A chance to love again

LII

Sanem

We spent two days in the hotel in the company of our loved ones, then everyone left and we also went back to real life in my flat, it feels so strange to think of us as husband and wife and to start establishing our routines as such.

While I am in the shower Can prepares an excellent dinner of meat and vegetables, he is very attentive to what I eat and tries to make sure I have a healthy and balanced diet, I set the table on the terrace and while we are having dinner we talk for a long time deciding, by common consent, that it is now time to go back to Istanbul.

Can proposes that we spend a romantic honeymoon on a boat, sailing down the Italian peninsula, stopping off every now and then to visit a few characteristic places to prevent me from getting too tired from the journey. I'm excited by the idea, the decision is made, we'll be ready to leave within a couple of days. I sigh nostalgically, I will miss Camogli and I will miss Italy, I lived a different life here, which has changed me deeply and made me stronger, but it's time to come back, we are both aware of it, our life is in Turkey.
We go out to dinner with Elisa the following evening to say goodbye properly and thank her again for all she has done for us. Can especially wants to express his gratitude to her.

-Thank you for being a sincere friend to Sanem, a real guardian angel for her here in Italy and if it wasn't for you, for your foray on the beach that morning in Ischia and the invitation to come and visit the residence's restaurant, I think this wonderful but very stubborn woman would never have allowed me to open my heart to her.

This is how I discover Elisa's role in Can's decision to come to my table to clear up the misunderstandings between us and confess her feelings. I pretend to be indignant but in the end I thank her sincerely for allowing the situation to begin to clarify and events to take the right turn.

I hug her tightly when it is time to leave, I renew my invitation to visit us soon in Istanbul and I recommend that we keep in touch, don't lose sight of each other, she has been an important presence in the last few months for me, I will miss her calm presence so much.

We leave Camogli the next morning, I'm excited about the idea of my first boat trip and fascinated by Can's mastery in steering the boat, it's a sight to see him proud and beautiful at the helm of the boat that flies lightly over the crystalline waters of Liguria.

We sail close to the coast to admire Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola and then decide to moor in the crystal clear waters of Riomaggiore, a delightful village with its typical brightly coloured houses. We got off the boat for a stroll through the quaint little shops on the main street and then for a romantic candlelit dinner overlooking the sea.

In the following days we head south along the coast stopping in the port of Pisa, to visit the famous leaning tower, then we do a panoramic tour sailing along the coasts of the picturesque island of Elba then we moor the boat in Ostia to reach by taxi the eternal city, Rome, where we stay in a small hotel in the city centre so that I can visit it without getting too tired. What a thrill to see the Colosseum and the Trevi fountain! I felt like I was dreaming, all that wonder in just a few days seems to saturate the eyes' ability to register so much beauty all at once.

We set off again for Naples, the city that had seen our paths diverge is now the destination of our honeymoon together, my heart squeezes when I think back to how confused I felt as I left this city only a couple of months before.

We go ashore and are met by Matteo, a close friend of Can's, who is thrilled at the idea of meeting me and at the news that Can will soon be a father. We spend a wonderful evening having dinner at his house with his wife and son. I am thrilled to see how Can interacts with the little one, who soon manages to involve him in a car race on the track drawn on the carpet in his room.

Instinctively I bring a hand to caress the baby bump that seems to be growing at a fast pace lately, I am sure he will be a great father for our baby. Matteo notices my gesture and my adoring look, he puts his hand on my shoulder and whispers with amusement - I'm glad you managed to clear things up between you, Can was really desperate when he was here last month, I'm sure he will be a great husband and a wonderful father, he is a good person and deserves all the happiness he can get after what he experienced in his childhood -

I nod, moved by his words, it's true, Can is in dire need of love, stability and family, I didn't realise it myself when I saw him so strong and independent, but with time I realised that his desire for freedom was more a lack of belonging to a place and to someone, he was moved by the restlessness that came from being so alone, without important affections except for the closeness of his father. I will do everything to make him feel loved and surrounded by family warmth and affection, this will be my mission for all the years to come, I solemnly promise myself.

In the following days we visit Naples and then leave again, touching some cities in Sicily, Greece, Crete, Izmir and then finally Istanbul.

We are finally home, together, ready to start our lives as husband and wife, it seemed surreal and wonderful when I think of how lonely and desperate I was when I left Istanbul.

Can stretches out a hand towards me in an invitation to join him at the helm, takes me in front of him, wraps his arms around me and whispers softly.

- Are you ready to start your new life with me aşkım, my love? -

-Ready, I look forward to sharing every day of my life with you Mr Divit, I will do everything to make you happy, it will be my mission for all the years to come, söz, I promise -