Okuma – A love story in Pazarcık

Başlık parası* engeline takılan bir aşk ve Cemil’in hazin sonunu anlatan basit İngilizce bir hikaye / A love story in simple English

• Hikaye ⇓
• Test

Cemil was a worker at a building company. He was not rich but he was happy because he had hopes for the future. He was from Pazarcık. He had come to İstanbul 2 years ago. He loved a girl, Cemile. Cemile’s family was rich. Cemil wanted to marry her. However, her father asked for a bride price. He wanted 7000 dollars. Cemil’s father said that it was too much for them and that they couldn’t pay it. Cemile’s father said he wouldn’t let them marry without the said bride price. So Cemil decided to go to İstanbul to work and earn the money.

Cemil’s boss was a humble man. He liked the workers and talked to them like a friend. The workers liked him too. He knew about Cemil’s problem and wanted to help him. Then one day he went to Pazarcık and found Cemile’s father. He talked to him and said that the bride price was and old and bad tradition.

Cemil’s boss: You are selling your daughter!
Cemile’s father: No, I am not. Bride price is our tradition and I respect traditions.
Cemil’s boss: Then why are you asking for 7000 dollars? Why don’t you ask for less?
Cemile’s father: Because my daughter is very beautiful. Everybody wants to marry her.

Cemil’s boss was very angry with him. He left him and went to the Pazarcık Hotel. While walking to the hotel he saw a girl on the street. She was very beautiful. He thought, “What a beautiful girl!”. He would leave Pazarcık that day. However, he wanted to see the girl again. Next day he went to a restaurant for dinner. Then he walked around Pazarcık and took photos. Then he met the girl again. This time he took her photograph. When he went to the hotel, he turned on his camera and looked at her pictures. “I love you” he said, looking at the pictures. Then he went to Ünal Market and showed the picture to the shopkeeper. “Who is this girl?” he asked the shopkeeper. He said, “This girl is Cemile”.

Cemil’s boss was shocked. He was in love with the girl whom Cemil loved and wanted to marry. She was his worker’s girl. But he loved her too. That evening he thought about it. “What shall I do?” he asked himself. “If I leave Pazarcık now I will be unhappy because I have found the woman of my life. I am rich enough and I can marry her. But if I marry her Cemil will be unhappy. He will also be very angry with me. What shall I do now?”

The following day he found a fortune-teller. He told her the problem and asked for her advice. She said, “You must marry Cemile. Forget about Cemil. He is a bad boy.” Then Cemil’s boss went to Cemile’s father.

Cemil’s boss: I will give you 7000 dollars.
Cemile’s father: Good man! You want to make Cemile happy.
Cemil’s boss: No. I want to make myself happy. I love your daughter. I want to marry her.
Cemile’s father: Alright man. That doesn’t matter. Whoever gives me 7000 dollars can marry my daughter.

Two days later Cemil’s boss and Cemile got married. They lived happily ever after.
What happened to Cemil? Well, he was so unhappy that he became a black cat.

*Pazarcık’ta böyle bir gelenek yok; tamamen kurgusal / No such tradition exists in Pazarcık