Important Dinner
*Leyla’s Point of View*
Hello, there! My name is Leyla. Leyla Altunay. I come from the big and popular Turkish city Istanbul. I will tell you a little bit about myself.
Three years ago I graduated from high school. I had an amazing time at high school, filled with a lot of joy and happiness. And love... But, I will talk about this a little later. Now I will start with my background, because I believe it is quite interesting.
I come from a mixed marriage - my father, Ali, is from Turkey and my mother, Maria, is from the United States of America. For all I know, they have met several years ago, while my father was visiting university there. They obviously liked each other, and got married almost immediately after they graduated. Most of the time we live here in Turkey, but around important family holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter we spend time in America, where my mother’s relatives are. We celebrate both the Christian and the Muslim holidays.
Fortunately or not, I am an only child, since, after my birth, my mother had some medical issues, which prevented her from having more children. But I am okay with this, I do not feel like I am missing a sibling figure in my life. I already have my cousins who I love really much.
Speaking of my family, my father is of those traditional and more conservative people who believe that people, especially girls, should not make love before they get married, and also are not big fans of relationships without a marriage, he sees them as a waste of time. This is why I do not dare to tell him that I have been having a boyfriend for five years now. My mother, on the other hand, is not as conservative as my father, but still agrees to whatever my father says, since he is the dominant in our family.
My boyfriend... Ah... My heart, my soul, my best friend, the love of my life, my everything... My Mert... My dearest Mert... I cannot even describe how much I love this boy and how happy he has been making me ever since. I do not even know how I have managed to live through all these years when he still had not been in my life, in any way. I met him when I was in high school, we were in the same class. We both know we have been having feelings for each other ever since the first year, but confessed it in the second to last year, thus he was my prince for the prom the following year. As I mentioned, I never dared to tell my family I was dating someone, so whenever I wanted to meet with Mert, I needed to use an excuse that would not raise any suspicion.
Having a father like mine, we also should not forget or ignore the possibility of an arranged or forced marriage. My father has always had the opinion that I deserved to marry someone wealthy and successful, who would be able to provide me with a good and stable life where I would not have to worry about working. Motives like this are one of the reasons for an arranged marriage, which is one of my biggest fears. Because how am I supposed to marry someone whom I neither love nor at least know?!
And just as I though that my life was going on good, I was happy and I loved it, an event occurred, which brought a drastic change into my life.
*Author’s Point of View*
*5th of September 2023*
It was a warm and sunny afternoon. Leyla was sitting onto the wooden bench in the garden, which was just a few metres away from the high school, which she and her boyfriend, Mert, used to visit for five years. It was a small garden, which was forgotten by most people around there.
In the heart of the garden there was an old oak tree, beneath which there was a wooden bench, which was worn by the time, yet it was still sturdy. The exact same bench which Leyla was sitting on at that moment. The oak tree and the bench together had witnessed so much of the great love between Leyla and Mert, that, if they could speak, they could write an entire novel.
The garden was hidden behind an ivy-covered wall, and for that reason Leyla and Mert named it “The Hidden Garden” for themselves. The blooming flowers gave a unique scent to the place.
Leyla was sitting onto the wooden bench, under the oak tree, lost in her thoughts. She was thinking about how much she had been loving the life for the past around five years, with the main reason for her happiness being exactly her relationship with her sweet boy whom she loved with all her heart.
Lost in her own thoughts, Leyla did not hear the footsteps and the crunching beneath them, which were becoming louder the closer they were getting to her. She got back to her senses only when she felt a strong arm wrap around her from the back, thick and gentle lips touched her soft cheek, and a familiar scent, which was so favourite of hers, reached her senses.
“Oy!” Leyla exclaimed and giggled with her bubbly laughter, enjoying the tenderness that she had just received
"My beauty...” Mert replied, hugging her from the back
“What were you thinking about?” he asked her, sitting next to her
“Huh?!” she exclaimed
“You seemed thoughtful when I came.” he replied
“Oh, it is nothing serious.” she replied back “I was just thinking how grateful I am for everything so far.”
“Hmmm...” he replied
Mert then leaned back against the backrest of the bench and gestured with his hands to Leyla to go closer to him, so that he could hug her. She understood his gesture and cuddled with him. She placed her head on his chest, and he kissed the top of her head, inhaling the floral scent of her hair which he loved so much.
“Every time we come here, I remember our first meeting here.” Leyla said “When we confessed our feelings.”
Mert smiled at Leyla’s words and added “And then we had our first kiss.”
