A Hoça Story from Barbara Walker
In Turkey, hoça stories are repeated as everyday wisdom. Nasreddin hoça is a country preacher or priest of Islam who is sometimes wise, sometimes foolish, always lovable and very human. Hodja stories don't begin "Once upon a time," or even with the Turkish version of that, "Once there was and twice there wasn't." They begin with something like "That reminds me of the time the hoça. . ."
Once in Ankara, Barbara was sick and asked the doctor, "How long until I get well? Will I be able to take the cruise ship back the way we came, or will I have to fly back?"
The doctor said, "What a silly question! That reminds me of the time. . ." and the doctor continued with a story:
Nasreddin hoça was resting after a hard day of working in his field.
A man called to him from the road, "Hoça, effendi, how long will it take me to get to that village over there?"
The hoça looked at the man and at the village, but said nothing.
The man thought, Well, the hodja is either a little deaf or a little stupid, and asked him again, "Hoça! Effendi! How long will it take me to get to that village over there?"
The hoça looked at the man, looked at the village, looked at the man again, and said nothing.
A third time the man called out, speaking louder and very precisely, "Hoça, effendi, how long will it take me to get to that village over there?"
Still the hoça did not answer but only shrugged his shoulders.
At last the man started walking, stamping his feet and muttering to himself about the rude treatment he had received. Then the hoça called out after him, "Fifteen minutes."
The man turned around and shouted, "Why didn't you tell me that the first time I asked?"
"Because," said the hoça, "I did not know how fast you were going to walk!"
Happily for Barbara, her illness "walked fast enough" that she was able to take the cruise ship home with Warren.