Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 3)

99. What a woman can't do

It was just past one o'clock when Sanem, Deren and Can return to the agency to worried faces pacing and waiting anxiously. As soon as they're spotted, the entire group turns and comes closer.

"Sanem, how was it? Did we get it?" JJ is the first to ask.

"We did!" Sanem beams with a nod, handing off the bags and posters in her hand to Ahmet to put down and they cheer, high fiving each other and laughing. Can smiles behind Deren who looks just as happy.

"Can?" Emre comes through from the other side with a big smile at the cheering employees. "We got it?"

"Yes," Can confirms. "Extra time in the last heat but we did it." He hugs Emre who grins wider.

"Awesome." He claps Can on the back. "How did you convince him to reconsider?"

"McKinnon didn't want to leave us to begin with. He was just upset and he overreacted." Can gives Deren a look and she shrugs it off. It was water under the bridge after all. "He wasn't sure how to proceed initially, he didn't want to be caught up in Fabbri's games. On the one hand, he didn't want to look like he was surrendering to his schemes and let him think he was winning, and on the other he wanted us to convince him he was making the right choice in staying. It was very confusing but we settled it. He liked the campaign very much, he says it's excellent."

The group cheer and applaud and he claps along with a grinning Sanem next to him.

"I'm hearing positive reactions!" Huma sings and pushes through to the front. "Congratulations?"

"Yes," Emre nods and smiles at his brother again.

"Well, then congratulations son," Huma says to Can.

"Thanks," Can turns away and clenches his jaw.

"Your heard about your fforts in this," Huma turns to Deren with an impressed smile. "Well done dear."

"Oh, er, thank you so much Mrs Huma," Deren smiles back and looks around her. "On behalf of everyone." Her eyes catch Sanem's smile faltering and she looks away uncomfortably.

Sanem was so hard up to be accepted by Can's mother, it caught her a little. Huma was aware that Sanem was behind most of it but not a single congratulations came her way and it was hurtful. I will never have her blessing...

**

Muzaffer kicks the door of the store open and Nihat startles. He was busy stacking diaper packs in the corner.
"Hello uncle Nihat, how are you?" Muzaffer looks behind him. "Where should I put this auntie M?"

"On your mother to keep her in her grave."

"Stop doing that," Muzaffer groans and puts down the crate in his hands right there on a chair, "you two are always putting me in the middle. I'm innocent in this."

"What happened now?" Nihat asks.

"Mom complained about us to the police."

"Ah," Nihat says in surprise. "Why?"

"Aunt Mevkhibe and I decided to set up a table outside the house to sell our products." Mevkhibe glances at Nihat sheepishly, and he lifts a brow at her. She frowns and looks away with a pout. "We were doing very well too, our whole thing was working but my mother decided she wanted to be cruel and reported it. Next thing we were surrounded and almost arrested."

"Well done!" Nihat cheers sacrastically, lifting his hands.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mevkhibe asks.

"Just that your stupidity almost made us look like fools again. For years everyone's been paying taxes like good law abiding citizens but not Mevkhibe, no, she does what she wants just to be able to sell nonsense." He shakes his head. "I've told you how many times that you can't do it like that. I told you yesterday, I told you last night. But do you listen? Now you've been embarrassed and you want to complain. Bah!" he scoffs and turns away, back to his stacking.