Wrestler's Story - 15D - "TODD TOMPKINS AND THE TURKISH BORDER PATROL"
Part Four of Four Parts
By: Ron Nelson
(Copyright 2015 by the author. All rights reserved.)
The Situation: Monday - Todd Hears His Sentence and Conclusion
Todd woke up on Monday morning, the day on which he was to hear his sentence, with the six o'clock morning bell, and went into the mess hall promptly at seven. Most of the men were already there having breakfast as usual and were primarily focused on their duties of the day.
He didn't see the lieutenant, Kemal or Denir, but saw Cemar and Tayhut over at their table again, and asked if he might join them. "Sure thing," was their friendly greeting as they once again shifted over to have him join them and share breakfast with them again.
By now Todd assumed all of the men knew about him and his plight and his probable sentencing this morning at nine o'clock. That was the usual time for the Operations office to open after the lieutenant and Kemal had made their First Inspection of the men to be sure everyone and everything was in order for the day.
After breakfast Todd returned to his prison cell to put on the clean fitted TBP t-shirt and camouflage pants Denir had brought up to him, and his own field boots which Denir had cleaned for him so that he would make as good an appearance as possible before the lieutenant for his sentencing.
At five minutes to nine, Denir knocked softly at his prison cell door and said that the lieutenant would be pleased to see him at nine o'clock if that would be convenient to him.
'Just like the lieutenant,' thought Todd, 'gracious and hospitable as he could be at all times, just as he has been the whole weekend.'
Todd knocked on the lieutenant's office door, and the lieutenant immediately asked him to come in. The lieutenant was seated at his desk in his full and smart "Inspection" uniform. Next to him stood Kemal in a clean uniform also, with Denir similarly dressed and standing next to the door behind him.
'To catch me if I try to flee after the sentencing,' thought Todd. All of them had serious non-committal expressions on their faces. The sole thing on the lieutenant's desk was a file folder with the impressive burgundy and gold Turkish Border Patrol emblem on the cover. On which file he saw his name and of which he knew he was the subject.
In front of the desk was a comfortable leather office arm chair with polished brass buttons on its sides. The lieutenant asked him to be seated, which Todd was glad to accept. The tension in the room was high.
"Now Todd," said the lieutenant, "Or should I say Dr. Todd Tompkins, which is your full and official name and title. First of all, may I say it has been our pleasure and honor to have had you with us as our guest this past weekend."
Todd almost fell out of his chair.
"How did you know that?" was about all he could think to say.
Broad grins broke out of the lieutenant's, Kemal's and Denir's faces immediately as they couldn't hold their feelings back any longer.
"Dr. Tompkins, or Todd if we may continue to call you that as an honored member of our Turkish Border Patrol family, we've known about you ever since and even before we first met you!"
"Gawd, how can that be as we've never talked about any of that?" was again all Todd could come up with at that moment.
"Oh yes," continued the lieutenant.
"Let me go back to the beginning and review the situation with you.
"You will recall that you came across the dried river bed, which is the border between Greece and Turkey. Then you couldn't get out of the river bed on our side, and so you walked up through a small side ravine, got almost to the top, and then fell back to the bottom, getting inconsequentially bruised in the process, but, more importantly, losing your wallet and papers when they fell or were torn out of your pocket as you fell back down into the ravine.
"Then, when you went back later to see if you could find your wallet, you couldn't do so but, being devoted to your research, you continued with your research and figured to rectify the problem with your papers that evening.
"Well, when you fell down the side of the ravine, you set off a number of our surveillance cameras, motion and infra-red electronic border sensors, which are especially focused on that ravine as it is a favorite passage point for smugglers and other illegals trying to cross the border into Turkey.
"We were on a routine patrol in the area and we arrived at the point where you fell about twenty minutes after your accident. However, you had already left, but we did find your wallet at the bottom of the ravine.
"In it we found your passport for your ID, your permit to conduct your research in Turkey, and even your permit to carry your .38 revolver.
"We then immediately radioed this information to our TBP Headquarters in Istanbul. They in turn quickly faxed the US Embassy and our Washington, D.C. embassy, and got a full report on you up to that point.
"As a result we have known ever since fifteen minutes after we found your wallet, that you got your B.A. degree from Roswell University in the Carolinas and your PhD in bio-medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and that you are now on the teaching and research faculty of the University of Cheltenham in Pennsylvania.
"We also know and have known all along that you have a very fine one-year grant from the internationally famous Gadwell Foundation to conduct this study you are engaged in, which would have world-wide benefits if it proves to be successful.
"So, as a result of all this, we have been honored and pleased to have had you as our guest this entire weekend!"
Todd didn't know what to say, but he knew he was almost in tears as the lieutenant alternated between looking at him and reading from the complete file in front of him.
With that, Todd couldn't help but jump out of his chair to embrace the lieutenant, who got out of his chair as soon as Todd got out of his and met him half way between the desk and his chair. As he embraced the lieutenant, the lieutenant said, "Not too tight, Dr. Todd, that's reserved for my partner in Istanbul."
His hug of Kemal was even tighter, but that was ok, and Denir lifted him a few inches off the floor in their embrace. That done, Todd returned to his chair to hear what the lieutenant might have to say next.
"Now, back to your situation here," the lieutenant resumed, "Your official permit to conduct your research in this area, which you received from the Turkish government said, and as our Turkish Border Patrol Headquarters specifically reminded us, that you were to be given every consideration and assistance that we could possibly give you while you were with us.
