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ENTRUSTED MONEY

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Entrust is a very valuable and high notion in terms of both content and its depth in meaning. When we hear that word “entrust” that sometimes has a sacred content, all of us feel the shakes a little bit; an excitement, a state of fear and shivers engulfs our body. And at that moment, we encounter something unknown that we will never be able to find a response to. And some events, experiences and betrayals come to our minds as if we passed through a tunnel or interrogation. 

The concept of entrust, which has a deep meaning, may change one of the most basic instruments forming or manifesting our own personalities due to its meaning. For instance, think how the phrase and concept of “betraying the trust” depicts us humans. The word “entrust”, which is exclusive for us only, finds its main meaning in the religions roots and phrases. Every single thing that we saw with our own eyes in this mortal world is entrusted to us. This may be a life, goods or a word, a secret or a holy object. While asking, none of these goods belong to you, what is it that you cannot share? None of those lives belong to you, what is it that you fight for?” Mawlana Jalaluddin-i Rumi points out this simple truth that everything is entrusted to us. 

And our Irish friend, one of the main character of this meaningful story named 'Entrusted Money', lives in the Muswell Hill region north of London. Our Irish friend, whose name will be kept for this moment, was a very good car racer in his youth, which is the reason why he is included in this story. This Irish friend living in the house that they rented has a cancer patient and two daughters. Our Irish friend, who was drowning in money in his youth in a flamboyant life, started to fail to provide for his family as time went by. In other words, the mercilessness, destructive aspect of life took the stage there and showing its ugly face, turned the happy life of that beautiful life into hell. The beautiful concept called happiness was far away from that family. That Irish friend, who valued the sacredness of family and never appeased from his life with personality, was doing all he could in order to stand his ground despite all these unfavorable things and not to surrender to the merciless rules of life, working day and night. Because he had a cancer patient wife and when he had married her, they promised to be together in good and bad and protect each other. And it was time to fulfill that oath and show that sacrifice. Because a cancer patient mother and two beautiful daughters were in question.  

Aware of all these, our Irish friend wanted to do all he can to be a good family man. The man was clutching all the straws in order to support his family under these harsh conditions, to provide for the school expenses of his daughters and economically contribute to the cancer diseases of his beloved wife that was costly. The man was both dealing with some construction works during the day, while working as a taxi driver at night in a mini cab office. Trying to sustain a life within such an intense working tempo and that crazy rush, that desperate man could not even sleep well and even could not see his beloved daughters. Time and conditions were working against the family and their desperate situation started to became a nightmare for them. For the condition of the mother got worse. She needed to undergo surgery and be treated immediately. And while our good-hearted Irish friend was looking for a way out of that desperate situation, somebody called him late at night. The person on the phone wanted to meet him that night. Our Irish friend got dressed quickly after that surprise phone call and went to the place said on the phone.  It was a place similar to car mechanics and three people were waiting for him there. After a brief introduction, his friend who called provided him some information regarding the work. And it was a drug job as his friend told him. And in the end, everybody would win.  

In order to pull such a dangerous job off, they needed a driver who was adept at driving. And since their own friend, who would drive the car that night when the drugs would be received, suddenly disappeared, they urgently needed a good driver. And due to such a need, they called him for this job. Since one of them knew our Irish friend very well and that he drove excellently, he suggested him to the leader of the gang. Everything was broken down to every detail and they said that, if all ended well, they would pay a total of 50.000€ to our Irish friend. And in exchange of that money, they only wanted him to drive very well and protect that bag full of money to be delivered to him in case of any danger. 

The Irish could not make out what to do or say upon that dangerous offer that brought such a heavy responsibility. Because he was both a good family man, a role model person and did not want to shame himself and his beloved family due to such a dishonorable crime. The man was torn between. Economic problems of his family, health problems of his wife and the education status of his daughters. And on the other side, getting caught for a dishonorable offense and doing time for years. However, that desperate situation he was in and his wife's progressing cancer simply forced him to accept such a dishonorable job. Because it was the period when money talked and all doors opened for it. And all the existing problems would be solved thanks to damn money, one by one. Money was solving the problems of the people; on the other hand, forcing the people to commit various crimes and destroyed their lives and imprison their bright future.  

The attraction and irresistible indispensability of money that forces us to commit crimes showed its ugly face once more and left our Irish friend in a desperate situation.   It seemed that that dirty, evil money was victorious once again. And the evil product named money showed its power and invited our Irish friend to commit a crime. That desperate man who had been trying to find a way to get treatment for his good-hearted life for weeks finally had to accept that dirty work and left the place to meet the drug mafia to meet at late night.  

