Until Thursday, Fatih's routine returned to a predictable monotony. A few things remained constant: his quiet deskmate speaking only a few words to him each day, his hour in the school's gym, and his half-hour of real-world karting practice.
But today, he carried a different air around him. He knew that by the time he arrived home, his mother would have finally returned from her meetings in Italy. Despite that knowledge, he didn't cancel his gym practice; he just accelerated his workout, doing it as quickly and safely as possible. By reducing his rest time, he finished his usual hour of practice in forty minutes, allowing him to arrive home half an hour earlier than usual.
"I missed you too, dear," Rümeysa said as she put Fatih down after he jumped on her the moment he opened the door.
