Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 3)

106. The human buffer

Around 10 o'clock that morning, Can has just returned from a walk around the hotel grounds. He'd changed into exercise clothes and he was on his way to a meditation class that started in thirty minutes.

Coming out of the hotel's back entrance at the same time he reaches it, is Sanem, pulling at her rolled up sweatpant legs. She turns around quickly to head back up the steps when she sees him, hoping he wouldn't see her.

"This hotel is as small as the world it seems," he says to her in passing then stops to turn to her. She turns back and comes down the steps again. It was too late hide now.
"That saying is wrong by the way? The world is actually very very big, it's this hotel that's small."

"And spinning..." she mutters.

"Exactly."

Sanem hums and then squints one eye shut as she thinks about what he was actually saying. Right. "Be that as it may, there is more than enough to do." She looks around them. "Like get a massage, take a Turkish bath... Oohh, I saw a game room on the way out just now. That sounds fun."

Can nods. "I should just accept that we're going to keep running into each other, is that what you're saying?"

"If you want to enjoy all those things," she shrugs and nods that it was probably for the best.

"Okay, then you should do that too. Don't turn and run or hide, accept it and save yourself a lot of stress."

"Me? Run and hide?"

"Hm hm."

"I'm not running. Or hiding. I'm very peaceful actually. You're the one that seems to feel stressed."

"So, what happened to this seminar thing then?" Can asks, changing the subject. "I thought you came for that."

"I did."

"What's it for again?"

"Development. For example, we'll be discussing the negative impact of technology on humanity. It affects some people badly, causes negative emotions, personality disorders, abnormal patterns...It's really something if you think about it and you - "

"Sanem, Sanem," Can stops her and she blinks - in the middle of a very long winded explanation - looking at his hand on her arm. "Look over there." He points to a poster against a tree and just as she is about to touch his hand, he removes it, stepping back. "That explains a lot better what the seminar is about, I think."

Sanem reads it and taps her chin with her fingers. "I see," she clears her throat and crosses her arms. "I see... They changed the theme..."

"And what, they didn't tell you about this?"

"They did. Obviously. It would be unprofessional not to." Can nods. "I'm always involved with some kind of seminar. The one I'm talking about is probably some other time and I just got them mixed up. But I think this one is good too."

"Hm."

"You should come."

He turns back to her from looking at the trees along the trail. "What?"

"You're here to think right? Reflect on your life?"

Can scoffs. "I don't need help with that."

"Oh? Well, good for you then."

He nods again and starts to turn, giving her a two finger salute. He was done standing around.

"Or maybe you're just afraid that in joining, you might find you want to forgive me?"

Can stops. What did she say? He turns around, his hands going to his hips and his eyebrows lifting over his sunglasses. "Are you kidding me right now?" he huffs silently as she waits with a challenging bat of her lashes and crossed arms.