Drug jobs were dangerous, dishonorable, evil; it poisoned people and it included many betrayals and plots and the betrayal was costly in that dark world. However, despite all these, the evil thought or demand called betrayal stepped in there and there was a very fierce conflict between the two parties at the delivery point. And after the police got involved in this conflict, it turned into a bloodbath. Our Irish friend, who was then waiting in the car along with the money delivered to him, quickly started the engine in line with the instructions given to him by the group leader and got away. Because the money in the bag entrusted to him had to be safe.  

With that thought, a hot pursuit started between our Irish friend, leading in front and a few police cars following him late at night in the empty streets. Being a very good race driver in his youth, it was almost impossible to catch our Irish friend. With such an exciting pursuit, our Irish friend felt like he did in the old days. He did not feel such excitement for a long time. Just like taking flight, the man was crossing those streets, alleys and junctions one by one. It was impossible to restrain, catch or constrict him like that. 

Despite the fact that there was a former racer at one side and the sleepless guards of London nights at the other, a pursuit that included Enfield, Edmonton, Tottenham, Wood Green, Turnpike Lane, Manor House, Stamford Hill and finally Stoke Newinton occurred. When a police helicopter illuminating below got involved in this great pursuit, things became more colorful and exiting. There were sights that seemed to come out of movie scenes and our Irish friend was like the leading role, the main hero of this scene. But it was a very bad movie and the scenario would tear the hearts apart. 

After this relentless pursuit and chasing that lasted for hours, our Irish friend started to feel a little bit tired. How long could he escape like this and continue this relentless pursuit? It was a matter of time before he got caught and he could have an accident at any moment. The man did not even want to think about such a danger under those circumstances. For as soon as he was caught, he would be taken into custody, convicted and put to jail; the money entrusted to him would be seized and he would get a very heavy sentence after being tried. Not to end up like this, the man wanted to enter an alley next to the famous Yucatan Bar and disappear.  

It was like three o'clock in the morning and life-weary Veysel Baba, who wants to disappear in a matter of speaking by means of throwing himself to the night life that is full of colorful lights after the heavy blows received in his harsh conditions, left
Yucatan Bar after finishing the night shift of fun. The man could not stop even after spending all the night and day by drinking. However, it was time for him to go home since it was high time for the bar to close. Throwing himself to the world of drinks as a weary warrior who lost the battle in this war of existence, the man desperately left the bar and went towards the bus stop across the streets. At that moment, even the sirens of the police cars in a relentless pursuit and the rotor of the police helicopter drawing circles above did not attract the attention of that politic-weary man. Somehow, a young lady who was simply waiting at that bus stop being disturbed by a few punks attracted the attention of the man who went towards the bus stop. The man intervened the incident quickly and kept those punks away from there. Since that man was known very well in the region and those young people knew him well, they did not resist much. 

That young lady waiting at the bus stop thanked the man who displayed a good hearted and brave gesture. Accustomed to such scenes in the mysterious night of London, our Veysel Baba responded to the young lady that it was not a big deal. And there was a big silence between those two people waiting at the bus stop until that bus came. Two people, waiting for the bus on the bus stop while the city was sound asleep late at night, were waiting that bus having just finished their days. 

And it was like some magical powers intervened and brought these two people from different worlds together late at night.  

When the bus that they were waiting came shortly afterwards, they got into that bus to go to their houses. The bus was not very crowded on this early morning hour. Most of the people hitting the road so early in the morning worked at the heaviest jobs. Those people working in municipality works, in private companies or firms or health sector were actually on the top of the list of the people to be respected. Because thanks to the people working in heavy jobs that require a lot of responsibility such as collecting garbage, cleaning, gate keeping, security officer, transportation, carrying, mail distribution, chauffeur and nursing, this system continues without interruption.   

Seeing those good people hitting the road that early on the morning to procure the indispensable order of the city life, Veysel Baba felt absence, shame and embarrassment in himself. That courageous man who had defended the rights of laborers, workingmen and all the people working hard and who had paid prizes for them became the part of the capitalist system that he had always objected. And that politic-weary was crumbling away in this system. And that unwanted situation was like a certain defeat for him. The capitalist system full of colorful lights won once again and that legendary man, before whom all those fascists, torturers, thieves and co-conspirators simply trembled, turned into a monument of shame, admitting defeat in the night clubs. 

