The Wedding Night...

Dilan's story (Part III)...

Baran was not surprised when the door opened. He already knew his father was on speaking terms with Mr. Hikmet. But how and why they were there, he did not know. "What are you doing here? More importantly, how did you know we were here?" Baran looked at both men and noticed how Ms. Hikmet's eyes were fixed on Dilan. He instinctively positioned himself before her to shield her from the man. "Won't you invite us to come in, son?" He felt Dilan grabbing his arm. He turned to look at his wife. She wanted to let them in. The problem was that Baran was not ready to talk with his father. He moved out of the way and signaled for them to enter. After closing the door, Baran walked behind them, hand in hand with Dilan. "Please sit wherever you would like." His wife indicated. "Thank you, Dilan." How his father looked at her told Baran he knew Dilan was adopted. "Son, we came because Mr. Seyit called me after you left his house. He told me everything that happened..." His father kept exchanging looks with Mr. Hikmet, and Baran did not like that at all. "I can understand that, but why is he here?" Baran signaled with his head in Mr. Hikmet's direction. "He has something to tell you both, and he is the one who told me where you two were..." Baran was angry. "He has been following us. Did you know about it?" His father moved his hand, asking him to sit back. But Baran had no intentions to listen to his father.

"Son, please." Baran went to him. "Please, what? I saw you, Dad. I saw you meeting with this man in secret." His father showed no discomfort by that fact. "I wasn't sure, but I knew it was possible. After all, you were after his lead." Ms. Hikmet intervened. "I was after yours." Baran turned to the man and was bout to charge when Dilan stood in his way. "Baran, please, for me. Let's listen to what they have to say." He could not go against her. Not in this moment where the disillusion and pain that was present in her eyes just minutes ago had been replaced by hope. He sat on the couch next to her. She took his hand, and he stared at her. He made the silent promise not to let go. "How about we start from the beginning." Mr. Kudret suggested glancing at Ms. Hikmet. The man began talking. "Dilan..." The fact that he was addressing Dilan by first name made Baran uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, and the man corrected himself. "Sorry, Ms. Dilan... I knew your mother." Baran watched as his wife's eyes opened in surprise and anticipation. "You did?" The man nodded. "What was her name?" The man smiled as he remembered. "Her name was Ipek... We became friends after working in the house of Mr. Türker.¨ Baran and Dilan's eyes went to each other. That surname was familiar. "I worked in the kitchen, and she worked cleaning the mansion. When we met, she was already pregnant with you but didn't know it..." Dilan's hold on his hand tightened. He changed hands and used his arm to embrace her. Her body settled against him. He knew she wanted to know, but simultaneously, she feared what she would hear.

"It turns out she wasn't a simply housemaid. She was an illegitimate child of that household. When she learned the truth, she was devastated. She grew up as an orphan. Her father had watched her grow before his eyes and had never revealed himself. The daughter of the house she attended to turned out to be her sister..." Mr. Hikmet looked sad. "She didn't know how to cope with all of that." Dilan felt for her mother. She understood her pain. It was not the same, of course. From what Mr. Hikmet was saying, her mother had a difficult life. Dilan didn't have it easy, but she had everything she needed. She wasn't greedy; besides her studies, she had no interest in money or status. It all came to her by fate, not because she was searching for it. "How did she find out?" Mr. Hikmet seemed to be relieving the moment. "When her belly started to show, Mr. Türker's wife questioned her about it. She refused to tell her who the father was. She said she would raise the baby by herself. She was dismissed from the room and not in the nicest terms. After closing the door, she overheard them talk. She never shared the content of the conversation, but whatever it was, it hurt her deeply. 

Dilan could take a wild guess. An unmarried woman, pregnant, was frowned upon even to this day. "I understand." She waited for him to continue. Your mother came crying to the kitchen. She asked for my help to leave the mansion." Her mother must have been in a lot of pain, just like Dilan was now. "She never told you who my father was?" Ms. Hikmet stared at the floor with clenched hands. "No, she never told me that..." Dilan was lost in thought. The chances of her finding out about her father were closer to none. And it seemed that he abandoned her. She didn't want to know him if that was the case. Watching Mr. Hikmet, there was something strange and familiar about him. Dilan felt like she knew him. The man began talking again. "Dilan, I was in love with your mother. I can't say she loved me immediately but came to love me with time. When she asked for help, she wanted to flee by herself. I knew I couldn't allow that. The world would be harsh on her. I didn't want her to go through that. So I made her a proposition. I asked her to marry me." Watching his eyes, Dilan could tell he was sincere in his words. He cared deeply about her mother. Knowing that eased Dilan's pain in some way. Knowing that she was loved and cared for helped her cope with the fact that she was dead. "Please continue." Dilan was eager to know more. "We got married right away and left Mr. Türker's mansion. I found a job at a local restaurant, working in the kitchen. Your mom stayed in the house. I didn't want her to work in her condition. I didn't make much money, but it was enough for us... We grew accustomed to each other, and that slowly turned into love. When you were born, Dilan. They put you in your mother's arms. I don't remember seeing her that happy. Her eyes were shining with joy..."