LIFE HAPPENS WHEN YOUR MAKING PLANS

THE HAMMOCK

Sanem once again had the same nightmare. The crash. Can slumped over the wheel of the car. Her laying on the ground after being thrown from the car. The glass. The blood. The awful smell. She was in a full-fledged panic attack upon awakening. She needed to be outdoors. She slowly arose and tried to make her way outside. She needed to breathe the night air. She made it to the door and down the few steps. She then collapsed to the ground. Can was standing on his father's balcony, which faced Sanem's house when he saw her collapse. Without thinking, he ran as fast as he could. When he made it to her, he realized she was covered in perspiration, white as a ghost and out cold. He felt for a pulse and found one. He picked her up and carried her to her hammock. He gently laid her down. He ran into the house and brought back a cool rag. He slowly wiped her face and neck with the cool cloth. He kept saying her name over and over.

Sanem slowly regained consciousness. She felt someone wiping her face. She heard her name being said repeatedly. She opened her eyes and found Can staring into her eyes. He asked her if she was OK. She immediately began to cry. She explained she had another nightmare about the accident, woke up and went into a panic attack. Can pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. He kept saying how sorry he was while he rubbed her back. Once she calmed down, she pulled away from him. She saw the hurt in his eyes, but it hurt her too much to be held by him, knowing he did not remember her. She told him she was alright now and thanked him for taking care of her.

He asked her if she wanted him to leave. She told him he could stay if he wanted. Can chose to stay beside her. Deep down, he didn't want to leave her at that moment. Can asked her if she could tell him some of happy memories of when they were together. Sanem smiled and told him yes. She told him about the time they visited his childhood home. It was there he confessed he fell in love with her and then they danced. She admitted that she never told him she loved him back. At least not then. Can asked her why. Sanem admitted she was afraid. She had never been in love before and the feelings were strange to her. She told him about the time he found her waiting in his garden for him to come home. This was the time she finally admitted to loving him more than herself. She laughed when she told him the sprinklers came on while they were kissing, and they got drenched. She told him about the time she got locked in the restroom while attending a presentation for Compass Sports and Can had to pull her out through the bathroom window. It was then that he admitted that she was his darling....his beloved one.

Can laughed at her stories, but he still could not remember any of it. Sanem asked him to stay right there. She had something for him. She went inside her house and brought back the book she wrote about their love. The Phoenix and the Albatross. She handed the book to Can and asked him to read it. He saw her name on the cover and asked her if she wrote it. She told him yes. It was the story of their love. Sanem told him there would be parts in the book that would upset him, but they had dealt with the obstacles and overcame them.

Sanem told Can she was going to try to go back to bed. Can told her he was going to start reading her book. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed back to his father's house to start reading her book. Sanem entered her house to lay back down praying the nightmare would stay away.