The Wedding Night...

Baby rattle...

About a week had gone by. Dilan felt strange staying at the house on a weekday. After convincing Baran to go to the office, she was alone. She was in the babies' room, feeling the sunlight on her skin through the window. Dilan was impatient for the babies to be born. At the same time, she continued to be scared of not being able to do well in her role as a mother. Someone knocked at the door. The sound came from the hallway door: "Dilan, Mr. Hikmet is here to see you." Dilan was happy. She missed him at the baby shower party. "Could you ask him to join me here, Ms. Kader?" The woman nodded and left the room. Soon after, Mr. Hikment appeared in front of her. "Dilan." She went to hug him. "Where have you been?" Dilan questioned the man as she pulled back. "I was in Mardin due to some business... I also went to visit your mother." Dilan had wanted to visit her before giving birth, but the circumstances didn't allow it. She was glad Mr. Hikmet had gone. That way, her mother would not feel neglected. "How are you feeling, Dilan? The belly has grown quite a bit since I last saw you." She looked down and caressed her abdomen. "Yes, it has. We are doing fine. We went to the doctor recently and she told us everything was going well." Mr. Hikmet seemed pleased with her answer. "Could I ask you something?" The man tilted his head with curiosity in his eyes. "Sure!" Dilan began playing with her fingers. "Did my mom ever doubt about being a mother?" He frowned. "No, of course not. She loved you, Dilan. From the moment she knew about your existence, she did." Dilan shook her head. "That is not what I mean... I'm talking about her competence as a mother. Did she ever question herself?"

Mr. Hikmet didn't think before he replied. "A lot." Dilan's eyes opened in surprise. "Did she really?" He moved his head affirmatively. "I don't know if all women go through that, but she did. She grew up as an orphan, so she was scared of not being good at it. She had no reference point, you see." Dilan understood. The only reference she had was Ms. Hanife. That was not the best example. "No matter how much I tried to reassure her, she was still worried. But she didn't have to. The moment she carried you, it was like you had been in her arms all along. The love that poured from her eyes was the purest of loves. She was wonderful with you, Dilan. If only she had stayed with us long enough for you to remember her." A Tear rolled down Dilan's cheek. When Mr. Hikment realized, he immediately apologized. "Sorry, child. I didn't want to make you sad." She cleaned her face. "You look so much like her." Mr. Hikmet said with longing. "And like her, I think you have doubts yourself, don't you?" Dilan nodded yes. "There is only one thing that a good mother should have, Dilan... an infinite love for her child. And that, you have plenty. Everything else would figure itself out. Trust me. I have no doubts you will be a great mother, just like my Ipek." Dilan smiled warmly. Not only because of the man's words towards her, but because of the love she still saw in his eyes for her mother." Suddenly, Dilan noticed something. "I'm so sorry. I haven't offered you anything to drink or eat." The man smiled. "I came to see you, child. That is not important." Dilan was not satisfied. "Would you accompany me for some tea downstairs?" She asked. "Sure thing." They headed out of the room together. When they reached the downfloor, he excused himself for a moment. Shortly after, he appeared with a present in his hands.

When Baran entered the mansion, he heard Dilan's and a man's voice coming from the living room. He went ahead to look and found Mr. Hikmet there. "Baran, look!" In his wife's hand was a beautifully crafted wooden baby rattle. Baran went downstairs to join his wife. "Hello, Baran." The man stood, and they shook hands. "I was telling Dilan she played for hours with this rattle. I made it myself. I did some retouches to leave it brand new, I also made another one for the baby boy." Baran grabbed the rattle left in the box and inspected it. "Thank you, Mr. Hikmet." Dilan also thanked him. "You brought back some of my childhood. Thank you!" He saw Dilan's eyes watered. Baran sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her to offer some comfort. He knew she was thinking of her mother. She wiped her eyes, declaring. "Hormones!" Hikmet continued to share moments of Dilan's childhood, including a story of the first time Dilan laughed. "You were around six or seven months old, we were playing with you. Your mother grabbed your little hands and squeezed your cheeks, making funny sounds. Suddenly, you laughed. The most beautiful sound I ever heard." Mr. Hikmet took the rattle from Dilan's hands. "But dare anyone to take this rattle away from you. You would cry like someone had hurt you." Baran and Dilan laughed at Mr. Hikmet's face. He seemed bewildered still. "Once, I took it away because you were agitating it so hard, it hit your head, and you began crying. When you realized the toy was not in your hands, there was no consoling you. I had to return it to you immediately. You were a stubborn baby." Baran added playfully. "She still is. That has no change." She elbowed him. "Baran!" He cleared his throat. "She doesn't like sharing what is hers." He added to tease her further. Mr. Hikmet laughed, not knowing their inside joke. When his friend Serap came to visit, Baran remembered clearly Dilan telling him that. His wife blushed, surely remembering the same event.