Recently burrowed in the dacha, and when by the end of the day I looked up and realized that I was tired. No, not physically, this condition after the beds is a matter of habit. Tired of monotony and loneliness.
I had the same routine at work from morning till night and nobody needed dacha, except me. My daughters have grown up and scattered all over the world, I only meet them once or twice a year. My husband has been away for ten years, he left for a young girl and never calls me for birthday greetings…
During the evening tea a thought occurred to me that she needed new impressions. And where better to gain them than in a travel? Of course, I can’t afford a round-the-world trip, but to popular Antalya, I’ll probably break away! It’s decided, tomorrow I’ll snatch my vacation from the boss, and – forward! Fortunately, my school friend got a job in a travel agency, and for a long time offered a ticket with a good discount.
…The plane landed softly. After a relatively small domestic airport, the expanse of taxiways and runways in Antalya was astounding. The announcements in English and Turkish confused me. The confusion was so evident on my face that the man on our flight laughed:
– Is this your first time in Turkey?
– Yes…
– Let me help you, our luggage terminal is over there.
We got to talking and got to know one another while we were getting our luggage. Rajan turned out to be an unobtrusive and pleasant conversationalist. When the tour operator’s bus brought us to the hotel, it turned out that we lived across the street from Rayan.
I ran to the beach early in the morning, and ran into Rayan, who was returning from the sea.
– And I’ve already had a swim, while there is no fuss on the shore, I like to meet the sunrise on the waves.
– You’re an early bird, I also like to get up at dawn.
– Then tomorrow we’ll go to the sea together, don’t you agree?
– Deal, just do not oversleep!
Ryan laughed:
– Have a good day!
The day was really good, and I enjoyed the sea, the sun and rest.
My acquaintance and I met in the evening, in a bar. There was a karaoke contest, and Ryan was an excellent singer. But for some reason he chose sad songs, but in the end he got the main prize – a bottle of champagne. When they sat down at a table, Rayan asked the waiter for some glasses. Pouring the drink, he suddenly said:
– My wife’s favorite champagne… Let’s not toast…
We drank, and after an awkward pause, looking at the sea, he continued:
– This is the eleventh year I’ve been coming here. The first time we were here with my wife, she wanted to go on an excursion, and I was too lazy to get up. Their bus couldn’t hold on the serpentine and six people died, my wife among them. I’ve been coming here ever since, and in the morning I jump up at first light…
We sat for a long time and shared our life stories. It turned out that Rayan had brought up his son alone, never having married since his wife’s death. I had an almost mirror-image biography, thank God, without the tragic moment like Ryan’s.
We spent more and more time together each day, and three days before the end of the trip, Ryan suggested we move into his cottage. I didn’t wander into the high morals, just packed my suitcase and Ryan brought it to his apartment.
On the way home we decided to try living together. At the airport Rayan was met by his son, a very polite young man. Rayan introduced me, and my son suddenly suggested we celebrate our arrival and his arrival in a cafe.
Throwing our suitcases into the trunk of the car we rushed to the cafe. Ryan’s son told us about the twists and turns of the last exams, and we told him about Antalya. At the end of the evening the question of lodging hung over. I took the initiative and invited Rayan to stay with me.
That’s how we live now- me and Rayan in my apartment, and his son stays in his father’s apartment. My daughters have no claim to my flat, they are doing well there, abroad. On the phone, they congratulated me on the end of my “career” as a bachelorette, and were glad that I had met a good man. I hope things will work out with him the way we want them to.
