The Scottish King and I

(English is not my first language, so there may be grammatical and vocabulary mistakes. Thank you for reading.) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ “Take a deep breath... One... two... Three...” I closed my eyes tightly, rested my head on the couch and sat there, careful not to move. It was my fault. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I didn't care and did something I shouldn't have done. After a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes, closed the book on my lap, putting the bookmark, and put it back in my bag, trying not to move too much. When I leaned back again, I took one last deep breath. Unfortunately, my stomach was very sensitive. The moment I went through a turbulent journey, my nausea would start. This used to happen to me more often when I was a child, but now that the means of transportation, especially intercity buses, are quite comfortable, I almost never encounter this problem. But it was triggered if I tried to read something on the move. I got bored when I had to fly for five hours on an airplane, and the music only went so far. Besides, my novel was very fluent and I had left it at the most exciting part, so I couldn't wait to finish it. So I decided to spend the last hour reading. Unfortunately, after reading a few pages, I started to feel nauseous. Every once in a while I kept an eye on the white paper bag on the back of the opposite seat. Actually, I wouldn't need it. I knew I wasn't going to vomit, but the nausea was uncomfortable and I had to lie still and wait for it to pass. “Oh girl!” My hand started searching for the button right next to the seat. As soon as I found it, I pressed it without caring about the one on the back. After all, it was my natural right, wasn't it? What was it doing there if it wasn't made for use? Besides, if he didn't want to watch me throw up, he'd have to put up with it. It didn't help much since he didn't sleep as much as I wanted, but it was better than nothing. I closed my eyes, daydreaming, trying to take my mind off my stomach. After a while, I opened my eyes when my stomach felt strange. I had that strange but pleasant feeling that usually happens when taking off or landing. When I looked out the window, I could see nothing but clouds. Then I heard the pilot's voice. “Dear passengers, Turkish Airlines flight number TK1345 to Ankara...” Without listening to the rest, I took out my phone, put on my headphones and started listening to music. Apparently we had arrived. The last hour had passed even faster than I thought. After a few minutes, the clouds cleared and I could see the city. The first thing that caught my attention was two separate harbors, one big and one small. Then a hill and some greenery. Cities always look messy from above. At least to my eyes. As we descended, we were now at Edinburgh Airport. The watchtower immediately caught my attention. As an imaginative person, I have to say that it resembles the hand mill I use to grind black pepper. Or even the end of our hand mixer if I push it even further. It even looked more like the latter. The part with the attendants was like the screw that connects the robot with the motor part. Such an analogy could only come from me. As soon as the plane touched down, the first thing I did, as I always did, was to unbuckle my seat belt, grab my bag and take my sweater, which my mother had forced me to hold. The aisle was full of passengers waiting to rush out. After a minute or two, I found the opportunity and stood up, threw myself into the corridor and headed straight for the exit gate. I stepped out with a goofy smile on my face. More precisely, I entered the airport from the bridge, went straight to the passport control and handed in my black passport. Soon I was out of the passport control and without having to wait too long, I took my suitcases and stepped out of the international terminal. A lot of people were waiting for their relatives. Some of them had written their names on papers like in the movies. My eyes searched for mine. Finally, a dark auburn, white-skinned woman caught my eye. When she saw me, she waved her hand cheerfully and motioned for me to come. I rushed to her and hugged her tightly. “Welcome, my dear!” said my aunt. “Thank you, aunt.” When she left, I looked at my aunt from head to toe. As usual, she hadn't compromised on her quality. She was dressed from head to toe in branded clothes, reflecting her elegance. According to my mother, she had always been like this since she was born. So it wasn't about her marrying the son of one of Scotland's aristocratic families. In short, my aunt is a real kokoş(*). To me, everyone in the society is a kokoş. I can't help thinking that this must be how they raise women. When Aunt Ayperi glanced at me, I said 'oops' inside. I was going to be told again. I was wearing shabby pants and a t-shirt. My hair was messily gathered. He sighed deeply and raised one of his eyebrows and looked at me. “My mother couldn't change me, you will not either, woman!” I said. “I'll be the making of you, one day, girl!” said Aunt Ayperi. I laughed and shook my head from side to side. “I don't think so.” “Then someone else will be.” “Who is that brave man?” “We'll see... Come on, you must be tired. Let's go home now; eat and rest.” “Oh, yes, please. I felt nauseous on the plane.” “Ah! I thought you weren't nauseous anymore?” “It's my fault. I tried to read a book.” Auntie laughed and put her arm around me and pulled me to her. “Give him your suitcase.” That's when I noticed the man in a suit standing right behind her, probably one of the family's attendants. Without saying anything, the man took the two big suitcases and started to move forward. “I don't get it, you don't like to dress up at all, what's in those two big suitcases?” “One is just full of books. The other one is just my clothes and personal care stuff.” “You're amazing, girl. I don't think anyone else travels with a big suitcase full of books like you.” I could only smile. As soon as I stepped outside, I breathed in the fresh air and my smile instantly froze on my face. A few seconds later it faded. I was expecting sunny and warm weather, but instead I was greeted by overcast and slightly windy weather. “What is this?” I immediately put on my cardigan. “Well, this is Scotland. It's 20 degrees at most in the summer. Don't worry, it will clear up in a few hours.” said my aunt. “Does it rain in the summer?” “It can rain a lot in