New Leaf

Chapter 11

Flashback 

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Do you know Cinderella's story and how she was envied by her stepmother and made her life a living hell with the help of her stepsisters, well I'm no Cinderella and my father didn't bring me a stepmother nor stepsisters but that didn't make my life any better than hers.

My father always wanted to have a girl even though he had two boys he loved them but still craved for a baby girl, after ten years, two boys and several abortions I finally I came to my father's life. I quickly became his life, I've always been envied by my friends, cousins, brothers and everyone who have seen me with my father.

I was daddy's little girl, his princess whom he spoiled for years but what nobody knows was that from all the people around me I was envied the most by my own mother. All my problems going up were caused by mother, her envy made her hate me to no extent.

After falling to raise my brothers like he wanted and unable to make them create their own independent  personalities away from their mothers inflect, my father decided that he will do with me what he couldn't do with my brothers. He took me under his wings and made it his goal in life to carve my personality with his own hands by helping and guiding me all my life, he taught me everything I know.

He taught me how to be independent, to have my own opinions, to never be afraid of speak up my mind, to never be afraid of fallowing my dreams, to make mistakes and learn from them, to never be afraid because he always had my back but that didn't prevent my mother to try and fill my dad against me or making him punishing me. Whatever his punishment for me I've never really hated him or even blamed him for it I just blamed my mother, I blamed my father for one thing though he trusted my mother blindly that he wasn't able to see how she really felt about me and what she was doing to make me pay for my father's lover and affection.

We grew up as two opposites I had a strong personality who wasn't afraid of speaking her mind or challenge anyone who doesn't respect her, while my big brothers where always afraid of my father, they never could speak up their minds unless they were in front of my mother, they never could make decisions without their mother's help.

Whenever their was an audience my mother gave the performance of her life, though when I got sick she never took care of me, when I got scared from the dark or from the thunder as kid she never let me sleep beside her, when I had a car accident she didn't move a muscle, when my brothers used to bully me she sided with them. 

I was a small copy of my father, I got his look, his hair, his eyes, his personality and his attitude. Who ever knew my father will definitely connect me to him even if they never saw me before, I was always referred to as Altan's daughter and never ever as Mai's daughter.

On every birthday my father made me two parties one with all my friends and the other with the family, he used to buy me princess dresses and expensive gifts. Whenever we went shopping my father allow me to get everything I want, all my clothes, shoes, bags where brands. 

When I started high school my dad bought me my first cellphone, when I graduated high school he sent me on a school trip out of the country, when I started college he bought me a car and a laptop(latest edition), he allowed me to rent a house and live on my own and he even didn't say a thing when I decided to buy a dog. Whenever I wanted to get a job my father never allowed me and always tells me that I was his responsibility  I never have to work if I didn't want to.

When my father got sick and was diagnosed with cancer he never told me neither let anyone tell me until he had to take his chemotherapy sessions and wanted someone to drive him to and from the hospital, in his last days he always told me to follow my dreams, finish my studies, travel, fall in love and get married. 

After he passed away I found out that he left a will, he divided everything he owned on the four of us making sure that neither my mother nor my brothers took what's mine. My mother couldn't do anything after the lawyer made everything official, she kept an act throughout the years that she was the loving mother. No one knew how she acts with me, no one see her when she orders me around or when she make me do all the house work.

My father was everything to me because of him I took everything my mother and brothers threw on me with my head held high and a smile on my face hiding everything inside me, I never wanted him to find out the truth. I didn't want him to feel bad that he put his trust in the wrong person, I didn't want him to feel that he couldn't protect me or the fact that he failed me.

Taking my father's advice and with the money he left me I was finally able to break free and leave this he'll of a life behind me, seeking new life, new opportunities and following my dreams. I waited for the right opportunity and planned everything in silence till I found the right time to leave and never look back, leaving my so called family behind.

