The Wedding Night...

Another Karabey...

Baran watched Dilan moving around the room while she got ready. The twins were downstairs with the rest of the family. "Dilan, I think it is too soon for this. We could wait another couple of years." She was paying no attention to him. "Dilan!" She disappeared into the bathroom, and he followed close behind. "I'm almost ready." She was washing her hands. "Have you listened to anything I said?" Dilan dried her hands, came to him, and kissed his cheek. "This will be good for them and us, Baran. I'm sure." She was on the move again. This time, she was putting on the bracelet he had given her on the babies' first birthday. "Let me." He said as he placed his hands over hers. Baran focused on the task at hand, but he could feel his wife staring. "I always thought that when this moment would come, I would be the one restless and unsure." He looked at her through his eyelashes. "We seemed to have changed roles, Dilan Karabey." She nodded affirmatively. "So, it seems, Baran Karabey... But, Baran... The twins need this. They are always surrounded by adults." He protested right away. "You are exaggerating. Yağmur, Ece, and Efe often come to visit Dilan." She shook her head. "Not the same. They are not the same age. Besides, you know it. With twins, especially, if parents don't encourage them to socialize with others, they would create their own world and language. Later on, they would face difficulties with interactions outside their circle." When he was done with the bracelet, he placed his arms around his wife. "I don't see any issues with their socializing skills, Dilan." She brushed the hair on the back of his neck. "And this will guarantee they have none. Now, Mr. Karbey, can we go? We don't want our babies to be late to their first day of pre-school, do we?" Baran conceded defeat, and they went downstairs to reunite with the other.

"Good morning, everybody!" Dilan appeared to be fine with everything, even excited. "Good morning, child. We already ate, why don't you two grab something to eat before you leave?" His father suggested. "Will do." Baran kissed his son and daughter before he joined Dilan at the table. "Baran, could you change your facial expression? You are acting as if we are sending our children away, and we are not going to see them for a long time." He finished drinking from his water. "Feels like it." She rolled her eyes at him. "This will be good for us as well. We will have time to work and for ourselves. It will create a good family dynamic. You will soon say, 'You were right, Dilan.'" Baran could not help to think that Dilan was acting out of character. When they were done eating breakfast, they secured the children inside the car and headed out. "Dad!" Önder was calling for his father. "Yes, son?" He looked outside before returning to look at Baran. "We go school?" He smiled, trying to hide his unrest. "Yes, son. Are you excited?" He didn't have to think about his response. "Uh-hum!" Baran's eyes shifted to Dilay. "How about you, princess? Are you excited?" She shrugged. "She is. They both are." Dilan answered for her. "We are here." He announced to them, dreading the moment of separation. "Let's get you two out of the car." They proceeded to remove the seatbelts and, taking one twin each, they walked towards the preschool entrance. They were met by one of the teachers. "Karabey family. Welcome. We were waiting for you. This must be Mr. Önder, and this is Miss Dilay, right?" They put the babies down. Another teacher joined them. "Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Karabey. I'm Güneş. I will be in charge of Dilay, and my colleague here will be in charge of Önder." Baran exchanged looks with Dilan, who appeared to be at a loss.

Dilan thought she had just heard wrong. "Sorry, what do you mean? There is more than one teacher per classroom?" Both teachers indicated no with their heads. "Oh, no. However, this is what we usually do whenever twins join in. It is best if we keep them separated so they can freely develop their own experiences and friends. If we keep them together, we risk having them close down and limiting their interactions with others." Dilan could feel the reproachful stare of her husband, even without seeing his face. "They should have explained this when you registered them, Ms. Dilan." She tried to remember whether they had mentioned it, but couldn't. "I don't recall. Maybe you could do an exception. They are still too little." One of them signaled no. "I'm afraid those are our rules, Ms. Dilan." The twins were oblivious to the subject of discussion. "Can we play, mammy?" Önder pulled Dilan's skirt. She looked at the teacher and nodded. "Sure you can." He grabbed his sister's and his father's hands before marching to the playground area. "If you feel uncomfortable separating them..." Dilan didn't let her finish. Although she knew it was going to be hard on the twins, she also knew it was the right thing to do. "No, I understand. I guess we will all need to get accustomed to it." She could not take her eyes from their smiling faces as their dad pushed their swings. "Don't worry. They will be able to see each other during lunch breaks and play times." It was beginning to be too real for Dilan. She didn't know if she could part with them given the circumstances. Maybe Baran was right. They could wait three more years to do this. Six-year-olds were more independent and... "Dilan!" She had not noticed Baran walking in her direction. "Are you okay?" Was she? She was beginning to doubt it. Dilan had no time to reply because the bell rang. "It is time to take the them inside." She saw other parents saying goodbye to their children, and her eyes watered.