During a brief layover at the Gaziantep bus station today I stopped in to buy a bag of Doritos and a candy bar. The guy behind the counter recognized me.

“Have you made it to Van?” he asked.

“No,” I laughed, “not yet, it’ll be another month.”

I wanted to compliment his memory, but I forgot the word for “memory.” Instead, I told him his brain was very strong.

“Thanks,” he said, “it’s a gift from god.”