The Wedding Night...

History can be changed...

"Baran?" Dilan called for him again, looking in the same direction he was and seeing nothing. "Is something wrong?" She asked, worried. He turned to her and grabbed her face. "Nothing. I just thought I saw someone I know." He was acting strange. "An old acquaintance from here." He was again looking back. "Yes, yes. An old friend." Dilan knew he had not been completely honest with her. He took her hand and walked them up the street. "Come, I want to take you somewhere." She let him lead her but kept observing him. She was determined to figure out what was bothering him. Going up a different set of stairs from the main road and some uphill walking, they arrived at a magnificent structure. Like everything in Mardin, the structure was made of sand-colored rocks. Dilan read. "Sultan Isa Madrasa" She has seen pictures before, but seeing it personally was a different experience. As Baran took care of the entrance fee, Dilan sucked in the beauty of the place. Upon entering, you could see a beautiful courtyard with a rectangular water basin in the center surrounded by flowers. On the opposite side, a hall led to two doors and, at the end of it, a water fountain. On the right, what it looked like an art studio for local artists. On the left, an empty room led to some stairs. They went left and reached the second floor. Dilan approached the edge to see the courtyard, but Baran was in a hurry. "Come, we need to go up one more floor." They reached the rooftop, and she was stunned. From that point, she could see the whole Mardin at their feet. The colors merged from yellows to blues, making the horizon line disappear before her eyes. It was like heaven. She was drawn by it. Dilan walked to the border of the closest dome and stared silently at the beauty before her eyes.

Breathing in the clean air, Dilan felt Baran's arms around her. "Do you like it?" She nodded. "It is breathtaking." He rested his head on her and leaned to take in her scent. "I loved this place since I was little. It gives me peace. It's too bad it is this crowded lately." Dilan didn't care. Between the scenery in front of her and the warmth surrounding her, she could block anything and everyone around them. At that moment, there were only the two of them. Without realizing it, she started humming the tune of the song 'Bir Ay Doğar İlk Akşamdan Geceden.' Baran whispered in her ear. "You should do that more often." She was startled, and her cheeks blushed. "It was lovely, Dilan. I can picture you humming different tunes to our children in the future." Dilan was aware that Baran was giving her signals during the whole trip. Her husband was ready to be a father. There was no room for doubts. And although she wanted that for them, she felt it was best to let fate decide when it was time. She wanted it to happen naturally. Maybe it was a silly thought, but that was how she felt. Everything in her life had happened so fast since she met Baran that she wanted to take her time to enjoy their marriage and each other first. 'Is that selfish of me?' She asked herself. Perhaps, or maybe not. Dilan was not sure of the answer. "Maybe I should practice and hum you to sleep tonight." He tightened his hold on her. "There is something else that would put us both to sleep faster than that. Or am I mistaken?" She elbowed him. "Baran!" She saw him, with the corner of her eyes, rolling his eyes on her. "Are you going to deny you got a better sleep after we made love?" She got out of his hold and walked away. He was right. She did sleep better every time they were together. There was a sense of completeness in her. But she was not giving him that piece of information.

Like always, his wife chose to run rather than accept her feelings. But Baran knew he was right, even if she didn't acknowledge it. It was like that for him as well. He caught up with her and grabbed her hand. "Let's drink some tea together." On the first floor of the Madrasa was a little coffee shop with chairs scattered in the area. There were a few in front of big windows overlooking Mardin. Baran thought Dilan would appreciate it. Although he tried to move on from what had happened earlier, he remained vigilant. There was something inside him that told him that something was off. Baran knew he had not hallucinated. Pulling a chair for Dilan to sit, he had a good view of everyone around them. Nothing. "It is so beautiful here, Baran... Too bad we are almost at the end of our trip." He watched her sight. "We will come often, my angel. We made a promise to your mom, and I will make sure we keep it." Her eyes sparkled. "You know... I thought we would meet the rest of your family here." No, they would not. And that was on purpose. "I wanted this trip to be only for us. So, no one knows we are here." She had a surprised expression on her face. "Still, someone could recognize you." They could, but Baran was careful to avoid certain areas to prevent that from happening. There was a dark side to Mardin he didn't want Dilan to see. Although she knew he was the clan leader. And she had a notion of what his obligations were. Here in Mardin, people took it very seriously. Clan wars were not a thing of the past. In recent times, because of a blood feud, many were killed during a wedding ceremony*. That was how things were done here. Baran was glad no one from his tribe was involved, but maintaining peace when so many were used to solve things with the barrel of a gun was not easy.