Ema Tuncer and Viktorya Levi

On this photo you can see my mother Ema Tuncer and my aunt Viktorya Levi, my father's sister. The picture was taken in Istanbul in the 1950s. When their finances improved, my mother and father made a list of the things they wanted to do or acquire. As my father was very methodical, their wishes were prioritized: first, a house on the Island, which they bought; next, a car, which they also got; and then, a trip to Europe and a diamond ring. When the turn had come for the trip to Europe, my father could not get away from his business. He proposed to send my mother, anyway, but as she did not want to go alone, he sent her with his sister on a cruise to Italy, Nice and Marseilles. The year now was 1950. I was 13 and had started high school. My mother and aunt had gone on a trip. The two of us, my father and I, remained behind and had a lot of fun together, as we were such good friends. He took me to eat delicacies like tripe and döner kebab, and taught me how to enjoy life. We had a splendid time, the memory of which lingers. Then, before my mother was back from her trip, my father was seized by a serious illness: meningitis. On her return, my mother found him in hospital.