"Our Istanbul Headquarters is generally closed for the weekend, but they did immediately inform your US Embassy that you were safe and sound and that we had found you in good order and unharmed, and they in turn informed your Foundation of your situation as well.
"It was agreed by everyone that as all of the Istanbul offices and transportation facilities were closed for the weekend that you should remain here with us for this weekend, if that would be agreeable to you, and that we would make further arrangements with you this morning.
"Back in the field, when we located you, we did have to be sure that you were you, although that was merely a formality as we gathered almost immediately that you were the Dr. Todd Tompkins we thought you were.
"We were then about to inform you of the situation, but we, and Kemal and Denir in particular, noticed that you looked to be in particularly good physical condition, and the fact that you were wearing a "State-Wrestling" t-shirt more or less confirmed that judgment.
"Then, before we could proceed with our moves, you and Kemal found yourselves in sort of an impromptu wrestling match, which obviously you both enjoyed and it looked as if you were ready for more any time the occasion presented itself. Some of the men too, like Cemar and Tayhut, although they had no formal vote on the matter, were of the same opinion.
"So we felt, as life on our TBP base is otherwise fairly dull, and you were going to spend the weekend with us anyway unless you had some objection to it, that we would be very pleased to have you as our guest for the weekend with whatever hospitality we could extend to you.
"The word of your official title and research quickly spread to every man on our TBP base, but everyone was sworn to secrecy at all times and to treat you as our guest even if perhaps you were under the false impression that you were a prisoner of ours and doomed to some terrible penalty. Please forgive us for our little joke on you.
"I assure you it wasn't easy for our men to carry out this deception, but they are well trained in border patrol and security matters, and the secret apparently held.
"So, now, before I go on with the rest of the story, what do you have to say on this so far?" asked the lieutenant, their grins never leaving his, Kemal's or Denir's faces.
"Gawd," said Todd, "I don't know what to say. You gentlemen are the greatest! You couldn't have treated me any better than you did the whole time ever since you found me, for which I am forever in your debt.
"And, considering how it all began with me having no ID, permit or papers, and the .38 too, and then getting into it with Kemal here, you sure have handled the whole thing just perfectly!
"And, you know, I'm really grateful for all that you`ve done for me the whole weekend - and you know that I've really enjoyed it too," he said, looking at Kemal and Denir in particular.
The lieutenant, looking at Todd, Kemal and Denir, said ""I'm sure it was just as much and more our pleasure too, Mr. Todd!"
The lieutenant then continued, "Now, for this week, here are what our Turkish Border Patrol Headquarters, with the cooperation of the US Embassy and your Foundation, suggest, if it is agreeable to you, Dr. Todd. As the lieutenant said "Doctor," it was with special emphasis, just to make the professional point and as a matter of courtesy before he reverted back to his more usual "Mr. Todd" or just plain "Todd."
"No aircraft are permitted in this border security zone, so our Headquarters in Istanbul is flying a helicopter here, to arrive about eleven o'clock this morning. It will land about twenty miles away, which is our closest helipad, and Kemal will drive you there in our base jeep.
Then you will be flown directly to Istanbul where you will first report in to your US Embassy who will formally receive you back again and confirm that you are in good condition and that we haven't abused you too badly. Which I hope we haven't after your encounters with Kemal and Denir, and now I understand Cemar and Tayhut too."
"Couldn't be better, lieutenant, with particular thanks to all of them" was Todd's smiling response, feeling very much better now.
"A Gadwell Foundation officer is in Istanbul this week, and on Tuesday he would like to discuss with you the results of your field and research work so far. Apparently it has gone well, and they will be very pleased with it.
"Then our own `Turkish Society of Science and Academics' has asked if you might give an informal presentation to them of your work here in Turkey on Wednesday. As I understand it, they would like to give you all the support they can in your very important work.
"And then the University of Istanbul would like you to give a workshop to their senior students and fellows on your research, and have a luncheon with you as well, on Thursday.
"Then, as a final point, our Turkish Border Patrol headquarters has authorized that you may have one of our men accompany you as your aide for the week if you would like."
Todd picked up on that immediately. "I would very much appreciate that, lieutenant, and if it would be convenient to you and to him, I would like very much to have Denir accompany me for the whole week. He has been so very helpful to me the whole weekend in my research, and in other things too, that I surely owe him that much."
"Consider it done," said the lieutenant with a smile on his face.
Denir came over to Todd and hugged him, with tears in his eyes, so tightly that Todd could hardly breathe. It felt real good.
Meanwhile, Cemar and Tayhut, who had been just outside the office door which Denir had quietly opened after the lieutenant disclosed to Todd that they all knew who he was, slipped in the room and they embraced Todd too.
"That's about everything I have in my file, Todd, except to say that, again, it has been our very great honor and pleasure to have you here, and we hope you may come back and visit us again some time," said the lieutenant, his own voice now cracking just a little.
"Thank you, lieutenant, for everything!" said Todd softly. He knew that was just about all he could say, but that it covered everything.
But then he added after a moment, "You know, lieutenant, my research here shows really good results but I think it could still use a few more days in this Area for it to be really complete and establish a really good basis for all of our future studies in this line.
"Do you think it would be possible for me to come back here next Friday, after we finish with the University workshop, and stay with you for another weekend of research - and whatever else the weekend might hold?"
"I'm sure that can be arranged, Todd. You are surely welcome to come back to us just as soon and as often as you can!"
THE END
(Reader's Comments invited at email: nelson99@comporium.net )