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summary: zeki records his interview for the program. he hears back in a couple of weeks and shares the news with his favorite person: his dad.
zeki props up his phone on his desk. he faces it backwards so he can’t see himself, else he might begin to feel self conscious. zeki is a confident man, but he knows this is a long shot. he hasn’t even told his dad about this yet. if he were to have to admit to not getting in, well, he’s not sure he can handle disappointing the man he looks up to so much.
it takes him several takes. each one feels fake at first, like he’s selling himself, and while he’s confident he is not egotistical.
first take. “oh shit, no.”
second take. “god, that sounded terrible.”
third take. he sighs and places his head in his hands.
fourth take.
“uh, hello. i’m zeki demir. i live here in seattle with my dad. we currently run a car garage together here. i was born in connecticut, though, where i got started working on cars. truthfully, i think i want to do this because it feels like life pushed me here. i wouldn’t have come across this program if it hadn’t fallen in my lap. it’s not something i would’ve searched for on my own. for a while i thought i’d be a mechanic forever, which i do love, don’t get me wrong. but at some point it started feeling like i should be doing more. i can teach other people my skills. i can pass down what my dad passed on to me. i love our business. it started small, back in connecticut, but it’s grown out here. people trust us to do right by them, fix what they need fixed, keep them safe.” he pauses for what feels like too long, but he decides to keep going. “anyways, i just want to share that with some younger minds. thank you for taking the time to watch this.”
he wipes sweaty palms on his slacks, standing up to turn the phone camera off.
a couple of weeks later
zeki’s mail is in a pile on the counter untouched, the way his father always leaves it. on top is one from a sender he doesn’t recognize. he takes it to his room to open it. the contents are shocking to him. he didn’t think he stood a chance.
the boy descends the stairs into the kitchen area. him and his dad have done good at keeping their lives separate whilst living together. he has the upstairs to himself, all the amenities he could need besides the kitchen. his dad never comes up. truthfully, eren demir probably hasn’t seen the upstairs in years. eren sits at the kitchen counter, bifocals slipped down to his nose as he peruses a newspaper. his fingers look just like zeki’s, callused and stained with black grease.
“dad, hey. i gotta talk to you about something.” he shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans. he’s nervous. and kind of sad.
“what’s going on, kid?”
he’s not a kid anymore, but it makes zeki feel loved when his dad calls him that. he explains his application to this program, what it entails, how he’ll be traveling while doing his degree. his dad doesn’t stir in his chair the whole time zeki speaks. he loves that about his dad, how attentively he listens. sometimes he wonders how his mother could’ve ever decided this man wasn’t good enough for her. his father is the best person he knows. his dad nods, expressing his acceptance of what zeki has chosen for himself.
when his dad finally stands up, zeki lets out the breath he was holding. the two men embrace for the first time in a long time. his dad is a man of few words, just like him.
“you make me proud, son.”
they stand there like that for some time. until his dad finally stops shaking.