ALYAN
5 years ago
I chose to walk today. A walk through the noisy streets of Istanbul. I make my way towards a local coffee shop, although I'm more awake than I want to be.
5 minutes later, I'm out with a steaming paper cup in hand.
I take a sip and start to make my way through the street, wondering how great the weather is, soon after, it starts raining. Heavily raining.
I run to the nearest shade, which happened to be a bus stop. Convenient.
The vision is a slight blur as the rain now becomes hail and my frustration rises.
I seat myself on a cold metal bench and pray for the rain to stop.
I can't stop thinking about her all this while.
The last time we talked was 2 weeks ago, the sight comes in front of me in the blink of an eye.
The phone rang.
I cleared my throat and answered, " Hello? .. Zahjen?...its 3 am."
"Oh, thankgod you're up!"
"Is everything alright?" I ask as I sit up.
"I'm bored, out of things to do.. I'm watching wedding videos for god sake.." she says as she munches on something.
"How productive."
We talk for a while and out of nowhere I confessed. Or so I think.
"Alyan what is it?"
I gulped, "I was just thinking, you know, like everybody needs someone, like how a plant needs water to grow, fire needs oxygen to kindle, how lightning and thunder go together-" I get cut off immediately.
"You okay?..is there someone I don't know about?" She asked, concerned yet whimsical at my weird thoughts.
I feel my cheeks burn,"well.. it's just that we all need something or someone, and I think I, maybe....need... you." I wait for a while to hear a response.
"Zahjen? Are you listening?" I frown over the phone.
"Yeah, of course, I am. Go for it Alyan! Anyway, did you hear about the break -in next door?"
I sigh as she continued her tale, while my words dissolved into nothingness.
I get back to my senses as a car splashes water all over my new shoes.
"Can this day get any worse?" I mumble angrily, and finally, see a bus coming my way.
A short ride later, I've arrived at my destination.
Straightening my tie and roughly brushing fingers through my hair, I stare at the wooden door in front of me.
"This is it." I gulp as I press on the doorbell.
A wrinkled smile followed by a tight hug is what welcomes me in," great timing Alyan, come in."
It appears as I've come to a party or something. I suddenly stop walking as I see a bunch of unfamiliar faces sitting in the living room. I try to look for Zahjen.. or anyone else I know.
I'd figure these were my uncle's friends.
I was wrong.
Uncle gestures me to sit in the living room.. I walk in, looking around. There seems to be tension in the room as soon as I enter. There are sweets and flowers everywhere.
Why?
I stand there, frozen. shattered. devastated. As I slowly realize what's happening.
A pat in the back from my Uncle startles me,"this is Alyan, my nephew, more like my son in fact. He's been away on a business trip for the past 2 weeks and hence this being your first meeting with him" uncle explains to the man in front of him.
He seemed tall and rather thin but upright. He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth.Old, young? Twenty-five? Thirty? Thirty-five? It was hard to say. He was confident but didn't show signs of arrogance.
Everything about him irked me with frustration. He was the ideal for every girl, a dignified man indeed.
"This isn't what I meant..." I sighed remembering what I had said to myself earlier.
The man smiles and extends his hand towards me. "Hi Alyan. I've heard so much about you. Good to put a face to the name. I'm Yaqtan." I shake his hand with a smile plastered on my face and escape plans running through my mind. Before I answer, he diverts his attention to uncle, who has some important matter to discuss.
The worst kind of pain is when you're smiling just to stop the tears from falling.
