Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 3)

46. The truth hurts

Sanem peeks around the corner into the kitchen, having just put on her slippers after getting home. She was nervous, playing with her fingers. She stops a foot away from the door and turns back. Stopping again, she takes a deep breath and continues on to the kitchen where she can hear her mother cutting something up.

Okay, here goes... "Mom?"

"Hm," Mevkhibe hums, not looking up, sniffing from the onion she was busy with.

Sanem pulls out the chair to her right. "What are you doing?" she asks and sits down.

"I'm cutting up onions, what does it look like? That's what I do. I'm a mother and wife, I have to feed you." Mevkhibe smiles at her and continues cutting.

"You're right," Sanem smiles and nods. Come on Sanem! She takes a deep breath. "Can we uhm, can we talk for a minute?" Sanem touches her mother's arm and Mevkhibe stops cutting to look at her.

"Of course honey. What is it?" Sanem hesitates and just looks at her. Mevkhibe lifts her shoulders. "What? Why are you frozen all of a sudden?"

Sanem looks at the knife. Oh God... She shakes it off and settles on looking her mother right in the eye. "Mom," Mevkhibe nods, "you were right."

"Of course I was. I'm always right," Mevkhibe smiles. "I don't know what I was right about but I was." Sanem gives a stiff smile. "So what was I right about?"

"Can," Sanem blurts and then closes her eyes. "I mean, Mr Can." Mevkhibe puts down the knife and Sanem touches her amber necklace and clears her throat.

"Mr Can?" Mevkhibe asks and then reaches for a raw piece of potato, taking a big bite and chewing.

"Mom, I'm in love with Can." Her mother stares at her midchew. "I love him very much. And he loves me. The news wasn't wrong. It's all true."

Mevkhibe blinks, gasping after not breathing for a few seconds and choking on the potato, her eyes wide.

"Mom?" Sanem's smile drops as Mevkhibe coughs and drops the rest of the potato. "Mom, are you okay?" Sanem panics and pats her mother's back. "Mom?!"

Mevkhibe keeps coughing, trying to breathe.

"Mom, Can and I love each other very much, it's nothing to be worried about."

Mevkhibe coughs more and Sanem pats harder.

"Mom, mom, are you okay?"

Mevkhibe stands up, coughing.

"We were photographed in each other's arms because we were hugging."

Mevkhibe glares through her coughing and pats her own chest.

"Are you okay? Mom? Do you want water?" Sanem runs to the other side of the table and pours a glass of water roughly, spilling half on the floor running back. "Drink this...Uhm, we were together and then broke up and now we're together again. We're a couple and we care about each other - Mom, I can't stop thinking about him. Really, it's all I think about."

Mevkhibe swallows the water, her eyes staring right through Sanem.

"We even write poems to each other." Sanem frowns and gulps at her mother's stare. "Mom? Are you okay? You're not mad at me? Is it because I'm telling you the truth?" Sanem smiles hopefully. "I knew if I just told you the truth you wouldn't be."

Mevkhibe's hand slowly reaches down to her slipper, Sanem not seeing this because she is still skiling at her. The slipper is raised into view and Sanem's smile drops. She looks from the slipper to Mevkhibe and her eyes widen just before Mevkhibe comes back to life. "I'll kill you!"