10 Minutes

Albus

August, 1 2018

The flight had been long enough no without having to add a connection at the last minute because of an emergency. The moment the plane hit the ground he opened his eyes and stared out of the window. Turkey, home. It was always a welcome sight but none better than today. He had been gone for longer than he anticipated but it had proven to be worthwhile and much needed. The tension of the last few years between his sister and father had become intolerable. For his part he had basically written his farther off and rarely gave him much of an opportunity to get under his skin. He was the eldest and he had been off on his own by the time the troubles began at home. Leyla, being five years younger took the brunt of it. She had been his father's joy and delight. All of that changed one day and the idyllic life that he remembered as his childhood was gone forever. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before standing and shaking himself mentally from his thoughts. That was then. He reached for his laptop bag and his backpack. At 6'2" he had to lean over a bit to not hit the bulkhead above him. He normally enjoyed traveling first class and certainly had the means to do it, but the flight cancellation and connection ended up seating him in coach. It wasnt bad but it wasn't comfortable. He made his way down the aisle and out of the plane joining the hundreds of other passengers in the search for their luggage. No sooner had he turned on his phone and retrieved his bags that it rang reminding him exactly why he had returned. "I'm almost there Ablacim. I don't think you've ever been this excited to talk to me .... what's up". The laughter in his voice gave him away. "Can.....your not even remotely funny. You were supposed to be here yesterday. The wedding is in three days and you have three interviews today. Remember? Cerren quit and I'm getting married and leaving for three weeks! Does any of that ring a bell?" Leylas voice grew louder as she pronounced every syllable so clearly he thought she might actually come through the phone. "Yes, I get it. Relax, I was just teasing you. Come on Abla, you know I can juggle and run at the same time. Don't worry, I'll have everything under control before I walk you down the aisle". The moment he said those last few words he knew he had recklessly wandered into a minefield. She was silent on the other side and he felt the chill where he stood. Damn! He hadn't meant to bring back bad memories but it was too late now. "Leyla ..... I'm sorry Abla, I didn't mean to bring you down. Please believe me, everything will be fine. We... you and I will be fine.  I will be so proud to see you married. We're all the family we need Abla. We are all we need". He waited a few seconds listening intently for a response and exhaled when she finally said "love you big brother. Your right we're all we need".

The traffic was insane and it wasn't looking like it would clear up anytime soon. "Please, let me off right here I will walk the rest of the way". The taxi driver looked at her with an apologetic face "I'm sorry Sanem Hanim, this time of day everything is jammed". Sanem smiled and paid the old driver that she had known since childhood. "It's alright Serkan amka, if you see mom tell her you dropped me off safe and sound". She smiled and got out quickly winding her way around the cars as she crossed the packed four lanes of traffic. She was near the crosswalk as the traffic crossing over sped by. A single car moved around the slower traffic, honking at her as it maneuvered the corner quickly and swerving away from her at the last moment. Never once slowing down. Sanem had jumped back nearly dyeing of fright. She gulped and squealed as she held her backpack to her chest. She could have been splattered like a bug on the windshield. "Idiot, buffoon, imbecile who gave you a drivers license" she yelled into the air with her fist raised high. She jumped again when four or five car horns sounded off. She turned, looking at the angry faces of drivers at their wheels as she stood in the middle of traffic holding it up. A nano second later she was on the curb talking to herself and adjusting the backpack as she prepared to walk the two blocks to get to the office of "Natural Planet" magazine. She looked at her watch and cursed as she was already a few minutes late. She was never late, never. "Ah Sanem, Ah..... you are going to loose this job before they even read your resume. Damn traffic. Damn reckless driver. I hope you got where you were going on time!" she grumbled as she walked quickly down the street.