"I don't have a list of conditions as you have," she said. "Let's eat sweet and talk sweetly"*
She waved to a waiter and ordered a blackforest cake and a cup of filter coffee for herself.
"This café is very famous for its blackforest. Perhaps, do you prefer carrot cake, considering how alone** you are." She smiled.
"No thank you, I don't like sweets."
"I am not surprised."
She seemed overjoyed for some reason. She was tapping the table with her fingers as if she was playing percussion and looking around while waiting for her cake. Fatih observed her. She was so out of place, but miraculously she was so natural that makes her look like she was at her own home. He had complicated feelings towards her. He was so sure that she was a timid teacher lady with a good personality before meeting her. Now, he was sure that she was not a bit timid. Good personality was also questionable. She was sure an upright person with high morality. These are the qualities a good person should have. Yet, she seemed stubborn; and she was too clever to be married to.
Her coffee and cake came in no time. She took a sip from her coffee and began to tell her conditions.
"In this relationship, I demand two things. First is equality. I have to have the equal say in family matters. There will never be a case that you have the upper hand just because you are man, or you are rich."
"That is only natural," He said solemnly. "So, your second condition?"
"I want you to speak your mind without pretentions. We don't have a relationship where we understand each other with just making an eye contact. It is neither possible nor necessary. So, I want you to tell me what you want. With precise words. I cannot understand where you are upset, or what your needs are if you don't speak your mind. It is not that I can't. As a teacher I am very good at reading the room and get the meaning what the poet persona says. Yet, we don't have that kind of relationship and I don't want to make the effort."
"Will you also speak your mind without pretentions?"
"That is given as the equality rule suggests."
"Then, stop being pretentious and tell the real deal." He put his elbows on the table and leaned closer to her. "There is not a single person who is selfless enough to not request anything before signing a marriage contract."
Fatih expected her to be intimidated, panicked. He was even ready for her cries. But Leyla was just smiling as if his words entered from her one ear and left the other without any process in between.
"Who said I am signing a contract?"
"What do you mean?"
She took another sip from her coffee.
"Your conditions are pretty much like a normal marriage. Not divorcing, sexual relationship with mutual consent… I don't see a need to sign a contract for this. That personal life clause is also acceptable for me since I don't have a mean to have sex with you. And I presume you have no sexual desire for me either."
He cleared his throat "Yes, I have no intention of seeking you if I have the urge."
"That's wonderful. I have no intention of seeking you if I ever have the urge either."
"How come?" he asked. "As my wife, you should seek me first if you have the urge."
"Why would I?"
"Because I am your husband. I have the responsibility of taking care of you."
"But you don't like me." She said, "It would be hard for you to have sex with someone you don't like or sexually attached."
"I didn't like or find sexually attractive my first wife as well, but we could manage to have a child."
Leyla laughed. She took her first bite from the cake. Fatih felt very upset with her mocking face. He was the one who said he didn't want to have a sexual relationship with her. But now he looked like as if he was begging for sex. He couldn't understand how she was able to manipulate him this much.
"I see that you have no concept of equality in marriage." She said at last. "If I'm not your first choice concerning sex, then you shouldn't be my first choice either. That clause of yours is describing an open marriage, but your understanding of open marriage is your having your way outside the house while I was waiting for you obediently at home. There is no world like that." She took another bite. "If you are not ready to accept the consequences of an open marriage, do not suggest it in the first place."
"I see," said Fatih. She was dangerously clever, as if someone used to business negotiations. He wondered why her uncle and aunt never considered her participation in their family business. She could make better than Emir. "Yet, I strongly recommend signing a contract since it is more for your protection than mine."
"As I said before, signing a contract against law is equal not signing it at all." This time, she was the one placing her elbows on the table. "You might have no faith in people's mere words since you are a true businessman. But considering relationships between man and woman, there is no everlasting contract when they intent to deny their promises. Fellowship of nature is a strong enough contract, and humans be better and more surely knit together by love and benevolence than by covenants; by hearty understanding of minds than by contracts.*** If your intent is to be partners in crime, you need to trust me first."
"You are a great orator indeed," he said. "But what if you break your promise and file for a divorce?"
"You have nothing to do if I file for a divorce even if we sign a contract."
"What if you ask a large alimony?"
"We can sign a regular prenuptial agreement that I won't be asking alimony in case of a divorce. But I won't be signing anything more than that."
"There will be no contracts," he said finally. "Okay, I don't think you are a gold digger or something. We will trust that love and benevolence of yours. If you are free, let's go to the municipality**** for marriage procedure."
It was Leyla's turn to be surprised.
"Are we getting married? I mean, right now?"
"Yep."
"Then, what about your daughter, your family?"
"They have no say in the matters of my marriage." He was so confident. "You are a nice person, they will sure like you."
Fatih really enjoyed seeing her speechless. It was as if he took his revenge.
"How can you say they have no say in your marriage when you claimed that you are marrying for the sake of your daughter in the first place?"
It was too early for Fatih to be happy with the victory. She knocked out him without mercy.
"I mean, you said they will like me since I am nice; but you don't like every single nice person out there? Sorry, but I have no intention of living with a hell of family for the rest of my life. If your family doesn't accept me wholeheartedly, I won't be marrying you."
Her words put some sense in him. Yes, in the first place he intended to find someone that his mother might oppose. That way, he could avoid marrying ever again. He swayed with the urge of winning against her and acted rashly.
"I am sorry, I acted rashly." He pressed his thumb between his eyebrows. "You are the one with reason. What is your plan?"
She chuckled. "Okay. First of all, you need to talk to your daughter. Arrange a meeting between us. Inviting your house might be agreeable since she could feel herself more at ease in a familiar environment. According to her reaction, we can consider meeting your extended family."
That was a very reasonable plan indeed. Something very like Fatih would make. He didn't know where his thinking abilities go. He wanted to end their meeting and go to his office to be far and secure from her.
"I don't think it is good to tell her that we are marrying right away," she said. "Let's date for a couple of months, after she gets used to, we can tell her."
"So be it." Fatih could agree even she asked half of his assets. He had a terrible headache because of her, yet he had a feeling that he made a good deal. Yes, it was a very good deal. A better deal when he thought before.
*it is an idiom and Turkish tradition of eating sweets before serious conversations.
**Alone, a 2008 Turkish movie where the protagonist is a chef famous for his carrot cake.
***She is making a quotation from Thomas More's Utopia
****In Turkey, marriage procedure is conducted by city municipalities, not civil affair bureaus.