ABSTRACT
It is mid-afternoon, the time when business hits a lull in the bazaar. Kerim, 1 a sturdy, middle-aged man, busies himself with putting his shop in order, the one thing that never seems to bore him. In the morning new stock arrived, but he could not find time to open the large plastic bag and pushed it under the counter. Now he dusts and tidies up the shelves and rearranges the table he keeps in front of the shop, making sure all the brand names are visible. Most of his goods are branded Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Björn Borg, but he also offers Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Dsquared, Gucci, Versace, and, under the counter, Hugo Boss and Diess. 2 Then he empties the carrier, unwraps a few packages, places the new models on the counter, and piles up the rest under the shelves. Every now and then he stops, lights a cigarette, and invites other shopkeepers to come and have a look at these new products. They do come, swinging by amidst the packages spread inside and outside the shop, looking at the products, drinking their glasses of tea, smoking their cigarettes, listening to him talking up his merchandise, and bringing up other topics of conversation too. This time, Kerim is particularly proud of the color combinations he himself chose. The new arrivals are microfiber seamless men's boxer briefs with thin and wide waistbands in white and crimson, white and dark forest green, burgundy and ash grey, and brown and dark blue. His visitors express their sincere admiration. A few select some of these new models for themselves, while the others speculate about what lady will get to see these fancy briefs first. These men often hear Kerim speaking about his business, torrents of words about the high-tech factory, the clever way his business is organized, the quality of the products, the new models, the brand names, his numerous customers, and his reliability and honesty. Upon finishing with the tidying up, Kerim stands motionless for a few seconds, as if nailed to the spot, and scrutinizes the shop. The satisfaction he feels at what he sees is so evident that a fellow shopkeeper who passes by cannot help but congratulate him on having such a tidy shop. Smiling, he replies: "I guess I can say that I put my life in order too."
