Cem came out of the law firm upset with Kerem following him on foot.
"Cem ... Cem..Cem ... Wait .. Where are you going? "he shouted and pulled Cem by the arm to stop him.
"Away from .. This madness .."
he exclaimed indignantly.
"Cem, please calm down .. I understand how you feel .."
"Do you understand how I feel? Ha .. (laughs ironically). My life was ruined .." He shouted and closed his face in his fists.
"Nothing was destroyed and stop seeing it all so .. Ominous." His cousin reassured him.
"There is a solution for everything ..." he tapped him gently on the shoulder.
"Let's go somewhere quieter to talk," he said, and they got into Cem 's car.
"I will drive .. You' re still upset .." Kerem offered.
"No, I'm better and driving relaxes me," Cem insisted, stepping into the driver's seat.
***********************************
A little while later the two cousins were in a cafe-bar where Cem drank one drink after another, cursing his luck.
"One more "he said and pushed his glass to the bartender.
"this time should be full of water," said Kerem. "You have drunk enough .."
Cem grimaced annoyed.
"Don't listen to him, put on another one," he told the bartender.
"Oh, Abi (brother) ..." Kerem shouted
"I just care about you .. ."
"I don't need a baby sitter, you know ..." said Cem and took the drink that bartender served to him.
"Yes, but you behave like a baby ..." commented his cousin.
"As a baby? Do you want to take my place for a while? i was destroyed"
"i was destroyed" Kerem mockingly imitated Cem.
"How were you destroyed? You became the president of the company .. P R E S I D E N T" Kerem repeated spelling
"You are only 30 and you became the President of the company .. Do you know many 30-year-olds reaching such a high position?"
Cem finished his drink and left it on the counter.
"You're wrong, I've not yet become president .. Or have you forgotten the term set by our beloved grandfather"
"That is a small detail" the other commented.
Cem became furious with his cousin. "Small detail? we're talking about My life" he Cried
"Don't become so dramatic.. Besides, he asked you to get married, not to be hanged ..." Kerem said
"No, no, he didn't just ask me to marry ... He also found the bride ..." Cem corrected him.
"At least Grandpa had good taste in women ..." Kerem added with Cem looking sideways.
"What?" He asked. " this .. Hatzi girl is pretty...
"but I can't imagine myself married to a woman I don't love. Allah Allah.. what sins do I pay for?" Cem murmured holding his head in despair.
Kerem smiled wickedly
"Now that you say that, some things come to my mind .. Shall I list them? ...."
************************************
Emy watched in awe the beautiful house in front of her.
House ? This was not a simple house .. It was an imposing villa with a huge green garden and a huge pool like the ones you see in the cinema or in lifestyle magazines.
She swallowed hard .. Suddenly she felt disadvantaged. These people are more than millionaires, while she .. No, she isn't poor ... She came from a well-to-do family, she had never lacked anything but in relation to what she saw .. She felt like the poor relative who visits the rich uncles.
"Emy?" Ezra interrupted her thoughts. "Why are you standing like this? Let's go inside" Amy followed her on the path that leads from the parking lot to the front garden.
They walked in the stone corridor and found themselves at the entrance of the house. The big and heavy wooden door opened and they greeted by a girl who from her uniform Amy realized that she belonged to the support staff.
"Welcome," The girl said .
" What's up Enda? " Esra said and they entered the house with Seida and Amy.
Yusuf, although upset with everything that happened, gone the company for a while.
Seida and Esra went to the living room with Emy following them.
There was an old woman drinking her tea.
As soon as she saw them she got up to define them well.
"Ah, you came .. Finally ..
So tell me what happened ... "she asked Seida.
Her eyes fell on Amy who was next to her and the woman lost all the color from her face.
"Morpho? " she cried and almost fainted.
Esra and Amy caught her before she fell to the floor and made her sit on the couch while Seida called to Eda to bring a glass of water.
"Melis Teize (Aunt Melis) please open your eyes .. What happen to you ?" The woman slowly opened her eyes while at the same time Eda was bringing the water.
Melis took the water from Eda and drank a few sips.
As soon as she felt better she looked at Amy next to her.
