VAKIFLI.com

Boǧos Kehyeoǧlu stands among the congregation at a church service and looks out of the window.

Boǧos stands with his grandson, Boǧos Kehyeoǧlu. “I don’t have one, but I wish I’d had a photo taken with my grandfather,” the elder Boǧos said with tears in his eyes.

Boǧos Kehyeoǧlu, 82, is not a native of Vakıflı – he moved there as a child – but he has become a fixture of the village. He routinely dons a gray tweed newsboy cap and loafers with the backs folded over, and he uses a wooden cane to help negotiate the steep hills of his neighborhood. He is hard of hearing and can’t remember the details of his life, including his exact age, but he has no shortage of stories, especially of his time in the military.

“I was very fond of the work I did [when I served],” he says.

For the two years he was a soldier, Boǧos worked with vehicles. As he remembers, he took care of six GMC trucks, and he worked with wood, building a garage and polishing tables. But what stands out in his mind, what has not been lost with age or time, are his friendships from then.

“One time,” he says, “I convinced eight men to run away from the base to go see a movie. ‘Just do whatever I say,’ I said. And you know what they said? ‘This Armenian is a devil!’”

His cheeks bloom with color, and his jowls shake as he laughs. He leans back and grips his cane handle with trembling hands.

“I was very comfortable [in the military],” he says.

Boǧos talks of his commanders with respect and fondness. He tells of their acceptance of him, their unconventional attitudes – one let Boǧos and his fellow soldiers grow beards and mustaches – and their friendliness.

“They were good, decent men, but tough.”

Now, Boǧos’ own grandson, also named Boǧos, is almost at military age. At 15, the younger Boǧos is edging toward adulthood. Following his grandfather’s example, Boǧos works in the orchards, but he plans to study agricultural engineering. And like his grandfather, Boǧos is easily recognizable around the village. He wears his customary muddied yellow rain boots and black-and-white Beşiktaş jersey. Beşiktaş is one of Turkey’s most popular soccer teams, and the younger Boǧos is an ardent fan of the game.

“I tell him not to play [soccer] when it’s hot outside because he comes back in dripping sweat,” the elder Boǧos says affectionately.

The relationship between grandfather and grandson is strong. The two share a home, and the younger Boǧos has taken to watching his grandfather light candles at church. At his advanced age, the elder Boǧos no longer has steady hands. Both also carry on the tradition of being a “Boǧos.” The family name has been passed down through generations, and now Boǧos and Boǧos have started a new tradition: making Vakıflı home.

After visiting his neighbors, Azaduhi and Hayrabet Babek, Boǧos takes leaves to feed his cows.