If You Tell Me To Stay

Chapter 1

It was a gloomy and drizzly evening. The weather had been like this all day and it looked like it would continue to rain all week.

Melihat stared out the front window, watching the rain drops slide down the glass and pool together on the window sill below.

"I'm so tired of this rain! I'm so bored! I wish something would happen!" she said with an exasperated sigh.

"And your favorite nephew coming to visit isn't interesting?" Can said in response, pretending to be offended.

"Please, you know I love seeing you. But you know what I mean. Rain yesterday. Rain today. Rain all this week! Everyone is staying inside like us, so there is nothing HAPPENING"

"Oh I see, you mean there is nothing to gossip about." Can placed a glass of tea on the little table next to his aunt and sat across from her sipping from his own glass.

"I don't gossip!" Melihat retorted. Actually offended. "I simply... relay information."

Can just smiled.

"How was your camping trip? You were gone long enough." Melihat said, changing the subject.

"I was only gone a week this time, and it was great! Mountains, lakes, fresh air!"

"We have all that here!"

Can shook his head in defeat. Melihat would never understand his need to be one with nature.

"I got some good photos. The Wildlife Conservation were very happy. If you want to have a look..?"

Melihat was back to staring out the window, craning her neck to see up each side of the street.

Can sighed and asked if she wanted to watch a movie. Anything to get her away from the window. He swore she would permanently mold herself into that chair for the amount of time she spent their spying on the neighbors looking for gossip. Sorry, "information".

She relented and followed her nephew to the study where the old antenna TV was.

But as soon as she left her prime viewing spot, Melihat got her wish. An old pickup truck pulled up to the long-abandoned house across the street. Towing behind it a little red scooter.

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The pickup truck came to a halt in front of a small two story house. It had red exposed brick and some steps leading up to the covered front door. There were 2 chimney stacks on the left side of the house. There was green peeling paint on the shutters and one of the windows was busted and been covered over with plastic and duct tape. The gutters were falling off, weighted down with leaves and other debris. There was a tree outside but due to the cold winter climate it had shed its leaves and looked like it was struggling to live. The woman who got out the passenger side of the truck felt a certain connection with the tree's plight.

She didn't seem to notice it was even raining. She got out of the car and stared at the dilapidated house that was to be her new home.

"Sanem, come help me with this."

The woman was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She turned to see Aziz untying the tarp covering the the bed of the pickup truck. Protecting her few possessions from being soaked by the rain.

Aziz was an older man. He had a full head of silver hair. He was tall and deceptively strong. His face had some wrinkles, mostly from age. But he also had some laugh lines. He had served in the armed forces for most of his young adult life and was now some top brass in the National Intelligence Organization.