asked “How do you family call you?
“My parents call me Bella. What about you?”
“We don’t shorten names in my homeland. But when I was in America my friends called me Tai”.
Then the waiter came to take their order. Isabel ordered coffee and a cake. Taifun had coffee and some juice. They talked a bit more about where they had studied. He paid her a compliment for her English so none of them paid attention to the fact how quickly time flew. They were involved in a nice and friendly conversation and everyone admired something about the other. Taifun had studied in the USA in the University of Massachusetts, which was an interesting fact in itself. Soon they brought their order and Isabel had a feeling of celebration and happiness surging inside of her. They were talking like old acquaintances not like two people who had only met 2 or 3 hours ago. Taifun shared that he had one sister and Isabel told him she had one brother. They got along quite well and little by little everyone learned about the other, his country, interests and more… At some moment Taifun looked at his watch and said he had some phone calls to make. So they paid and headed to their hotel. Isabel was curious how they chose to stay in such an ordinary place but she thought the emotions of the day were enough so she kept the question to herself. Then they entered into the lobby of the hotel and Taifun said:
“Isabel, thank you for the tour and your lovely company.”
“It was a great pleasure for me too”, she replied.
“Can we meet tomorrow?” he asked, “You are a great company”.
“I will be free around 12”, said Isabel because she had an appointment at the eye clinic in the morning.
“O.K. We can go to lunch together”, suggested her new acquaintance. Isabel smiled and wished him a pleasant evening and then went to her room. The day was so interesting and exciting that she really needed time to herself after so many emotions, talking English for hours and spending time in a luxurious café in the company of such a gentleman. Isabel kept thinking of the day feeling elated and thrilled. It was too good to be true she remember thinking at one moment and the next a disturbing idea crossed her mind: “If only he was not Turkish”. It was no surprise she slept only a few hours that night.
The following day Isabel went to the eye clinic and just as she had anticipated – everything was fine there. The doctor advised her to renew her lenses every two years and she left the clinic feeling satisfied. Isabel had plenty of time before the meeting also so she took a tram and got off at the Central shop and went in to buy her favourite lipstick Classic 237 and even bought herself a beautiful velvet skirt that had all the colours of the autumn trees. Then she returned to the hotel, changed into a purple dress with a Greek neckline and 10 minutes before 12 she was absolutely ready. Taifun was already down in the lobby when she came. He wore a very elegant grey suite with a light purple shirt and a beautiful tie. He gave her a beautiful smile and greeted her:
“Hello, lady.”
“Hello, Sir”, replied quietly Isabel, smiling back at him. She suggested that they walked along Vitoshka boulevard and she was sure they would find a good restaurant on their way.
“How was your day?” asked Isabel.
“My team returned from Pravets and we had a short meeting and discussed a few things.”
“Is this your first visit to Sofia?”, inquired she.
“I have been here before. But when you travel with a team you really go off the beaten track which means we follow routine: meetings, lunch, meetings, dinner and then we get into our cars and drive back home. It is the first time I have the chance to go sightseeing and be at leisure. It is lovely we have met”, said Taifun and Isabel could not help feeling flattered.
Very much like the previous day the conversation went on fluently and they walked and talked like good friends, each finding something to ask the other one, so they walked and talked until the end of the pedestrian part, from where the famous National palace of Culture could be seen. Then they made a semi-circle and started to come back. At the same time they were looking for a restaurant. There were several options but Isabel didn’t have much experience, so she was relieved when Taifun asked her.
“Do you like Italian food? Nico’s Tratoria is full of people, so it must be a good place.” He suggested. Isabel nodded in agreement. They both turned to be great fans of spaghetti and the famous Tiramisu dessert. Isabel was surprised because she always tried to win her brother over but he always stayed firmly addicted to pizzas. So she was very happy to find a male representative who was not a pizza fan but was just like her – a lover of spaghetti. A small coincidence but it really made Isabel’s heart sing with joy. When it was time to pay she offered to contribute but Taifun said it was out of question. He invited her, so he owed her much. “I have learned so much in the time span of those 2 days about your country and capital, it will be fair to offer you payment. You are an incredibly good tour-guide!”, he added. He paid with a card, something that she was seeing for the first time. But she kept her surprise under control. After all he had travelled a lot, business required it so it was natural to be among the first to have a bank card. After some more walking along Vitosha Boulevard they came to the same café and when Taifun said he would like to have coffee, she accepted the offer willingly. So they turned the corner and entered in the same refined and luxurious atmosphere of the Sheraton café. It was past 4 o’clock and they both needed coffee. Isabel was not tired but she had more questions and it was a good excuse. None of them was in a hurry. They exchanged their phone numbers. She gave him a small souvenir, something he did not expect form a stranger. And Taifun gave her his gold-plated pen. Then at some moment Taifun looked at Isabel more seriously and asked:
“Where would you like life to take you next?” Isabel thought she had not understood his question. So she replied:
“Pardon? I don’t quite understand your question.”
“I like your manners, your fluency in English. Would you like to work for me? “Isabel, I know it may seem too soon, but I like you so much. I can offer you a lot. I am absolutely impressed by you. I can come, speak to your parents….I will give you time to think about it.”
Isabel was flattered, happy, overwhelmed…But she was prejudiced too. So she did not want to inform her family. She decided right then and there.
“I am sorry, Taifun. But my answer is No.”
“If you are afraid, I can understand you”, he said.
“I know you only since 2 days… she said and sighed. Then she thought to herself: If only you were not Turkish … and she went on,
“You can’t understand me, but it is stronger than me. The things from the past…I can’t explain it without hurting your pride and your dignity. Please accept my answer and let us part as friends.”
He stood silent for a while and thought to himself: …’If it was the historical past….she was right. But still she was so gentle, kind and intelligent. But he also had a principle. An offer once made is never repeated again.’ Then he said:
“As you wish. But I will not make you an offer again.”
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