going to bed tired

we had one final misfortune on the final leg of our drive home -- a big truck pulled out we thought to pass us, then slowed beside us, and pointed to the front tire -- flat.

not just flat, it turned out we'd broken the rim in the rutted mountain roads. while mo sussed it out ugur and i had tea in the filthy truck stop. ash, broken glass, dirty water on the floor, and a whole muddy half lemon. a man tried to sop up the water with a sodden dollar-store broom. then we went out to see what was happening. the mechanic was patching an inner tube for us to have. he put on one patch. then to see if it had taken he put the patched part under water. there was a bathtub outside that he used for this. it was all frozen over. he broke through the ice with his bare hands, lifted out the crust, and held the tube under the water for a minute watching for bubbles. then he turned the inner tube checking each section for leaks. when he'd finished his hands were red and puffy.

"that looks cold," i said.

"that definitely looks cold," said mo.

then he said, "it is amazing what some people will do to earn their living. and what did we do to deserve it," he said. "nothing. we are doing nothing."

"i've asked myself that question a few times on this trip, believe me," i said.

"you," said mo, "you are doing plenty, so don't say it."

i say, "you are doing plenty too."

neither of us really pushes the other on this point. it's not clear to me whether mo means i am doing lots to help him, or lots in life generally. i would debate each one but i do not. mo has debated it too.

there is a moslem saying that as long as you go to bed tired, allah is happy.

the old man is industrious. he wipes oil from his hands with snow. soon we are on our way. on the way home the necklace that mo got for ugur breaks -- the clasp catches in her seatbelt and the cord tears. but i have just the thing to fix it, spare necklace parts (seriously) left over from making a necklace out of my turkish blue fish. when we are home i fix it for her. thank-you, she says. you are welcome, i say.