10 Minutes

"What have you Done?"

The morning started out as dreary and dark as the night ended the previous day. It seemed as if though from the moment they touched down in Istanbul all corner of the world were determined to make things as difficult as possible including the weather. She was thankful for all the support from her family but all she could think of was Can. She knew that he would most likely be released this morning but the waiting was literally killing her. Since the night before she had had little to eat and had drank enough coffee to make her climb the walls. Every moment of this nightmare they were living seemed to stem from one man. Never before in her life had she felt such disgust and anger for one human being. She had spent the better part of the night reliving all the horror of reading those text messages. Over and over again she recalled what he said and how she had felt, a combination of fear and anger had twisted her stomach into knots. Now she stood once again, both restless and fatigued, and paced the floor of the police station where she waited for Can's release. Metin was just inside the doors while her father waited with her. She had been surprised by the support both her parents had shown her when she with Metin explained what Can was going through and just who they thought was involved. Aziz had sat with them most of the morning before and had left to get them both a coffee when Metin emerged with Can following behind him. Sanem stood stock still as he signed a form at the plexiglass covered desk and then walked slowly toward her. She wasn't sure what to do in that moment, fear seemed to grip her as she struggled to get a grip on her emotions, for him. She wanted to run and hug him but instead she froze as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Can walked up to her and with the tenderness that she had always known him to possess, cradled her face in his palms and kissed her forehead. He murmured into her hair by her temple "I'm so sorry bebek, so sorry for all of this". She nodded her head from side to side and kissed the middle of his palm while she held the other in her hand. "Seni seviyorum Can, Seni Seviyorum".
Nihat held his wife's hand as he told her what had been discussed at Metins office just after leaving the police station. He told his wife that he had witnessed that "love" that Sanem had spoken of when she had told them that she and Can had reunited. He told her that he had also witnessed a side to Sanem he had not seen before. They as her parents had always sought to protect her. She was the only female and the youngest and seemingly most frail. He realized that perhaps their traditions didn't always take into account that the women in their families and  communities  carried great burdens in raising families, supporting their spouses and being daughters as well. It left little time for themselves. It made him question how he had treated his own wife. Turning to Mevkibe he asked her if she was happy, if she had been happy as his wife. "Nihat....why these questions? Have I complained about being your wife, about our life, our shop? Please don't think these things. I know we are walking into new territory with our daughter, in fact with Leyla as well. They are modern, independent but we are not so different. We all want the same things in the end. We want to be loved and respected and considered and sometimes we also don't know what we want because we too are human. I have had a wonderful life at your side. We were raised the same. Our traditions have mattered dearly to us because that was all we knew. Now... now we must consider our children and the traditions they will build in their own homes. If we are to remain close to them we must make room for those traditions and respect them as well. It may be difficult to change but it is not impossible. For instance, we can begin with one simple thing. You do the laundry and I'll watch the futbol. How about that?" Mevkibe smiled at her husband with her eyes lit with a bit of merriment. Nihat raised his eyebrows and smiled as well. He knew she was joking but deep inside he heard what she said. He squeezed her hand and kissed it gently. "Seni Seviyorum Mevkosh...."

Metin finished the email he had prepared and stood to gather his things for the day. He had expected the file from Italy to arrive by now, but nothing had shown up. He had spent most of the day arranging the documents necessary to proceed with the defense he needed to mount in the event that Can would be formally charged with the woman's murder, but as of yet that had not been the case. The search was still on for the child and it had intensified and made it to the press. Along with that, photos of Can's beating in the park had also made it to the social media pages. It was a fiasco and he knew as well as the others did that it all stemmed back to Yigit. He was on his way out to speak with Can and Sanem about what needed to be done next but he thought about it and made a call first. When Sanem picked up he told her that he still had some loose ends to tie up and that it would be better to meet tomorrow, early in the afternoon. She agreed and soon he was out the door. He had a stop to make and after that he would spend the remainder of the evening going through all the information he had gathered and that which Miribahn had shared. Can would know soon, but it would not be coming from him. He would make sure of that tonight.