Serkan, recently divorced, has fought to overcome a tragedy. Feeling responsible for the death of his son and the end of his marriage, he's suffocated himself with work. What has kept him afloat is his best friend's unending support and an unlikely...
My brain was in overdrive, so I stayed awake the whole night.
At dawn, I showered and wore the first clothes I could find. I wasn't hungry, so I forwent breakfast and went to the Bosphorus. It was around 6:30 in the morning; traffic was light, and the city was still waking up.
Sitting in front of the ocean, looking at the horizon, I'd often find my peace—the rhythm of the waves calming my heart and mind.
"Eda?" a male voice called, and I recognized it immediately, turning toward the man in question.
"Burak," I replied with a smile. "How are you? How's Deniz?"
He approached me, and I stood up so we could hug.
"I'm doing well. Deniz is still enjoying her fourth husband," he added playfully.
"Your cousin is something else," I agreed.
"I've got to make time before meeting with some suppliers. Would you like to hang out in the meantime?"
His invitation was welcomed. "Sounds great!" I responded, eager for a distraction.
Spending the morning with Burak was pleasant. He made every effort to make me comfortable. His conversation was easy; he didn't push. He just shared about the new dishes he was adding to the menu at his café chain. We spoke about his daughter, too.
The hours went by; we met with Burak's supplier. Then the time for me to go to the shelter arrived. Since I'd left home and taken a taxi earlier, Burak offered to take me. And he made a point to come in to greet Melo.
Melo was so excited to see him that she screamed! The children laughed at her antics and grew curious about who had arrived and caused such a reaction.
They immediately lost interest in the activity they were doing with Serkan.
"I think it's best if I go," Burak commented, amused. "I've got to hit the highway before the traffic gets bad. Melo, I invited Eda to visit me in Sile next week. You should come as well. Let's enjoy a weekend at the beach. Let's take advantage of having the entire hotel available to us for free."
"Tamam," Melo agreed, bidding him goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
Burak then turned to me, hugged me, kissed my forehead, and left.
I could feel Serkan's gaze on me. I breathed deeply and tried to ignore it for the time being.
Serkan attempted to catch the children's attention again with incredible difficulty. Burak's arrival had dispersed them, and they were very intent on talking and not building.
I assisted, walking around to re-engage the children, and noticed something was missing. Not something, someone.
"Melo, where's Kiraz?" I asked, coming to my friend's side and speaking softly into her ear.
My friend turned uncomfortable eyes at me.
"Melo, where is Kiraz?" I insisted.
Melo responded calmly, "Kiraz isn't feeling well, Eda. I think it's best we let her stay in bed." She didn't seem preoccupied with this, unlike me.
***
Eda via Twitter, November 21st 2020, 7:54 AM
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