Last Train to Istanbul

by Ayşe Kulin

  “Of course not.”

  “Why exactly are you doing all this? Especially when, as far as I know, your wife isn’t even Jewish.”

  “What can I say, Selva? Perhaps I want to prove to myself that in the midst of all this horror, I’m still a human being.”

  “By risking your life?”

  “After all is said and done, what is life anyway? Aren’t we all going to die in the end? I believe life is only worth living if, while we are on this earth, we can do honorable things.”

  “I take my hat off to you, Ferit,” Selva said with obvious admiration in her innocent wide eyes.

  Margot was a little later than expected. Tarık took out his pocket watch to check the time. “Are you getting worried?” Selva asked mischievously.

  “No…not really. I mean, yes, a bit. No one is completely safe these days.”

  “Do you know that I am trying to persuade Margot to stay in Istanbul?”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Come on, Tarık, don’t pretend you don’t know why. I can see through you, I know what’s going on in your heart. I understand matters of the heart very well.”

  “Maybe so, Selva, but you’re forgetting that I’m a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I cannot marry a foreigner.”

  “I can’t believe that. Why?”

  “We’re simply forbidden to marry foreigners.”

  “Even if that foreigner is prepared to adopt Turkish nationality?”

  “Even then, unfortunately.”

  Selva bit her lip. “I didn’t know that,” she said sadly. “I find this incredible; it seems our country is finding excuses for separating people. They are kept apart, not only because of their religion, but also because of their nationality.”

  “Not only in our country, Selva,” Tarık responded. “Discrimination is rife throughout the world. Just look at what’s happening to Europe, despite her long history!”

  Margot appeared from around the corner, walking hurriedly. She was wearing her red coat. Her blonde curls were bouncing from side to side. Selva bowed her head when she saw the spark light up in Tarık’s eyes; her heart went out to him.

  At the end of the evening, Ferit and Selva got up to return to Ferit’s apartment. Tarık turned to Margot and said, “May I take you home?”

  “Would you mind if we walked for a while? I’d like to get some fresh air.”

  “Why not? Certainly.”

  “And when we get home, you might like to come up for that cup of coffee you refused last time.”

  “I feel awful about that, Margot. How can you ever forgive me? I’m so sorry, but you must admit you did ask a hell of a lot of questions. I wish you had been more straightforward.”

  “That’s all water under the bridge now.”

  “But we’ve wasted so much time,” said Tarık. “Especially since time is so precious for both of us.”

  He squeezed Margot’s hand and she snuggled up to him, like a kitten. They walked hand in hand along the brightly lit street.

  The following morning, Tarık got annoyed when he saw Muhlis staring at him.

  “What’s up? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You were late last night.”

  “True.”

  “In fact, very late. You got back in the early hours of the morning.”

  “So what?”

  “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know, but there must be something.”

  “All right then. I kissed her.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Enough, Muhlis, you’re going too far now. What’s more, I know you’ve got tickets for the theater this evening. If you don’t watch your step, you won’t be leaving the office before seven…and I mean it!”

  Tarık rose and picked up his jacket and his shirt with the lipstick on the collar, which he had thrown hastily on the sofa when he got home, and took them into his own room.

  COUNTDOWN

  “We need to choose a route for this carriage. With such a group of people on board, it needs to be a route that won’t arouse any suspicions,” Ferit said.

  “For instance, there are a lot of identity checks being carried out, particularly on those passing through Switzerland because of her neutrality.”

  “In that case, the train should not go through Switzerland.”

  “I wonder if it would be safer to have the train go all the way down to Lyon and through Italy.”

  “Are you crazy? They’ll be sitting ducks in Fascist Italy. They’ll knock them off one by one. Mussolini’s men are worse than the Nazis.”

  “Well, the train has to go through somewhere, doesn’t it? It has to go through Switzerland, Italy, or Germany. There’s no alternative!”

