The Goodbye Gift — Veda Hediyesi

Gül has worked at a hotel in Brighton for three years. She works at the reception desk with her friend Sam. Sam is funny and kind, and all the guests like him. Last week, he said he was going to leave the hotel.

Nobody knew why, and he didn't want to explain. The manager collected money from everyone for a goodbye gift. "Gül, you know Sam best. Can you buy it?" she asked. Gül said yes, but then she started to worry. What kind of gift does Sam really like?

She thought about a book, a watch and a nice scarf. But none of them felt right to her. Then she remembered their afternoon coffee breaks. Every afternoon, Gül used to make Turkish coffee in the staff room. Sam always watched her carefully while she was making it. "Your coffee is stronger than my jokes," he used to say. He even tried to make it once, but he burnt it.

So on Saturday, Gül went to a small Turkish shop. She bought a beautiful copper cezve and two small cups. She also bought a packet of fresh coffee. "This is better than a watch," she thought.

On Friday, everyone met in the hotel restaurant for Sam's party. There was cake, music and a big card with everyone's names. Gül gave Sam the gift and waited nervously. He opened the box slowly and looked at the cezve. For a moment he didn't say anything. Then he started to laugh, and everyone looked at him.

"This is perfect, Gül! Now I can tell you my secret." "I'm going to work at a hotel in Istanbul!" Everyone was surprised, but Gül was the most surprised of all. "I've already found a flat near the Bosphorus," Sam said. "And now I'm going to make Turkish coffee there every day." Gül laughed. "Then please don't burn it in Istanbul!"

Sam promised to send her a photo of his first perfect coffee. Two weeks later, the photo arrived on Gül's phone. The coffee looked great, and Sam was smiling behind it.