Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In a Small Town

When the worn-out cassette caught her eye, the elderly woman, memories flooding back, pulled it from the drawer, feeling as though the fabric of time had been torn, revealing a different dimension. Behind the counter, she embarked on a journey to the past when she stumbled upon that old cassette, a gift from a friend when she was fifteen.

I just wanna scream hello.

With a broken Walkman, she started playing the cassette, the melancholic melody reviving traces of the past. Eddie Vedder's voice filled her ears, mixed with longing for old friends.

I seem to recognize your face

Haunting familiar, yet I can’t seem to place it

Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name

Lifetimes are catchin’ up with me

The song transformed into the sighs of a woman, addressing her friends who left her alone in a small town when she moved to the big city. Once, she too had wanted to be with them, to be visible. But now, behind the counter, she felt forgotten and lonely.

Years later, amidst the monotonous streets of Ankara and the oppressive world of university classes, she often pondered about the woman behind the counter. Despite the challenges of living in the big city after leaving her seaside town behind, she felt grateful for the opportunities it brought.

I changed by not changin’ at all, small town predicts my fate

Perhaps that’s what no one wants to see

It was never going to be like this. She was going to write her own destiny, always ready for new adventures.

When she set foot in Istanbul, she carried with her hopes and aspirations for advancing her career. However, life didn’t go as planned. In this bustling city, she had to fight alone as a female engineer in a male-dominated technology sector.

As the years went by, her successes increased, and she became a respected leader. But these achievements couldn’t dispel the unrest within her. She still carried the fear of finding herself behind that small-town counter. Even a minor stumble triggered this anxiety.

In these moments, the lyrics of that left-behind song came to her mind:

Me, you wouldn’t recall, for I’m not my former

It’s hard when you’re stuck upon the shelf

With her promotion, she gained a bit more control over her job. However, this freedom didn’t bring the peace she longed for. The responsibilities and workload increased, overwhelming her. She felt like there was no one she could trust, worrying that everyone was working behind her back.

Loneliness and work stress engulfed her more and more. She sought an escape, but the city's towering buildings seemed to close in on her. The hectic traffic and people's constant rushing made her feel like she was missing out. She felt cornered, and this situation reminded her of something. Like a melody:

Hearts and thoughts, they fade, fade away

She longed for commitment, identity, slowness, tranquility, and peace. Something inside her was changing.

All these changes takin’ place, I wish I’d seen the place

Deciding to embark on the journey of becoming the woman in the song's lyrics was difficult. But now, as she listened to the song again from the worn-out cassette, she understood that she had returned to be that woman forever.

I just wanna scream HELLO!

The end.