  “Checks are being carried out everywhere, gentlemen. Some clerks arrived from Turkey only a week or so ago and they had to go through thorough checks at every border.”

  “On the other hand, apparently when Galip went to Istanbul, nobody bothered him.”

  “Which Galip? You mean our consul in Hamburg?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Yes, I hear there are no strict checks on trains within Germany, or even those leaving the country,” Tarık said.

  “I hope that you’re not suggesting that we let those professors and scientists who are being particularly sought by the Germans take that route!”

  “You’re forgetting that these people are being hunted down in France, not in Germany!”

  “For heaven’s sake, give me a cigarette, Ferit. I’ve run out,” said Tarık.

  “Here you are.” Hikmet Özdoğan passed a silver cigarette case across the table.

  They had gathered in the apartment of Hikmet Özdoğan, the consul in Paris. Finally the countdown had begun. The train was on its way. It would have to be serviced in Paris, and would set off on its journey back immediately. It was possible that the Germans could commandeer any train at a moment’s notice to transport their troops, so they shouldn’t take the risk of the train staying in Paris for more than a day.

  This group of diplomats had gathered together to decide on a route for the train’s return journey. Hikmet Özdoğan felt uneasy about Ferit’s presence, as he was a total stranger to him. It was Tarık who had insisted that Ferit should come to the meeting because of his association with the Organization. He had very good connections that could be useful to them.

  The train would be carrying 176 passengers considered personae non gratae by the Germans. Half of the passengers would have Turkish passports even though they might not be Turkish citizens; they had Turkish connections, but didn’t necessarily speak Turkish fluently. It was therefore decided that a Turkish national for whom Turkish was his mother tongue, and who could speak other languages too, should be on board. This person would be the leader of the group and could communicate with German officers, police, or inspectors en route if necessary.

  After Ferit was thoroughly investigated in Turkey and the results vetted by the Turkish ambassadors in Berlin and Vichy, it was agreed he would join the group as leader.

  Suddenly, Ferit exploded, “Eureka! Eureka! I’ve found the answer!” He jumped out of his seat and was giving Tarık, who was about to light a cigarette, sloppy kisses all over his cheeks.

  “What have you found? What’s happening? Are you crazy?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m crazy. But it’s thanks to you, Tarık, that I’ve come up with the solution to our problem. Eureka, my friends! The train must go through Germany.”

  “That’s out of the question,” said Hikmet Özdoğan. “We simply can’t take that risk. If they’re caught, don’t forget that the carriage belongs to our government.”

  “Trust me, they won’t be. They won’t because even the devil himself wouldn’t dare think of sending a carriage full of wanted Jews through the heart of Germany.”

  “Absolutely not!”

  “But Hikmet, it’s a brilliant idea! Only a genius
could come up with such a scheme. Just think about it.”

  “What do you think, Tarık?” Hikmet Özdoğan asked, expecting support from his colleague. Tarık remained silent. “You see, Tarık disagrees too.”

  “Why not think about it, Hikmet? Let’s sleep on it.”

  “We have no time to sleep on anything, gentlemen. We have to make a decision and act immediately. Don’t forget that we also have to get permission from the countries on the way.”

  “Give me that map,” said Ferit.

  The map leaning on the sideboard was huge, not the sort one could pass around. They took a picture off the wall and hung the map in its place.

  “Have you got something I could use as a pointer?”

  Hikmet went into the kitchen and returned with a wooden spoon. Ferit took the spoon and started pointing at the routes.

  “If we go to the south, we have to pass through Switzerland and then either Italy or Austria. The Germans will be carrying out their thorough checks either way. Alternatively, if we go all the way up to Berlin and have our documents stamped there, the route may be longer but once our passports have been stamped no one will bother to waste time checking us again. That’s most important, isn’t it?”

  “So how are we supposed to go through Berlin?” asked Özdoğan.

