My Life. My Only One.

Kapalıçarşı,

Sanem had entered the Grand Bazar ( Kapalıçarşı, meaning Covered Market) from one of its many gates and walked slowly through its passages stopping here and there to view the wares offered at its many shops. It had been a week since she had gone anywhere further than her garden or the rocks by the sea. She had felt a knot in her stomach that none of her mothers remedies could fix. Her mood was sullen and nothing seemed enticing to eat. To Sanem and anyone that knew her, this was a symptom of a bigger problem. She arrived at her best friends shop and made eye contact with the girl trying to sell the brightly colored plates, cups and saucers that were symbolic of Turkish artisans and craftsman. Recently she had added tea kettles to her offerings and special blends of tea that she and Sanem would concoct for remedies and as well as exotic blends from foreign lands. Ayhan had been Sanem's friend ever since they bonded over properly made Cay years ago when they were barely teens. They both were experts on the subject and enjoyed the subtle nuances that the tea leaf combinations could make. The fragrance of the brewing teas kept the shop fragrant and it helped to remind people where they were located in the enormity that was the  Grand Bazar. Ayhan's family had held a spot in the bazar for more the one hundred years selling a variety of goods to locals and visitors. Sanem's father sold all types of merchandise to many of the shops in the bazar as well as to Ayhan's family. His ships traveled all of Asia and Europe and he sold everything from Japanese pearls, Chinese silks, textiles from Spain and perfumes from France. Although the Aydin's did not hold a spot in the bazar Sanem provided Ayhan with her herbal creams and medicinal salves as well as her fragrant and perfumed creams to sell at her shop. Sanem made them all herself from recipe's handed down to her from her grandmother. She loved the process of choosing the flowers, blending the oils from the petals and finally potting the creams into small colorful glass pots that her farther brought back specifically for her from Italy. Ayhan received a commission from Sanem for each sale she made. They were all special orders and Sanem made deliveries to the shop on Mondays and Thursdays. She was well known for her creams and many of the ladies of the nobility sought her out for the beauty properties. On this day however not even the pleasure of comming to see Ayhan and the shop could bring a smile to Sanem's lips. She could not shake the feeling of impending doom and wanted nothing more than to run away as she had once planned. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had been wishing for the day she would be betrothed to a man that she loved. That day however would never come.

Aziz had arrived home and quickly spoke with his wife. Although she had been disappointed greatly at having to wait to seen her sons she had understood his reasons and accepted them. Aziz knew that what he was setting in motion had to be done with secrecy. Only a handful of people would know. Some of them would only know a small portion of the whole plan in order to protect the others should some if it be found out. He place one message in his cloak and took the other message from his desk and rang for his servant. He told him exactly what to do and where to go to deliver the message. He warned him to be vigilant that he wasn't being followed. Closing the door he smiled to himself. Feeling as if though the last decade were just a bad nightmare. He had new hope and he wasn't going to waste it a moment longer.

Catching Sanem's eye, Ayhan invited her customer to take her time shopping for just the right gift. The customer  nodded in thanks and Ayhan walked up to Sanem and embraced her with all her might. She had learned from her mother, who was Melihat's sister, what had happened in the Aydin home.  Sanem returned her embrace with just as much affection and both women sat down to talk. Sanem shared with Ayhan that her mother was busy with all the preparations for the official engagement ceremony done at the brides home and it made Sanem feel as though she were suffocating. Since the night that her father had agreed to give her away in marriage to Yigit, Sanem had not had a proper nights sleep. She had nightmares about the tall slender man that had stared at her the entire evening. It wasn't what he said to her as much as how he said it. She felt wary around him like a mouse that had just realized it had been starring at a cobra and hadn't felt the bite until it was too late to run. Sanem told Ayhan that she worried about her father who had become sullen and tense ever since he shook hands with her future father-in-law. Nihat was a good man, a caring and loving father and a devoted husband. She knew that he was suffering from a sense of guilt but she loved him and so she consoled him and told him that she understood. That she didn't blame him or thought any less of him.  "Ayhan I have promised Baba that I would do my duty but I also told him that I pray every night for some miracle to give me a way out of this". Ayhan held her friends hand and squeezed it saying "Inshallah Sanemsie, Inshallah". Sanem remembered how Nihat had placed his palms on either side of her face and told her how much he loved her and that no man could ever deserve her. He also said, that although it was he who bound her to a man she did not love or even like; he too would pray that Allah would provide some miracle to get them out of this union that no one but the governor had wanted.

Nihat read the message and was dumbfounded. Would it work? How could they possibly accomplish it! He was to meet with Aziz this very night in one of the jewelry shops to look for the wedding rings. This would not seem out of the ordinary for the father of the bride. In place of the jeweler Aziz would be a waiting for him in a private room. The safety of his family depended on what Aziz had planned.

This is a short chapter. Sorry. For some reason I couldn't publish with the additional paragraphs. I'm now incorporating those Into the next chapter. Let me know what your think go so far. Votes and messages greatly influence my thoughts when writing
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