Veysel Baba thought all of these in the bus in which he hopped in with a sleepless, run-down state of mind. He felt more alone, guiltier and more embarrassed. The man wanted to get home and fall into a deep sleep in order to face the real truths of life further and not to suffer anymore. While Veysel Baba, who was questioning himself then, the bus he was riding suddenly came to a stop. Because the main road was closed to traffic by the police and did not seem to open. When the driver said that the bus could not go any further and they had to wait for the traffic to open, the passengers immediately got off the bus and decided to continue on foot. 

There was a big accident at the area further surrounded by the police and under these circumstances, it looked impossible for the road to be opened for traffic again in a short period of time. Living not far from the place of the accident, Veysel Baba said to himself: “Instead of waiting desperately here in this bus, I can get home easily with a few minutes of walking. And I can sober up,” and decided to get off the bus like the others. Just as he got off the bus, he noticed the young lady he met in the bus stop. When I said, “This road is not going to open up. You can come with me if you want. There is another bus line a little bit further where you can go anywhere you want. I can accompany you until there,” the young woman accepted the offer. And our Veysel Baba and the young lady got off the bus and continued. Later, when they came to the place where the accident occurred, they witnessed the awfulness of the incident and learned from the police line that the person causing the accident vanished without a trace from the police pursuit, wounded.  

The police helicopter simply soaring above and trying to illuminate the streets below in order to locate the escaping person was like an indicator that the incident was not an ordinary accident and the wounded person disappearing after the accident was not an ordinary man. A conversation started between Veysel Baba and that young lady who were walking late at night. At that moment, they seemed like they did not want this road to end. However, the young lady was working in a hospital and had to rush to work. They were walking quickly, talking and exchanging phone numbers. Having helped the young lady to get on another bus around 4.00 pm at night, Veysel Baba continued his way with a great feeling of happiness. 

One of the favorite things of Veysel Baba, who was one of the regulars of the night life, was to wander around the empty streets and vacant pavements in the early hours, while London was sound asleep. While the man was wandering all alone in these empty streets, he was dreaming and trying to solve the fundamental code of life. When he came hear that Shoreditch Park and on the road that he walked to get home, his endless dreams and visions became more colorful and more limitless. And when that dreamy man came near the Shoreditch Park that where loved in order to dream new things, wanting to walk that path of dreams and get home, he noticed a sound coming from the bushes at the corner of the park. And when he went towards the sound, he notice a man with a completely bloody face. Veysel Baba wanted to help that man immediately. His head was cracked open, his ankle was broken and he lost a lot of blood.  

Pulling himself together a little with the efforts and helpful behavior of Veysel Baba, that unlucky man said with a fearful tone, “If you really want to help me, then take the bag right there and walk away, now. Because right now, the entire London police is after me and this bag full of money. I could not run away further for my ankle was broken and it does not seem possible for me to get away like this. However, the bag and the money in it that was entrusted to me must not be obtained by the police. It is a matter of time before the police catches me like this. What I want from you for now is that you take this bag full of money and hide it somewhere until I find you. It is my life and my family's lives on the line and there is a promise made to someone. I will never forget what you did. And I will absolutely return the favor,” and took some paper out of his pocket and continued:” Here's my home address. And there is a person needing urgent surgery in that house. I wanted to do such a favor my wife to have surgery and continue her treatment in very good conditions. But when the betrayal happened, I got away not to be caught but when I did that, this happened. Take 50.000€ from this bag and give it to my wife. But be careful. The police may monitor my house closely after that. I will be in jail for a long time after getting involved in something like this. In this period of time, you both protect my family and the entrusted money in that bag. I will find you after I got out of the jail. I'm saying this a person who hurts right now. Being desperate may direct one to do unwanted things. Please protect what I entrusted you and don't hang around here further. I don't want you to get caught while the police is searching for me everywhere. Take the bag and leave,” and delivered that bag full of money to Veysel Baba.  

While the police helicopter was soaring above and the police was narrowing the circle more and more, Veysel Baba decided that he should not stay at the middle of that park no longer and walked away. The man passed through that dreamy road and got home, the bag filled with the entrusted money at hand. Dreadfully he got out to his house's balcony and checked if anyone had followed him. Because he got involved in a very big and dangerous thing. He could fight everyone, but it was almost impossible for him to fight the drug mafia under those circumstances. And he had to protect that money entrusted to him. Besides, there was a promise. 

END OF CHAPTER

18/05/2016 Veysel  Baba - Kinder House, London