Adel becomes more upset. Mirwan shows him a stack of legal papers.
“What's this?” Adel asks.
Mirwan smirks. “You are going to sign these documents stating that you are going to stop the annulment,” he says.
Adel laughs. “Never. No one can force me to stay married to that witch.”
Mirwan nods to the man again. He walks towards them and punches Adel in the stomach.
Mirwan continues. “You are right about that. If you don't sign the document, then you’re coming with us on the next flight to Istanbul.”
Adel laughs again. “And what if I don't do either?”
Mirwan smiles and nods to another man. This one brings a laptop towards Adel. On the screen is a streaming video of a camera zoomed in on Nora walking through her living room into her kitchen. Adel's eyes widen.
Mirwan says, “Your little mistress is very pretty, isn't she? She's much too good for someone like you.”
Adel yells, “Leave her out of this!” He struggles again.
“Well, you have a choice to make,” Mirwan says. “Stay here and sign the paper or go back to Istanbul. Anything other than that, then your pretty little girlfriend is going to pay the price. It seems fairly straightforward to me. “
Understanding the consequences, Adel drops his head down as if to surrender.
“Let’s get this fool out of here,” Mirwan says. The two men untie Adel and lift him to his feet. Mirwan walks out of the room. The two men follow him, dragging Adel with them.
Chapter 46
Return to Istanbul
In Istanbul, Adel is escorted by Mirwan and the bodyguards to his Grand Uncle's office. Mirwan presents Adel to his Grand Uncle like offering an unblemished lamb to the altar.
“Adel, what a lovely surprise. How was your vacation in America?” Grand Uncle asks with a smile.
Adel glares at him but keeps his mouth shut.
Grand Uncle starts to say something when the phone rings.
“Alo?”
“Hello Grandfather.” Yonka’s voice sounds strange and distant.
“Yes, are you all right?”
* * *
Yonka looks up from her hospital bed. Mario is sitting beside her, holding her hand. She remembers waking up in the hospital a few hours earlier. Mario was staring at her with an anxious expression. The dark circles under his eyes told her that he had not slept. He smiled, seeing that she was awake.
“Yonka, I am here,” he said to her in a soothing voice.
At the time, she could not say a word. She felt groggy from all the pain medication in her system. Instinctively, her hand moved to her belly.
Mario reached out to hold her hand. “Don’t worry Yonka,” he said. “Our baby is fine. You had a bad fall but you and the baby are okay.”
Yonka nodded her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Mario wiped them away with his hand. She grasped his hand and held it tight to her face. She never felt so close to someone as she did that very moment.
It was then that she decided to tell Mario everything. If he was serious about marrying her, he had a right to know.
* * *
She is no longer afraid of what her grandfather might say. Mario promised to be by her side. He said this without hesitation after she had told him the whole truth about her marriage to Adel.
“I want to proceed with the annulment,” Yonka says to her grandfather on the phone.
“What?”
“Adel is not the father of my baby. Mario is the real father and he wants to marry me.” She takes a breath. Mario squeezes her hand reassuringly.
She continues. “I can’t pretend to be the person you want me to be anymore.”
“You lied to me,” her grandfather spits out. “You dirty liar. You tricked me! This is monstrous!”
Adel and Mirwan look at each other, unaware of what was happening.
“I’m sorry it had to end this way. Good-bye Grandfather,” Yonka says quietly. She hangs up the phone.
* * *
Grand Uncle weeps into his hands. Mirwan and Adel had never seen him cry before.
“What happened, Grand Uncle?” Mirwan asks softly.
Grand Uncle looks up at Adel and then waves his hand.
“Release him,” he says quietly.
Mirwan looks at his men and nods his head to release Adel. The man holding Adel releases his grip from his arm. The other men step to the side. Adel is free to go.
* * *
Moments later, Adel walks into his family home. His mother opens her arms and hugs him. Jowdat and Sammy take turns hugging him. Juliana and Keananna jump up and down waiting for their turn to welcome him. Zeinab is last but not least.
“Big brother, hug me too!” she says. Adel bends down to pick her up. He hugs her tight and rains kisses on her soft cheeks. Her black curls tickle his nose.
Finally, his father steps forward. Adel puts Zeinab down. He walks over to his father. They stand silently for a minute, not knowing what to say. His father breaks the silence by putting his arms around him and hugging him tightly.
“My son. My son,” he repeats over and over.
“Father,” Adel says to him. He can’t remember the last time his father hugged him.
They hug each other, both vowing to themselves that they will not forget this moment. They will never allow personal differences come between them again.
Chapter 47
A year later
A small Turkish village. You see a woman dressed in Turkish attire sweeping the walk way. When she stands up and turns around, you see that she is pregnant. She wipes her brow. You see that it is Yonka. She looks miserable. From inside the home walks out a burly Turkish man with one connected bushy eyebrow and a thick moustache that looks like a huge brush over his lip. He motions to Yonka to come inside the house (maybe to make his breakfast). You see her make a face but then she puts on a plastic smile and nods her head and hurries into the home. The burly man (who we realize now is her new husband—obviously another arranged marriage) smiles and rubs his pot belly stomach and smacks Yonka in the butt as she walks by him.