July and August. It's a bit like the Black Sea climate.” “Luckily my mom packed my suitcase. Otherwise I would have traveled in sleeveless t-shirts.” My aunt laughed and patted me on the back. I prayed to Allah that it wouldn't rain too much until she put me in a gray car, because I was going to spend the whole summer here and do research. Rainy weather wouldn't help me much. The car stopped in front of a big house. Or rather something like a castle. It was obviously a historical place. There was a round tower on the south-west side and a square tower on the north. It looked quite nice with countless windows and a large backyard. According to my aunt, until a few years ago there was a horrible looking annex next to it, but they had it demolished. Now a garage had been built in its place, more in keeping with the main building. There was also another annex for the servants' quarters. Craigcrook Castle was in the wealthy Blackhall district of Edinburgh. It had been gifted three years earlier by the king himself to my aunt's husband and his family. They moved in after a year of renovations. Well, if your daughter married a member of the royal family, the king would shower you with gifts, of course! My cousin was born to a Scottish father and a Turkish mother. They named him Elgin. Elgin was a district of Moray in Scotland. While in their language it was a masculine name, in ours it was a feminine name. It was supposedly derived from the Celtic name of Ireland. But Elgin was a name meaning 'expatriate' in our language. The name Elgin was given in many parts of the world. So I inevitably thought that something like the Alpine Mountains might have emerged. My aunts also gave this name to have a common culture. When my aunt was young, she loved to travel the world like me. One day when she came to Scotland, she met my uncle and fell in love. My grandparents didn't take it well, but they didn't object to them getting married. Maybe it was because he was the head of the MacGregor clan. Or maybe it's because my aunt likes to do what she wants. Like me, if she wants to do something, she does it and doesn't pay much attention to others. I'm obviously attracted to her in these ways. But I definitely didn't take after her in terms of being a kokoş. I got that part from my father's side. As fate would have it, my dear cousin married the king's younger brother. In fact, in history, the MacGregor clan was related to the MacAlpin clan. The clan claims that the MacGregors are descendants of King Alpin. That's why the current king was very favorable to this marriage and this clan. The hallway at the entrance to the house was a series of long corridors leading in any direction you wished. The far right led to the dining room. It was decorated only with a large dining table and antiques. There were a couple of armchairs, but this was clearly not the main purpose. Across from it was the living room and from there, through another door, the common study. This was a round tower that I likened to a bastion. Other rooms, such as the toilet, the kitchen and the guest lounge, were just to my left. My aunt took me straight to the elevator on the left side of the hallway. Yes, there was an elevator in the house! I would have preferred the stairs, but she obviously thought I was too tired to climb them. Upstairs, as usual, was where the bedrooms were located. Just above the round tower was a second, private study for my uncle. In any case, this room was located where my aunt and uncle's bedroom was. The right side of this floor was entirely dedicated to my aunt and uncle and consisted of a master bathroom and a dressing room. So I think that my brother-in-law was forced to choose this as his private study. Logically, I think he should have chosen the room directly on the ground floor of the house. But hey, my logic is always weird to others! Auntie took me to the bedroom just across the elevator. “There's a private bathroom for you,” she added. I must say I was grateful for that. I hated using a shared bathroom, especially in a strange environment. Okay, it was my aunt's house and I was close to my uncle, but the country and the house were foreign to me. Even the air was foreign. So it took me a while to get comfortable. And I don't like such big houses, I feel warmer in a boxy place. Once I was in my room and my aunt left me alone, the first thing I did was open the window and take a quick look at the view. The backyard was planted with flowers. My aunt had placed a Turkish ornamental pool in the center. It looked like the pool in the Topkapi palace. As far as I could see, there were Turkish influences everywhere. She even put a gazebo in the garden! Although I didn't see it, but she organized a room on the bottom floor as a Turkish corner. It was also her study room. She said she hosted her closest friends there. A room I will visit at the first opportunity. While I was still getting used to it, seeing familiar sights from my home would help me relax. After arranging my books and hanging up my clothes, I arranged my personal care items on the dressing table. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I understood why my aunt thought I was so tired. My face was so colorless and pale that even the sparkle in my hazel eyes had faded. Even my light brown hair looked lifeless. I took a hot bath to freshen up, put on my life-style pajamas and threw myself into the comfortable double bed. I wanted to go to sleep right away because I had been up since the morning prayers. I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep again. It was still a couple of hours before evening. But when I heard my stomach growling, I decided to eat first. I got up to do so when there was a knock at the door. “Come in.” My aunt came in with a tray. I was glad that she had brought it instead of her maid, because the second thing I hated most was a stranger coming into my bedroom. I guess I'm built to hate too many things. “I had something liht prepared. I thought you could sleep after dinner. I don't want what you eat to bother you.”I gratefully took the tray from her and put it on the table. “Enjoy your meal. I'll come back for the empties,” she said with a wink. After my aunt left, I ate my food and drank a lot of water, thanked Allah for the safe journey and jumped into bed. I had no intention of leaving my room until the next day if possible. I must have been really tired because as soon as I laid my head on the pillow, I fell into the realm of dreams.