"Morpho, my Morpho " she said in Greeks and caressed her face.
Emy was puzzled by the old woman's intimacy.
Melis looked at her carefully and then she understood. "No, you are not her ... Besides, Morpho is dead.. You are .. You are her granddaughter, aren't you?"
"Yes .. Did you know my grandmother?" the girl asked.
Melis smiled and took her hand.
"She was ... My sister ..."
************************************
"My parents worked at your grandparents' house. My mother in the kitchen and my father took care of the garden and brought the shopping to home." Melis explained to Emy.
She had completely recovered from the shock and was now taking her tea with the other women.
"Morfo and I were born in the same house a few days apart. Unfortunately my mother died as soon as I was born. In those years there were no maternity hospitals and specialized doctors. The midwife of the area came to the houses to give birth to the women. One mistake was enough to lose the baby or the Mother.. Anyway .. Your great-grandmother loved my mother very much and took care of me. She even breast feed me. We drank the same Milk with Morpho, we slept in the same crib. Growing up we shared the same clothes.
Until those uprisings took place .. The pogrom as they say. The neo-Turks burned the mansion of the Hadjids. Diamantis, your grandmother's brother did not manage to leave the house .. My father came in to save him and he was trapped too. "
She stopped for a moment because the memories brought a sob to her throat. Emy shook her hand.
"I'm sorry I didn't know ..." she said apologetically. "It is terrible what happened. Your father was sacrificed for my family."
Melis wiped her tears and looked at her tenderly.
"Thanks to your great grandparents I survived
The least my father could do was save their child as she saved his own child," Melis replied.
"Before they left, the Hatzi's asked from Emiroglou's to keep me with them. Onur had me as his sister. He helped me study, I married and when I was widowed he took me to his house and here i stay," she concluded.
"And your children? Where are they?" Emy asked.
"I don't have children but I was lucky enough to raise his grandchildren
and I love them like my own "
The woman answered and caressed the head of Ezra who was sitting to her right.
"And we love you so much" Esra said with a smile.
"My beautiful little girl," Melis said, giving her a sweet kiss on the forehead.
"You were and you are an angel. You did not bother me at all .. And the boys were very good children, although a little lively .." she added and then she suddenly realized that the men of the house had not returned yet.
" Seida where are the boys and Yusuf?" asked.
"Yusuf is in the company but he'll come for dinner. Cem went for a walk with Kerem to calm down." Seida explained.
"Calm down? From what? He left his future wife and took to the streets," Melis said.
Seida left her glass on the table.
"he was shocked " she replied as she sank into her chair and leaned her head back exhausted.
Suddenly she raised her head sharply and looked at Melis suspiciously.
"What did you just say? Did you know that my father-in-law wanted to marry Cem with Emy ?"
"Of course I knew," Melis replied calmly. "I was a witness when he wrote his will"
************************************
Seida held her head with both of her hands and took walks in the living room.
"You knew what Onur intended to do and instead of preventing him ... You agreed with him and became a witness in the will," she finally said. "Do you understand what you went through and did?" Cried.
"Of course," replied the old woman without a trace of remorse.
"And now that I know Emmy up close, I see that I did the right thing," she said proudly.
Seida closed her eyes and tried to regain her composure, while Ezra chewed a cookie and watched what was happening with interest.
"I don't believe what I hear .. We're talking about the life of two people .. You decided to marry two people without asking them ... And let's leave Cem aside for a while .. Did you asked Emy before you got her involved in all this .. Maybe the girl has a relationship? ... "Seida burst out.
Melis turned and looked calmly at Emy, who had been drinking her tea awkwardly all this time.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" She asked her.
"No..." the girl managed to say but the old woman didn't let her finish.
"See the girl is free. So no problem," Melis said in Seida who"s fell at once in the chair behind her.
" I think I 'm talking on a wall "she said indignantly
"I don't understand why you behave as if the end of the world has come ..." Melis replied
" Emy is a fine girl cultured, from a good family, beautiful ..." she said and caressed the girl's face. "
" Mrs. Melis ... You have to understand .. I can't marry someone who's in fact a stranger ..." said Emy
"You will know him ..." Melis insisted. "And don't tell me that today when you met him you didn't like him ... He is perfect, educated, beautiful, rich ... Ah .. How couldn't you fall for him? She asked Emy furiously.
