Inside room 217 was a young man standing barefoot on his bed while spinning a towel in the air.
"Oh hello."
He got down from the bed and came over to shake J's hand.
"My name is Berkan."
"Hi, Berkan. I'm J."
"J? Hmmm. An interesting name. Where are you from, J?"
"Nowhere."
"Ha! Well we must be neighbors. Maybe our families know each other."
Berkan threw his towel across the room into a hamper.
"Joking aside, did you just arrive?"
"Yes. It's my fresh off the boat actually."
"Then you came to just the right place. I can't imagine another place being more welcoming than this."
Berkan cast his arms wide and did a half twirl to show off their room. He then took out a pack of cigarettes and offered J one.
"No thanks, I just quit."
"Ah. Now that's a good streak to have." he put one in his mouth and thought about lighting it then decided otherwise. "I hope to break this particular streak one day. Come, do you mind joining me outside? I want to smoke and we're actually not allowed to in here."
Berkan took J to the back courtyard where other people were smoking and having a chat.
A few of them nodded to Berkan but none of them came over to say hi. Berkan lit his cigarette and took a pleasurable looking drag.
"So what are you here to streak on? Besides not smoking cigarettes, of course."
"Writing."
"Ah. That suits you. Guess what I'm streaking for?"
"Writing?"
"How'd you know!?"
"I don't know. You seemed excited that I was writing."
"Am I that easy to read?"
"Maybe I'm a quick study."
Berkan stopped inhaling mid-drag to peer over at J more carefully.
"Are you now?"
"Nah. Not really. Just a joke."
"Well don't go selling yourself so short so fast, my friend. I'm glad to be rooming with a writer though. The last roommate I had was a fucking bodybuilder and I couldn't stand the guy. I mean the guy was nice but I guess what I'm saying is that I couldn't stand his fucking endless tupperware of tuna, chicken, and broccoli. But what am I saying? He probably couldn't stand my cigarettes."
Two smokers who were in the courtyard waved at us before they left. Berkan casted them a smile before taking another drag.
"Speaking of food, I'm famished. Could you use a meal?"
"Now that you mention it."
"Good. I know just the place. Wait do you have any food allergies? Or are you on some type of diet?"
"Nah."
"Ok good! I think you and I will get along well."
While walking along the streets J wondered why the bodybuilder cared so much about Berkan and his cigarettes.
"I thought you couldn't smoke inside?"
"Well I did anyways. That's why I was waving that towel in the air when you came in. You wave a wet towel in the air for a few seconds and it gets rid of the cigarette smell."
"Wait.. then why did your roommate complain about the smell? Shouldn't your towel trick have gotten rid of it?"
"See. you are a quick study, you son of a bitch! Definitely not dull at the least. How about a beer tonight?"
"Beer sounds great."
"Good. I'm buying. The first round. You get the second."
"Oh hello."
He got down from the bed and came over to shake J's hand.
"My name is Berkan."
"Hi, Berkan. I'm J."
"J? Hmmm. An interesting name. Where are you from, J?"
"Nowhere."
"Ha! Well we must be neighbors. Maybe our families know each other."
Berkan threw his towel across the room into a hamper.
"Joking aside, did you just arrive?"
"Yes. It's my fresh off the boat actually."
"Then you came to just the right place. I can't imagine another place being more welcoming than this."
Berkan cast his arms wide and did a half twirl to show off their room. He then took out a pack of cigarettes and offered J one.
"No thanks, I just quit."
"Ah. Now that's a good streak to have." he put one in his mouth and thought about lighting it then decided otherwise. "I hope to break this particular streak one day. Come, do you mind joining me outside? I want to smoke and we're actually not allowed to in here."
Berkan took J to the back courtyard where other people were smoking and having a chat.
A few of them nodded to Berkan but none of them came over to say hi. Berkan lit his cigarette and took a pleasurable looking drag.
"So what are you here to streak on? Besides not smoking cigarettes, of course."
"Writing."
"Ah. That suits you. Guess what I'm streaking for?"
"Writing?"
"How'd you know!?"
"I don't know. You seemed excited that I was writing."
"Am I that easy to read?"
"Maybe I'm a quick study."
Berkan stopped inhaling mid-drag to peer over at J more carefully.
"Are you now?"
"Nah. Not really. Just a joke."
"Well don't go selling yourself so short so fast, my friend. I'm glad to be rooming with a writer though. The last roommate I had was a fucking bodybuilder and I couldn't stand the guy. I mean the guy was nice but I guess what I'm saying is that I couldn't stand his fucking endless tupperware of tuna, chicken, and broccoli. But what am I saying? He probably couldn't stand my cigarettes."
Two smokers who were in the courtyard waved at us before they left. Berkan casted them a smile before taking another drag.
"Speaking of food, I'm famished. Could you use a meal?"
"Now that you mention it."
"Good. I know just the place. Wait do you have any food allergies? Or are you on some type of diet?"
"Nah."
"Ok good! I think you and I will get along well."
While walking along the streets J wondered why the bodybuilder cared so much about Berkan and his cigarettes.
"I thought you couldn't smoke inside?"
"Well I did anyways. That's why I was waving that towel in the air when you came in. You wave a wet towel in the air for a few seconds and it gets rid of the cigarette smell."
"Wait.. then why did your roommate complain about the smell? Shouldn't your towel trick have gotten rid of it?"
"See. you are a quick study, you son of a bitch! Definitely not dull at the least. How about a beer tonight?"
"Beer sounds great."
"Good. I'm buying. The first round. You get the second."
