I was only 16 years old when I met Alpay, a man 30 years old—14 years older than me—but nothing could stop our love.
I used to be an honor student at Istanbul Nisantasi High School for Girls, but I fell into severe depression after a simple tonsil operation. Because Dad—a disciplined former jet pilot—didn't want to see me sad, he took me to a nightclub one night to cheer me up. There, fate met. We met his old friend in the military, who offered me a job in a labor union. For my security, he instructed his assistant manager—Alpay—to pick me up every day. That simple introduction changed my life.
Alpay grew up in Istanbul but went through severe trials. She is forced to marry in an unhappy relationship, and in search of true love, she moves to Germany. But even when he returned to Turkey, his life was still not easy. When we met, he was still carrying the wounds of his past, but despite everything, he was a good person—caring and kind. As we traveled together to and from work, we gradually opened up to each other. I didn't realize it, I fell for him.
But even though we feel strongly, we can't say it. Our age gap, his past, and my father's strictness—all of that was an obstacle. We made love in silence, not saying a word, but with every look and smile, we knew both were true. Until one day, I couldn't take it anymore and told my sister about it. He was shocked. He said, Papa would definitely not allow it. He paints a worst-case scenario.
My parents like Alpay as a friend, so they often invite him to the house. But even though he was close to our family, we couldn't confess our feelings. In 1967, I was promoted to Assistant Accounting Manager. Alpay and I are on different floors at work, so we rarely see each other anymore—the only time we have is commuting and lunch breaks. But every moment we spend together, our love grows deeper.
We silently hid the love we couldn't express. Fear of what others will say, of the family's reaction. But love is not simply overcome by time, distance, or fear. Despite everything, we held tightly to the promise our hearts made—a promise to build our future.
