WHAT TIME IS IT?

SCENE 1 – OUT – MIDAFTERNOON – THE UNION SQUARE – SELMA AND REMZI

There are many girls and boys waiting for their friends at the Union Square. Everybody is waiting for his or her boy/girl friends. After they meet, they leave from the location. People are coming and going constantly. Everybody is happy. We hear the crowd in the background:

…………..

…………..

There is a bookseller in the background. MEHMET is selling mostly art books. REMZI with an orange shirt and blue jeans (in a hippie style) comes and passes in front of a person who is gathering signatures for `No war in Iraq`. He calls REMZI, but REMZI is looking around himself hazily. He taps his watch twice and realizes that it does not work. He listens to it. He goes toward the bookseller stand and asks something. There is a girl who is buying books. She just buys the book and then leaves. After 3/4 steps, she drops her bag and her books and other stuff spreads on the ground. MEHMET the bookseller has gone to help her and then he comes back and talks to REMZI. He gives a book to REMZI. He looks at the book, comes back, looks around himself trying to find something. He looks at the book too. A person passes in front of him and bumps into him quickly. He drops his book. The person apologizes to REMZI. REMZI watches the man leave. Then, REMZI takes his book from the ground. He looks that way again like he sees an important thing. He lights up a cigarette.

REMZI notices a girl (SELMA) with a simple dress leaning against the irons next to the step. She is looking around shyly. She is also checking her watch out of boredom. REMZI is watching her. SELMA realizes that he is watching her. During this time, people meet each other and leave in couples. It becomes quieter over time. REMZI approaches SELMA.

REMZI

- Excuse me, what time is it?

SELMA

- How about your watch?

REMZI

- Sorry my watch is not working. I don’t know why.

SELMA

-It’s 5. (Talking to herself out loud here?)Ah, where is he? He is so late!

REMZI

- Excuse me; would you please say it again

SELMA

I said it is five (she shows it with her fingers too). Sorry I am upset as he didn’t show up.

REMZI

There might be a problem with Q line, again. I have been waiting here for a long time as well.

SELMA

- I hope it is just the train.

(After a little silence)

SELMA

How do you know, he comes by Q line?

REMZI

I just guessed.

SELMA

He is usually not (late) but we’ve been a problem about time whole week. I am afraid this may be my last time waiting for him. (Anxious)

SELMA relaxes a little. Her eyes catch REMZI’s. REMZI looks around with his cigarette in his mouth. REMZI looks the other way lowering his eyes and throws his cigarette.

REMZI

(Awkward), Oh, thanks for telling me the time.

SELMA

- How about you, How come you are so relaxed? You too, have been waiting for a while.

REMZI

- I am not too hopeful (that she will show up). I have been looking for her about a week.

It is not crowded at Union square anymore. The bookseller is collecting his book and activist leaves with his friends. It is only SELMA and REMZI who are there.

SELMA

- There is nobody around. He won’t show up again I guess.

REMZI

- How about a cup of coffee around here?

SELMA

(SELMA with an unsure looking on her face) I don’t know. (What if he shows up in the meantime?)

REMZI

You can come back to check if he shows up later.

She looks around and there is nobody around. The bookseller and the person gathering signature against the war have gone.

Fade out

SCENE II IN – OUT / KEBAB GARDEN / REMZI

REMZI points somewhere to SELMA.

REMZI

If you like, we can have Turkish tea here.

SELMA

Yeah that might be interesting. We can try it.

They entered Kebab Garden. REMZI AND SELMA sit down against each other.

REMZI

(In turkish) bize iki taze cay getirir misin?

WAITER

Hemen, efendim…

The waiter serves them two Turkish teas. They start to drink and look each other…

SCENE III OUT/MORNING/THE UNION SQUARE/SELMA AND REMZI

Fade in

SELMA is waiting at the union square with different clothes and make up. She is looking around. Then she smiles. REMZI shows up with a different dress with a shaved face.

