THE AFAH LOVE

This, This is it!

-"This, this is it. If I ever get married, she should be like that girl," I said to myself.

You know when lightning strikes a tree, a sound is made. It was like that sound came from my chest. I witnessed that time could stop. I don't know if today's physicists have an answer to this, but I experienced it. My eyes couldn't see anything else; my ears no longer heard. Everything else, except her, was blurred, frozen like a vivid photograph in front of my eyes. My heartbeats accelerated, moving like a sprinter in full stride. The blood in my veins surged like a torrent, setting my whole body on fire. There were states in my heart that I struggled to describe. This was an experience I hadn't had before, something I hadn't encountered in the books I've read. Oh my God, what was happening to me!

"Do you know that girl, Aşkın?" I said to Sevim without letting her notice.

"Yes, she's from Sevim's class," he said. "Her name is Afah. Why do you ask?"

"Just asked, you know? I thought she resembled someone. Just wondering if it could be her."

"Forget these games, son. Did you fall for that girl? Tell the truth."

"No, man. I told you, I thought she looked like someone."

"Who do you think she looks like, in the middle of nowhere in Amasya? Anyway, since we're on the topic of girls, what happened to your Russian friend in Armenia? Are you still in touch?"

I fell silent. I pretended not to hear, glancing at Afah from the corner of my eye. They were still telling each other something, laughing together. I hadn't seen such innocence, elegance, and purity before. It had become a four-winged angel in my eyes, descending from the sky.

After finishing the second class, we left school. After eating something outside, we went home. Sevim made a very special coffee for us that evening—a coffee I heard the name of for the first time, Datça's Almond Coffee. It was a smooth and delightful coffee made with milk and containing almond paste. The conversations were again about the past. But Aşkın was talking more, and I was just approving. My body was there, but my mind was gone. Afah's smile came to my mind, and all my worries, anxieties, fears, and plans disappeared. The only thing left in my brain and soul at that moment was happiness. The exaggerated smiles on my face surprised Aşkın, and he realized that something was up with me.

"Why are you laughing like a boiled head?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just laughing at what you said."

"Son, I'm not telling something to laugh about right now. I told you about how Hovik's brother died at a young age. Oh, you've gone somewhere, bro. Tell me what's on your mind."

"I also found it strange, but I ignored it," Sevim said, adding teas.

"Well, sorry, something came to my mind, and I laughed. I got lost, excuse me."

"Okay, let it be that way," Aşkın said, showing that he didn't believe it.

All the worries and concerns that had disappeared from my mind a moment ago now attacked my brain from every corner, accompanied by new ones. I was going back to my hometown tomorrow. Whether I would see Afah again was uncertain. No, it was definitely the last thing I needed right now, an emotional relationship. With so many uncertainties ahead of me and a future to prepare for, I couldn't throw myself into such an adventure. Moreover, the most important thing was that I had sworn off love after a recently ended relationship."