need to stay calm. Give yourself some time."

"I can’t stay calm anymore," Berk said determinedly.

"My bag is packed, and I’ll call my mom to get me a ticket for tomorrow evening. I was planning to leave today, but it’s too late now."

Osman looked at Berk in surprise. "Are you really thinking of leaving? What about your life here? I think you should calm down a bit and reconsider your decision."

Berk’s mind was set; no amount of persuasion would sway him. "I can’t put up any longer with the disruption caused by that volunteer worker. I’ve been working fifteen to sixteen hours a day for weeks to build order, and now it’s all ruined. Enough is enough!"

Osman noticed Berk’s firm determination and didn’t know what to say for a moment. "Look, Berk," he said finally, "Sometimes decisions made in a moment of anger can lead to regret later. Think it over a bit more; maybe you’ll find another solution."

Berk decided to go to the riverside, the only place where he could calm down and be alone, to think about the best decision. Sitting by the river and watching the surroundings, he wondered if returning to Istanbul would truly make him happy. He remembered the chaos of city life, but despite the disappointments he had experienced here, there was also the peace that nature provided. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds around him. The flowing water, the rustling of the wind in the leaves... these reminded him of the inner peace he had lost. He asked himself, "What do I really want?"

Amid these thoughts, Berk felt that the solitude by the river was helping him. As he regained his balance, he realized that staying here and facing the problems might be a stronger choice than leaving. This realization calmed him down a bit more.

In the evening, Berk returned to the bar with a more determined expression. He had largely managed to control his anger, but the tension hadn’t entirely faded. Customers approached the bar to place their orders, intimidated by his look and stern demeanor, and then quickly moved away.

When dinner time arrived, Berk still hadn’t gotten his meal. When Meral noticed, she called out to him, partly to ease the tension between them. "Berk, why haven’t you gotten your dinner?" she asked in a friendly tone.

Berk turned his head slightly towards her and replied in a tense voice, "I’m not hungry; I’ll eat later."

Sensing Berk’s continued distress, Meral chose not to pry further. Berk, on the other hand, kept himself busy at the bar, pretending to be occupied to avoid conversations.

After the dinner service ended, Osman, as usual, came to the bar. Osman’s presence brought some comfort to Berk. These evening conversations with him were usually moments that helped forget the stress of the day and entertained the people around. Despite being thirty-eight, Osman managed to get along with the younger crowd at the camp, leading an unusual life.

Towards the end of the season, there had been excited talks among all the workers in the cove, about plans to travel to India. Many of the workers preferred to spend the winter in India until the new season began; to them, it was a mysterious and adventure-filled escape. Osman had heard these stories so many times during his three years at the camp that he always felt a yearning to go. But he could never gather the courage.

Things had changed after meeting Berk. Berk’s boldness and adventurous spirit made Osman think that he could take this journey with him. He hoped Berk would be open to such a trip. When he brought it up, he guessed Berk would be interested, and he was right; soon, the trip to India became an eagerly discussed plan between them. Especially when Osman suggested going overland, seeing the excitement on Berk’s face had made his dream even stronger.

Now, when Osman came to the bar, Berk immediately handed him his beer. However, because he was feeling down, he wasn’t in the mood for much conversation that evening. Osman smiled and said, "How about we talk more about our plans for India today? It might help take your mind off things." Berk, who had a long day, took a deep breath and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds good," he replied.

They started discussing the details of their journey to India. Osman said, "You know, Berk, I’ve been dreaming of this trip for so long... Seeing India’s bustling markets, the spice-scented streets, the colorful temples... But the idea of going overland always seemed like an adventure. Talking to you made it feel more real."

Berk turned to Osman excitedly. "Imagine it. We set off, hitchhiking our way there. Maybe we’ll pass through villages no one’s ever heard of, make friends with people who speak languages we don’t even know. Who knows how many stories we’ll collect by the time we reach India!"

Osman chuckled softly, then grew serious. "But Berk, this journey won’t be easy, you know that, right? It could offer us more than we ever imagined... or be much tougher than we expect."

Berk nodded thoughtfully. "I know, Osman, but isn’t that uncertainty what makes it so exciting? Every moment we live, every step we take, will be an adventure."

As their conversation progressed, Berk forgot about the stressful day he had and all his worries for a moment. The allure of the adventure captivated him as they worked out the details of the trip to India. Osman, meanwhile, admired Berk’s imagination and felt even more motivated by the courage it stirred within him. If either one of them gave up, this dream would remain incomplete; but as long as they supported each other, they felt ready.

At that moment, a few customers at the bar had been eavesdropping on their conversation. As they talked about their trip to India, the excitement was contagious, and the customers joined in the conversation. One of them asked in amazement, "Are you really planning to go to India overland? Do you realize how many countries you’d have to cross to get there?"

Osman laughed lightly and replied, "We haven’t counted exactly, but yes, we’re going overland. That’s part of the fun, isn’t it?"

Berk smiled and added confidently, "Maybe it sounds crazy, but once the idea of this adventure got into my head, I couldn’t let it go."

