Hearing my words

Chapter 29

Nihat looked over at Mevkibe, what was his younger daughter up to now.

"There is no question as to what you will do, your room is ready and it is time for you to come home." he said.

"Baba, please, listen to what I have to say before you say anything, please!"

"Sanem, enough!"

She suddenly stood, Can looking between the two, he knew this might not end well and if Sanem decided to leave he would ask to go with her. He would leave the agency for Leyla and Emre to run and would consult with them as needed. He would not lose her again.

"This is the problem! This is why I left in the first place. No one, and I mean no one, listens to what I have to say. People judge me, tell what I can and can't do, decided where I will work, live, marry. I have had enough." she looked at Can "I left because Can wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't let me explain what had happened. Well, No more. This is why I wasn't sure I could come back to Istanbul." she picked up her bag and turned to leave.

"Sanem!" said Mevkibe "Please, sit down. Nihat, we will listen to what Sanem has to say.  She is an adult and has been out on her own, making her own money, so we will now treat her like an adult."

Sanem sit back down, and she could literally hear the breath that Can let out, she almost laughed but kept it in. She looked over at Leyla, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Go ahead, talk daughter." said Mevkibe.

"This was, is a very hard decision for me. I love you all  but living on my own has helped me to grow up and made me able to stand on my own two feet. I want to come home, well, back to Istanbul."

Nihat started to say something but Mevkibe placed her hand on his leg.

"I miss my home, my family and friends. I learned a lot about myself and now I understand that I made it easy for others to use me. But, I am not that naive little girl anymore. I have learned by experience. I have made my dream, well, part of my dream come true. I have written a best selling novel." she stopped and took a sip of tea. "So, now I am ready to come home but with conditions."

Can shifted in his seat, he knew that it would be these conditions that could keep her from coming home.

"We are your parents Sanem, you will to listen to us." Nihat said.

"Baba, I have listened to you all my life but now it is time for me to live my life my way."

"What are these conditions?" asked Mevkibe, she knew that whatever they were, Nihat would be upset, she wanted her daughter back home and she was willing to go against Nihat to make that happen.

"Right now, I plan on staying at a hotel downtown but soon I will move and settle at the place I plan to live. I plan to write my second novel as per my contract agreement. I have enough money to live but plan to work." she looked at Can "I was hoping that I could do some consulting with the agency, I don't want to work there full time but just when needed but not with Huma."

Can looked shocked, he smiled at her and shook his head "The agency has missed your unique way of looking at things. You always have a place there."

She smiled back at him and then continued "I have found a place to live, a little outside of Istanbul but right now I don't want anyone to know where that is. I still need my space and the ability to get away from all the issues that can still occur. The place I have found is perfect, the woman who owns the property and I have become good friends and I know she will watch over me just as my Anne would."

 Nihat stood and screamed. "I will not allow my daughter to be off by herself and me not knowing where she is!"

"Baba, right now that is what I want."

"Never!"

"Nihat, sit down." said his wife. "How long will you keep where you living from us?"

"Just until I am sure no one will interfere with my life and the choices I make.  I cannot be sure what is going to happen between Can and I and I am still afraid that things that happened before still may happen. I don't know where she is or what Huma may try to do to me again. I don't want to have to deal with her right now. So that is another reason I want my home to stay unknow. I don't even want her to know I am back in Istanbul. I don't want anyone who would even tell her I am back to know where I live."

Nihat started to say something again but Mevkive spoke first  " So we just accept what you want or what?"

"I will stay where I am, I will go back to where I have been living. I will call and visit and even let you know where I am eventually, but I will leave Istanbul."

She could tell that no one was pleased with her demands, Can had stayed quiet and she couldn't read his face to tell what he was thinking.

Leyla spoke "I say I must agree with Sanem, she went through so much. You don't know half of what she has been through because of Huma and the women she kept trying to fix Can up with. Huma wants to make sure that Sanem and Can are never together again. If she finds out Sanem is back she will do whatever she can to hurt her but if she can't find Sanem then she won't be able to hurt her."

"So, what is going on between you and Can?" her Anne asked.

"Right now, we are getting to know each other as friends, we both went through a lot. I want to know I can trust him not to treat me the way he did before. And he needs to know that he can trust me."

Can looked sad but he knew that he also would have to agree with what she wanted and since he had no clue as to if Huma had left Istanbul he knew it was for the best if she didn't find out Sanem was back. He just hoped that they didn't run into each other before Sanem settled in her new home.

Sanem looked at her parents, she knew they were both upset, her baba especially but her mother looked thoughtful.

"Ok, as long as you agree if things start happening, if you don't feel safe you will call us and let us come to you."

"Anne, I promise, I don't want anything but some continued peace right now."  she looked at Can who still hadn't said a word. "Do you think we can talk together for a while, there are things I need to tell you."

"Evet, I would like to spend some more time with you."

Her baba had still not said a word and she stood and went to kneel by his chair. "Baba, please trust me, I just need a little time but I want to be closer to home where if I need you all I have to do is call."

With tears in his eyes, Nihat nodded his head yes and hugged his daughter close. They talked a little more about what had made her come to these decisions. Mevkibe knew Nihat was not happy but she would talk with him later. She trusted Sanem, she had proved she was capable of taking care of herself. 

Leyla walked Emre to the door to say goodnight and then went to her room. Can and Sanem said their goodbyes to her parents.