  “We can ask the Turkish embassy in Berlin to help. Our embassy official can come and meet us, collect the passports, have them stamped, and return them.”

  “And why would an embassy official take the trouble to do all this?”

  “Because he’ll receive instructions to do so; I’m sure our ambassador, Saffet, will be more than happy to do that,” said Tarık.

  “I wonder if we could get someone on the inside to help us,” Ferit said.

  “What do you mean? I don’t follow.”

  “A German soldier, for instance, some decent, fair guy who might be willing to help. I don’t really think all those Nazis are as devoted to the cause as everyone thinks.”

  “I’m sure some of them hate this Jewish animosity, but it might be too risky to try to find someone like that.”

  “If we know the exact day and time that the train is passing through, I might be able to fix something,” said Ferit.

  “I don’t get it. Do you mean to tell me that you even have friends among the German soldiers?” Hikmet Özdoğan asked, looking at Ferit in amazement.

  Tarık looked at his friend angrily. “Please don’t meddle so dangerously. The only people of authority we can rely on are officials from our own embassy or consulate. We shouldn’t seek cooperation from anybody else,” he said.

  “I totally agree with my colleague,” said Hikmet.

  Ferit had considered asking the Organization to assist, using its own people who were planted all over the place, but he decided not to persist with this line of argument. He was content simply to say, “I can see you’re warming to the idea of traveling through Berlin and down from there.”

  Hikmet Özdoğan responded, “Ferit, my friend, we’re not the ones in danger. If the real identities of some of the passengers are discovered, they’ll be given hell. We have to be careful not to jeopardize their lives. Say we do manage to convince the authorities that the youngsters on board are Turkish students; what about the professors, doctors, and scientists that the Germans are really after? How are you going to get them through Berlin? Will they wear some sort of disguise or what?”

  “Of course!” replied Ferit. “Do you think that it’s hard to change people’s identities? Those who are bald will be given wigs. Those with curly hair and mustaches will shave them off. Others can wear glasses, or dye their hair, and others might even pluck their eyebrows.”

  “This is turning into a circus carriage,” said Hikmet Özdoğan.

  “Hikmet, as we said before, let’s sleep on it; we might see things more clearly in the morning,” Tarık said in his calmest voice.

  “Fine, but let’s not dither. We’ve got to make the final decision tomorrow. The train should be arriving in a few days, and remember, we can’t keep it waiting for more than one night.”

  “So, here again tomorrow after work?” asked Ferit.

  “Unfortunately not,” replied Hikmet. “My wife and daughter will be here tomorrow morning.”

  “My apartment is full to the brim,” said Ferit. “There’s no room to stand, let alone sit.”

  “And Muhlis will be in my apartment. He’s got a general idea of what’s going on, but since we’re trying to keep this on a need-to-know basis, the fewer people that know any details, the better.”

  “What about meeting at the consulate then?”

  “There’ll be the night guard and the duty clerk.”

  “I know,” said Tarık. “There’s a friend of mine who’s traveling on the train. She lives on her own. We can go to her apartment. She doesn’t speak much Turkish anyway. I can ask her to go to the cinema or something.”

  “Is this friend Margot, by any chance?” Ferit whispered, leaning toward Tarık’s ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Killing two birds with one stone, eh?”

  “I thought you were my friend!”

  “I certainly am,” said Ferit, “but I love teasing you.”

  “All the same, there are limits.”

  “What on earth are you whispering about?” asked Hikmet Özdoğan. “Is there something you’re keeping from us?”

  “No, not at all, Hikmet, we’re just talking about our meeting place for tomorrow. I’ll get in touch with my friend and let you all know,” said Tarık. He took the map off the wall and rolled it up.

  “I still say it will be dangerous for the train to pass through Berlin,” Hikmet Özdoğan repeated.

  “Something tells me the opposite. Mark my words, and don’t forget my pregnant wife will be on board too. Would I want to put my wife and unborn child in danger?” replied Ferit.