At first, Berk hadn’t been too enthusiastic about the idea of going to India with Osman. Despite his love for traveling, he usually preferred to travel alone. His family and friends often found this odd and had trouble understanding his choice. His family would frequently tease him, thinking he had no friends, but Berk simply loved the freedom to move at his own pace. He found being dependent on someone else and constantly adjusting to them boring. As a result, he often ended up having conflicts with the people he traveled with. After a vacation in Marmaris with his cousin Selçuk years ago, he hadn’t gone on vacation with anyone else again. That trip had ended their relationship entirely.

Berk and Selçuk had been to a resort in Marmaris twice before. Since Selçuk’s family covered all the expenses, Berk always felt obliged to hang out with him. However, Selçuk was introverted, while Berk was the opposite—outgoing and social. Wherever they went, Berk would immediately hit it off with the girls, chatting and having fun. This always bothered Selçuk, who was hesitant about meeting girls and expected Berk to help him out. The issue was that after Berk had broken the ice with the girls, Selçuk would always insist on claiming the most attractive one for himself, which led to ongoing tension between them.

Berk believed that whoever made the connection with the girls got first choice—an unbreakable rule for him. However, Selçuk tried to break this rule every time.

One day during their vacation, Berk and Selçuk went out shopping. As they were walking, two British girls passed by and gave Berk a flirty look. Berk noticed it immediately.

"Selçuk, those girls seem interested in us. Should we go talk to them?" Berk said with a smile.

Selçuk glanced at the girls. "Yeah, why not? Let’s go," he said.

Berk wasn’t surprised that Selçuk agreed, but he immediately warned him. One girl was very attractive and naturally drew attention, while the other was less noticeable. "Okay, let’s go, but if you want the pretty one, then you need to start the conversation."

Selçuk hesitated, as usual. "Ah, Berk... You know I’m not good at talking. You start, and I’ll take over. But the pretty one’s mine, okay?"

Berk was starting to get frustrated with the situation. “If you want the pretty girl, you have to start the conversation. Otherwise, it’s not happening.”

Selçuk, unable to overcome his hesitation, took a deep breath and finally gave up. “Okay, fine... I’ll settle for the less attractive one.”

But as they approached the girls, Selçuk suddenly stopped and pulled back. “Actually... never mind,” he said.

Berk, annoyed by Selçuk’s sudden change of heart, snapped, “Are you kidding me? You just agreed, and now you’re backing out?”

After that day, Berk spent some time alone and started hanging out solo with the girls at the bar. One evening, he noticed a girl sitting alone under the dim lights of the bar. She had long brown hair that caught his eye, and occasionally, her glances met Berk’s. Taking advantage of her solitude, Berk approached her. They began chatting, enjoying the soft music playing in the background. Berk managed to capture her interest; his humor and relaxed demeanor made her smile and want to spend more time with him.

As the night went on, Berk saw an opportunity. He was looking for a way to ease the tension between him and Selçuk, and this girl seemed like the perfect chance to smooth things over. As their conversation progressed, Berk subtly steered it to prepare to introduce her to Selçuk. He skillfully matched the girl’s interests with Selçuk’s hobbies and then went over to Selçuk, saying, “Come on, I want to introduce you to someone,” and led him to the bar.

At first, everything seemed fine. Selçuk started talking to the girl, and Berk was happy to see the connection forming between them. However, the next evening, things took a turn for the worse. While they were once again having drinks at the bar, even though the girl seemed interested in Selçuk, she kept glancing at Berk and trying to include him in the conversation. This started to eat away at Selçuk with jealousy. Though he tried not to show it, Berk’s easy rapport with the girl was bothering him.

Eventually, Selçuk’s emotions reached a breaking point. He suddenly turned to Berk and yelled angrily, “You’re trying to steal my girlfriend!” The accusation left Berk stunned. He was at a loss for words, trying to understand the source of Selçuk’s anger. But Selçuk, fueled by jealousy, let all his pent-up emotions spill out at once.

That night, the argument escalated. Selçuk accused Berk of always being the one to attract the girls’ attention and admitted that he had always felt overshadowed. This was a confession Berk had never expected. The two cousins, who had once been like brothers, completely fell out that night. After that, they cut their vacation short and returned to Istanbul, and from that moment on, they never spoke again.

Now, Berk was planning a long journey with Osman, a man he’d known for only two months and who was ten years older than him. Initially, the idea of going to India hadn’t seemed very appealing. He couldn’t picture himself navigating India’s chaos and dirt. But a few days later, someone came along who changed his mind. Nil, a tall woman with curly red hair, had arrived at the camp as a volunteer. She started working as a dishwasher in the kitchen, and this young woman completely shifted Berk’s perspective, making the idea of traveling to India far more attractive. His sudden and intense interest in Nil convinced him to join Osman on the journey to India. Nil’s arrival changed Berk’s mind about returning to Istanbul entirely. Staying at the camp, working alongside Nil, and making plans to go to India now seemed far more enticing.