Tender Nights

Mornings were Amy's favourite time of the day. She woke up with a whole lot of energy and always enjoyed her hot cup of tea sitting in the early rays of the sun. The greenery surrounding her new house was truly romantic. She saw her treasure - the 55 pots of plants- basking in the morning sun too. It made her all the more joyful. She brought out her Bluetooth speaker and played some classical piano music for them. She's read somewhere that music makes plants happier. She would talk to them too. She even would give them vitamin pills once in a while. Some might think she's crazy but that's how Amy wanted herself to be, i. e, true to herself, entirely.

She cooked crepes for breakfast and sat reading a book while eating. She was planning to pen a book herself and reading widely was the first step into it. She had chosen this locality precisely because of this reason. She had already started some of her research over the Internet, now she had to visit the places herself and get the details right. First on the list was the nearby fishing harbour and the adjacent beach.

After breakfast, Amy made some quick sandwiches and packed them for lunch. She got dressed in her favourite turquoise shorts and purple plaid shirt. She wore a hat and glasses as it was sunny out there. She picked up her bag, her lunch and locked the house secure and got on her car. Something about her new home kept her on high spirits from day one. It was a sort of exhilaration she had never felt prior to this. She thoroughly enjoyed this feeling.

Nate called in between to talk about the daily office things, how to go on with a certain client, or whether to accept another, so on and so forth. By the time she was done with the call, she had reached the harbour. She parked her car in one of the allotted slots. There was an old woman sitting there to collect parking fee and to issue tickets. Amy smiled at the old woman, and it was reciprocated. She talked about the weather, and the old woman complained about how it's been raining too much in the past six months. This week, it's getting better. More of sun. Easier for the fisherman as the wind is stable too. Amy talked about how she's new here. She asked the grandma about herself - how long she's been here, about her family. She was born in this part of the world, got married to a fisherman pretty young and had a son by him. But sadly, the father died at sea few years later and she brought up the son all by herself. The son started fishing at 18 and now at 47, he's an able man with 3 fishing boats. Amy thanked the old grandma and left for work.

The boats and the catch were classified according to its size, its manpower and the method of catching fish. As a young child, Amy used to come to the harbour to see the fishes coming home. Some fishermen folk used to give fishes for free, thanks to her adorable nature. Amy interviewed few people, took notes and towards the end of it, invited a few of them to share her sandwich lunch if they pleased. Those with families preferred to go back and eat. They must have left their homes late at night and therefore missing meals, sleep and of course, the warmth of a home. The cold sea was welcoming but a wife and children at home was heaven for many of these people.

Two young men, however, agreed to catch a bite with Amy and to talk about their experiences as well. They headed over to a small stone table under the quay nearby. Amy opened her lunchbox. She had made tuna and chicken sandwiches for 4-5 people, and also carried a flask of hot mint tea as well. They enjoyed a good lunch. The two men, Abram and Sachiel, explained their days;

how they would go on one boat at night and another in the evening. The evening ones are shorter journeys as they don't travel far into the sea. The fishes differ according to where in the ocean you are going. They caught tuna and seer fish at deep sea on the bigger boat and they usually catch sardines, mackerel or anchovies closer to the shore. There would be a one month restriction on fishing soon, the trawling ban period. During that time, they rarely go fishing. They do sell oysters and other shellfish during this time. They have devised a freshwater fish cultivation scheme for that period, so that their families don't go hungry.

Amy thanked them for their help and offered them to pay if they didn't mind, which they refused saying that they like earning their pay. "You've shared your lunch, so that makes us friends. We don't take payments from friends." They grinned happily. They invited her to come next week to their church, where they have a festival celebrating St. Andrew's Day. She acceded at once.

She left the harbour after bidding goodbye to the grandma and promising to see her again.

She stopped by an organic vegetable market and bought some fresh lettuces, beets, carrots and cheese. She grabbed a bunch of spring onions at the last moment, remembering that she wanted to grow them. Fifty-six.

Again, she stopped at the nursery nearby to buy new pots, soil and peat. The owners were a middle-aged couple. The lady's mother owned this nursery before her and then, it was handed down. They have farms from which they send flowers to the local shops and markets. They managed this together with their children and cousins. Their 17 year old son dropped by just then to take over the shift. Now the mother can go back and start preparing for dinner.

Amy felt pangs of happiness and pain at once. This could have been her if her parents were alive. She thanked them and reminded them that they may expect her from time to time.

After dinner, she sat down to write. She started with a character sketch of the two young men and then to that of the grandma and her son whom she's never met but was certainly intrigued by. She intended to develop him as one of the central characters. By the time she finished with parts of her sketch, it was 11:30. She quickly brushed her teeth and jumped into her bed.

"You smell like the sun and the sea", he whispered into her ears as he bit it softly.

"Do you mean I smell like fish?" she giggled.

"You do, and more. You smell like the air which carries the sighs of sailor, you smell like mermaid tears, you smell like the first ray of sunlight on the ocean. You are the ripples, and I feel them deep down."

She shuddered against the magic of his fingers.

"My aziz...my sevgili", she murmured in ecstasy.