  “In any case, our ambassadors in Berlin and Vichy have the final word.”

  “Not necessarily. They’re expecting us to weigh all the pros and cons and reach our own decision.”

  “Hikmet, the final decision carries a lot of responsibility. By the way, it’s not prudent to discuss this over the telephone. I’m seriously thinking of going to Vichy early tomorrow morning. Why don’t you come too?” asked Tarık.

  “It’s not right for both of us to be out of the consulate. You’d better go alone. I’ll send a coded message to Saffet Arıkan in Berlin,” Hikmet Özdoğan replied.

  As they walked toward Tarık’s car, Ferit asked, “Your colleague seems very apprehensive, doesn’t he?”

  “Not particularly. He’s a very cautious man who wants to carry out his duties to the best of his abilities,” replied Tarık. “Working for the government involves a lot of responsibility. You can’t act on instinct or your own preference. One has to consider every minute detail carefully.”

  “God save me from any governmental job that might stifle my creativity!” said Ferit.

  FAREWELL EVENING

  When Margot returned from the cinema, the meeting in her apartment was over. Tarık was in the sitting room, sipping his wine. When he heard Margot’s key in the door, he rushed to the kitchen and returned with another glass.

  “So, how was the film? I hope you enjoyed it,” he said, offering her a glass of wine.

  “I saw two films, one after the other, so that I wouldn’t disturb your meeting.”

  “Here’s your reward for being such a good, understanding girl. I remember that you liked this wine very much when we first went out to dinner.” He made a toast, raising his glass: “Bon voyage; may you have a comfortable journey, without any problems.”

  Margot took a sip, placed her glass on the table, and put her arms around Tarık. “Did you reach a decision?”

  “Yes, we did. Do you want me to tell you or should it be a surprise?”

  “I’m petrified, Tarık. Please don’t tell me we’re going through Berlin.”

  “I’d better
not tell you then.”

  “No! Are you telling me the truth?”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “That we’re going through Berlin?”

  “Come here,” he said, sitting her on his lap. He cradled her in his arms like a baby. “Trust me, Margot, the safest way is through Berlin. We’ve debated the whole thing. We’ve asked others. We’ve even communicated with Turkey. Finally even Hikmet Özdoğan agreed that it’s the best way.”

  “Just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end.”

  “That’s why it’s the safest way. If even thinking about it gives you the creeps, who on earth would think that a train carrying so many Jews would dare to pass through Germany. Can’t you see? This very thought is your security.”

  “No one could imagine such a thing.”

  “Exactly, that’s what we’re counting on. We’re doing something even the devil himself wouldn’t think of. Once they see that your passports have been stamped in Berlin, no German, Italian, or Austrian will bother you. From there it will be plain sailing all the way to Köstence.”

  “Weren’t we going to Istanbul?”

  “Most of the passengers will board a boat in Köstence. Those continuing to Istanbul will be transferred to another train. The Alfandaris are going to Istanbul; you’d better stick with them.”

  “How long will this adventure last?”

  “It’s indeed an adventure. Nobody can tell. You’ll have to take this one day at a time. Some tracks may have been bombed, others may be disconnected. If that happens, you’ll be diverted. Then, of course, you may be delayed in places where soldiers get on board to be transported.”

  “Could it take a year?”

  Tarık laughed. “One can go around the world in eighty days. How could your journey take a year?”

  “But there’s a war on.”

  “Don’t worry, Margot. I’m sure it will take between ten and twenty days. You must send me a wire as soon as you arrive. Do you promise?”

  Margot started to cry quietly in Tarık’s arms.

  “Please don’t cry, my baby. Don’t forget you’re not alone. You’ll have your friends with you. The Alfandaris promised they will take care of you in Istanbul. Then of course there’s Ferit and Evelyn. Can you imagine that Ferit would let his pregnant wife board a train if it was that dangerous?”