11.11.2013
Unfortunately, some of my dear friends still smoke. After many emotional moments, it is time for a smoke breakL In the mean time, we are still questioning whether Umut is coming or not. Zeynep's lips are still sealed, although from her avoidant looks, I suspect he might be on his way. However, nobody else seems to know anything about it, either. Gulce finally starts calling Umut on his cell phone. Cell phone is turned off. That is impossible for a businessman: Of course I wonder whether he is on a plane or not. To my surprise, he finally picks up the phone! We learn that he is in Istanbul... I cannot believe it! The Umut that I met a few weeks back in Iowa, certainly would be and must have been in Izmir now not in Istanbul. I feel betrayed... I pick up the phone, he abashedly tells me he is heading to his girlfriend's house and apologizes that he won’t be able to join us this weekend. I can kill this girlfriend of his now!!! (not reallyJ) What can we do? Of course a 28 year-old young man can be expected to choose his girlfriend, whom he gets to see occasionally (one lives in Istanbul, the other in Vienna) over his parents’ old friends…. In my heart I forgive him, although I know this evening is not going to be the same as it would have been if he had surprised us just like Zeynep did. I was wrong, he is not coming.
The group has scattered a bit now. Suzan and Aysegul, who went for a smoke are still missing. Seeing that it takes a long time for them to come back, I go to the kitchen to see what is happening. Suzan and Aysegul are almost glued to the window looking at something intently. All of a sudden, one screams silently almost whisperingly, "Yes, it is him, he just got out of the taxi!" I know, who they are talking about.... My dear Umut held onto his attempt to surprise us all till the last minute. I know what will follow now: surely the doorbell rings, the outside door is unlocked via intercom, the doorbell rings one more time, this time the entire crew is in the vestibule. Now we know, Yildiray and Zeynep knew all along. Everybody meets him with hugs and kisses and tiny screams of joy. Umut is surprised big time: He didn't know Zeynep was coming! He is lovingly upset with her, I am even more upset with Zeynep for not sharing her surprise with him! it takes a while for zeynep to convince us how she wanted to surprise Umut as well... We are now one big family with only one missing item, Baris, he will find his way toward this circle of love sooner or later...
Happy mother Aysegul with Umut, her son
Yildiray now can have his main dish "I was waiting for my son to arrive", reasonable explanation now... Lots of photos are taken, which will be published on Facebook or dropbox with the title of "the first traditional get together of kids and all" we will make this a traditional get together, hopefully on a yearly basis. next, we will meet at Saniye and Mehmet's, in Guzelbahce, a coastal suburb of Izmir, next at Yildiray and Aysegul's in Karaburun, where they have a lovely authentic summer house in an authentic village, finally in Suzan and Levent's in Foca, at their summer house, an hour north of Izmir. All of these get togethers will be overnight. We will bring our sleeping bags and get lined up "like sardines" wherever we can. Perhaps, next get together that I will do, I will hold in Kusadasi at my summer house. Just like in the old days. It is such a wonderful treasure to have friends, with whom one can go back to college years. And having experienced all of this together with such a group is yet another level of treasure. I find myself so very lucky that I have had them in my life and will forever, hopefully, from this point on only to get closer.
When the night is over, it is nearly midnight. Everybody has half an hour to get to their homes and several of them have a 6 am flight to catch. I know, the 6 hours we spent together will be another precious item in the set of special moments in our history, prone to many more special moments like these in the years to come. All of us will be looking forward to replicating these moments.... I love you all my dear friends, brothers, sisters, and kiddos.
 |
| Levent scared of what he is learning from Ekin about the financial world's ins and outs... |
No comments:
Post a Comment