REMZI

- I hope I did not make you wait?

SELMA

-No, not at all. I just arrived here.

They leave together just like the other couples.

SCENE IV IN/MORNING/KEBAB GARDEN/SELMA AND REMZI

REMZI and SELMA are having Turkish coffee. They are very happy, and laughing…

SELMA

I had a Turkish classmate who always paid for the restaurant bills. He would say, “my father would kill me if I let the ladies pay for the bill!”

(Laughing)

REMZI

And, we had an American guy in Istanbul. We never let him pay for the bill. He thought one day we are going to tell him, “this time you pay instead of us”. He was so scared.

(THEY BOTH LAUGH)

SCENE V OUT/MORNING/THE UNION SQUARE/SELMA AND REMZI

Fade in

REMZI has a book in his hand looking around. After a while, he sees SELMA. In a hurry, they meet and hug each other. REMZI adjust SELMA`s hair and they look into each other’s eyes. REMZI gives  the book to her. SELMA is very happy.

REMZI

Hi, How are you?.

SELMA

Thanks, what about you?

REMZI

Good, good, this is a gift for you

SELMA

Oh, thank you.

REMZI

I like this book a lot. I hope you like it too…

They leave the square. Still there were many people waiting for another…

SCENE VI IN/NOON/KEBAB GARDEN/SELMA AND REMZI

REMZI and SELMA are having lunch together.

SELMA

This is very delicious.

REMZI

Don’t rush, leave some space for desert.

SELMA

Sorry about that, I could not come out at weekend. I was with my cousin.

REMZI

That’s ok. I missed you a lot though…

SCENE VII OUT/AFTERNOON/THE UNION SQUARE/SELMA AND REMZI

Everything is like the first scene. SELMA is waiting for somebody. She is leaning against the same tree, and she has dressed the same clothes like the day before. After a while we see SELMA with a boy dressed in an orange shirt and blue jeans. They leave the Square. Then REMZI is seen with clothes of the day before he has dressed. He looks around and can not find anybody. Then he checks his watch and taps it two times like the first scene. he approaches the bookseller.

REMZI

-What time is it?

MEHMET, BOOKSELLER

-It is 5. Wait a minute…

In the meantime the same girl we saw at the first scene pays for the book and leaves. Then, like the first scene, she drops her bag and the books. MEHMET goes for help and then returns.

MEHMET, BOOKSELLER

Sorry!

REMZI

-Did you see the girl who I meet here everyday, she wears a red scarf.

BOOKSELLER, MEHMET

Yes, (a pause) she just left with a guy. I think, he had been looking for her for a week. He was happy since he found her… and actually she left this book for you. (This is the same book REMZI gave her as a present)

REMZI is surprised. He takes the book and returns and like the first scene a person in a hurry bumps into his shoulders. He drops the book. The person apologizes. REMZI looks at him and then picks up the book from the ground. This time he notices that his watch is working. He looks at the time. It is 5:00. Then, he looks at the place where he saw SELMA in first scene. There is nobody there. The guy who gathers signature against the war asks him for a signature.

ACTIVIST

`NO WAR, IN IRAQ` DONT BE SILENT, SIGN OUR PETITION.

REMZI turns his face and comes closer to the activist. He signs the paper while looking at the place where we have seen SELMA. REMZI goes in a different way.

fade out

SCENE VIII IN/KEBAB GARDEN / REMZI

REMZI is alone. He drinks tea and reads his book. The Waiter is asking.

WAITER

ya bitiremedin su kitabi. kac saattir okuyorsun?

REMZI

Sorma! okudum saniyordum. Oysa bir cok ayrintiyi kacirmisim.

WAITER

Ayrintiymis. Adamin isi gucu yok. Anlatsana abi derdin neyse iki sayfada.

Hadi abicim, hadi, kapatiyoruz.

REMZI is writing something in his notebook while looking at the book…

FADE OUT

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