Amy looked at Seida helplessly to answer.
At that moment the front door opened and male voices were heard.
"Can you give me my keys?" Cem protested to Kerem.
"I let you drive because I drank a little more, give it to me now.
"Oh brother, you are unbearable" replied his cousin and went to the living room.
He took the keys out of his pocket and threw them at Cem, who was following him.
"Here .. Happy now?" said Kerem and then looked in front
of him.
"Oh," he exclaimed.
"What happened to you?" Cem asked. He walked in front of Kerem and then
he watched Emy on the big couch with Melis and Esra drinking their tea.
The company was completed by his mother who was sitting in front of them in a large armchair.
"Cem, Kerem, you're here?" Seida exclaimed in relief and ran to them.
"Why is she here?" Cem asked angrily, pointing to Amy.
The girl looked at him numbly. She couldn't understand why he was so upset with her. After all, it wasn't her fault all this entanglement.
"Cem please calmed down," Seida said, leaning on his chest to calm him down.
"I asked her to come and talk so we could find a solution ..."
"Solution? What solution? My grandfather organized everything so well that it's difficult to get rid of it. How could he think that I could become a couple with her? It is unbelievable "he burst out ..
Esra, who could no longer bear her brother's unacceptable behavior, jumped off the couch angrily and stood next to Emy, who had remained speechless.
"She," she said, pointing to Emy,
"She has a name. she also has feelings like all of us, so apologize to her immediately," she demanded of Cem.
"And who told you that I want to marry you?" Emy was thrown annoyed.
"Yes, tell us now that you don't want me. " Cem mocked her.
"Cem" Kerem shouted to him .
"Why am I lying?" He replied.
"You saw by yourself yesterday how she was looking at me," he said arrogantly.
" Enough!!" Emy shouted.
There was no way she could let him humiliate her like that. Being a half Spartan** (her mother's origin) she felt her blood boil. She got up and stood in front of him without fear.
"Who do you think you are dude..?" she said looking at him arrogantly.
Cem was surprised by the sudden change in her behavior.
"E?" he cried.
"I ask you who do you think you are? Let me tell you .. You are a spoiled rich kid who found everything ready ..
And I am very sorry that even though you grew up in this great family you did not inherit their ethos .. "
Amy feels powerfull and like another Spartan queen Gorgo *** raised her stature and spoke without fear.
"You are an irresponsible womanizer. That's why your grandfather got to the point of setting this stupid term. But unfortunately I wont do him the favor of marrying a selfish, arrogant person like you .. The man who will stand next to me will be a gentleman honest and dignified. Do you understand me buddy ... "she said, tapping his sternum with her finger.
Cem looked at her puzzled.
He opened his mouth but could not speak.
"Good" Emy said.
"Now get out of my way."she said and pushed him.
She proceeded to the exit but before leaving she turned and looked at the others.
"Forgive me for my outburst, but everything has a limit."she justified. "Thank you for the tea and I'm very sorry if I upset you. I wish you all good luck. Goodbye" she said and left with her head held high as befits to a Spartan and closed the door behind her with force.
"Aaam... What just happened?" asked Cem, who had recovered from the shock.
"You just made a huge mistake" Esra answered and fell exhausted on the couch.
Kerem, who seemed to be having fun, smiled at him and patted him friendly on the shoulder.
"Brother, I think you just met ... A real lady ..."
************************************
* * Granates/Garnet: This stone Gives courage, fighting spirit stubbornness and sharpens the perception.
**Sparta is a city in Southern Greece (state in Ancient Greece) built on the banks of the river Evrotas. In 480 BC. led by King Leonidas waged a legendary battle to the end in Thermopylae against the colossal Persian army
The women of Sparta were(and Still are) famous for their dynamic character.
In ancient years were the only women who, instead of remaining silent, had their own opinion and took care to express it.
***Gorgo was a Queen of Sparta. was the wife of King Leonidas I.