Gönül Hanım’s Intervention Mission
809 Words
Two days later, Gönül Hanım arrived at Selin’s apartment with a key—a key Selin had specifically not given her—and an entourage: Dr. Levent, Aunt Neriman, and Haldun Bey.
Selin, who’d been having a quiet morning with coffee and Murat, opened the door to find her intervention committee.
“Mom? What’s going on?”
“We need to talk, dear. May we come in?”
It wasn’t really a question. They were already inside.
Gönül Hanım took control immediately, directing everyone to sit in the living room. Selin remained standing, arms crossed.
“Selin,” Dr. Levent began gently, “we’re worried about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you? Because from what I understand, you told your family and Kerem that you’re still in a relationship with Murat.”
Selin’s eyes flicked to where she felt Murat’s presence. He was there, beside her, silent but solid.
“I said that what Murat and I had doesn’t end just because he died.”
“That’s beautiful, dear,” Gönül Hanım said, tears in her eyes. “But it’s also not… it’s not real. You understand that, don’t you?”
“What I understand is that you all have decided what’s real for me. Without asking me.”
“Selin,” Haldun Bey spoke up, his voice firm but kind. “We love you. We want you to be happy. But this… this holding on… it’s not healthy. It’s not letting you live your life.”
“I am living my life. Just not the life you want for me.”
“With a ghost?” Aunt Neriman couldn’t help herself. “Selin, really. You’re a smart, beautiful young woman. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don’t throw it away on memories.”
“He’s not a memory!” The words burst out before Selin could stop them. “He’s here. Right now. In this room. And he’s been here every day since you all decided I should move on. He never left me. I never left him. Why is that so impossible for you to accept?”
The room fell silent. Dr. Levent exchanged glances with Gönül Hanım.
“Selin,” the doctor said carefully, “I think it might be time we discussed a short stay somewhere. Just a few days. Somewhere you can rest, get some perspective—”
“You mean a psychiatric facility.”
“I mean a place where you can heal. Properly.”
Murat’s presence flared, the temperature in the room dropping noticeably. Everyone pulled their jackets tighter.
“No,” Selin said firmly. “Absolutely not. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Darling,” Gönül Hanım reached for her daughter’s hand. “Please. We just want to help.”
Selin pulled away. “You want to fix me. There’s a difference. I’m not broken. I’m just… different than you expected.”
“You’re talking to someone who isn’t there,” Haldun Bey said, his patience clearly wearing thin. “That’s not different. That’s delusional.”
“To you! To you it’s delusional. To me, it’s real. And I’m done apologizing for my reality just because it doesn’t match yours.”
She moved to the door, opening it wide. “I think you should all leave now.”
“Selin—”
“Now. Please.”
One by one, they filed out. Dr. Levent paused at the door. “I can’t force you into treatment. But Selin, please consider it. For your own sake.”
“I’ll think about it,” she lied.
After they left, Selin closed the door and leaned against it, shaking.
“That was brave,” Murat said softly.
“That was stupid. They’re going to come back with legal options. Involuntary commitment. My father has lawyers.”
“Then we need a plan.”
“What kind of plan? How do we fight the entire world?”
“We don’t fight the world. We just… disappear from it for a while.”
Selin looked up at where she felt him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean we leave. You and me. Go somewhere they can’t find us. Somewhere we can just… be. Without everyone trying to fix you.”
“Run away?”
“Start over. There’s a difference.”
Selin thought about it. About leaving everything behind—her family, her friends, her life. About choosing Murat over all of it.
“Where would we go?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. Does it matter?”
“It might. We’d need money. A plan.”
“Then we’ll make a plan. Together. Like we always do.”
She closed her eyes. In that moment, she made a choice. Not the sensible one. Not the healthy one. But the true one.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s run.”
- Writer
