WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD, I CRIED AND SAID I WAS GOING TO MARRY MY NEIGHBOR. I WENT TO A JOB INTERVIEW 15 YEARS LATER — THE GENERAL MANAGER LOOKED AT ME AND SMILED: ‘THE GENERAL MANAGER… DID YOU APPLY TO BE HIS WIFE?
When I was seven years old, everyone in our neighborhood in Izmir was my most… She knew I was a stubborn girl.
I was stubborn because one day I stood in the middle of the courtyard of the apartment building, with tears and snot, pointing to my neighbor ten years older than me, shouting in front of all the adults:
“I will marry Emre when I grow up! I will not marry anyone else!”
The neighborhood burst into laughter.
My mother, in shame and anger, grabbed me by the ear and dragged me home.
Emre, on the other hand, was red up to his ears and stayed there without knowing what to do.
“Foolish girl, what do you know about these things?” the elders mocked.
But I remember that day very clearly. Emre leaned over, patted my head and said in a soft voice:
“You say this when you grow up. For now, study hard.”
I nodded without hesitation.
From that day on, I had a very clear goal in my mind: to grow up, to read well… and marrying Emre.
## My Neighbor
Emre was a loved one in the neighborhood. He was tall, intelligent and respectful. He lost his parents at a young age and lived with his grandmother in the house next to mine.
When I was in the first grade of primary school, he was already a university student.
Every evening he would sit on the stairs of the apartment and watch me play in the courtyard with a book in his hand.
If I fell off the bike, he would clean my wounds.
If my grades were bad, he would make me study.
If I cried when a friend upset me, he would take me to buy ice cream.
In my little world, Emre was like a superhero.
When I was twelve, he was gone.
There was no goodbye. One morning I saw that their house was closed. His grandmother had passed away.
And he had moved out of the neighborhood.
I stood in front of their door, wrapped in my backpack, crying as if I had lost a part of my childhood.
I never saw him again after that day.
## 15 Years Later
I grew up.
I was no longer the seven-year-old girl crying to get married.
I worked hard. I won a prestigious university in Istanbul. I graduated with honors. Everyone was saying I had a bright future.
But it’s still a small place in a corner of my heart… It belonged to Emre.
I didn’t know how. Where you live. Whether you still remember me.
But whenever I was tired, I remembered his words:
“Study your studies.”
And I would move on.
The day I entered the headquarters of **Güneş Holding**, one of Turkey’s largest companies, with my documents, I said to myself:
You just need to get the job. Don’t ask for more.
## The Interview That Changed Everything
The interview room was large, bright and so cold that my palms were sweating.
I was sitting upright, answering the questions of the board one by one. Everything was going well… until the back door opens.
A man walked in.
Everyone in the room stood up.
“General manager.”
My heart felt like it was about to jump.
It was longer than I remembered. He was wearing a perfect suit. His gaze was determined, but not cold. His face… it was strangely familiar.
He looked at the board for a short moment, then his eyes fell on me.
For a long time.
It’s so long that I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.
Then he suddenly smiled.
That smile squeezed my heart.
And said in a slightly sarcastic but deep tone:
“The general manager… Did you apply to be his wife?”
The air in the room suddenly froze.
I felt like the world had stopped.
I looked at him carefully. There was no longer any doubt. That smile, the way he tilted his head slightly to the side… It was him.
“Emre…” I whispered without realizing it.
The selection committee gave puzzled looks.
Emre raised his hand slightly.
“Can you give us a few minutes, please?”
Committee members left the room one by one. The door closed softly. The silence became even heavier.
I was still sitting upright. I didn’t know whether I should laugh, cry or run away.
He was the first to speak.
“You’ve grown up a lot, Lucía.”
Hearing my name from his lips made something tremble in me.
“You too…” I was able to say, my voice was weaker than I expected.
He took a step towards the table.
“I recognized you as soon as you walked in. I tried to keep my seriousness… But I guess I didn’t have much success.”
I smiled.
“You were not good at hiding your feelings.”
He laughed lightly.
“You too, especially when you were seven years old… You were quite truthful.”
My cheeks turned red.
“You still can’t remember this…”
“Of course I remember. The whole neighborhood remembers. A girl with braided hair is crying and pointing at me, as if signing a contract.”
We both laughed. The tension slowly dissipated.
But there was something I had to ask.
