Sudden decisions

82 - Roots in paradise

Can

Every evening, when the world outside grows quiet, returning to the estate is like beginning a new, infinite magic. In the baby's first months, our universe has narrowed down to the warmth of these walls and this bed where Deniz, sleeping between us, is a little miracle breathing to the rhythm of our hearts. And I can't help but lose myself for hours just watching him, enchanted by what we managed to create together.

"Look how perfect he is, Sanem. He is me and you, as beautiful as our love." 
She rests her cheek on my shoulder, her hair falling over her face like scented silk. 
"You're right, he's as handsome as his daddy." 
I turn to look at her, losing myself in her eyes and her scent that now smells of jasmine, milk, and life. 

"I don't think so; he's as beautiful as his mommy, and I'm convinced his baby sister will look even more like her." 
Sanem raises her head, her large eyes wide with surprise. 
"Baby sister? Deniz is only a few months old, Can, what are you saying?"

I pick up the little one and lay him in the crib with reverent gentleness, as if I were handling the most precious crystal in the world, then I return to her. I wrap my arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body against mine, and seek her neck, whispering between kisses. 
"Remember what we told each other? If it wasn't... a girl... we would have to get to work with much... much effort."

Sanem laughs softly, a laugh that vibrates in my chest and never ceases to move me because I've come to realize that no matter how much I may have traveled, there is no more beautiful sight in the world than her smiling face.

Our "effort" doesn't take long to bear fruit that, a few months later, surpasses our every imagination. I still remember the moment Sanem came to find me in my studio; she had a light, almost timid step, and those eyes that cannot lie were shining with a new light. Just looking at her was enough to make my heart race. Without saying a word, she took my hand and placed it on her belly, still flat but already vibrating with an immense secret. "Can... I just took the test and it seems we 'tried' hard enough. Deniz won't be alone much longer."

In that moment, the world stopped. It was an overwhelming emotion to experience the discovery with her, since for Deniz's pregnancy the circumstances had been so different. With a shiver, I thought back to those times, to the words of a doctor unaware of the fact that I knew nothing yet, that I was in the dark about becoming a father, and the idea that if I hadn't gone looking for her, I would have missed so much of those months of waiting. And so I held her close, breathing in her scent of earth and flowers, and closing my eyes, I could do nothing but feel like the luckiest man in the universe, grateful for being granted a second chance.

The real surprise, however, awaited us at the doctor's office for the first check-up. Sanem was lying on the table, her hand gripping mine so hard it cut off my circulation. We were staring at the ultrasound screen, excited and happy, when the doctor began to move the probe and a strange smile appeared on his face. "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Divit... I hope your house is very large," he began with a chuckle. "Why?" Sanem asked in a faint voice. "Because there isn't just one heartbeat here. Look for yourselves... one and two: they're twins."

The silence that followed was broken only by the rhythmic sound of those two tiny hearts galloping in unison. Sanem and I looked at each other, caught between disbelief and total shock. 
Two. 
Two more. 
But I didn't even have time to process the news before my Albatross instinct took over. I cleared my throat, straightening my back with sudden certainty. "They are two girls." I declared, as serious as if I were reading the stars. "I feel a delicate energy; this time Sanem, I'm sure: they are Yıldız and Ateş, our two beautiful baby girls."

Sanem burst out laughing just as the doctor printed the ultrasound for us. "Again, Can? Again with this story?" she teased, smiling and wiping away a tear of joy she couldn't hold back.