Holding On To A Promise

Chapter Eighteen

This meeting face to face with Sanems parents was a must if they were to move forward with their life together. Mevkibe had greeted him with warmth and affection, but the that was not the case with Mr. Nihat. Mevkibe led him to the garden where she had some fresh brewed tea and some biscuits. Always the hostess, never letting anyone think they were not welcome in her home. She motioned for Can to sit, " Please Can, make yourself at home. Nihat will be here shortly. Tea?" She asked, reaching for his cup. He nodded, " Of course."  Making eye contact with her, he smiled. This woman had always made him feel at home, had always made him feel like she really cared about him. His feelings for her were mutual, he would say that although he couldn't remember the loving feelings that he had for his mother, the feelings for Mevkibe must be the ones that anyone would have for their mother. 

As Nihat walked into the garden Can stood and extended his hand, making sure to look directly into his face. But that look of welcome was not as visible in his face as it had been on Mevkibes, but Can did not look away. He gave him the traditional kiss of the hand to show his respect, and a slight bow. The whole atmosphere of the garden changed as Nihat took his place at the table. Mevkibe carried on as usual, " Nihat would you like tea?" She asked, patting him on the hand. He hadn't relinquished that unnerving stare at Can, so he only nodded his answer. Can cleared his throat, knowing he must be the one to start the conversation, " I won't insult you both by making excuses for my behavior of the past year. But I would like to explain myself and my feelings. What ever you feel for me right now I know must be justified, but please give me a chance to change that." He pleaded, his voice low but strong. He looked first to Mr. Nihat, waiting for his reply. It took minutes before Nihat said his first words, with the silence making Can's  heart beat out of his chest. Can had never known Nihat Aydin to be hurtful or vindictive person, but he would certainly defend what was close to his heart, and that being his daughters.

"Mr. Can, I not sure if you know the amount of pain and sorrow that you inflicted on our daughter, but since I know there is always two sides to every story, I will give you a chance to explain." He replied, looking at him with doubt. Can felt the heat of embarrassment and fear rise up and through his body, this man wasn't about to go easy on him. Can swallowed hard trying to ease his dry throat, " I thank you Mr. Nihat, and that's all I ask, for you to listen and try and understand." He glanced at Mevkibe, hoping to see a bit of consolation in her eyes, or at best, some encouragement, but she to was staring, waiting for what he had to say. The words came from his mouth, but he wasn't sure what he was saying. " I know I hurt Sanem, and their is no forgiveness for that, but I also hurt myself by being selfish and unrealistic in the behavior of others. It has taken me many months of torment and heartache to see that. If I had known what Sanem was going through here, nothing would have kept me from returning home for her, but sInce I was in unaware, I had to live through my own pain to see what a mistake I had made." He spoke as the tears welled up inside his eyes, as hard as he fought against them they escaped and rolled noticeably down his cheek. 

As he relived what had happened that day at the cabin, the hurtful words that he had unleashed on Sanem and the extreme pain he felt in his soul for what she had done, he could see Mr. Nihat stiffen as he listened. But he left out nothing, he told every despicable account of what happened. Mevkibe had closed her eyes as the tears ran down her face as well, feeling the pain of both Sanem and Can as well. Can continued, " My heart was shattered, broken into a million pieces. Sanem was the one person that I trusted, I believed in her beyond anything.....and she had lied to me. So I ran, I wanted to be as far away from her as possible." He stood and walked to the end of the garden, trying to regain control of his heart. The recount of those days had ripped that wound open again, bringing back those feelings of betrayal and such a deep pain that it scared him. After a minute he returned to the table, ready to continue with his explanation. As he looked at Mr. Nihat he could see his face had softened, the reddness from his anger had gone away, and he was looking thoughtfully at Mevkibe. Can started once again, " There was never a day, an hour, a minute that I wasn't thinking about Sanem when I was gone. I will say that it didn't take me long to realize that forgiveness is one of my downfalls. But I begin to see that what Sanem had done was out of love for me, not to hurt me. And I put myself in her position, what would I have done, that's when I allowed myself to forgive...I came to the conclusion that I would have done that, and much more, if I thought for one second that someone was going to hurt her. 

Can sighed, " So in the past year, I have had many revelations. But the most profound was the fact that I can't live my life without Sanem, the last months have been more of a torture than the day I boarded that plane to escape my heartache. I'm in love with your daughter, and whether you accept it or not, that will never change the way I feel. She is the only person that I have loved and the only person I will love." He wiped the tears from his eyes, feeling as if he had just lived the worst part of his life again, but relieved that he was finally able to explain himself. Mr. Nihat bowed his head, as he felt the emotion of Cans confessions tighten his throat. Definitely Mr. Can was a different type of person than himself, but some feelings of the heart were not. There had been times in his own marriage that not understanding and listening to Mevkibe had brought on problems. But this was his daughter they were talking about, so things were felt differently. Nihat looked at Can, " Sanem is precious to me, and you caused and inflicted pain on her. Even if you didn't know about it, we did. But the fact that you recognize your shortcomings and have asked Sanem for forgiveness, it will totally be up to her to forgive you. And if she does, we will be more than happy to welcome you back into our family." His words couldn't  have sounded more beautiful to Can. 

His heart was lighter as he shook their hand, thanking them for the time to listen to him. 

Mevkibe hugged him at the door, giving him that feeling of acceptance again....

This was his home, and these people were his family....

And Sanem would be the love that would make him whole.....