Untamed Love

CHAPTER 3 - The Dream

When she got home, she was greeted by the angry voice of her mother. It made her shiver. What would she say if she knew that her own daughter had let a stranger into their territory? Sanem took a deep breath, bracing herself before entering the kitchen.

"Ah! Sanem! Thank you for gracing us with your presence!" Mevkibe said angrily as she saw her youngest daughter enter the room.

"Anne, baba. Abla. I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't realize the time."

"What were you doing? You had us worried so much! Muzo said you had disappeared but it's Muzo. Nobody paid attention to him. And then you weren't coming back... We had to send Osman, Ahmet and Mehmet to look for you!"

"Oh, it was you." Sanem understood now why the three of them had all but appeared where she was when she needed it.

"Tamam Mevkibe. I think she understood. She won't be doing it again. Huh kizim?"

"Tabi baba." Sanem smiled sheepishly knowing that she most certainly wouldn't be keeping that promise. But she wouldn't admit it to them of course.

As she was serving herself a plate of the delicious vegetable gratin and fish that her mother had cooked, her older sister Leyla told them about her day. She worked at the town council and today had been a very busy day as it was the day people came to vent about their neighbouring problems and other issues that they were facing.  During the weekly council, they would be discussed among the Akilli – which was the wise people council – so that solutions could be found. Nihat and Mevkibe were members of the Akilli and as such were considered as affluent people within their community.

"I can't wait until we finally solve the issue between Selim bey and Defne abla. It is getting out of hands. Selim bey refuses to hear a word and you already know Defne. She just kept screaming at him and calling him greedy, stingy and other adjectives that are not even worth repeating."

"I thought that matter had been settled at the last council?" Nihat frowned.

"Apparently not. Selim bey says that Defne still owes him part of her production which is completely absurd."

"Does he have -?"

"Excuse me. I'll go to my room now. I don't feel very well." Sanem interrupted their conversation owing her three stunned looks. She quickly washed her plate and rushed to the safe haven that provided her bedroom.

She took out the notebook and a few pens from her bag and flopped down on top of her bed. She kept looking at the notebook in front of her, her pen hovering over the page. She could only write one thing so she traced the letters with her most beautiful writing.

Can.

A few minutes passed before she gave up. For once in her life Sanem – the Phoenix – was out of words. With a frustrated huff she discarded her notebook to the side-table and turned so that she was leaning on her back this time. She recalled the events of the day. That man. Who was he? And why did she feel so attracted to him? It had never happened to her. No man had ever caught her eye before. She just couldn't feel that emotion in herself. At least she had thought so until today. She knew that she souldn't but she started imagining what he would look like without the blindfold on his eyes. If only he could see her.

Sanem was standing in front of the Great Tree that marked the centre of Mahalle. She was barefoot and could feel a powerful gust of wind blowing the leaves all around her, making her shiver. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders to warm up as she scanned her surroundings. The town seemed desert which was strange. "Where is everybody?", she wondered. She started walking toward the biggest house in town which served as their city hall. Nobody was in there either and she slowly started to panic.