Made For Me

Chapter 1

Nazli POV 

I come awake with a start, my heart hammering in my chest as my mind tries to shake the horrible nightmare that keeps playing this time of the year. My parents passed away in August and the nightmares during this time are a reminder of that tragic accident. I could never forgive myself for that day, the guilt hasn't stopped consuming me since. 

On the day I turned 14, I was officially declared an orphan and placed under government care. With no family to turn to, I spent the next four years in an orphanage, where I grew into a quiet and shy teenager who made one friend, Fatos. I suppressed my dark feelings and took all that energy on my schooling. This eventually paid off because I was granted a scholarship to attend Anadolu University in Eskişehir, Turkey to study gastronomy, my mother's passion. My bestie, Fatos was also granted money to pursue a degree in fashion merchandising. Throughout our college years, we made sure to maintain a strong grade point average to secure a brighter future. After graduation, we remained in Eskişehir where we faced a lot of challenges finding employment in our fields. Most places don't want to hire entry level applicants. So we took up house cleaning jobs to make ends meet. We stayed in Eskişehir for 4 years to save up enough money to move to Istanbul.

When we relocated to Istanbul, we found a small two-bedroom apartment which to us felt like a high residential condo. It took us a year to fully furnish it, mostly with second-hand furniture and I loved it. Then I was lucky to secured a part-time role as a dishwasher at Arby's restaurant. My Arby's salary wasn't enough so I continued cleaning houses to make ends meet to support myself. 

Now at the age of 26, I'm a junior chef at Arby's and I sincerely hate my job. Because Arby's is an American Franchise we weren't allowed to create new recipes or buy fresh foods from the farmers market. Feeling creatively stifled, I felt a stroke of luck when Ms. Ebru, an old client, referred me to her wealthy acquaintance who is in need of a maid with culinary skills. She sampled my food and loved it, so she believes I would be an ideal fit for the role. Today is the first day at my new job and my nerves are all over the place. 

"Fatos, I'm so nervous," I confess, taking a sip of my coffee and nervously biting my lip—a habit that surfaces when I'm anxious. 

"What's the difference between that fancy house and the houses we've cleaned?" 

"This one is a fancier house than the other houses we've cleaned"I echo her movements.

"Don't worry, you'll do great. I'm confident the homeowner will be impressed by your bathroom-cleaning skills." Fatos says playfully

I nudge her "stop playing." Shaking my head, I steer the conversation away from me, I'm still that timid girl from the orphanage. "How's everything at the Atelier?" 

She sighs "It's been okay. My manager is a tyrant but I like learning which makes it bearable." 

I embrace her warmly and in true Fatos and Nazli tradition, I ask her to lower herself slightly so I could kiss the top of her head. "Learn all that you can and soon you'll be ready to style clients. I've seen you put looks together and they look great. Remember it's you and me against the world." 

"You and me, twigs" She repeats nodding. Since the first day we met, Fatos has called me twigs. 

When I first stepped foot into the orphanage, my voice was but a whisper, I was a shell. I kept to myself, speaking only when necessary. Avoiding eye contact, I carried the weight of my past, the memories of that fateful day haunting me. My mind wanders to that day "Why can't I go out with my friends?!" I stomped around the kitchen as my parents were preparing themselves for work.

"Nazli don't make me raise my voice." My mother pointed at me sternly. 

"Why can't I be a normal teenager and go out with my friends. Selin parents let her do whatever she wants."