A Man of Few Words

How Fruit Connects Me to My Turkish Father-in-Law

My father-in-law is a man of few words; his silence is often punctuated by impatience, which can cast an air of distance between us. Our relationship has unfolded primarily through the voices of my husband and mother-in-law, serving as intermediaries in a world where my father-in-law seems unsure of my place. This is not the bond I had envisioned, yet I’ve come to understand that he shows affection in the most unexpected ways, through the simple gift of fruit.

Pomegranates and Figs from his Orchards

*This one’s a little closer to the heart, so it’s living behind the paywall.