Synopsis: "Once There Was, Once There Wasn't"
Ben and Emine have a good relationship. They met in a college Microeconomics class, where Ben sat next to the attractive Turkish immigrant until she agreed to go on a date. Now, years since, they share an apartment in Boston. They both have accounting jobs, though Ben's a bit put out that Emine earns more than him.
At night, lying in a cramped bed, Emine tells Turkish folktales, often about a Muslim preacher Nasrettin Hoca, which always start with the curious phrase, “Once there was and once there wasn't.” Ben listens, amused. He calls his girlfriend his little Sheherezade. Emine is quick to point out that Sheherezade was Persian, not Turkish.
Over breakfast, Ben and Emine listen to radio news, which these days seems dominated by stories about Middle East violence. Ben sees himself as a patriotic American, and is outspoken about it. Emine keeps her mouth shut.
When an unexpected visitor arrives at the apartment, Ben goes sour. He has never liked Emine's brother Hasan, and Hasan has never liked him.
At dinner, a few glasses of wine into a friendly game, Hasan and Ben find themselves shouting insults at each other and on the verge of physical violence. Hasan leaves angrily, and his sister comes to bed in no mood to tell stories about the Muslim preacher.
The following morning, the radio is buzzing with reports of a plane crash in Miami. Ben starts wondering: before leaving, Hasan said he was going to Miami. Ben, the ever-concerned citizen, must now decide what to do.
On an impulse, Ben turns Emine over to the police for questioning, but when the report comes that the Miami crash was an accident, Emine is released. That night, the couple lies in their cramped bed. Emine tells the story of Nasrettin Hoca as before, but their relationship, and their understanding of each other, takes on a different hue.
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