I knew that the world outside won't be easy on me but after all if the people who supposed to protect me the most were the ones that hurt me the most than I don't have to worry about strangers because whatever they do to me it will never hurt me more than what my family's betrayal.

Throughout the year I've build defenses around my heart protecting my feelings and leaving my head to control me, I made a motto that kept me from being disappointed (never expect anything from anyone, that way if you don't get anything you won't be disappointed and if you did get something you will be surprised. And I prefer being surprised than disappointed, if I ever let my guard down and expected something and didn't get it I get disappointed with myself for letting my guard down in the first place). 

End Of Flashback 

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A Week Later

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My days passed in a blur, I spent them with working in my building day in and day out to finishing it on time. Beside working in the house to finish it i was also buying all the necessary stuff and hire few guys to help me out with the painting job, tiling and all the other hard work.

All the doors were replaced first thing, the fence with the added door and new parking with a first floor were finished before my return from Dubai. The first floor is finished, I transferred the master-room into a walk-in closet leading to the bathroom and I opened a door leading to the new bedroom.

I divided the living room into two spaces the inside part which was closer to the walk-in closet was transformed into a bedroom while the other part which was closer to the kitchen and the guestroom was kept as a living-room/dining room. The two spaces were divided by five wooden doors, the middle one was fixed that I used to hang the TV on with two shelves underneath and two sliding doors on each side.

I created a small storage space inside the kitchen and put a bar dividing it from the dining room, the living room leads to a balcony in the middle of the wall. It was a huge space that allowed me to create a small laundry room beside a sitting area looking over the garden, a stairs leading to the terrace which was converted into an indoor swimming pool and an indoor bar area.

The ground floor still needed work along with the garden but the house was ready for me to move in, in the next few days I just have to furnish it and move my stuff from the girls house. I made a mental note to ask the girls tonight at dinner to help me with furnishing the house and to tell them that once i finish I will move out, I made two extra copies of my house keys to give it to the girls so they can drop by anytime they want.

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I just walked out of the bathroom after taking a well needed shower and into my room, I put on some comfortable clothes when Meryem called from the kitchen saying that dinner is ready. I took the two key-chains from my purse that contained my house key and put them in my pocket before heading out to the kitchen, we were sitting on the bar having dinner in comfortable silence when I decided it was the perfect time

"I want to tell you something" I say addressing the girls which in return nodded their head for me to continue "the work in my house is finished, I just need to furnish it and then I will be ready to move out" I tell them before gulping a big sip of wine from my glass to settle my nerves

"I thought it will take longer" Define whispered after few agonizing minutes

"Well it still need some work, the garden and the ground floor needs a lot of work but the first floor is finished. I can move in and continue working on it, it would be easier from going back and forth every day" I tell them while looking at their eyes, I could see the sadness covering their features.

I reach to my pocket and retrieve the two key-chains and give each of them a copy "these are keys of my house, you are welcome to stop by whenever you want. We can even have a sleepover sometime, I don't want you to feel that I'm leaving you girls just because I'm moving out" I tell them feeling a tear escape from my eye and notice them tearing up as well before i was engulfed with their hugs, after few minutes I ask them "will you help me choosing the furniture?" still in their hold and they both nod their heads in agreement when they pull out.

"Of course" said Defne smiling and wiping the tears off her face using the back of her hand while Meryem nods her head and wiping her face with a tissue

"We want you to keep your keys, this will always be your house" Meryem say with a smile on her face and Define nod in agreement

"I didn't realize when I first stepped in this house that I was going to be blessed with two magnificent sisters, I love you girls so much" I tell them

"We love you too" they say together and engulf me into another hug.

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After dinner the girls retreated to their room while I offered to cleanup, after finishing the dishes I bring my laptop from my room and put it on the dining table. I open it and press record, it was time for my video journal entry.

Beside working nonstop in my house to finish it in time the highlights of my week was me stumbling with the annoying man that I met in the coffee-shop on my first girls night out...