The Return To Istanbul

Chapter Seventeen

      CeyCey quickly hit the decline button, " I have to go Can. I will talk to you later." CeyCey hurried through the house and to the front door. " Wait CeyCey, wait. Don't go yet." Can called out after him. 

      In seconds CeyCey was out the door and down to the corner, his heart beating fast. He waved down the first taxi he saw and got inside. He didn't like being in the middle of this messy love affair. He had never liked it, even back when it first started. And now, here he was stuck right in the middle of it again.....

      Sanem looked at her phone, He declined my call.....she huffed, as she stared at her phone. CeyCey had never declined her call before, not even when he was at work. She would wait a minute then call again she thought, feeling annoyed at his actions. 

      Can stood there looking at the closed door, feeling completely helpless and hopeless. He had been that close to hearing her voice, he thought, as he slowly walked back to the garden and slumped down in the lounger. 

      He leaned back, his eyes closed, as he imagined hearing her voice again. It had been years since he had heard her speak or laugh, but that sound was embedded deep within him. He listened intently as she recalled the first conversation they had had..

      He couldn't keep from smiling as he traveled back in time to the first day at the agency. He hadn't at all wanted to stay there in Istanbul, but his dad needed him. And for some reason that chance encounter with a mystery woman the night before at the anniversary party had wrapped itself around his mind and his heart, and he wanted more than anything to find out who this woman was.

       Yes, that was the beginning. And it didn't take long for his heart to surrender to this wonderfully innocent woman child, that just so happened to be that woman in the dark....

        He lingered there a while, going back in time, when suddenly he remembered the sound of that woman's laughter from the hospital earlier in the day. His eyes popped open and he sat upright in the chair, his mind whirling about in a frenzy. That woman's laughter was so much like Sanem's, if he didn't know better, he would swear it was her. 

      A very strange, almost eerie feeling waved over him. It couldn't have been her, he thought....no it couldn't be, CeyCey would have told him if she was here in town. But that sound of laughter from a person unseen echoed louder than ever in his head.

      Before he knew it, he was in his truck and headed out, somewhere, anywhere, where he could feel her presence. His truck seemed to be on auto pilot as he turned down that oh-so - familiar road up the mountain to his cabin.

      He wasn't sure why he was going there, other than that was the only place that had been "their" place. The moon was the only light that illuminated the surroundings as he pulled up near the steps leading to the cabin. He hadn't been there in years, not since that night....

      The pain was gnawing at him as he sat there in his truck, hesitating to open the door and step out. But he had to, he had to face it, look at it again, live it again. There was so much more than just pain at " their" place. This cabin had been his sanctuary, the place where he could be himself. So, bringing her here to a place that meant so much to him was just natural for him. She had made it special..

      He walked slowly up the steps, remembering all the times before that he had been there. The feeling was overwhelming, as he stood there looking at the remnants of everything he held dear to him. It was all still there, the small table, the chairs, the fire pit where he had cooked for them...it was all there. 

      He pulled the key from his pocket as he stepped up to the front door. Funny, he thought, how I still carry the key to this place with me at all times. It was as if it were a lifesaver, or a heart saver, for him. 

      The door swung open and he reached inside to switch on the light. All the things were there, but with a thick coat of dust covering them. There was a cup sitting on the wood stove. He picked it up and looked inside. The leftover tea had dried up, leaving only a hard crusty chunk in the bottom of the cup. It had been here since that night, that night he had made that final decision to leave Istanbul.

     He took a few minutes to examine everything. All of the things in his makeshift darkroom were still there. His record player and his collection of albums still sat in the same place but were covered in a thin layer of dust. He instinctively brushed the lingering deposit of dust from the top of the record player, remembering how much he had loved playing these albums.

      The sun had disappeared and the darkness had brought on a slight chill to the air. He had already thought of spending the night there, so a fire in the firepit would be perfect. The leftover firewood was stacked up next to the tree, and it was seasoned just right for a quick fire.

      He mechanically placed the wood in the pit as he had done hundreds of times before, with his mind still entertaining all the times he had shared his place with her. All the times they had enjoyed being here together. She loved this place as much as he did.

      With the wood ready to light, he turned to go inside for the matches when a brightly colored piece of something caught his eye. It was wrapped loosely around the leg of the chair. He wasn't sure if it was fabric or paper, as he bent down to free it from the chair leg. 

      "Ahh, it's a piece of cloth." he decided, as he held it in his hands. He opened it up, revealing a large square-shaped scarf. It was covered with large coral and yellow hibiscus flowers, and the edge was trimmed with short, pink-colored fringe. It was beautiful, but he wondered how it got there.

     He carried it  inside with him, still wondering where it had come from. Purely on instinct, he raised the scarf to his nose and sniffed. The smell that was so undeniable Sanem's, exploded in his head. So much so that it startled him. His eyes were wild with astonishment as he tossed the scarf on the sofa and walked back outside, shaking his head. " No....No, it's just my imagination."  he spoke quietly out loud. 

      Can paced back and forth in front of the cabin, almost afraid to go back inside. After a few moments of reasoning, he had convinced himself that it was active imagination at work. He slowly entered the cabin again, almost as if he was expecting her to be sitting there instead of the scarf.

      He stood there looking at the scarf, remembering the same scenario with her bandana, and how important it had become in his life. He wanted to pick the scarf up again, but he was hesitant, he wanted to hold it in his hands again, and yes....he wanted so badly to sniff the most alluring and tantalizing scent that he had ever smelled.      

     His body tingled with a strange excitement as he reached for it. As his fingers touched the fabric, it brought out should an explosion of emotion that he felt weak.....

      Once again he slowly raised the scarf to his nose and sniffed......His eyes filled with tears...

It wasn't his imagination......it was her smell..... was it her scarf, but how did it get here......

     He very slight smiled crossed his face....." This place does have such strange powers." he thought, as he held the scarf tight in his hands......