My Turkish Heart

Chapter 6

The morning rays woke up Izzy and she was trying to figure out where she was. Rachel had fallen asleep at her bedside and as she lifted her hand she saw the needle of the drip on it. She lifted herself up to get a better look of things, when Rachel woke up too.

"Hey Missy! How are you feeling? You gave us quite a fright"

"I'm okay.. Sorry only remember being a bit tipsy at the beach and the rest a bit of a blur to me"

"That's okay! You just rest up and I'll fill you in when we go home"

The doctor came in to check Izzy's vitals and recovery. He was pleased and said she could be discharged today. As they were getting ready to leave, Rachel went to the admin desk to go pay the bill. To her surprise they told her that it had already been paid by the gentleman in the tuxedo last night. She collected Izzy's medication and then they headed back to the lodge to change before heading home. They stopped for breakfast along the way and Rachel knew food always made Izzy talk easily.

"Hmm.. So what's up with you and Burak?" She asked casually as she continued eating.

Izzy looked puzzled by her question and stopped midway with her fork in the air.

"What do you mean? Just met at the launch, nothing else to it"

"Oh really? Just that?"

Now she sat pensive looking at Rachel.

"What do you mean? What else should there be"

"Well, he was quite worried about you last night and then this I found out this morning"

Placing the hospital bill in front of Izzy's plate.

"He paid your hospital bill before leaving the clinic last night. So spit it out sister! No man has ever been this generous to just a mere acquaintance"

Izzy read the bill of the hospital and gulped, knowing Rachel was right that no one was this generous in this day and age.

"Uh mm.. I really don't know what to tell you, Rach. We're not that close for him to do such outlandish things for me"

She continued eating pretending that it didn't phase her much, but on the inside she was freaking out about how and why he paid it.

" Hmm.. Do you know which company he was representing at the launch?"

Izzy barely knew anything about Burak, besides that he knew how to get her blood boiling easily.

"No, he never mentioned it at all"

"Because when I saw the car he drove, I knew for a fact he was not operating on a meager manager salary. So his definitely with one of the big fish companies"

" You probably know more than I do Rach"

She hoped Rachel would let it go for now so that she could solve this mystery herself when she got home. The whole trip now puzzled her and whilst they drove back she tried replaying each run-in she had with Burak to try and configure something more about him, but nothing added up. She took the next few days to rest at home before heading back into the office. Things were busy at the office when she arrived and Rachel was in one of her million meetings for the day. Izzy felt a bit of relief as she had hoped to not get grilled about Burak again when she got back and hoped that no one else in the office heard about it. Thankfully it didn't seem like anyone else heard and she could continue catching up on all the projects that were ongoing. By lunchtime Rachel had a quick breather and called her into the boardroom.

"So I've just gotten off the phone with the company we pitched to at the lodge. We've got the contract!!!!"

Rachel exclaimed as it was a big contract they had won.

"Wow! That's great news!"

"But... There's a little snag in it..."

She looked at Rachel perplexed anticipating what the snag might be.

"We have to tweak the pitch and go present it in Istanbul"

"Istanbul?? Like Turkey, Istanbul??"

Izzy seemed more confused than excited.

"Yes! Istanbul in Turkey, but they want you to present it"

"Me?? Why me? You're more superior than I am and would be more suited"

"I don't know, but they requested for you personally in the call. So pack your bags sister you leave in a week!"

Izzy sat in her chair still trying to wrap her head around the news. It even felt more strange that they requested  for her personally. The news did not even sink in yet and Rachel had already announced it to the rest of the team. Everyone was cheering and already made plans to go celebrate after work. It all felt so surreal to her and a bit hard to digest at the moment. She wondered if the trip had any connection to him, but thought she was just being paranoid. Burak was long gone and probably had forgotten all about her.

Time flew and it was a day before Izzy had to fly. She'd been quite nervous of the thought of flying there alone to present, but the team had the utmost faith in her so she had to suck it up. The nerves hit even more as she arrived at the airport. Rachel met up with her before she checked in and took her for coffee.

"Hey! Don't look so worried. It will all be a breeze. Also I made arrangements, so I can join you after a week in Istanbul, so we can hit the Grand Bazaar together, go for some pampering at the Turkish baths"

"Thanks Rach! I really appreciate your faith in me. Just all seems surreal to me to be honest, I'll be fine when I get settled in there"

"Have you heard from him again?"

"Heard from who?"

"Burak, of course!"

"Oh.. No, I haven't since we left the lodge. Why would he even contact me, Rach? Don't be silly"

Izzy brushed it off hoping Rachel wouldn't pick up on her hesitant replies, as she wondered often about him and where he was.

"Hmm.. What a strange man! Maybe he was just one of those good Samaritan kind of people, that's why he paid for your hospital bill"

"Yeah, maybe.."

Izzy shrugged as she secretly hoped it was more than just a charity gesture. As she got to the front desk, the check in officer told her that she had been upgraded to first class.

"I don't think that's right, can you check again please? Must be a mistake somewhere"

"Yes, Ma'am you have been upgraded by the person who purchased the ticket"

"I see.. Thank you"

Izzy was very puzzled as she returned from the desk and stared blank at Rachel.

"What is it? You look in a daze Iz?"

"My ticket has been upgraded to first class. I asked the check in officer to check again, but they said the person who purchased it changed it to first class"

"Wow! Someone at the company must really be impressed by you" She nudged Izzy jokingly.

Could it be him?... No! How? This doesn't make any sense she wondered.

She laughed it off as the whole trip seemed now mysterious to her. It all sounded too good to be true just for a presentation that she could have done via Zoom. When she finally boarded the plane she sat in awe at how comfortable and luxurious the first class was. The flight attendants were very accommodating and it made her trip really enjoyable whilst she worked on the presentation.