Demir felt a heat rising from his chest, a slow-burn fire he had kept dampened for years to keep his daughter in school and his mother in medicine. He thought of his worn-out boots, the holes in his floorboards, and the way Selim’s new car gleamed in the parking lot.
"I can't, Selim Bey," Demir said, his voice a low vibration. "My daughter has her recital. I promised." Yeter Lan Yeter
The silence in the office grew heavy, thick with the hum of the machines outside. Demir looked at the gold pen. He looked at the stack of unpaid invoices on the desk. He thought of every "yes" he had ever forced out of a dry throat. Demir felt a heat rising from his chest,
Selim stopped tapping. He leaned forward, his smile thin and cold. "Promises don’t pay the bills, Demir. If you aren't here Sunday, don’t bother coming Monday. There are a hundred men outside that gate who would beg for your chair." "My daughter has her recital
"Keep the chair," Demir said, his breath coming in sharp, clean bursts. "I’m going to go watch my daughter dance."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his factory ID, and slammed it onto the desk.