Another Kind Of Promise

Chapter Thirteen

       Can made sure that Sanem got a cab and was on her way home before preparing to leave himself. Just a couple of emails to answer and then he would be on his way. 

      The drive to the restaurant could take a while with the traffic, and it was across the bridge in the Cukurcuma neighborhood. He would need to be on his way by 6:30 in order to be there on time. 

       He had never been to the Mikla restaurant, but it did have a reputation as being one of the finest rooftop restaurants in Istanbul. He had never thought it to be necessary for a work meeting to be conducted in such a prestigious place, but of course he wasn't the one asking for the meeting, and for some, it was all about appearances.

       With the distance and the traffic, he had barely made it on time. He grabbed his jacket from the backseat and patted the valet on the back as he headed for the front entrance. " Rooftop restaurant." He thought as he peered up at the top of the building, feeling uncomfortable without Sanem.

       The maitre d' welcomed him as the door of the elevator opened. " Welcome to Mikla sir, may I direct you to your party." The gentleman asked with a slight bow. 

       " Yes you may. Mr. Sahin please." Can replied, glancing around the area. He had been in a lot of elegant place before, and dined in some of the most elite atmospheres, but this had to be one of the top. 

       The man bowed again, " This way, your party is here." He answered, parading him through the statically placed tables. He was definitely glad he had followed the dress code, but with his light grey buttoned down shirt and black suit jacket, he still felt a bit out of place.

       As he followed close behind the maitre d' he headed to the tables closest to the windows. As Can looked ahead, that's when he spotted someone he knew, and they were headed straight for them.

       They stopped in front of the table where the two gentlemen were seated, " Mr. Sahin, your guest has arrived." He said, as he pulled the chair out for Can to sit.

       Can was hardly aware of Mr. Sahin, as he placed his hand in his for a welcoming handshake, "Hello Mr. Divit, it is certainly a pleasure." He said, giving him a firm handshake. Can's eyes had not moved away from the other person sitting at the table as he answered, " Mr. Sahin, thank you." He uttered, as he stared into the eyes of his once, longtime friend, Metin.

       Mr. Sahin cleared his throat, " Hmm, I hope you don't mind, but I asked my attorney to come along with us tonight. This is Metin Aksoy." He spoke quietly, feeling the uneasiness between the two.

       Metin stood, " Can, how are you. It's been a long time." He said politely, extending his hand to  him. Can hesitated for a split second before reaching for his hand, " Metin. Yes indeed it has been." He answered, feeling the heat rise to his face.

       Mr. Sahin looked back and forth between the two men, " Oh, so you two already know each other. Of course, I should have known." He babbled, motioning for Can to sit. " Mr. Divit, please have a seat. I hope having my attorney with me doesn't present a problem." 

       Can smiled a slight, cordial smile, " It's just Can sir, Mr. Divit was my father. And I have no problem with your attorney being here. In fact it's good to see that you have employed one of the best attorneys in Turkey." He replied, acknowledging Metin with a slight nod of the head.

       " I couldn't agree more Can. Metin has been a huge factor in the success of our company. And the fact that he is my brother-in-law is just icing on the cake, as they say." Sahin smiled broadly.

       Metin glanced at Mr. Sahin, giving him a smile and a nod, " Kerem, don't embarrass me in front of my old friend. I really didn't have anything to do with the success of your company." He said smugly. 

       " So, tell me how did you two meet. Ahh, let me guess.... It probably had something to do with work, so I say you two met during some legal problem..did you represent Fikri Harika in a corporate problem." He asked, shifting his eyes from one to the other. 

      Metin smirked, " No Kerem, we met long before that, didn't we Can. Longer than either of us want to admit." He told him, staring directly into his eyes.

      Can looked away, focusing on Mr.,Sahin, " We were childhood friends. Went to the same boarding school from fundamental schooling through high school. And we even did our basic college studies together, until Metin moved on to law school." Can explained, hoping that would satisfy his curiosity.

       " Really. You have known each other that long, and yet Metin has never mentioned you before." Kerem said, looking at Metin as if waiting for an explanation.

       Metin returned the look to Kerem, " Well let's just say that, it was a long time ago, and we were different people then. Wouldn't you say Can?" Metin spoke softly, almost unable to hear his words. 

       Can nodded, " I would say that Metin, but the memories are still there." He answered. " There are things that just stay with you, you know." 

       Metin smiled a huge smile, " I do. And by the way, how is Sanem. I hope she is doing well." The question made him twitch, I can't believe he is asking me about my wife, Can thought as he struggled to stay calm.  " She is fine. Better than ever. I know she will be surprised to hear they we had dinner together tonight. I can't wait to tell her." He snipped, as a touch of jealousy set up in his stomach.

       " If I had known we were meeting with Can's agency tonight, I would have insisted that he bring along his wife Kerem. She is quite a successful advertising agent. In my opinion, the best in the agency. But that was a long time ago also, is she still working with you?" He continued the assault, seeing that Can was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with talking about Sanem.

       Kerem sensed the tension as well, so he interrupted the conversation, " Well maybe next time Metin, now I think we need to get down to business. But I would certainly love to meet your wife at some point Can." He added, ready to move on to the business at hand.

       About midway through the meeting/dinner, Kerem excused himself to visit the restroom, leaving Can and Metin alone. The prefect opportunity for Can to try and smooth the waters. 

       " Metin, I wish I had been informed that you would be here tonight. But, maybe this is for the best, you know. Surprise meetings don't give you time to rehearse what might happen, you just react." He started, feeling the need to apologize for his hostile actions.

       " I am glad to see you Metin, it has been too long. Too long without a solution to what happened between us." He spoke with sincerity. Metin didn't reply, he just let him talk.  

       " I wanted Sanem to come with me tonight, but she wanted to stay home. We get a phone call from our son on Friday nights and she didn't want to miss it." He added. " She will be sad that she missed you." 

       Can hesitated, waiting for Metin to reply. " Your son, yes Tarkan. Akif has told me about him, and your daughter Emine. I'm glad you got what you wanted Can. But I am surprised."   Metin said quietly.

        " I underestimated you. But I always knew you would do anything to win.... Even changing who you are, to win.... Metin smirked.