It was a normal day in Türkiye in the 20th century. Three days had passed since Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Republic had changed Türkiye. People were still really surprised because it was a very different country now.
If I need to give details about Atatürk and the Republic, the first thing to mention is Atatürk himself, because he helped a lot in the last war. He was a kind and genius man in battle. He made very important decisions during the war.
If I need to talk about the Republic, it represents equality and kindness. It never allows discrimination. Even during the war, Atatürk said that the enemy side was also strong, but it could not be compared with Türkiye — it was not equal. Both Atatürk and the Republic were strong and intelligent. They were similar, but the Republic was always fair and never allowed people to gossip about its people — the citizens of Türkiye.
One day, I was cleaning the house before my guests came from Germany. They were very happy that Türkiye was finally out of the war and World War I had ended. When the door knocked, I was ready, but when I opened it, there were many people I didn’t even know. It was crowded, and I couldn’t understand what was happening.
I asked one of my friends named Beyza, “Why is it so crowded here?”
She told me, “Atatürk and the Republic are going to visit you!”
I was quite surprised. In my head, sirens started to ring — Atatürk and the Republic are coming to my house! But I still had questions, like, Why me and not Beyza? Could it be a misunderstanding, like last time when Mr. Burak said there was gold in the sea, and everyone went but came back with nothing but shame?
I waited for two hours. When I was sure they wouldn’t come, I started washing the dishes. Suddenly, I heard another knock at the door. I was so excited because my cousins from Germany were also coming — maybe Atatürk and the Republic were with them!
I opened the door, and guess who was there — Atatürk and the Republic! I was so excited and invited them in. I made Turkish coffee, which I had practiced a lot to make perfectly. We talked about how powerful we were and about our country’s strength.
Atatürk told me he had lost many friends and people during the war. I told him I was happy that World War I had ended and that we were finally free.
At the end, while they were getting ready to leave, I thanked them deeply and asked,
“Why did you come to me and not to my neighbor?”
They turned to me and answered,
“We chose you because you helped us so much in the last war.”
I was shy and grateful because I had worked very hard during the war.