“That took so much courage,” Lia whispered, deeply moved.
“It took me seven years to undo the psychological damage I’d received,” Dilara recalled. “My parents supported me, of course. I would tell them on a given day what I’d done to move that cell door open an inch more than it was the previous day. They were wonderful parents, and always made time for me when I needed them. They knew that I was doing psychological process called desensitization. The more I did it, the less reactive I became to the situation. And it has worked for me for the most part.”
“You’re so inspiring to me,” Lia admitted enviously. “You’re so brave!”
Dilara raised one eyebrow. “And you’re not?”
“What do you mean?”
Dilara placed her hand over Lia’s. “I’ve watched you grow. I’ve seen you working hard to escape your own invisible prison.”
Nodding, Lia murmured, “It’s been tough, Dilara. Well…until lately.”
Removing her hand, Dilara sipped her tea. “I see Cav’s influence on you, dear, and it’s all been good. Don’t you agree?”
Lia smiled shyly. “You don’t miss much, do you?” She saw Dilara’s eyes sparkle with delight.
“I don’t think I miss much, but you tell me, all right?”
Setting down her glass of iced tea on the wide arm of the rocker, Lia sat back and gazed out of the screened windows, looking at the guests below them.
“Cav supports me completely, Dilara. He’s not obvious, and we don’t talk about my scars, but we both know that I’m afraid to show the more intimate areas of my body that were scarred from the attack.”
“But look at you today!” Dilara said proudly, gesturing toward her. “I’ve never seen you in shorts before. And you look terrific! You have no idea how much I applaud your personal courage.”
“Thanks,” Lia whispered, meaning it. “I was scared about coming over here today, but no one seems to notice me, or that I have scars. That’s such a relief.”
“You’ve taken another big step in pushing open your invisible cell door,” Dilara congratulated her. “And I’ll bet it feels good.”
“Truly, it does, but it’s a daily struggle,” Lia admitted, looking down at her lap.
“Yes, but it’s a worthy one. In time you’ll no longer worry about these scars you carry. In my case, my claustrophobia is under control. I don’t let it run my life any more. And…,” she tapped Lia’s arm, “When I met Robert? He didn’t know about my issues. We’d taken a hike in the mountains of Turkey, going on a picnic. There was an earthquake, Lia, and where we had sat, the mountain fell around us.”
“Oh,” Lia whispered, “…no…”
Dilara rolled her eyes. “Poor Robert. I was sitting there clinging to him, the dust making me choke, crying and losing it. He wasn’t aware of my terrible childhood experience. But you know what? He got me to settle down, and typical of being in the military, he started to try and find a way out for us. No one knew we were there. We knew no help was coming. The only way we could survive was to dig our way out. He gave me his courage, his hope and he put me to work. We had only the water and food in our knapsacks to sustain us those three days. I didn’t think we’d get out alive, but we did. Robert broke through the debris, working nonstop, day and night. I did help, but he had the strength and brawn to endure when I couldn’t go on physically speaking.”
“What an experience,” Lia whispered, shaking her head, her respect for Robert and Dilara growing even more than before. “Did you get help after you got out?”
“Oh, yes,” Dilara said, smiling tenderly. “I fell in love with Robert during those three days of being in the darkness with him. He feared nothing. He was so brave and supportive. I eventually broke down and told him why I was so shaken by being buried alive and he understood. I was privy to his tender side, the man who had emotions and who cared for me. We had many other experiences before he asked me to marry him. It seemed like he drew danger to him and I finally got over it because he loved me, he protected me and he respected me as his equal. Those are all things I needed in a man to think of marrying him.”
“So?” Lia said, giving her a warm look, “you said yes?”
“I did,” Dilara sighed. “And I’ve never been sorry about it. He’s my hero, Lia. He’s a brave, resourceful and intelligent man. Our children have his DNA and I’m so glad they do.”
“Well, they sure have yours, too,” Lia laughed, patting her hand. “I’ve met all of them during our encrypted video sessions with them from over in Afghanistan where they’re still serving. When you and Robert talk about Artemis, the building, and get their input and ideas about it, I see both of you in Tal, Matt and Alexa during those sessions. They have your composure, your kindness and compassion. Not that Robert doesn’t have any, but I really think he gave them is leadership skills, their risk taking personalities.”