“Yes...” she replied “It was very beautiful and magical. Just like every other moment after it so far.”
She then looked at the eyes of her beloved boy and said to him “Mert... I thank you for everything we have lived so far. You are the best thing to happen in my life.”
"My darling...” he replied, touching her face and running a tender thumb across her cheek “Actually I thank you for everything, my love. I have never been so much in love before.”
“We will never part our ways, right?” she asked him
“Never!” he answered confidently, without the slightest bit of hesitation
He then caught one of her hands, squeezed it tight and said “Whatever happens, these hands will never let go of each other. Together we will get through any difficulty.”
The two love birds kissed, their kiss promising a long and beautiful future together. Every time they kissed, it felt like the time stopped, the world stopped and it was just the two of them, with nothing and no one to bother them.
A little later, per Mert’s request, Leyla lay down onto the bench and placed her head on his lap. He wanted to constantly look at her beautiful green eyes, which adorned her angelic face like two emeralds. She lay with her head on his lap, and their eyes met almost right away. Mert could not resist and entangled fingers in her big and beautiful brown hair, playing with it and swirling a string of it between his fingers. It gave Leyla good pleasure whenever he was playing with her hair, while they were talking, or even just relaxing in each other’s hug.
Leyla and Mert were talking about their own stuff and laughing sweetly when Leyla’s phone suddenly rang. She lifted herself up from Mert’s lap, sat onto the wooden planks of the bench and took the phone out of the pocket of her shorts. She picked up the phone and exclaimed “I am listening, mom.”
“Leyla, daughter, are you still with your friends?” Maria asked her daughter
“Ummm, yes.” Leyla answered her mother “Why?”
“It is nothing, my daughter, I just wanted to warn you to come home on time.” Maria answered “We are going to have important guests at dinner tonight.”
“Important guests?!” Leyla exclaimed “Who is coming tonight?”
“Yes, important. Your father has invited them over.” Maria replied “He insisted that you would be here on time and be present at dinner.”
“Allah, Allah...” Leyla exclaimed “Okay, mom, I will come home soon, do not worry. Bye!”
Leyla hung the phone and sighed.
“What is the matter?” Mert asked her, leaning forwards, closer to her, and pressing a soft kiss to the small bare shoulder that was closer to him
“It was my mother.” Leyla answered “She said we were going to have important guests at dinner tonight. My father has invited them over.”
“Well, will you be going already?” he asked her
“Not yet.” she answered him “We have got some more time together and I want to spend every bit of it, before leaving you for today.”
“Good.” he replied “Then, come back here, to spend the rest of our time for today.”
He gestured her to lie down and place her head back on his lap.
“Are you sure?” Leyla asked him
“I am more than sure, my love.” Mert answered “I love it when you are comfortable like that.”
Leyla thought for a while, and then smiled at her boy and said “I have got another idea...”
“What is it?” he asked curiously
She gestured him to wait a little bit, after which she stood up from the bench, sat onto the grass in front of it and crossed her legs. Mert was looking at her with a question look “Leyla?!”
“Come here.” she said
Mert was still confused.
“Come on, Mert...” she said
“Leyla, are you sure?” he asked her
“Yes, I am, my dear.” she answered
Mert then moved from the bench and sat onto the grass, next to his girlfriend, after which she made him turn with his back to her.
“Leyla, what is on your mind?” he asked her
“Trust me.” she replied
“You know I do.” he replied back
The next moment Leyla pushed Mert, so that he could lie down, bringing his head up to herself, so that he could put it right onto her crossed legs. Mert giggled at ths attempt of hers.
“Is this really it?” he asked her with a big smile on his face
“Mhm.” she answered
Mert let out another small giggle and then asked her “Are you sure you will be comfortable like this?”
“Yes, my love, do not worry.” Leyla answered his question “Plus, it cannot just be me the one to be lying in your lap.”
“Why?” he asked through a small giggle “I already told you I loved it when you put your head on my lap like that.”
“Yes, my love, you did say it.” she replied “But I thought it would be nice to do it the other way around, as well.”
Leyla then grabbed his face with both of her hands, squeezed it a little bit at the cheeks and added “To be able to look at your beautiful face from this angle, while I am caressing it like this with my hands and enjoying its smooth, soft skin... and then to get a taste of your naturally plump, pretty lips like this...”, after which she leaned and pressed her lips to his, getting a taste of them, just as she said.
When Leyla pulled away, she said “I love you very much!”
“I love you very much!” Mert replied to her
In the evening Leyla and her parents had prepared the table and everything, in order to welcome the important guests that her father had invited.
