imagining

Well we just had a very nice summer storm!  So the other day, it was a Saturday at 7:30 which is early for me to be moving much less riding a (non-school) bus, I was meeting a coworker in her town about an hour away and was riding an early bus.  Considering the time I wasn't that awake but awake enough to have a conversation with a baba before boarding the bus.  When I boarded the bus I found a seat and removed my backpack (that has become as well known around here as I have.)  I was looking around at the people and noticed a man sitting in front of me on the other side of the bus.  I think he was the husband of the woman who I had a conversation with but I'm never sure.  He was a dyado, grandpa aged man, and was dressed up in a suit jacket and had nice pants on; he looked very nice.  He was holding flowers with the stems wrapped in paper soaked in water to last the hour+ long trip.  The first thought that popped into my mind was "that's so cute!"  The woman who might or might not have been his wife didn't get on the bus with him.  I had fun trying to think of the reason for the flowers.  I'm noticing more and more I have a very hard time guessing peoples ages here.  That and the fact that older people here are very active in everyday activities; they have to be.  Just the other day when I went to my coworkers house to pick cherries up in the tree was a man, who threw a small branch down for me.  He didn't look to be in his 30s, he was older.  Come to find out one of the ladies who was  there helping who I'm going to guess is in her upper 40s/maybe 50s said "that's my father!"  So I'm not good with ages over here.  So back to the bus.  The thought crossed my mind that this man could have been going to visit his mother.  Or maybe he was leaving his one family to spend time with his other family.  Since families are so often split up over here it's not unheard of in the Turkish ethnicity, maybe across the board-I'm not sure, for a man to have a family where he lives and another family where he works since the 2 aren't always in the same place.  Maybe he was going to see his wife, assuming he only has 1, and just couldn't live where she wanted to settle down so he stayed here, where he grew up.  That's not uncommon either.  I have a baba and dyado who live different places because neither one could live where the other wanted.  They each take turns going to see each other in the 2 different homes and stay for awhile, they just have to leave when it's time and I have to say I know that feeling.  Wherever he was going it was important enough for him to be wearing some of his nicest clothes.  I also noticed as the busride went on the more his flowers bloomed.  Then I thought to myself how, if you want flowers to stay looking fresh you have to pick them very early in the morning (could be the reason for the early bus?)when they are first starting to open and then as the day progresses they bloom all the more.  I just thought that was very touching and a very nice gesture.  When I think of the "reasons" people are given flowers in the states, and again generally speaking, I couldn't help but be impressed by this gesture.  Maybe he did something to make his wife mad and was in trouble, I have no idea!   I just thought he was so cute!   Love and hugs from here!!  Happy birthday Krisi!