Love Me, Istanbul

#5: Memories Of You

Selin woke up groggily to the sound of her phone ringing. A dull pain throbbed in her temples - the after-effect of the sleeping pill remained in her head. Allah Allah, she thought. Bu kim ya sabah sabah? Reaching for her phone, Selin squinted at the caller ID on screen. Levent Sever. Propping herself up, she answered the incoming call.

"Allo, Dayicim?"

"Selin kızım," Levent's voice came through the line. "Günaydin. Nasılsınız?"

"Iyiyim, Dayicim," she said, clearing her throat. "Sen?"

"Iyi değilim kızım," he said. "How can you hide such a thing from me?"

Selin frowned. She knew where this conversation is going. "Kusura bakma, Dayicim," she said. "I didn't want to trouble you. Bak, iyiyim ben. Merak etme."

"Selincim," Levent said, his voice concerned. "I'm glad that you're fine - but getting a ride from some random stranger is another issue."

"Ha, şey," Selin shrugged her shoulders. "O bir polis - not some random stranger. He was the one that took me to the hospital."

The line was silent for a while. "Tamam neyse," Levent said. "Ama hatırlasın değil mi? What I told you about police officers?"

A wry smile crept onto Selin's face. "We keep our friends close, but keep our enemies closer," she said. "Hatırladım."

Levent chuckled. "Benim aslan kizim," he said. "If you ever run into this police officer again, o selam soyle. Invite him for a dinner - I would love to meet him."

Selin smiled at the idea. "Tabi ki Dayicim," she said. 

"Güzel," Levent said. "O zaman görüsürüz kızım."

Hanging up, Selin collapsed back onto the bed. Staring wide awake at the ceiling, her mind reeled back to the night before. Closing her eyes, she could hear screeching tires and honks. She was on her way to Artemis when a drunkard crashed into her vehicle. She then find herself in a hospital ward, looking into the soft eyes of başkomiser Demir Erendil...

Demir Erendil. 

Çok yakışıklısın, she thought. A smile crept onto her face. Selin wondered if she would ever see him again. Out of the blue, the doorbell rang - snapping her back into reality. Hastily, she got out of bed and went towards the door. She could see Leyla and Firuze Hanım in the intercom screen, holding several paper bags. Scrunching her eyebrows, Selin pulled the heavy door open.

"Gunaydin Selincim," Leyla said cheerfully. "Kusura bakma, it looks like we woke you up sabah sabah."

Holding up the paper bags, Firuze Hanım smiled. "We did some grocery shopping," she said. "We are going to look at some houses today, but we thought you might want to have kahvalti first. You don't mind having breakfast with us, do you?"

"Yok yok," Selin managed a smile. "Buyrun, Leyla ve Firuze Teyze."

Firuze and Leyla scurried into Selin's apartment, putting the paper bags on the table. They brought an abundance of groceries - tomatoes, eggs, olives, cheese etc. Ushering Selin to wash herself up, the middle-aged ladies went on to prepare what seemed like a meal for hungry giants. When Selin came out from the shower, she was surprised at the kahvalti spread before her eyes. The aroma of the menemen and spicy sucuk filled the apartment. Settling at the table, Selin could feel her stomach rumbling. It has been a while since she had a decent breakfast like this one. Firuze and Leyla really have a way to get her appetite going.

"Ellerinize sağlık," Selin smiled. "Cok guzel kokuyor."

"Affiyet olsun, canım," Leyla said, handing her a simit. It was still warm. Breaking it, Selin topped the bread with some honey and white cheese. The combination tasted heavenly. Sipping at her tea, Firuze smiled endearingly as she watched Selin dipped another chunk of bread in the menemen, eating with an almost childlike enthusiasm. Firuze and Leyla had no children of their own, so they looked after Selin as if she is their own daughter.