“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
His face turned solemn.
“My grandmother suddenly fell ill. Everything happened very quickly. After the funeral, I won a scholarship in Istanbul. I felt like I had to go. I didn’t know how to say goodbye… I thought it would be easier for you if I got lost.”
I swallowed.
“It hasn’t been easier.”
He lowered his head.
“I know. But whenever I hesitated, I would remember something.”
“What?”
“A little daughter who promised me to work hard.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“I kept my promise,” I said.
“I know. I examined your file. Honors. Impeccable references. You worked hard.”
For a moment, I forgot that I had come to the meeting.
“Well… Have I been hired?”
A playful glint appeared in his eyes.
“Connected.”
“What does it depend on?”
“Whether he will agree to work with me directly.”
My heart raced.
“Directly with you?”
“I need someone in my strategy team that I can trust. Fifteen years may have passed… but I know I can trust you.”
I watched him. I didn’t just see the general manager anymore. I could see that young man cleaning my knees.
“I agree,” I said without hesitation.
He extended his hand formally.
“Welcome to Güneş Holding, Lawyer Lucía Herrera.”
I held his hand.
But that contact was not only professional.
It was hot. He was strong. It was familiar.
And for a moment, fifteen years disappeared.
## A New Beginning
It was not easy to work with him.
Emre was meticulous. He was a perfectionist. He was demanding.
But it was fair.
He never showed privileges. He never confused the personal with the professional.
Me too.
Our first months were completely business-oriented. Meetings, projects, strategies, business trips.
But sometimes small moments took it out of protocol.
Bringing my coffee exactly the way I like it.
After a difficult meeting, he said, “Breathe. You were always stronger than you thought.”
One evening, after a significant presentation to investors, the team went out to celebrate.
The restaurant was filled with laughter and soft music.
We were alone on the terrace for a while.
The city lights were shining below us.
“I’m proud of you,” he said suddenly.
“Is it because of the project?”
“Because of everything.”
The silence was closer this time.
“Lucía… I couldn’t help but think about what would have happened if I had stayed then.”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you either.”
One step closer.
“When I saw you in the room that day, I didn’t see a candidate. I saw the little girl who believed in me when she had nothing.”
“I’m not small anymore.”
“No,” he said softly. “Now you are an extraordinary woman.”
The weather has become heavier.
“Can I ask something? If that seven-year-old girl was here now… Would he still want to marry me?”
I smiled.
“That girl was very determined.”
“I remember.”
I looked into his eyes.
“Yes. He still would.”
He did not hesitate.
He leaned over and kissed me.
This was not a hasty kiss.
It was a kiss that had waited fifteen years.
## Building Together
Our relationship was not a secret, but it was not a show-off either.
We were cautious at first.
Over time, the team realized that this was not a whim.
We worked hard. We grew the company. We opened new branches.
I became the project director.
And every success was shared.
He took me to Izmir on a Sunday.
He didn’t tell us where we were going.
When the car stopped, I immediately recognized the street.
The house of my childhood.
The house next door was no longer empty. It was renovated.
“I bought it two years ago,” he said.
“Why?”
He smiled.
“Because some words are unforgettable.”
He took out a small box from his pocket.
My heart raced.
“Lucía Herrera… It has been fifteen years since I made the first offer. I think it’s my turn now.”
He knelt down.
“Will you marry me?”
My tears did not stop.
I remembered the little girl in the courtyard.
My wounded knees.
Closed door.
And I realized that it was all worth it.
“Yes,” I said, laughing and crying. “Yes, Emre.”
## Epilogue
Our wedding was simple.
Close family. Friends. The sun illuminating the garden.
My mother was crying more than me.
“You were finally right,” he whispered. “You’ve always been so stubborn.”
I laughed.
Emre held my hand at the wedding.
“Thank you for not giving up,” he said.
“Thank you for coming back,” I said.
The moment we said “yes,” it wasn’t just a word of love.
It was proof that dreams born in childhood innocence can stand the test of time.
Sometimes life separates us to grow.
Sometimes fate tests us.
But if two people’s paths are really going to cross, the path will definitely go back to where it started.
That seven-year-old girl didn’t know the distance or the future.
He only knew what he felt.
And fifteen years later, his heart was right.
Because true love is not lost.
He waits.
It grows.
And when the time comes… blooms.