* * *
“Yonka, wake up,” Mario whispers in her ear. Yonka opens her eyes. She looks over and Mario’s smoky dark eyes are looking right back at her. He gives her the sweetest smile.
“You must have been having a bad dream,” he says.
She nods her head and smiles. “Yes, it was a very bad dream.”
She looks over to the side of her bed and sees a pink baby bassinet. She reaches inside and picks up her baby girl.
“Oh, Fatma, our precious baby,” she whispers.
Mario reaches over and gives Fatma a kiss. They both marvel at their baby’s big brown eyes and ruby red lips.
“She looks just like you,” Mario says to Yonka. He kisses her cheek.
“She has your eyes,” Yonka insists.
Mario pulls Yonka close to him and enjoys the moment with their baby together.
***
Kamil is packing his suitcase. His wife is crying in the living room with her parents. Kamil's phone rings. He answers the call. The expression on his face is grim as he speaks into the phone. Soon, he picks up his bag and walks out of the apartment. He leaves without looking back.
***
In front of Nora’s townhouse, there is a For Sale sign with a SOLD sticker on the top corner. She closes the gate and walks to her car. This is the end of a chapter of her life.
***
In Istanbul, Adel and his brothers have spent the last eight months helping their father build their brand new house. Their house is built on their father’s share of the land which is beside his Grand Uncles' home. It is a four storey home, one storey for Adel’s parents and a storey for each son once they are married. His sisters will stay with his parents until they marry and move out.
The house has
everything his mother always dreamed of. She has a modern kitchen with new appliances. She finally owns her first dishwasher. Now she can spend less time at the kitchen sink and more time to watch her favourite soap operas.
Over the weekend, Adel’s family move into their new home. On the first evening, his mother and sisters prepare a feast and invite all their family and friends to celebrate. They enjoy eating the meal outside on their garden patio. You could hear their laughter and music all around the neighbourhood as they celebrate. Adel’s Grand Uncle sits at the head table with a proud smile on his face. Beside him sits Adel’s father who also smiles proudly. Beside Adel is Salha, an attractive Turkish woman who is the daughter of his mother’s doctor. She has clear blue eyes and fiery auburn hair.
Adel and Salha were introduced to each other a few months earlier. At first Adel agreed to meet her just to appease his mother. Later that evening, Adel and Salha were in an animated discussion which lasted for hours. They debated about the future of internet marketing and online business. He learned that she completed her education in Business Management in Istanbul and was working in her father’s company. A few months later, Adel and Salha were engaged to be married.
Epilogue
So how does this story end? Surprisingly enough, ten years later, Adel and Salha are still living in Istanbul in their own suite on the second floor of Adel’s parent’s home. They have two children, a boy and a girl. The boy looks like his mother and the girl looks like Juliana, Adel’s sister. They are spoiled by everyone, but most especially by Adel’s mother and father who favour their first grandchildren over the others.
Adel and Salha run a successful online marketing company which they run from a large office in Istanbul.
Adel’s brothers are also married now with their own children, living in their own suites above his.
Juliana is newly married and living just a few minutes away. She and her husband visit her family every week. Keananna is engaged to marry her sweetheart. She still has to finish her studies so they will not marry for another year. It seems like a “Happily Ever After” ending for the Emre family and an end to the story.
So what happened to Kamil, you may be asking yourself. Actually, it may surprise or even shock you with what I have to say next.
This story was told to you by me—Kamil Ilgaz.
I wrote the story trying to approach it with an unbiased view of Adel’s life and, with the help of my wife, I believe I succeeded.
Let’s rewind back ten years to put everything into context.
***
Ten years ago, I could no longer stand Ayca’s control over my life. She was constantly questioning my every move. When it became apparent that our relationship was going nowhere, I told her that I wanted to separate from her. When she absorbed the news, she became hysterical and picked up a knife from the kitchen counter and stabbed me in the stomach. I recall hearing her screams as I collapsed to the floor and passed out. Her father rushed me to the hospital where after a few weeks, I finally recovered.
When I was discharged from the hospital, I packed my suitcase and walked out of Ayca and her family’s life forever.
Not having any family and no reason to stay in Canada, I went back to Istanbul.
I watched Adel become much closer to his father and his family. I encouraged him when he told me that he wanted to marry Salha. I was very happy for his fortunes knowing deep down inside that our friendship was changing or already had changed. We saw each other less every day, until finally it was only on special occasions.
I should mention that when I was recovering in the hospital in Vancouver, Nora came to visit me every day. She read to me books, brought me baked goodies and tried to keep my spirits up. When I told her that I was planning to divorce Ayca and move to Istanbul, she told me that it seemed to be the best decision. We promised to keep in touch and did email each other once in a while. But then she started travelling and we too stopped communicating.