When the guests finally arrived, they all greeted Leyla and her family.
“Welcome!” Ali, Leyla’s father, said to the guests
“Thank you!” the guests replied
The guests were Ahmet Sönmez, his wife Nesrin and their son Emir, who was a young and successful gentleman, very ambitious in his job. The two families have been friends for a little over two decades, due to Ahmet and Ali having been childhood friends.
“Come on in, please! Make yourselves comfortable!” Ali invited the guests to the table
They all sat at the table and once the meals were served and the drinks were poured, the conversation began to flow easily.
As Ali was talking to Ahmet, he suddenly turned to Emir “Emir, son, how is life going on with you?”
“My life is going on pretty good, thank God.” Emir answered “My company has grown to be pretty successful for the past one year. It is my best achievement so far, for the three years that I have been running it. True, it sometimes requires me to travel for work both in Turkey and abroad, but it is worth all of this.”
“It is good to hear that you are successful.” Ali replied “Our Leyla graduated from high school three years ago.”
Leyla just smiled as a response.
“Well, what about university?” Emir asked
“Well, I want to apply, but I still cannot choose what specialty.” Leyla answered
“Okay, good.” Emir replied
“You know, it is important for a young, handsome and ambitious gentleman to have a strong partner by his side, especially in business and life.” Ali exclaimed “Do you have anyone in your life, Emir?”
“Well, from too much work recently I rarely have got any time for anything, so I still have not found a partner in my life.” Emir answered
“Our Leyla has grown into a fine young woman. Maria and I are very proud of her. She is intelligent, kind and well-versed into our traditions.” Ali praised his daughter
“Leyla is a wonderful girl.” Nesrin complimented “Any man would be lucky to have her as his wife and partner in life.”
“Thank you, aunt Nesrin!” Leyla replied with a light smile
“It is cruicial for families like ours to think about the future and the well-being of our children.” Ali said “Sometimes it is best to plan ahead and ensure that they are paired with someone who shares our values and goals.”
“Of course.” Emir replied, glancing at Leyla “It is important to have a partner who understands and supports you.”
Ali then looked at his friend Ahmet and asked him “Ahmet, what do you think about the idea of strengthening the bonds between our families?”
Leyla almost did not choke on her water when she heard this.
“Oh, shit...” she thought to herself, sensing where the conversation was probably going
“I believe it could be very beneficial.” Ahmet answered “A union between our families would certainly be a powerful alliance.”
“Leyla and Emir have known each other for so many years. They have always gotten along well.” Maria commented
“True.” Nesrin supported “I think they would make a lovely couple.”
“Dad?!” Leyla exclaimed a bit nervously “What are you talking about?!”
“Leyla, daughter, it is important to think about your future. We want what is best for you.” Ali replied to his daughter
“Leyla, I think your father is right.” Emir said “It is important to consider all options for a stable and happy future.”
“I understand...” Leyla replied, forcing a smile
After the dinner was over and the guests left, Leyla helped her mother clean up the table, after which she went into her room and locked herself there. She lay on her bed and a moment later tears began to fall from her eyes. She could not believe that one of her greatest fears was probably happening. And the worst was that it was happening right when her heart already belonged to someone whom she loved more than anything.
The next moment her phone beeped with a new text message. She took it and smiled a little when she saw her dear Mert’s name showing on the screen. Leyla opened the message and read it “Are you sleeping already, my beauty?”
“No, not yet.” Leyla texted back
“How was the dinner?” he asked her
“It was normal and a little bit boring.” she answered
She still could not tell him what actually happened. Or, at least, not through the phone.
“Mert, could we meet tomorrow at our place, my love?” she asked him
“Of course we will meet, my love. You do not even need to ask me.” he answered “Is there any problem or something?”
“No, there is not a problem, do not worry.” she answered “I just need to see you.”
“Good.” he replied “See you tomorrow.”
“Good night! I love you!” he added
“I love you!” she texted back “Sweet dreams!”
Leyla then opened the gallery application on her phone and looked at one of the many pictures she had of Mert. With teary eyes she glided a finger on the screen, over his picture, imagining she was caressing his face, and whispered “How am I going to tell you about this...”
She then grabbed the pendant of her necklace and held it in her hands for a moment. It was a gold necklace with one heart-shaped pendant, which was a gift to her from Mert himself for her birthday during their last year of high school. She had not taken it off ever since that moment. It gave her peace and comfort whenever she touched it and he was not around.
“I love you so much, Mert!” she whispered with the pendant in her hand
She then kissed the pendant, after which she fell asleep.
