Take Me To Your Heart

And So The Adventure Begins

The wedding is a rather simple affair, held in Ferit's backyard and attended by family and a handful of our closest friends. Still, Ferit hires a wedding planner who peppers me with at least twenty questions a day for the entire week leading up to the event. I try to be patient with the poor woman who is doing a marvelous job on such an intense time crunch, but I can't imagine myself caring about any of these decisions even under normal circumstances. So, I start selecting the second choice she provides me every time, wondering if she'll catch on eventually.

Ferit and I decide to do a mix of a more streamlined Hindu wedding with a civil ceremony. The mehndi ceremony will be held Saturday night, followed by the two wedding ceremonies and reception on Sunday. I'm dreading the ceremony, but can't bear to disappoint my family who are already confused and angry that I am marrying this fast.

We've included a civil ceremony in the Turkish style to satisfy Ferit's family, but he doesn't seem overly concerned about their reactions. His focus is Bulut.

What I am looking forward to is the party. Traditionally, mehndi ceremonies are only attended by women, but I allow Ozan an invite. We've mixed the Sangeet and the mehndi ceremony together so while I am getting my hands and feet adorned, my lovely friends do their best to perform to my favorite Bollywood songs. Unfortunately for them, I am the choreographer in the group.

Everything inside of me itches to destroy the carefully applied mehndi all over my arms and legs and dance alongside my friends. Being a bride is not nearly as much fun as being a guest.

I am already picturing how rigid and uncomfortable sleeping is going to be as I attempt to protect the intricate designs to allow the mehndi to darken as much as possible. Laila laughs at me when she sees my forlorn expression, but sticks her tongue out in jest, showing me no sympathy. I narrow my eyes at her, logging this insult to repay in the future. Her turn is not too far away.

I look around the room in my boredom. I notice Deniz sitting alone, watching the enjoyment from a distance. The easy relationship between us has been strained after the incident with Bulut. While she admits that Hakan is poisonous, Deniz continues to defend her sister. I can understand the urge, but her loyalty is in defiance of fact. And I worry it will put Bulut at further risk.

Ozan notices her sitting apart from the crowd and I watch as he walks over to join her. At first, she seems sullen, unwilling to entertain his company. But, when I look back a few minutes later, I can see he has successfully wormed a tiny smile out of her. I smile a little as well, glad to see her defenses falling a little. Whatever our differences, I still have a soft spot for her.

I need to find a moment to talk to her more directly about our plans to contest custody to confirm that she is on our side. Ferit seems to be discounting her role, but I'm certain her testimony will be vital at the upcoming hearing.

My cousin plops herself next to me, distracting me from my thoughts. "You look like you're having fun." She smirks, holding her hands away from her body to prevent smearing her mehndi.

I roll my eyes at her. "It's a dream."

The next morning, I am awoken by my aunt at an ungodly hour. As predicted, I barely slept in an attempt to maintain my starfish, mehndi-friendly position. I am beyond ready for this wedding to be over.

I take a shower, trying to scrub all the dried mehndi off of my body to reveal the dark red ink underneath. It does look beautiful, I have to admit, though that is of little solace.

Ironically, as soon as I get dressed, it is time for the haldi ceremony, where I will get filthy once again. Ferit and I sit down on chairs outside as all the women in our families line up for their chance to smear turmeric paste all over us. Watching Ferit try to take the assault with minimal irritation is almost worth the entire marriage. Deniz deliberately rubs the paste all over his face, causing him to groan in frustration. I laugh, filled with joy at having my family and Ferit near me. His eyes meet mine at the sound of my laughter, drawing me in, tempting me to be more and more open with my affection. I never want him to look away.