Constantinople's Cherry

IV - 42. Baba-Kiz

Triple treat for my readers this week-end, and will be all for this week probably.

Enjoy !

....

"This is for you." Kiraz let out meaningfully, locking eyes with him, before she looked down on the piano and began playing.

Serkan's insides pained as he sharply looked at the young girl, she was playing The Times of Cherries.

The melody filled his heart and mind, Eda's memories flashing before his eyes and tears filled his eyes and fell in torrents, he sat down, sniffing and looking at Kiraz.

Lussine stared, as if part of a surreal experience, what was it about a stupid piano tune played by this annoying nagging student that made Serkan react like that ?

He held a hand to his lips and cried, watching Kiraz, and the more he watched her, the more she reminded him of Eda. 

And with a hammering heart, Serkan realised that it wasn't just because of the same melody she played. He wondered why he hadn't noted it before. She did look like Eda. It wasn't his imagination, and it wasn't just trauma, her profile while playing, even the way her hands moved on the piano, it was all Eda.

 She had a very similar appearance. He wondered if he was going senile, she looked so much like Eda. In body language too. And she looked up once she had finished, tears in her own eyes and looked at him. 

Their eyes locked, and Serkan knew. 

A whimper left his throat as his hand reached for her, Kiraz rose and walked to him. She bent to her knees, holding his hands.

"I am your daughter, Kiraz." Kiraz sniffed.

Serkan let out a strangled cry. "Ki - Kiraz" Was the first word he let out in over two decades.

Shock filled Lussine's face, her jaw dropping.

Serkan hadn't said a word in twenty two years, she had tried therapy, tried hours long of making him relax, try to coax some words, she had wasted years with his stubborn and trauma filled incapacited self. And he just spoke ?? Because of this girl ? 

Girl that was his daughter ? He had a daughter ?? A freaking daughter ? Rag filled her. 

Kiraz's lips parted in a grin, eyes full of tears of happiness, it was a miracle. "Papa, you're speaking again?" She said emotionally, squeezing his hands.

Serkan's chest exploded with pain but also joy, Kiraz ? Kiraz was alive. His baby. His Eda's last treasure. Their most precious baby. How much they had tried to protect and save her ? How much he had cried her and grieved her all these years. She was alive. She had just called him papa.

His trembling hand framed her cheek, she looked so much like Eda. "Kiraz, my Kiraz." He said again, sobbing and Kiraz smiled at him and nodded.

"I found you, finally." Kiraz sniffed with a happy smile.

Serkan caressed her head and craddled it in his lap, bending to kiss the top of her head and rubbing her  upper back protectively. "Oh Kiraz....Eda.." Serkan croaked to no one in particular, sobs wracking his frame.

He had promised Eda they would find Kiraz one day in Europe when he took her from her arms. And today was that day. But Eda wasn't here with him to see it. She had been so broken at splitting from her baby, and she wasn't here, his heart bled.

Lussine frowned, no...She had thought this daughter could be from a one night stand, some union with one of thes prostitutes Serkan visited after 1915, it would make sense with how she was completely French, she had actually believed in her student cover. But no... she could not be that Turk woman's.