FOR THE LOVE OF ISTANBUL

- Chapter 16 -

Saturday, September 5th...

The dreary, gloomy, and melancholy weather matched Deb's mood as she woke up after 9:00. She felt sad. She felt restless. And indescribably lonely. Just seeing the time on her telephone twisted knots in her stomach. Kader... His name popped up in her mind the moment she realized that it was the first time in a week that she woke up at a decent hour. And it aggravated her beyond any explanation she could come up with. Why? Because she missed him.

But...

She was aware of what day it was. She was aware that reality was waiting for her on the other side of the runway once the plane would lift off to take her back home. Home. Why that word brought her more sadness than relief, she couldn't say? Actually, she could. Why? Because she missed him... Unable to shake that feeling off, Deb pulled the bed cover over her head, and then tossed it right off. She sat up. And puffed air out of her lips in a loud puff. She looked around, and then out the window. It was raining. Good, she thought. At least the weather sympathized with the way she felt.

She rose from the bed, and walked up to the window. She opened the window just a bit and invited the cool morning breeze into the room. She moved the curtain aside, leaned in, and listened. She didn't hear a single "Gunaydin" or a "Merhaba". Not one. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that everyone knew she was leaving Istanbul, so they decided to bid her farewell by turning their backs away from her. Ahh, the moment she thought that she felt a painful jab in her heart. Kader... Why did he keep popping up into her thoughts? Why? Because she missed him. No. That wasn't it. It was because she fell in love with him.

And now she was leaving.

She bit her lip, then closed her eyes and nodded to herself. She was leaving, and her carry-on would not pack itself. She went to the bathroom, turned on the water to fill up the tub, and went to check her phone. There was a message from Margaret wishing her a safe flight, and a message from Mutlu advising her that she would pick her up to drive her to the airport in one hour. Deb smiled faintly, and decided that an hour would be enough time to pack and get ready. She made the bed, picked up the carry-on, placed it on the bed, and placed everything that she had to pack on the bed to make sure she would not forget anything. She picked out her outfit, and went to take a quick shower.

After the shower, Deb sat down on the bed and tried to decide what to pack in her purse, and what to place in the carry-on. She realized in an instant that the carry-on would either burst open, or she would need to duct tape it all around. Suddenly, she remembered Kader's face when he picked up her carry-on as she was saying goodbye to Ayaz while they were leaving Cappadocia. The carry-on was already heavy then, and she added more to it on their way back. Ahh, she sighed. Kader... She wondered how long it would take for her to get over him. Then she wondered if he already got over her, knowing that she was leaving.

She shook her head, and began to toss the items into two piles rather than separating them logically. She decided to wear her favorite dark blue jeans, a light fitted white sweater, and, knowing that the black leather jacket she packed just in case was both waterproof and weighed the most, decided to wear it as well. Not placing the jacket in the carry-on gave her extra space, but it didn't help much weight-wise. She decided to also wear the hot pink scarf that Kader bought for her the day before. This way she would be able to keep him close to her heart, even if it hurt. She stopped herself now, and shook her head. Why on earth did he return to her thoughts again? Why? Because she missed him...

As she began to pack, she smiled at each item she would be bringing back from Turkey. She picked up the little traditional hand-painted teacup and saucer that Mutlu bought for her at the Maiden's Tower. She brushed her fingertips over its brim and decided in a heartbeat that she would keep it on her desk at work so that it would be an everyday reminder to her that dreams could come true if one was bold enough to believe it.