The story leads us to a few years after I had moved back to Istanbul. I was finishing my Masters’ degree in English Literature at the university. I had heard that a foreign woman was appointed dean of the English department. The fact that a woman landed the position and was a foreigner made it a very hot topic of conversation on campus.
For me, I did not socialize much so I ignored all the gossip. After classes, I would go home to bury myself into reading novels since I had a strong desire to write one myself eventually.
One day, while I was writing the first chapter of my book, my mother came to my room to tell me that I had an important visitor. I remember scratching my head trying to figure out who the “visitor” would be. My mother wouldn’t announce any of my friends as “an important visitor” so I was sure it wasn’t Adel or his brothers.
As I followed my mother to the salon, a room where we entertain only our most special guests, I saw the silhouette of a woman (her back to me) looking out of the window. Her raven black hair was straight and fell just below her shoulders. She was dressed in a form fitting navy blue jacket and matching skirt which flowed just below her knees. She turned to me as I entered the room and I remember how her green eyes sparkled and her pink rose petal lips opened up to flash me her familiar smile.
“Nora,” I heard myself whisper.
“Kamil,” she half whispered back.
My mother was smiling from ear to ear and I am sure she wanted to hear the whole conversation but she politely excused herself from the room to get some coffee, leaving the both of us alone.
Nora without hesitation walked towards me with her arms outstretched. I opened my arms too and we hugged. Her perfume tickled my nose as I buried my face into her hair.
It brought back the moment when I last saw her, when we hugged each other good-bye. I was so sure we would never see each other again.
“Kamil, you can let go of me now,” Nora said in a teasing tone.
I blushed profusely, and motioned for her to sit on the couch. I sat on a chair across from her.
“What brings you here to Istanbul?” I asked.
Nora smiled and said, “I accepted a position at the university. I start my new job next week.”
My mouth dropped. I realized then that Nora was the “foreigner woman” who received the dean’s position in the English department. This was fantastic news.
“Congratulations, Nora! The news is all over campus that a foreign woman was going to be the new dean. I am so happy that you got the job.”
Nora nodded her head. Not the reaction I was expecting.
“Kamil.” She paused. I noticed that her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her jacket. She looked nervous as if she had something more she wanted to say.
At that moment, my heart sank. I imagined then that Nora was going to tell me that she was here to find Adel. The thought made me sick and I didn’t know if I could take it. I quickly stood up.
“Nora, I am not sure if you have something else in mind to share with me. But to be honest with you, I don’t know if I can hear what you have to say. I’ve been let down enough in my life. I don’t think I can take anymore.”
Nora rose quickly and walked towards me. She put her hand on my arm.
“Kamil, I don’t know what to say.”
I nodded my head, knowing what was coming next.
“Kamil, look at me.”
I looked into her eyes, green as the ocean and just as deep. I nodded my head for her to continue.
“I have never stopped thinking about our conversations together. When I was travelling around the world, I felt you were right beside me.”
My eyes widened, unsure of what I was hearing was true.
“After I finished my trip in Australia, I realized that I missed the friendship we had…. The friendship we have. I started applying for positions in Istanbul, in hopes that I could move here to be closer to you.”
Tears started to silently stream down my face. I was sh
aking, so overwhelmed by her words.
“Kamil…” she said but before she could finish, I pulled her close to me and kissed her like I always dreamed of doing since the first day I saw her standing in front of the classroom.
And so what else can I say? Nora and I married each other a year later. We are happily together now with two wonderful sons. We live in Canada where Nora is the director of the English as a Second Language School at the university and I am an English literature instructor. She is the one who encouraged me to finish this novel. She helped me with the editing and filling in the parts that needed a woman’s touch.
And so finally, I dedicate this novel to Adel. Although we have drifted apart over the years, I will never forget the times we shared.
But more importantly, I also dedicate this novel to Nora who is my soul mate, my lover, the mother of my sons and my best and truest friend. Thank you Nora for the love and support you give to me. At last I can share this story and close this chapter of our lives.
Kamil Ilgaz, August 2012
Dear Reader,
I want to thank you for reading Almost a Turkish Soap Opera. I was so fortunate to have the story adapted into a feature film and web series, which was my directorial debut. See the characters come to life by visiting the official website at www.almostaturkishsoapopera.com.
If you enjoyed this book, please take a few minutes to submit a review wherever you have purchased it. Your kind support will help other readers like you find my books.
For more information about my other books and film projects, visit my blog at https://www.anne-raevasquez.com or send me a tweet @write2film.
Till our paths cross again,
Anne-Rae Vasquez
Before you go
Please check out my latest novels and as a thank you, I’m giving away a free novel if you sign up to my book club. I give away a lot of books from other authors and gift cards so I encourage you to join.
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About the Author
Anne-Rae Vasquez’s latest novels, RESIST, book 2 of the Among Us Trilogy and Imminent-a Truth Seeker Conspiracy Thriller were released in November 2014. REVEAL, book 3 is set to be released in the Fall of 2015. Doubt, Book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy was a Gold winner in the Readers' Favorite Book Awards 2014. Doubt was launched at the Raindance Book Festival in 2013.
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