Early Bird (Erkençi Kus)(Part 1)

82. That was too close

"Deren, I'm done with the corrections and I've double checked everything. You can use the presentation I'm sending through now," Can clicks 'send' and taps the side of the table as he waits for it to go through.

"Are you coming in to do it?" Deren asks.

"No, I'm not. I trust you, you'll do a good job."

"Alright Can."

"Let me know how it went." He hangs up and looks up to see where Sanem went, but she was already coming back to the table and taking her seat. She looked a little preoccupied with her own thoughts so he decides to leave her in peace. "Sanem, I'm done, you can continue with it."

"Okay, thank you," she nods and pulls the laptop over to face her while he gets up.

"Just out of curiosity," Can pauses, "where do you write this novel you said you were busy with?"

"Mr Can?" Sanem looks up at him in confusion.

"You said you don't have a computer at home. Where do you write your novel?"

"Oh," Sanem looks back down at the screen. "I write it in a notebook with a pen... There's just something very poetic about pen and paper to me and I love the smell." She shrugs and looks up at him again. "But I've stopped writing." I don't have any inspiration anymore. And once you leave, the little I did have will be gone too.

"Why?" he asks, frowning at her indifference. This was something she sounded very passionate about before. Why would she just stop?

"I changed my mind. Being a novelist isn't exactly the most reachable of dreams, you know? Or so I've been told..." She trails off for a moment then looks back down. "Besides, I don't think I want to write anymore." Sanem starts typing over her summarizations for the meeting then, cutting the line of conversation short right there.

Can was surprised by how she just shook it off like it meant nothing to her. He wanted to know why. Bothered by this, he keeps looking at her, waiting for her to look at him again, but she doesn't. And so, even though he wasn't keen on her just dropping the topic, he sighs quietly and then walks into the house, leaving her to herself outside.

**

"May God forgive me," Nihat moans guiltily. "Melihat, why did you get me started on these?" he complains as he points a fistful of seeds at her, before putting two more in his mouth.

"Well, I can't eat all of them myself, and Mevkhibe said to eat."

Nihat groans and swallows, shaking his head. "Mevkhibe..." Like he's conjured her, Mevkhibe comes around the corner, walking fast and with purpose. "Mevkhibe!" He jumps to his feet. "Where have you been? Why did you leave the store alone? What if they came and robbed us?"

"Who would rob us? And do I ever ask you how you can just leave the store when you come home for lunch? Hm?" Mevkhibe takes a seed and bites it in half. "Don't tell me what to do, Nihat, I know what to do. I'm a businesswoman and I'm busy with a strategy here."

"You hear that? Your wife has a strategy Nihat," Melihat looks at him next to her, nudging his side with her elbow.

"What strategy? What are you talking about Mevkhibe?"

"Listen, Melihat," Mevkhibe talks to Melihat, ignoring Nihat's question. "I'm going to have a little something here at the store for all the neighbors and you have to help me get everything ready."

"Alright," Melihat nods. "What is it we're doing?"

"We're going to celebrate the store and how well it's been doing with a small street party."