The Eternal Jew’s Tale, #185, Noah’s tale, 2

In this episode, plumb lines and plumb crazy.

The Eternal Jew’s Tale
Twenty Second Era, Part 2, 1492 C.E., Constantinople

…But Noah isn’t discouraged by that. In fact, his fear and self-consciousness disappear….

Market to market he wanders the streets, but no improvement in his results. And now the excitement is wearin’ thin, and Yacoob is wimpering, hungry, no doubt. One more attempt and then he’ll quit, when he hears a ‘pssst’ and again, ‘pssst.’ And there, a maker of copper pots, a tough and wiry little man with a deeply creased face and thick mustache, signallin’ him with his fingers, ‘come.’ Surprised, and a glimmer of home returns as Noah takes his son in hand and hustles over to that man’s forge.

The little man yatters a sentence or two; a dog barkin’ or a chirpin’ bird makes as much sense. Noah’s face, helpless and confused, must have conveyed he weren’t no local clown or mime. So he starts again, pointin’ at himself,

“Mustafa. Ben Mustafa.”

Noah gets it and does the same. And so they slowly mime and dance, tryin’ every kind of gesture and pose til they finally get each point across, or give up and try another approach. And there’s Yacoob, absorbin’ it all, and sudden-like he shouts to his pap,

“Papa, papa, he’s tryin’ to say he knows Klefteez and Martir too. Come back tomorrow; they’ll be here.”

Shocked and amazed, Noah looks at Yacoob and turns to Mustafa and repeats his gestures, repeats the names, and Mustafa throws his hands in the air, sayin’, ‘evet, evet, evet!’ And Yacoob whispers in his papa’s ear,

“That means ‘yes’ in Turkish talk.”

Triumphant they rise to leave the shop, and Mustafa touches his hand to his heart, which Yacoob repeats and pokes his pap,

“Do this, do this.”

And Noah does.

But soon as they leave the shop they see they’re totally lost. Once again Noah enters Mustafa’s forge.

“Ahrida. Ahrida synagogue?”

And he turns this way and that way to show he’s lost.

“Orida?”

Mustafa repeats, thinkin’ a moment, looks around, whistles to call an urchin from the lane, carefully explainin’ something to him, then calls Noah and points to the lad, signaling with his hand, ‘go, go,’ and sayin’ all the while, ‘git, git.’ And there’s Yacoob who understands.

“He’s sayin’ ‘go’ and we should follow this kid.”

And eventually, with many wrong turns and backtracks and questions to men on the streets, they come to a lane they recognize, give the urchin a copper coin, and find the house of their Jewish host.

Next morning, with many turns down wrong lanes Yacoob and Noah find their way back to Mustafa’s workshop, shadows still long. Seein’ them, he sends some boy who’s been throwin’ stones at pigeons and cats, to find the men they want to see. They wait, all smiles, sittin’ on stools in the front of his shop. He whistles once and lifts his hand. Yacoob explains,

“He’s callin’ for drinks.”

Sure enough from down the lane here comes a guy, two glasses sittin’ on his brass tray, rose hip tea to drink as they wait.

Now here comes someone, puffs of dust around his boots, but he walks on by. Another man comes to Mustafa, a customer. He rummages around; they talk and bicker, bargain and talk before he buys some beat-up pot. Now the call to prayer. A crowd mills thru the lane, come and gone, and Noah and Yacoob waitin’ still. And so they linger throughout the day, and then repeatin’ thru the week. Wasted days. Where’s them men?

And every day Noah thinks, ‘This will be the last day I’m goin’ there.’
But what can he do? Live in a shack?

Sittin’ on a stool outside that shop, angry and bored, he hears a shout. Mustafa grabs some guy by the arm who struggles to break away from him, fear on his face. They hiss their words, then sudden all friendly with grunts and smiles they come up to Noah in his nasty funk. Jabber and blabber. What nonsense is this? Then Yacoob pipes up,

“Kuftee is here!”

~~~~~~~~~~

In the next episode surely the house construction will be rapidly completed.