Eren parked the grey Nissan outside his family's house in Zekeriyaköy and turned the engine off. He looked at the familiar iron gate and his right leg kept bouncing against the center console.
He used to drive a beaten-up scooter in these exact streets before his life changed into a magical nightmare. The scooter was cheap and it rattled terribly when he pushed it past fifty kilometers an hour. He used to park it right next to the green garbage bins because the neighbor's stray dog liked to sleep on the leather seat to stay warm. But it could slip between the massive city buses in Istanbul traffic and find parking anywhere. The Nissan was definitely safer for a family but it made him feel trapped in the narrow neighborhood roads. He still missed the cold wind hitting his face on that old bike.
Emily unbuckled her seatbelt. She pushed her summer dress down over her eight-month belly and picked up her half-finished bottle of sour-cherry juice from the cup holder.
